25 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever
11. The Rattlesnake's Rage (April 21st, 1997)
Bret Hart deserves more credit than most for handing over his body, mind and soul for the greater good as Stone Cold Steve Austin's meteoric rise began. He'd unlocked the dormant killer within 'The Rattlesnake' upon his 1996 return, but their seismic WrestleMania 13 double turn simultaneously paid off months of superlative storytelling and reignited the programme with the performers on opposite sides of the babyface/heel divide.
With Bret frustratingly in need of knee surgery right as the pair were hitting new creative heights, the company's decision to frame an entire episode around Austin's relentless attacks added to his megastar aura in the hearts of a steadily increasing fanbase.
Rebuking that support, Austin was a man possessed as he demolished Bret's leg with a chair, before hijacking the ambulance attempting to ferry him to safety. Fearless in the face of Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and later Brian Pillman, it was another vital step on Austin's path to superstardom