10 Best Ways Wrestlers Recovered From WWE WrestleMania Defeats

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE

Defeat: 'Mania 13's submission spectacle pitting renegade heel Steve Austin against courageous babyface Bret Hart changed the direction of their respective careers forever. Nobody who witnessed it will ever forget seeing a claret-soaked Austin passing out as he refused to submit to Bret's Sharpshooter.

Even so, this was still a major defeat at WrestleMania for a rising star.

Recovery: The double turn both guys worked (switching Austin into the face role whilst retaining his gusty edge and Hart into a whining, entitled veteran) was a masterclass in wrestling psychology, and it helped 'Stone Cold' become a bigger deal than he already was.

He wore the toughness he'd exhibited at 'Mania like a bullet-hole-ridden badge of honour, and fans respected him for it. Austin dived headfirst into the Intercontinental Title scene, returned from near-paralysis after SummerSlam '97 and would go on to become WWF Champ at WrestleMania XIV.

His recovery owes everything to mental determination, fan support and a performance so strong that people almost forgot he'd lost to Hart in the first place. Defeat didn't matter when the finish, and the follow-up on it, was so great.

Which other wrestlers bounced back from significant losses at WrestleMania? For more like this, check out 10 Things Post-WrestleMania 36 Raw Told Us About WWE’s Future and 10 Things We Learned From VICE’s Dark Side Of The Ring: WWE Brawl For All!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.