10 Awesome WWE "Nearly Moments"
2. Austin Goes The Distance
One of just a handful of WWE bouts accorded a five star rating by Dave Meltzer, the submission match shared by Stone Cold and Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 perhaps underlines, more than any other, how a 'nearly moment' can propel a wrestler to greater heights.
Austin left everything - including a few pints of his own blood - in the ring during a gripping encounter with the 'Excellence of Execution' in Rosemont, Illinois - yet it was Hart, the establishment, who came out on top. With that, the Texas Rattlesnake's career, along with the Austin 3:16 movement, had ostensibly suffered a serious setback.
In fact, the iconic image of 'Stone Cold' locked in the Sharpshooter, his face dripping with blood and sweat, refusing to submit, only aided his cause. It seems a little sentimental to say, but although he lost the match, he won the hearts of the audience.