#177: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, WWE WrestleMania 13 (3/23/1997).
This is a Submission Match, with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee.
So, yeah. You’ve probably heard of this one. If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering why this match, of all things, would be apart of a theme called “Is It That Good?” Well, fun fact for you: I have never liked this match.
I first saw this match around 2007, when my mom bought me part of the WrestleMania Anthology DVD set. I remember it vividly, because I was sad it wasn’t the set that came with WrestleMania X-Seven. Still, it came with WrestleMania 13, which had this match. From the first time I saw it that year, to the most recent time I watched it in 2023 while I researched for my wrestling book “King’s Road”, I’ve never been too keen on this match. I’m hoping that changes today.
The story coming into this has become bitter and violent. Hart and Austin had been feuding since the fall of 1996, when Hart returned to the WWE followed an absence, and laid out the challenge to Austin, who he said was the best wrestler in the company. They had their first meeting at the Survivor Series, a match that I happen to absolutely adore. In fact, I would go as far to say that the 96 Survivor Series match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin is the best match in WWE history.
From there, this went from a simple challenge to a boiling hot feud between two guys who can’t stand each other. Austin won the Royal Rumble in January, despite being eliminated by Hart during the match. A referee distraction on the floor led to Austin returning to the ring, and eliminating Hart, seemingly winning the match. Then, one day after regaining the WWE Championship at In Your House: Final Four – in a supremely underrated match, btw – Hart would drop the title the following night on Raw to Sycho Sid, thanks to interference from Austin.
As all of this has been happening, the crowd has been showing some love for Austin, the heel, while Hart, the babyface, has been getting more jeers due to his abundance of complaining. Case in point, on the go home episode of Raw, Austin once again cost Hart the championship in a Steel Cage Match against Sid, and in the aftermath, Hart exploded in a tirade against the company, Austin, Vince McMahon and even the fans, telling them that if they didn’t like his words, “tough shit.”
The Submission Match at WrestleMania is set to be the culmination of this long, bitter feud. UFC legend Ken Shamrock, now signed to the WWE, is set to be the referee of the proceedings. The long and winding road of change hits Chicago in a way that changes the business forever.
Austin makes his iconic entrance through the tunnel, with the “Austin 3:16” glass breaking in his way. He gets a fantastic pop from the crowd. Hart, meanwhile, comes out to a more mixed reaction.
Austin starts the action right away with a takedown of Hart, followed by a load of punches to the head. Hart turns him over, and unloads with strikes as well. Both men continue to brawl right to the floor, as both throw hard right hands. Austin takes the side headlock, and Hart sends him right into the ring post. Austin blocks a suplex, and crotches Hart onto the guardrail. Austin clotheslines him into the front row, then follows him into the crowd.
He sends Hart face first into the barricade, and they continue to fight further into the audience. Austin throws a drink at Hart, and stomps him down to the concrete. Hart gets back on the advantage, and drags Austin farther up into the stands. Austin looks for a piledriver, and Hart back body drops him right down the steps. Hart continues to strike away at Austin, before leading him back to ringside, and tossing him over the barricade. He stands on it, and comes down with an elbow to the head. Austin reverses an irish whip, and sends Hart hard into the steel steps. Austin dives off the apron with a clothesline. Austin lifts the steel steps up for an attack, and Hart kicks him down, causing the steps to land awkwardly on Austin’s leg.
Austin fights back and brings Hart back into the ring. Hart connects with a swinging neckbreaker, and follows up with an elbow to the back of the head. Hart focuses on the hamstring of Austin, dropping all his weight on the leg against the ropes. Hart follows that with some elbows to the left leg. Austin tries to walk away, and Hart kicks the leg out from under him. He goes for another leg attack, and Austin connects with the Stunner out of nowhere.
Austin is back to his feet, and Hart chop blocks him immediately. He pulls Austin towards the ring post, and connects with his ring post Figure Four Leglock. Despite the grueling pain, Austin doesn’t submit. He throws Austin into the ring, and grabs the ring bell. He also grabs a chair, and both weapons are in the ring. Hart wraps the chair around Austin’s ankle and looks to Pillmanize it, but Austin is back up and he swings the chair at Hart, knocking him to the mat.
Austin with another chair shot to the spine, and a scoop slam. Hard irish whip by the Rattlesnake, followed by a suplex. Austin goes to the middle rope, and hits an elbow to the head. Austin with a side russian legsweep, and he goes into an armbar/neck crank combo. Austin transitions from that to a Boston Crab submission. Hart inches closer and closer, and gets to the bottom rope to break the hold. Austin teases that he’s going for the Sharpshooter, but Hart is able to kick his way free.
Hart with some shots to the midsection, but he gets thrown to the floor by Austin, who poses for the crowd and gets booed for it. Interesting crowd reactions tonight. Austin goes to whip Hart, who reverses and sends Austin into the barricade. Hart unloads with punches to the head. Austin’s been busted open, and open badly. Hart throws Austin into the steel steps, and then face first into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Hart drops some elbows and stomps on the open wound. More direct punches to the wound by Hart. He connects with a backbreaker, and then goes to the middle rope for his patented elbow drop. Hart grabs the chair, and uses the tip of it right on the injured knee of Austin. He goes for the Sharpshooter, but Austin rakes the eyes to escape it. Hart gets Austin in the turnbuckle and continues to punch at him. Austin responds with a swift kick to the balls.
Austin whips Hart into the turnbuckle sternum first, then kicks the chest area in the corner. He places Hart on the top rope, and connects with a super plex. Austin lands hard on the back of his head on the way down. With Hart on the apron, Austin grabs some cables from ringside, and brings them inside to choke Hart out with. The Hitman counters this by grabbing the ring bell, and swinging it backwards right into Austin’s face.
Hart trips Austin and traps him in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring! Austin is a bloody mess on the mat. He screams in agony, but he can’t reach the ropes. He tells Shamrock that he won’t submit. Austin looks like he’s about to lose consciousness, but he plants both hands on the mat, and forces himself up. Blood pours down his face, and he’s about to push Hart out of the Sharpshooter, and he nearly does! But Hart retains the grip.
Austin continues to go for the ropes, but he’s too far away. His face is covered in blood, and he’s in complete agony. Austin is flat on the mat, as Shamrock asks him one more time if he will submit. Austin is unconscious now, so Shamrock calls for the bell. Hart has won. Austin is passed out in a puddle of his own blood. Hart celebrates, but the fans seem discontent with him.
Post match, commentary is asking for someone to come and help Austin, as Hart continues his attack on the leg. He looks to apply the Sharpshooter again, but Shamrock lifts him up and tosses him with ease to a huge pop. Hart looks pissed, but he simply leaves to a chrous of boos. Shamrock attempts to help Austin to his feet, but he tells Shamrock to get away from him. He gives another referee a Stunner, and he walks out of the ring and to the back on his own accord. This action gets a huge “Austin” chant from the fans.
Well, the verdict is in: I still don’t like this match. That’s my personal opinion, but objectively, it’s hard to deny that this match works on all fronts.
Compared to the Survivor Series match, the intensity here is off the charts. These two wrestle like they want to kill each other, which complimented the excellent build coming into this. Hart wrestled a smart match, focusing much of his offense on the leg and back of Austin, all in preparation for the Sharpshooter. Austin, meanwhile, stuck to his game plan of beating the hell out of Hart from pillar to post. He was on Hart like a shark in bloody water.
This had a chaotic feel to it that was unknown during this period of the WWE. When people say this is where the Attitude Era began, they aren’t wrong. Everything from the story, the match, and the crowd reactions were all signs that change was coming to the WWE. The closing sequence of this match – the bloody Austin fighting for his life in the Sharpshooter – is the most iconic image in WWE history, and the Double Turn that came from it – Hart turning heel, and Austin turning face – is the most important piece of character development in American Pro Wrestling history.
It changed the business forever. It altered the future of wrestling in America, and it propelled Stone Cold Steve Austin to walk the road to being the biggest star in wrestling history. It also led to some of Bret Hart’s best work ever as the Anti American Canadian Hero character that he would play for the remainder of his WWE tenure. Everybody came out of this for the better – Austin, Hart, the company as a whole, and wrestling fans worldwide. It is a genuine watershed moment in professional wrestling history, and should be remembered as such.
So, why don’t I like the match?
I really don’t have an answer for you, and that bothers the fuck out of me. I attest it to me simply enjoying the Survivor Series match more. Because I really do love that match a lot. That match, to me, is damn near perfect, and I don’t say that about a lot of matches. While that match felt like an all time classic wrestling match, this felt like a really good brawl. I think my issue with this match is the match itself, without the outside context taken into account.
Because without the context – the Double Turn, the business changing aspect, and everything that came out of this – this stands as a really good match with a hot ending/moment. One example that I can compare it to, and I’m sure no one has ever made this comparison before, is the America’s Most Wanted/Triple X Cage Match from TNA Turning Point in 2004. That is a really good Cage Match, with one moment in particular that everyone remembers – Elix Skipper walking the cage. To me, this Submission Match is a really good match, with one moment in particular that everyone remembers – Austin passing out from the Sharpshooter.
So, in short, I think this match is good, but in a completely objective way. I see that it works. I see how it changed the game. I acknowledge that it deserves its status as a legendary match. But for my own personal tastes, it’s just not for me. I’ll take the Survivor Series 96 match any day of the week over this. But you know what? That’s okay, because most people will take the WrestleMania 13 match over that one. And we can all agree that the In Your House rematch that followed this is definitely the weakest of the bunch.