WWE: Bret Hart’s 5 best matches at Survivor Series

1996 Survivor Series vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

Everyone remembers the Austin 3:16 promo at King of the Ring. That was “the moment” that launched Stone Cold Steve Austin into a different stratosphere in WWE. What is forgotten is the challenging five months that Stone Cold Steve Austin had, from a character standpoint, after that iconic promo.

After that promo, Austin was a spark that needed gasoline to help him become a full blown firestorm. That gasoline came with his feud with Bret Hart. Their feud in 1996 helped both men tremendously. It gave Austin a credible rival that brought of the best out of him in the ring and on the microphone. Austin provided The Hitman was a great rival to begin the process of reinventing The Excellence of Execution from a traditional fan favorite to the edgier Hart.

For as great as their match at WrestleMania 13 was, their match at Survivor Series was just as good, if not better. Both worked incredibly hard to tell a story of the aggressive Austin going against the cagey Hitman. Hart would go onto win the match, using the same move that propelled him to victory against Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 8.

This match showed that Austin was a star on the rise. Their hero, Bret Hart showed was back for good, but there were new edges to his character. Both brought the best out of each other in a rivalry that altered pro wrestling forever.