10 WWE Superstars Who Won By Losing
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
If WrestleMania VII featured WWE's greatest story, WrestleMania 13 featured WWE's most important.
After the planned Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XII rematch was scrapped due to a knee "injury" and a lost smile, Steve Austin was plugged in as Bret's opponent for WrestleMania 13's semi main. It became the most important match in WWF history.
These two had already squared off on several occasions, so expectations were nothing extraordinary. At WrestleMania, however, special referee Ken Shamrock stayed out of the way as Bret and Steve put on a clinic.
The storytelling, the back and forth action, the brawling in the crowd, the chair shots, the blood, the intensity of Austin, the selflessness of Bret - it all led to an incredible peak and an industry-changing, company-saving conclusion.
While it was Bret that left victorious, after Austin passed out in the Sharpshooter, this was Stone Cold's moment. Like Bret experienced 5 years earlier at SummerSlam '92, WrestleMania 13 was Austin's turn to shine in defeat.
Stone Cold Steve Austin had arrived as WWE's next mega-babyface. He took the company to new heights.