Why WWE's Mike Chioda Calls Stone Cold Steve Austin Better Than Hulk Hogan, John Cena

"Hogan, Austin, or Cena?" was the very simple, yet tricky, question directed at veteran referee Mike Chioda on his "Monday Mailbag" podcast. Chioda — who officiated a ton of matches involving all three pantheon WWE greats — took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before delivering his answer, only to feel conflicted again. 

"I'm gonna have to say Austin, man," Chioda responded. "Even though Hogan was with the company for a lot longer, and the incredible match with The Rock — Icon vs. Icon and whatnot, and what Hogan went through with Andre ... I want to say, Hogan, probably. God damn, I hate to say not even Hogan — I mean Hogan drew for us for many years." Chioda believes Hogan and Austin are the only two men in the conversation for the title of WWE's G.O.A.T, but he gives the slight edge to "The Texas Rattlesnake" merely for his role in helping WWE win the Monday Night War against WCW. "Austin drew, too, and he got the hell of the pops ... he took [WWE] to another level. I mean, he came out with the beer trucks, the f—ing cars, and he'd be pouring concrete into cars. You wanted to see s–t like that back then." 

Selfishly for Chioda, another reason to pick Austin is that he got to share a few cold brewskis with him, particularly at WWE live events where "Stone Cold" was known for his elaborate post-match celebrations. "I never got to drink one [beer] on live TV but at live events, he'd grab two [cans] and throw them to me real quick."