WWE's 10 Most Iconic Babyface Turns

1. Steve Austin Earns Respect At WrestleMania 13

The babyface turn of Steve Austin wasn't something that WWE forced upon their fans. It happened organically. He won them over because he was a no nonsense guy that busted his ass to prove that he was as good as any wrestler in the business. When he challenged Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1996 and nearly beat him, he earned respect. On the road to WrestleMania 13, he kept earning that respect even though he was still screwing Hart out of wins. He was acting as a heel, yet the fans were slowly starting to cheer him. Austin and Hart had one of the greatest matches ever at WrestleMania 13. Some say it's the best ever. They had a physical brawl where they used weapons to help tell the story although it's not like it was a hardcore match. They just used the weapons to add to the story. Austin was bleeding profusely. It was the most memorable blade jobs in WWE history. Hart took advantage after using the ring bell to knock Austin out and that set up the Sharpshooter. While referee Ken Shamrock asked Austin to see if he would give up, Austin refused. He had too much pride to quit. He fought it off as much as he could, but eventually he passed out in a pool of his own blood as Shamrock rang the bell and Hart was declared the winner. Even though Hart won, the fans didn't cheer him like they had done for the previous eight years. He had shown his frustration in the weeks leading up to the match, so he went after Austin after it was over. Shamrock threw Hart off of Austin and was ready to fight, but Hart just left to boos. It was the moment after the match that really told the story. Austin refused help from WWE officials. He wanted to get out of the ring on his own. That's what he did as he stumbled around on the floor and the arena in Chicago was filled with "Austin, Austin, Austin" chants. We hadn't heard those chants very often before that. He was a heel prior to that. The Austin/Hart match isn't just one of the best matches ever. It was the night when Austin's rise to the top of the business really began thanks to those "Austin" chants and one of the gutsiest performances ever. Fans chose to choose for Austin. They made the right choice.