Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart delivered one of the most unforgettable matches in WWE history at WrestleMania 13, but Austin says The Hitman was responsible for coming up with an important moment during their legendary encounter. The Texas Rattlesnake recalled how the two worked together behind the scenes to put together a match that changed the course of his career.
During an with The Wrestling Classic, Austin was asked about his rivalry with Hart and their famous submission match at WrestleMania 13. Austin explained that Hart had recognized his potential years earlier while he was still competing in WCW and believed they could make money together in WWE. Austin recalled how Hart specifically wanted to face him after returning from knee surgery in 1996, which eventually led to their unforgettable rivalry.
“Bret and I were very close. He saw me coming up when I was in WCW. He knew that I was the guy that he could work with and we could make money together and tell great stories and he was correct. When he come back from the getting his knee cleaned up in 1996, he picked me to work with at Madison Square Garden and we had an old school classic match and it was off the charts.”
That partnership eventually brought them to WrestleMania 13 on March 23, 1997, in Chicago. Austin explained that the two sat down before the match to discuss what they needed to accomplish. According to Austin, Hart suggested something that ended up happening during their encounter.
“And then we went into 13. And then you know, we went to a room and we knew what we needed to do and we went out to the ring and Bret said, ‘Hey.’ And he gave me the idea for something that happened in that match. So, I owe a huge part of my career to Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.”
Austin didn’t specify exactly which moment Hart came up with, but their WrestleMania 13 match featured several unforgettable scenes. The most famous came when Austin was trapped in Hart’s Sharpshooter with blood pouring down his face before eventually passing out. Hart later explained how he secretly used a razor blade to make Austin bleed during the match. That moment played a massive role in the match’s famous double turn, which saw Austin become a fan favorite while Hart moved into the villain role.
The match became such an important part of WWE history that it was selected as the first induction into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Immortal Moments category in 2025. Austin even spoke about the match receiving Hall of Fame recognition and how much their performance meant. Looking back on their rivalry, Austin made it clear that Hart deserves a tremendous amount of credit for helping him become the superstar fans remember today.
“I love the guy. I respect him. We wrestled all over the world and we have a mutual respect for each other. Bret Hart helped make Stone Cold in the largest degree possible.”
Austin also acknowledged that WWE gave him the opportunity to succeed, but he wasn’t about to take all the credit for what happened next.
“I owe a lot of my career to WWE who put me in the position. I made the most of an opportunity. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart putting me on the map, big time.”
Nearly three decades later, Austin still gives Hart his flowers for helping make WrestleMania 13 something special. While he didn’t explain exactly which moment Hart suggested, there’s no denying that their match helped change the direction of WWE history and turned Stone Cold into a much bigger star.
What moment from Steve Austin and Bret Hart’s WrestleMania 13 match do you think Hart came up with, and do you consider it one of the greatest matches in WWE history? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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