“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was WWE’s most popular superstar during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Nowadays, that distinction belongs to Roman Reigns, the current undisputed WWE universal champion, who’s set to main event WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium.
Last year, both legends shared the grandest stage of them all, with Austin returning to WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium for his first match in 19 years and Reigns headlining the card with a championship showdown against Brock Lesnar. And they crossed paths backstage, prompting an exchange revealed Sunday night in footage from the latest episode of A&E’s “WWE Rivals” series.
“Brother, you’ve been putting all the pieces together, and you’re doing an amazing job,” Austin told Reigns as they shared a hug in Arlington, Texas, last April. “You’ve really arrived, and I’m so proud of you.”
Check out the video of the interaction right here.
Austin, 58, is widely considered one of the greatest performers in wrestling history, having elicited insane crowd reactions during WWE’s “Attitude Era.” Reigns, 37, also is cementing his status as one of the GOATs, though. So, seeing the two embrace off camera, with the Texas Rattlesnake heaping praise on the Tribal Chief, is fascinating, to say the least.
Now, if only WWE could book a dream match between Austin and Reigns. Never say “never” in wrestling sports entertainment, right?
