WWE: 10 Failed Attempts At Re-Creating WrestleMania Magic

9. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (In Your House 14: Revenge Of The Taker)

WrestleMania 13 has one thing going for it that everyone looks fondly on, and it's the Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin submission match. For both individuals, this one match would forever change their careers. For Steve Austin in particular, this was the match that set him on the path towards becoming one of the icons of the newly born Attitude Era in WWE. While one was a technical wrestler and the other was more of a brawler, both Bret and Steve managed to have great chemistry together in the ring. They took the fans on a journey, from beginning to end, as they witnessed the transformation of two wrestlers who, before having been in this match, seemingly had their archetypes set in stone. By the end, we witnessed the heel Steve Austin receive a standing ovation while the normally beloved Bret Hart was booed out of the arena. What brought about this sudden change in both characters? One single moment where Austin, in an act of defiance not seen often these days, passed out in a pool of his own blood after refusing to submit to the sharpshooter. The fans respected the fact that Austin never gave up, and showed their support for him. Bret, annoyed that Austin never gave up, attacked The Rattlesnake while he was down. That alone was enough for the fans to betray him. So because of how big a milestone this event was, there was no way they could repeat it. The attempt was made at In Your House 14 as Austin played the antihero babyface while Hart played the disrespected heel. The finish to the match saw a disqualification once British Bulldog ran in and attacked Austin after Stone Cold put Bret in his own finishing maneuver. It was not the satisfying and shocking ending that the fans saw at WrestleMania 13, and it was impossible for any match they had afterwards to live up to the magic of their WrestleMania encounter.