Why Stone Cold Steve Austin Hates These WWE Wrestlers

Why Stone Cold Steve Austin Hates These WWE Wrestlers (Including Hulk Hogan — And Yes, It’s That Personal)

For decades, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the beer-drinking, finger-flipping, boss-stunning face of attitude-era WWE. He didn’t play politics, didn’t care about egos — and definitely didn’t fake his grudges.

While most people think of wrestling rivalries as scripted, some real-life tension has bubbled beneath the surface for years.
And when it comes to Hulk Hogan, things reportedly crossed way beyond professional beef.

Yes — we’re talking the kind of betrayal that breaks trust forever.

1. Hulk Hogan — The Alleged Personal Betrayal That Ruined Everything

Rumors have swirled for years that Austin and Hogan never got along backstage — but according to industry whispers, things went from bad to explosive over a shocking personal betrayal.

Multiple sources have alleged that during the mid-2000s, long after their primes, Hogan may have hooked up with Austin’s then-wife during a period of separation. The rumor — never confirmed publicly — has floated around locker rooms, fan forums, and shady shoot interviews for years.

One ex-WWE employee said:

“It wasn’t just about heat or ego. If what Austin believes is true, Hogan crossed the one line you don’t ever cross.”

Austin has never publicly addressed this, but he’s made subtle jabs toward Hogan in interviews — and never warmed up to the idea of working with him in any high-profile WWE program.
They never had a proper match. Never shared a major angle. Never stood face-to-face in a WrestleMania main event.

That’s not a coincidence.

2. Brock Lesnar — The Walkout That Sparked Backstage Tension

Back in 2002, WWE creative booked Stone Cold to lose clean to a rising Brock Lesnar on a random episode of RAW. Austin saw that as a joke — and refused to do the job.

He walked out of the company without warning, and while he eventually returned, his opinion on Lesnar was clear:

“You don’t give away a match like that with no build. That’s not how you do business.”

He didn’t hate Lesnar personally — but resented what he represented: WWE’s new era, built without the old-school storytelling Austin believed in.

3. CM Punk — A Battle of Egos That Never Exploded… But Could Have

Austin has both praised and critiqued CM Punk, especially around Punk’s infamous 2014 walkout from WWE.

While the two men never squared off, there’s tension between Punk’s self-described “voice of the voiceless” attitude and Austin’s belief in toughing it out.

In multiple interviews, Austin implied Punk “should have handled things differently,” while Punk hinted that Austin was “corporate” compared to his own anti-establishment stance.

It never became a war — but both men clearly didn’t see eye to eye.

4. Jonathan Coachman — Austin Said What We Were All Thinking

Stone Cold reportedly couldn’t stand Jonathan Coachman’s time as an on-screen personality, feeling he was “trying too hard” to be funny without actually delivering.
In one backstage story, Austin allegedly said:

“If that guy keeps yapping, I’m gonna Stun him in catering.”

Enough said.

Final Thoughts

For Stone Cold Steve Austin, respect has always been everything — in the ring, in the locker room, and in real life.
And when someone (allegedly) crosses a deeply personal line, no scripted apology or handshake is going to fix it.

As wild as it sounds, the beef between Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan may not just be about wrestling ego — it may be about something far more private, and far more unforgivable.

And that’s the bottom line.