Why Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Transformed The Wrestling Business
6. Red Equals Green
Blood had made fleeting appearances on WWE's predominantly child-friendly product since the start of the decade, but with only four televised occurrences of intentional cuts in the product since Bret himself oozed claret at WrestleMania VIII five years earlier, it was striking to see Austin's crimson mask in such profile at the close of the contest.
Screaming in agony, Austin's trauma is undeniably enhanced by the blood dripping down his pained expression like a gently cascading waterfall.
The striking scene planted the solitary thought in the mind of the viewer and used the blood as a physical representation of the point. Stone Cold Steve Austin, no matter what, would just not give up.
And though by no means an overnight turnaround, WWE's controls on blading were gradually loosened from this point, with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels both employing excessive blood loss to outstanding effect in their hard-hitting feud in late-1997.
As with most things in wrestling, the sweet spot was magic, but the device rapidly became overused, as superstars were routinely and needlessly opening themselves up during the excesses of the 'Attitude Era' and beyond. The scaling back of blood again in 2009 has been welcome, and occasional displays nowadays add the same shock as Steve Austin's legendary Sharpshooter mugshot.