10 Most Anticipated Wrestling Rematches Ever
2. Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin (WWE WrestleMania 13)
Bret Hart and Steve Austin had an unbelievable feud through 1996 and ‘97. It started with Austin’s King of the Ring ‘96, the fallout of which saw him continually taunt the injured Hart into accepting a match with him, and the two eventually tangled in a classic match (which Hart won) at that year’s Survivor Series.
The Hitman became involved the WWE Title scene shortly after, but Austin never strayed far from his attention. Austin cheated his way to victory at the 1997 Royal Rumble at Hart’s expense, and Bret “quit” WWE on the following night’s Raw in protest. Hart won and lost the WWE Title over the coming weeks, but the belt was in neither man's’ hands heading into WrestleMania 13, and their rematch was booked as pure grudge match.
The build-up remains historical not just for the anticipation surrounding the match, but for helping kickstart the Attitude Era as a whole. After losing a title match to Sycho Sid, Hart shoved Vince McMahon (an announcer at the time) and launched an expletive-laden shoot-style interview against McMahon and the WWE hierarchy. The seeds for Vince’s tyrannical “Mr. McMahon” character were sown, and Hart and Austin were set for one of the biggest rematches of all-time.
The match, of course, was incredible, and resulted in the famous double-turn angle. With Austin’s face a crimson mask, Bret had the Rattlesnake locked in a seemingly unbreakable Sharpshooter. Austin refused to tap, however, and after eventually passing out through blood loss, Hart was awarded the victory.
That wasn’t enough for Bret, though. After the bell was rang, The Hitman relentless laid into the fallen challenger, and boos rained down from every corner of the arena. Hart’s turn was complete, and when Austin miraculously rose to his feet and left on his own accord, there was no doubt that he was the fans’ new hero.