Wrestling is usually a soap opera with body slams. Most of it is forgettable. But if you were watching in 1997, you saw something that felt way too real. You saw a guy with pink trunks and a wet mop of hair try to end the career of a bald, beer-drinking redneck who refused to quit even while his face was covered in a mask of blood.
That was Bret Hart and Steve Austin.
It wasn’t just a match. It was a funeral for the old way of doing things and a messy, violent birth for the Attitude Era. Honestly, without the chemistry between these two, WWE probably wouldn't even exist today. They’d be a footnote in a business history book. Instead, we got a rivalry that redefined what "good" and "bad" meant in a ring.
The Match That Wasn't Supposed to Save the Company
Most people point to WrestleMania 13 as the peak. It was. But the roots started way back in late 1996. Bret Hart had been gone for seven months. He was burnt out, frustrated, and weighing his options.
While Bret was sitting at home in Calgary, Steve Austin was becoming a problem. He wasn't the main event guy yet. He was just a "ringmaster" who had found a new, meaner voice. He was calling out the "Hitman" every single week on Monday Night Raw. He was relentless.
When Bret finally decided to come back, he didn't pick an easy win. He picked Austin. Why? Because Bret saw something in Steve’s work in WCW and ECW that Vince McMahon hadn't quite gambled on yet. Bret basically hand-picked his own challenger for Survivor Series 1996 at Madison Square Garden.
That first match was a technical masterpiece. It was "pure" wrestling. Bret won by a fluke roll-up, and that’s where the magic happened. Austin didn't lose heat. He gained it. He looked like he could actually hang with the best in the world.
That Bloody Night in Chicago
Fast forward to March 23, 1997. WrestleMania 13. Rosemont Horizon.
The plan was weird: a Submission Match. Bret Hart has gone on record many times saying he actually hated submission matches. They’re hard to pace. There are no "one-two-kickout" moments to build tension. You just have two guys twisting limbs until someone gives up.
But Bret was a master of psychology. He and Austin realized that for this to work, it couldn't be a wrestling match. It had to be a fight.
The Secret of the Blade
WWE had a strict "no blood" policy at the time. Vince didn't want it. But Bret and Steve knew the story they were telling—the "never say die" Texan vs. the "bitter veteran"—demanded it.
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Bret actually carried the blade.
During a spot by the guardrail, Bret "accidentally" caught Austin, but in reality, he was the one who cut Steve. He did it himself to make sure Steve didn't get in trouble and to ensure the cut was safe. When Austin’s face turned into a "crimson mask," the crowd in Chicago shifted. They stopped booing the loudmouth and started feeling for the guy who wouldn't stop fighting.
The "Double Turn" Mastery
What happened at the end of that match is what experts call a Double Turn. It’s the rarest thing in wrestling because it’s incredibly hard to pull off without confusing the fans.
- The Hero (Bret) became the villain because he wouldn't let go of the Sharpshooter. He was being a bully.
- The Villain (Austin) became the hero because he never tapped out. He passed out from the pain and blood loss, but he never quit.
When Ken Shamrock (the guest referee) had to pull Bret off Austin, the fans let Bret have it. They booed him out of the building. Meanwhile, Austin stumbled to his feet, refused help, and hobbled away to a standing ovation.
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Basically, they swapped souls in 22 minutes.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
You see ripples of this rivalry in every modern "anti-hero" storyline. Before Austin, you were either a good guy who kissed babies or a bad guy who cheated. After the Bret Hart and Steve Austin feud, you could be a "bad guy" that everyone loved because you were tough and authentic.
Backstage, they were actually close. Austin has said repeatedly that "without Bret Hart, there is no Stone Cold." Bret defended Steve when others thought he was too "mid-card." He saw the superstar before the machine did.
Even when the Montreal Screwjob happened a few months later and Bret left for WCW, Austin didn't jump on the "Bret screwed Bret" bandwagon. He stayed out of the politics because he respected the man who helped make him.
What You Should Do Next
If you really want to understand the "Art of the Match," don't just watch the highlights. Go back and watch these three things in order:
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- Survivor Series 1996: Look at how Austin tries to out-wrestle the technical king.
- The 1997 Royal Rumble: Watch the finish where Austin "cheats" to win after Bret already threw him out. It’s the perfect bridge to their WrestleMania war.
- WrestleMania 13: Pay attention to Bret’s face after the match. The transformation is written in his eyes before he even says a word on the microphone.
Studying these shows you how to tell a story without saying a word. It's the blueprint for building a star from the ground up.
Last year, in 2025, WWE even inducted this specific match into a new "Immortal Moments" category in the Hall of Fame. It’s one of the few pieces of wrestling history that actually gets better the more you dissect it. It wasn't just sports entertainment; it was a changing of the guard that we’ll never see the likes of again.