2. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania 13
Bret Hart left the WWE after WrestleMania XII to recharge his batteries and renegotiate his contract. While he was gone, the WWE underwent some changes. The product was beginning to be a little edgier in nature and a big part of that transformation was the momentum being built by Steve Austins character. Austin had a disregard for the usual way of doing things that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but appealed to a lot of people, as well. Stone Cold made Bret a verbal target. When Hart returned, he immediately addressed the changing ways brought about by Stone Cold and set out to right what he felt was wrong. Yet, after being screwed over on numerous occasions by Austin, Bret began to undergo his own transformation amidst his feeble attempts to thwart the ever-changing landscape of wrestling, setting the stage for a match that stipulated he get the chance to beat Austin into Submission. In a preview of what would become the norm as the WWE transitioned further into the Attitude Era, Austin and Hart took their match almost immediately into the crowd. Austin was not a submission wrestler and, although he did bust out a few nice submission maneuvers, it was clear that his goal was solely to beat the holy hell out of Bret until he could not get up. The crowd began the match favoring the Hitman, but Austin managed to further and further earn their respect and win them over fully to his side by matchs end. You could somewhat sympathize with Brets frustrations, but he was taking it a bit too far and people were starting to turn on him. When Bret locked Austin in the Sharpshooter, Stone Cold struggled mightily to escape with blood literally pouring down his face from an open wound. It was one of those iconic wrestling moments, as he forced himself up off the ground using every last ounce of strength, screaming in agony. Bret held on, though, and Austin passed out. The double turn the changing of the face-heel dynamic in 23-minutes of action - was completed when Bret would not let go. This is heralded, rightfully so, as one of the greatest and most historically significant matches in history. It kickstarted an era. This bout made Austin into the budding star that would go onto to break every financial record in wrestling.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
