10 Best Ways Wrestlers Recovered From WWE WrestleMania Defeats
1. Steve Austin
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!