10 WWE Matches That Changed EVERYTHING
1. Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIII)
Some would argue that the birth of the Attitude Era came when Steve Austin seized the Heavyweight Championship from New Generation top star Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, but the birth of Stone Cold the megastar was cemented a year prior in an all-time great bout with Bret Hart.
Their I Quit match at ‘Mania XIII is the stuff of legend, the details bored into the brains of most wrestling fans. Hart went in the face, Austin the rule-breaking heel. By the time Stone Cold passed out in a pool of his own blood rather than surrender, leaving Hart a desperate, frustrated figure, the roles were very much reversed.
Has a wrestling loss ever been so beneficial to the loser? Austin was well on his way to being The Guy following that year’s Royal Rumble, but this was his true coming-out party, a bonafide classic against one of the greatest ever, with pitch-perfect storytelling, action, and one of the sport’s most iconic images in Austin’s crimson mask.
The match changed things for Hart, too. He wasn’t too keen on turning heel, though he played the part to perfection. Still, this was the beginning of the end for the Hitman, who’d soon be shown the door by Vince McMahon.
And we all know how that turned out...