When Steve Austin began feuding with Bret Hart, it signalled that Austin had arrived in the main event and WWF were taking him seriously. It worked so well because the two men were polar opposites and represented two completely separate eras of wrestling. Bret Hart was from the past, he joined WWF during Hulkamania and spearheaded the New Generation, but Steve Austin was the future and he had the attitude that would take WWF to unparalleled heights. What followed was an incredible slow burn as Steve Austin gradually became the hero fans wanted to cheer, and Bret Hart became the righteous villain who hated the direction the company was going in. When Austin cost Bret Hart the WWF Championship, it was a step too far for The Hitman and the two had an intense grudge match at WrestleMania 13. The WrestleMania match is famous for being the best example of a double-turn in professional wrestling. Austin walked in the heel and Bret walked in the face, but when Stone Cold refused to tap out to the Sharpshooter and instead passed out in a pool of his own blood, opinion changed. The Rattlesnake seemed like a resilient badass, and Bret Hart seemed like a ruthless bully. Bret Hart would go on to form a new Hart Foundation, and Austin moved on to feud with The Hitmans baby brother Owen. Unfortunately, Bret Hart wouldnt be with WWF by the end of 1997 due to the Montreal Screwjob, but when he was invited to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, it was Stone Cold Steve Austin who he asked to do the honours.
