Last week marked the 23rd anniversary of one of WWE’s most iconic moments of the Attitude Era. A taped episode of Monday Night Raw taking place in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Dec. 29, 1998 saw The Rock defend his world championship in a No Disqualification match against the lovable Mankind (better known as Mick Foley). In what was potentially the loudest crowd reaction in company history, the match ended with Steve Austin stomping his way down to the ring, smacking Rock right across the face with a steel chair and assisting Mankind in winning the WWF title, much to Mr. McMahon’s outrage.
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Both Rock and Austin took to Twitter to comment on the moment. Rock started off by writing, “Love this. This was one of the loudest crowd eruptions I’ve ever experienced in my career in the wild world of pro wrestling. The fans JUST KNEW. And my buddy@steveaustinBSR knew how to swing a steel chair just right to not split my head open. What a night.”
“As the one and only Dionne Warwick would sing- That’s what friends are for…” Austin responded. A fan then asked him if he remembered what he was saying as he stormed the ring, “The Texas Rattlesnake” responded with, “A s—load of cuss words and general trash talk.”
Johnson made headlines late last month when, in an interview with CNN, emphatically shot down the idea of returning to the Fast & Furious franchise even after Vin Diesel made a public plea.
“I told [Diesel] directly that I would not be returning to the franchise,” Johnson said. “I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. Vin’s recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn’t like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker’s death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding.”
“My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible franchise with gratitude and grace,” Johnson added. “It’s unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I’m confident in the ‘Fast’ universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience… I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter.”
