Listing The Best Matches From All 35 WrestleManias

WrestleMania 13: Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Submission Match)

Looking back, the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin to the pantheon of WWE’s all time greatest superstars seems inevitable. Yet, it is absolutely impossible to overstate the role that Bret Hart played in elevating him to that level.

When Bret Hart returned to WWE following a hiatus, he found himself in an immediate conflict with Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two first squared off at Survivor Series 1996 before Austin won the 1997 Royal Rumble under somewhat dubious circumstances.

The feud culminated in this, a submission match with guest referee Ken Shamrock, marking the latter’s introduction to the WWE Universe. While the match was marketed as being submission based, it was actually an all out brawl.

Austin and Hart absolutely brutalized one another, fighting in the audience, and exchanging weapon shots. Austin at one point attempted to choke Bret Hart with a cable at ringside, only for the Hitman to counter by hitting the Rattlesnake with the ring bell, busting him open.

The finish of the match is perhaps the greatest in WWE history. Hart locked Austin in the Sharpshooter, leaving the bloodied Stone Cold with no chance of escape. He continued to bleed and writhe in agony until passing out from the pain, losing the match via referee stoppage, but never actually saying “I quit.”

The aftermath saw Austin and Hart pulling off the fabled “double turn” with Austin becoming a babyface and Hart becoming a heel. Nothing was ever the same. This is without question among the most important matches in wrestling history, If you’ve never seen it, watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again.