The rivalry between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Kane in 1998 was a cornerstone of the Attitude Era. Their story wasn’t just one match, but a series of violent, chaotic encounters where their battle for the WWF Championship was often a means to a larger end for Austin: fighting his boss, Mr. McMahon.
The timeline of their epic 1998 rivalry unfolded like this:
📅 The Beginning: King of the Ring (June 1998)
The feud’s first major chapter was the First Blood match for the WWF Championship at King of the Ring. The match was chaotic from the start, with the Hell in a Cell being raised and lowered, and referee Earl Hebner being knocked out . The finish came when Mankind interfered. The Undertaker came out to stop him and accidentally hit Austin with a steel chair, busting him open. Because it was a First Blood match, referee Hebner saw the blood on Austin and awarded the win—and the WWF Championship—to Kane . Austin lost the title but reclaimed it the very next night on Raw .
🤝 An Unlikely Alliance: Fully Loaded (July 1998)
In the aftermath, a bizarre tag team match took shape at Fully Loaded: In Your House. Austin was forced to team with his long-time rival, The Undertaker, to face Kane and Mankind for the WWF Tag Team Championship. Despite their mutual distrust, the unlikely duo managed to win the titles when The Undertaker delivered a Tombstone Piledriver to Kane for the pinfall .
👬 The Brothers Unite: Breakdown (September 1998)
The alliance was short-lived. The Undertaker and Kane put aside their own bitter feud to team up against their common enemy. This culminated in a Triple Threat match for the WWF Championship at Breakdown: In Your House, with the stipulation that Undertaker and Kane were prohibited from pinning each other . This turned the match into a 2-on-1 handicap. Kane and The Undertaker worked together, hit a double chokeslam on Austin, and both pinned him simultaneously. This left the WWF Championship vacant, as there was no clear winner .
⚖️ The Chaotic Finale: Judgment Day (October 1998)
To settle the matter, a match was set for Judgment Day: In Your House between The Undertaker and Kane, with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as the special guest referee . Predictably, the match was a disaster. The two brothers battled, but Austin refused to count any pinfall attempts, wanting to exact his revenge .
At one point, Austin was knocked down, and Kane chokeslammed him. The brawling escalated, with both brothers attacking Austin . Paul Bearer, who was managing Kane at the time, got involved and accidentally hit his own client with a steel chair. The Undertaker took the chair and struck Kane as well .
With everyone down, Austin recovered, delivered a Stone Cold Stunner to The Undertaker, and then hit him with the chair. Officially, Austin declared himself the winner, but the match was ruled a No Contest, leaving the championship vacant . The story didn’t end there. Immediately following the match, Mr. McMahon appeared on the TitanTron to deliver one of the most iconic lines of the rivalry: “Stone Cold, screw you, you’re fired!”