Why Bret Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin Transformed The Wrestling Business
2. The Legacy Of 'The Rattlesnake'
Stone Cold Steve Austin has spoken with understandable reverence about how incredible it felt to lie in a pool of his own blood knowing what he'd just created with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13.
Dare he even think how it might feel 25 years later?
In The Office, Andy Bernard laments the importance of spotting the good old days when you're still in them, but 'The Rattlesnake' had just concluded a contest that assured him of a legacy that'd last him a lifetime. There are bigger Austin matches that sold more tickets and drew more money. There are moments of his lionised in WWE history that extend beyond him passing out in a submission hold before he'd even win his first singles Championship not branded with Ted Dibiase's old logo.
WWE entered an era here and never really left, regardless of the labels. "Attitude" is code for "not PG" but WWE picked a stylistic vision and stuck with it from this point. He was as embedded in its DNA as his was in the WrestleMania canvas.
Bret Hart Vs Steve Austin is why, 25 years later, WWE still want the latter back to shift tickets for their biggest 'Show Of Shows' ever...