The long discussed clash between two of the most iconic names in wrestling history has once again been addressed, and this time the reasoning appears crystal clear. While fans have long wondered why “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan never shared the ring during Hogan’s final WWE stint, Jim Ross has now shed more light on what truly kept the match from happening.

Speaking on Grilling JR, Ross explained that the issue was not creative direction or a lack of interest from the company. Instead, it came down to Austin’s personal hesitation about how the bout would translate inside the ropes.

“Austin didn’t want to work with [Hogan],” Ross stated. “It was wrong place at the wrong time… Steve just didn’t have a good gut feeling that they would have passable chemistry, and just to be passable wasn’t good enough for Austin”.

Ross described Austin as someone who approached wrestling with the mindset of a hard hitting athlete, comparing him to a linebacker stepping into battle every night. That aggressive, physical approach was something Hogan simply was not in position to match at that stage of his career.

“[Steve] was kind of a middle linebacker in a squared circle, and he liked to hit people, and he liked to be aggressive,” Ross explained. “We were obviously no one thought that Hogan could maintain that on that given calendar year… Hogan should not have even been in a ring because he couldn’t get it done anymore”.

By that point, Hogan had endured roughly ten back surgeries, and the physical wear and tear was evident. Ross pointed to Hogan’s rematch with The Rock at No Way Out in February 2003 as proof that expectations no longer matched reality.

“Rock and Hogan situation was very disappointing,” Ross noted. “They didn’t come close to taking care of that business. And that’s very, very rare for Rock… you can only do so much for the guy that’s all crippled up, right? And that match right there kind of showed us that our investment we were making in Hogan was going to be on a part time basis”.

That same No Way Out event saw Austin face Eric Bischoff in what Ross labeled more of an attraction than a traditional wrestling match. While the pay per view generated 450,000 buys, Ross described the overall business climate in early 2003 as flat and transitional, suggesting WWE was searching for momentum rather than capitalizing on dream scenarios.

In the end, according to Ross, the highly anticipated Austin vs Hogan showdown was never about politics or backstage drama. It was about one performer refusing to deliver anything less than great, and sensing that great simply was not possible at that moment in time.