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WWF WrestleMania 13 - "Heat"
03/23/1997
Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois
Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - No Holds Barred Submission Match
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| Blood from a Stone. WWF |
The WWF following Wrestlemania 12 was a company in a state of evolution, whether the players involved realized it or not. Shawn Michaels managed to best Bret Hart in a 60 Minute Iron Man match for the WWF Championship, the boyhood dream coming true in an emotional coronation for someone that the WWF faithful had been behind for a long time now. Following this loss, Hart took time away from wrestling, weighing his future in the business and listening to potential offers from the second biggest game in town, WCW. Scared that he would lose someone he felt he would need in order to survive the encroaching tide that was Ted Turner and WCW, Vince McMahon offered Hart an unprecedented 20 year contract, ensuring Bret had a job with the WWF for life.
With a decision made, Bret returned to the WWF on October 21st of 1996 inside a RAW ring, looking to make a statement upon his return. In the months since his absence, another name had been rising through the ranks, as well as performing remarkably well at the merch stands. Winning the 1996 King of the Ring and proclaiming that "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" Steve Austin was on the rise, the undeniable charisma, ass-kicking style, and an attitude that forced its way onto your TV screen were impossible to ignore, Bret saw the writing on the wall. Kill or be killed. Challenging Austin to a match, Bret was clear with his intentions, "if you think you can stand at the top of my mountain, knock me off and prove it."
Colliding at the 1996 Survivor Series, the match was more of a statement piece than anything. Even though Hart won the match and secured his shot at the WWF Championship, there were seeds planted in the match that would take time to germinate and grow, but they were well on their way to seeing sunlight by the time "In Your House 12: It's Time" took place in December of 1996. With Bret already simmering in his match against then champion Sycho Sid, having the former champion Michaels on commentary, Bret was a powder keg waiting for an errant ember to drift even remotely close. His wish would be granted as a flame, taking the shape of Steve Austin, attacked Hart mid-match and costing him the championship victory. A brawl ensued, with Bret slowly morphing from a wronged hero into something more bitter and sinister.
Starting 1997 off with a bang, the Royal Rumble saw a collision of generations, yet another marker as to the changing tide of the WWF. Austin was an early entry, carving his way through the rumble like a buzzsaw. Hart was in later, receiving a thunderous ovation, despite his recent actions and building tensions within. Bret was able to send Austin to the floor, but a brawn between Terry Funk and Mankind allow for Austin's elimination to go unnoticed, allowing the rattlesnake to slither back inside the ring, dump Bret out instead, and win the rumble. There was an eruption from the audience, coming alive from the shock of the victory, with Bret likewise exploding at ringside, but for very different reasons. Again, Austin screwed Bret, and yet Austin was celebrated for it. Attacking referees and scolding McMahon at ringside, Bret was getting bolder as the injustices got graver.
With the rumble victory in question, a match pitting the final four members of the rumble, at an event conveniently named "Final Four," Bret survived The Undertaker, Vader, and Steve Austin to win the WWF Championship once again. Barely enough time to shine his sideplates, Bret lost the title the very next night to Sycho Sid after, you guessed it, another Austin interference. A steel cage match was set the week before Wrestlemania 13 pitting Bret and Sid, and when Bret lost this match, he spiralled like never before, physically assaulting McMahon in a post match interview before brawling with Austin up the ramp. The powder keg had all but exploded several times already, with the biggest explosion of them all set to take place at Wrestlemania 13, with a No Holds Barred Submission Match on the card.
Bret was battling a company in transition, an audience whose loyalties were shifting, and the uncomfortable realization that the future he once represented was now standing across the ring from him, daring him to square up. Kill or be killed.
Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - WWF WrestleMania 13 - "Heat"
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Steve Austin
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| Waitin' on a jackass. WWF |
Debuting in the WWF in 1995 as "The Ringmaster," Austin had already spent 6 years in the business as a pseudo high-flyer. His style suited him when he was in WCW alongside tag partner Brian Pillman, with "Stunning" Steve Austin making up the other half of The Hollywood Blonds.
A short tenure in Paul Heyman's ECW in early 1995 gave Austin a chance to spread his wings a bit more, cutting scathing promo's against Bischoff and WCW for how he was released from his contract. It was in these short and limited promo's where the "Stone Cold" character could be seen, a glimmer of what was to come further down the line.
His debut in the WWF was rather unceremonious and lacklustre, to say the very least. Spending time alongside Ted Dibiase as his chosen Million Dollar Champion, many eyebrows were raised at the decision to put someone with such charisma and mic skill as Steve Austin with someone who was meant to do his talking for him. Eventually, Austin was out on his own, but wasn't making the waves he would soon be creating within the WWF. On the very same Wrestlemania where Bret Hart lost the WWF Championship in the main event to Shawn Michaels, Austin was wrestling Savio Vega on the undercard in a forgettable 10 minute match.
It wasn't until June of 1996, at the WWF's "King of the Ring" tournament, where Austin's star would take off. Winning the tournament by beating Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the finals, Austin proclaimed that Jake's bible thumping "born again" act was not only not fooling anyone, but it sure as shit wasn't helping him in the ring when he needed it most.
"You sit there and you thump your bible and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere. Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16--Austin 3:16 says: 'I've just whipped your ass!'"
- Steve Austin, upon winning the WWF King of the Ring tournament.
From there, Austin 3:16 was born, a cultural shift in the wrestling landscape that looked set to not only rival "Hulkamania," but eventually usurp it in popularity and impact.
The summer and autumn of 1996 were pivotal seasons for Austin, with his star slowly rising more and more until he reached the first of his many pinnacles, winning the 1997 Royal Rumble. Even if this victory was all but undone a month later.
It was clear to just about everyone watching the WWF to see, Austin was the future, wether those of yesteryear were ready to believe it or not. Chief among the kayfabe non-believers, was The Hitman, Bret Hart.
Bret Hart
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| Set to drop a bombshell. WWF |
Wrestling since 1976, the 8th child of Stu Hart's Hart wrestling dynasty, Bret was an accomplished amateur wrestler since he was 9 years old, stepping through the ropes at only 19 years old. Spending most of his time wrestling for his fathers promotion of Stampede Wrestling, Bret debuted for the WWF in 1984.
A member of The Hart Foundation during his early years, Bret established himself as a savvy tag team wrestler as well as a clever tactician. The Hart Foundation would disband in 1991, sending Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as well as Bret onto singles careers.
His time as a singles wrestler would proved to be highly successful, as he would go on to win the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the WWF Championship 4 times (relative to the context of this piece, he would win the WWF Championship later on in 1997 as well for a total of 5 times). After departing the Hart Foundation, a predominantly heel tag team, Bret would turn face and be positioned as the "Ace" of the WWF, their top name and most trusted hand after the departure of Hulk Hogan in 1993. Always placed prominently on the card, Bret was on top during the WWF's most troubled years, helping to right the ship when it seemed like all hope was surely lost.
But, his time away from the ring meant that his position was able to be filled. Having lost to Shawn Michaels, the guard was changed and Shawn took Bret's place at the top rather quickly, but many fans started to see a star in someone else. Someone who didn't fit the mould of every star from years before. A square peg that was set to force his way into a round hole. And goddammit, if he had to run through Bret to do it, then that's exactly what he was set to do.
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The Match - The Lion and the Hyena
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| Who will be the king of the mountain? WWF |
Before either Bret or Austin make their way to the ring, "The Most Dangerous Man in the World," Ken Shamrock is in the ring, dressed in the tightest sleeveless referee's outfit you've ever seen. A name in MMA before stepping through the ropes of professional wrestling, Shamrock was a well known name and helped to add a degree of credibility to this submission match by being the special guest referee. The concept of "tapping out" was not quite as common as it came to be only a few years later, with submissions generally coming from the wrestler either shaking their head to say "yes" or by verbally saying they quit. Passing out was also an accepted way of submitting to your opponent, but that should go without saying.
Austin is out first, marching his way to the ring with his signature fire and attitude. Stepping through a panel of "AUSTIN 3:16" branded glass, the Texas Rattlesnake is focused and ready for a fight. He raises two fists in the corner as his signature salute, but is all business otherwise, finding a corner and leaning as he awaits his opponent. He gets in the face of Shamrock, with both men completely unafraid of each other.
Bret is next, marching out the tunnel and stepping over the broken debris of Austin's entrance. Could this be a sign of things to come in the match? Will Bret be able to step over Austin on his way to victory tonight, or will Austin shatter Bret and come out on top? Bret is similarly focused, receiving a mixed reaction from the fans in attendance but still receiving enough of a heroes welcome to slap hands as he makes his way to the ring.
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| Skipping the formalities. WWF |
Standing across from Austin, Bret is caught off guard as Austin charges him, catching him with a double leg take down as they begin the match on the canvas with a brawl. They trade punches and roll around on the canvas until they make it to ringside where the fight continues. It's important to remember that this match is not only a submission match, but it's no holds barred as well, meaning there's no disqualification. There's only one way this match can end, and it's via saying "I quit".
Around the ring they fight, with Bret shooting Austin shoulder first into the ring post, with Bret in control for a brief moment as he tries to position Austin for a vertical suplex near the guard rail. Austin is able to block the attempt, crotching Bret on the rail instead. Taking a few steps back to catch his breath, Austin charges back after Bret and crashes into him with a heinous lariat, sending him down to the concrete floor below. Hopping the rail, Austin and Bret brawl into a sea of people, with the hulking Shamrock doing his best to push back the tide.
Camera's struggle to follow the pair, with Austin tossing a drink on the prone body of Bret, dumping him onto the hockey boards before righting back against Austin. Deeper into the crowd they brawl, the action difficult to keep track of but it's clear from what we can see, neither man is giving an inch as they brawl back and forth. Back to ringside, Austin is tossed over the rail as Bret climbs back inside to continue the beating. Finding his breath, Austin gets back to his feet and reverses a whip attempt, shooting Bret into the stairs inside with wicked impact.
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| Like a bullet. WWF |
Pulling himself to the apron, Austin stalks Bret, flipping him the double bird salute before flying off the apron and crashing with a forearm shot to the jaw. Dismantling the steps, Austin hoists them up high, but Bret lands a gut kick, sending Austin crumpling to the ground in a heap. Bret tries to pull Austin into the ring, but he gets sent into the ringpost instead. It's a steady back-and-forth flow to this brawl, with every advantage one man finds being thwarted and one-upped by the other. It doesn't always need to be pretty, it just needs to work long enough for them to avoid taking more damage in the moment.
Back inside the ropes finally, Bret catches a bent over Austin with a swinging neckbreaker, finally able to mount some sort of consistent offence afterwards. Focusing in on the braced leg of Austin, this being before he was forced to wear two knee braces, Bret begins to soften up the Rattlesnake so he can lock in the most effective, match-ending Sharpshooter of his career. Austin continually pulls himself to his feet, but Bret is like a sniper, honing in with wicked ferocity on the bad leg of Austin, the wound only widening more and more with each passing moment.
Desperate for space, Austin catches Bret with a Stunner! Sure, he can't necessarily win the match with this move like he would in a traditional match, but it's going to give Austin the window he needs to recover and get back to laying in some sort of offence on Bret. Both men are on the canvas, sucking back pounds of air, with Austin struggling to get his leg beneath him. He finally stands, but Bret is up first, taking Austin back down with a single kick. Dragging Austin by the leg, he pulls him to a corner and rolls to the outside, tying his legs up and locking in a corner-post-assisted figure four, an already dangerous move made more effective by the wicked angle and steel post. Bret hangs off of Austin's bad wheel, with the fierce Texan writing in agony, but refuses to give in, with Shamrock close enough to hear if Austin were to mutter the two words necessary to end this match dead in its tracks. It's kinda funny, actually, because Austin slams his hand on the mat in a way that, a few years later, could be considered a tap out, but Shamrock clearly is only meant to pay attention to stuff said in the match, not done, y'know? Austin survives for now!
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| Bones set to break. WWF |
Tossing Austin inside the ring, Bret retrieves the ring bell as well as a steel chair, passing up one of the custom WrestleMania 13 padded chairs because, y'know, maximum damage. Wielding the chair, Bret wraps it around the leg of Austin before climbing to the top rope, but Austin has enough in the tank to remove the chair and clatter Bret with it. God, I wish GIF's had sound so you could hear this chair shot. It's unreal. Right across the back of the head, the shot lands flush, dropping Bret into the ring as Austin rebounds off the ropes and stumbles around the ring.
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| GIF's you can hear. WWF |
Dropping the chair and using the ropes for support, Austin bobbles his head like mad, assaulting Bret with a verbal barrage of barbs and cuss words that titillate the imagination. Deciding to try the chair again, Austin marches to the middle and fucking winds back, like he's set to break Bret's back in half. The kind of wind up your dad does when he's out back splitting wood and that one piece just refuses to break, he's set to not only split the log, but the chopping block as well. Austin swings and crunches the back of Bret, causing him to writhe and roll around on the canvas as he tries to piece his spinal column back together from the dust it was just rendered to.
A bodyslam and a whip to the corner keeps the offence focused on the spine, with a vertical suplex adding insult to the mounting injuries. Ascending to the middle rope, Austin lines up Bret between his crosshair-like middle finger salute, soaring to the middle with the point of his elbow out first, spiking Bret in the head. Opening the legs of the prone Bret wide, Austin stomps low, unclear as to whether he caught his gut or his... y'know, lil Bret... A side Russian leg sweep takes both men down, with Austin using it as a window to wrap Bret up in a submission, a more complex hold than you may have expected out of the brawling Austin, but he's got a wrestlers brain in there still!
With Bret able to fight out of the hold, Austin pulls him in for a Boston crab, sitting out to apply as much pressure as possible to the recently wounded back of The Hitman. Bret fights, crawling his way to the rope to break the hold, with Austin flipping him over in an attempt to tie Bret up in his own signature hold, The Sharpshooter. Bret rakes the eyes of Austin, sending him stumbling off and down to the corner, saving himself from the humiliation of being locked in his own hold. Back in the middle they brawl, with Bret rebounding off the ropes only to get shoved by Austin, sending him tumbling out the ropes and down to the floor.
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| See ya! WWF |
Back at ringside, Austin gets shot into the time keepers area, nearly landing face first into the barricade, falling in a heap of limbs, chairs, and papers. Bret follows, drilling Austin with rabbit punches before pulling him back up and over to the barricade, driving him face first into the steel rail. When Austin lands, red droplets of blood can be seen leaking onto the blue floor mats at ringside, the shot to the barricade busting him wide open in a second. Into the steps and corner post goes Austin, with Bret finding a new target to hone in on, the leaking head of the Texas Rattlesnake.
Pulling back the curtain for a moment, the story of Austin bleeding in this match is one of my absolute, all-time favourite pieces of wrestling lore. To save me butchering it, I'll include this excerpt from Bret Hart's fantastic book "Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling;"
"On March 23, I arrived at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago at about 10 a.m. for WrestleMania XIII. Vince had just let Stone Cold in on my heel turn and our role reversal, and he and I sat on the ring apron blankly staring at each other. Steve appeared anxious about how we’d go about telling our respective stories. I started tossing out ideas, and together we began piecing our match together. I told him if my new heel turn was going to seem for real, we had to go toe-to-toe right off the bell, onto the floor, over the barricade and up into the stands. Such an approach would make it all feel like a shoot. The fans would be close, so we’d have to keep our work tight. I looked him in the eye and said, “What would really make this a great match would be for you to get a little juice.” Steve uneasily admitted that he’d never done that before, but he offered to try. There was too much at stake for him to start practicing at WrestleMania. “Steve, I’d be the first guy to tell you never to let anyone cut you, but in this situation you’re going to have to trust me. I’ll do it right.” Steve quickly conceded that if we were going to get away with it, I’d better be the one to do it...
Steve had put the sharpshooter on wrong, and I raked his eyes breaking the hold, fighting back with a hard gut punch. I took off into the ropes, but he sidestepped me and threw me out to the floor. I spat out the blade from where it was tucked between my upper lip and gum. As we slugged it out on the floor, I said, “It’s time!” I faintly heard him say, “Maybe we shouldn’t.” I reversed his throw and told him, “It’s too late!” I hurled him crashing hard into the timekeeper, and he barreled into the steel barricade. I calmly stepped over Steve, with Vince looking right at me and screaming fans only inches away. I grabbed his head and beat him with my fists like rubber hammers. Then I cut him perfectly, less than a half-inch long and as deep as a dime slot. No one saw a thing. The blood spurted out of his head as I gave him a serious thrashing. Despite all the vicious attacks he’d put me through, the crowd was now cheering for him as he fought to hang on."
-Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling
An eagle eyed viewer can spot Bret's pinched fingers as he goes to make the incision on Austin, but there's too much chaos going on for the actual moment of the cut to be seen. Shame, a moment lost to time.
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| Direct hit. WWF |
Back inside the ring, Bret sails with an elbow drop to the bleeding dome of Austin, who writhes away on the canvas, fighting through the haze of battle damage and blood loss. With the chair in hand again, Bret goes back for the leg before tying the legs for a Sharpshooter, only for Austin to swipe at the face of Bret and break the hold. Drilling Austin with the best punches in wrestling (sorry, Dax), he backs the Rattlesnake into the corner, which is the last place you want someone as vicious and cold-blooded as Austin. A single kick below the belt 100% catches The Hitman in his little Hitman, dropping him to the canvas in a heap.
Struggling to pull himself up with the ropes, Austin is as fierce as ever, shooting Bret sternum first into the corner before stomping a Texas-sized mudhole in him in the corner. Seating Bret on the top, Austin slowly climbs before ripping him down with a sloppy, but effective, superplex. Tossing Bret to the apron, Austin rolls to the floor and retrieves a handfull of cables, climbing back inside as Bret pulls himself up on the apron. Untangling his desired length, Austin ties the rope around Bret's throat and tightens his makeshift noose, looking to squeeze the last bits of oxygen from the lungs of The Hitman. Faltering and stumbling from losing air, Bret fingers around the apron for something, anything to assist him. Finding the ring bell, placed there earlier by him, he grabs it and swings wildly, able to catch Austin in the head with the wooden base, sending his assailant tumbling back inside the ring.
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| Rung the bastards bell! WWF |
Untangling himself from the noose, Bret ties Austin in a Sharpshooter and sits out deep, with Austin struggling, writing, and doing everything he can to resist the pain he is in. Shamrock is in his face, watching as Austin fades, but continues to fight, his face a beautiful crimson mask. He's able to dig in, and I mean dig in, and push Bret off, but The Hitman refuses to let go and sits back again, locking the Sharpshooter in deep again.
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| Refusing to quit. WWF |
Austin is a corpse beneath Hart, his arms out limp, every ounce of fight left in him completely drained. Austin refused to submit, he refused to say "I quit," but his body failed him in the end. Passing out in The Sharpshooter, Bret Hart wins the match.
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| Iron will. WWF |
The idea behind this finish is simply brilliant. It's one thing to force your opponent to submit in a hold, but its something else to hold your opponent in such a deep, painful hold, that they pass out from the pain. Not only that, but to then lay into them after the bell, even after they've been rendered unconscious, it's such a perfect way to turn two people at the same time. Bret, the vicious, disgruntled heel, and Austin, the resilient babyface. Hearing Bret talk about this finish is, again, one of my favourite pieces of wrestling lore, with his comparison to one of my favourite movies as well just icing on the cake; "The plan was that he was going to pass out in the sharpshooter but never submit, and we both needed to figure out the best way to do that. I smiled at Steve and said, “Have you ever seen the scene in that movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest where Jack Nicholson’s character tries to pull that heavy, bolted-down sink out of the floor and throw it out the widow so he can escape the nut house and go watch the World Series? You want him to succeed so badly, but as hard as he tries, he simply can’t. That was the scene that made him, and that’s what we’re going to do with you.” Steve was relying on me because he knew he could trust me." -Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling As stated before, Bret lays into the leg of Austin some more after the bell, his rage boiling over and knowing he has nowhere else to direct it but the man he just beat. The people in attendance aren't happy with Bret, and they make that clear with their reaction after the bell. Shamrock breaks up the attack not once, but twice, taking Bret down with a belly-yo-back suplex, only to square up to The Hitman when Bret looks set to fight. He backs down, climbing out the ring before returning up the ramp. There are a few hand-slaps as he leaves, but more middle fingers and "fuck you Bret!" catcalls than Bret may have been anticipating. Struggling to his feet, Austin stuns a referee, not Shamrock, of course, limping his way around the ring and up the ramp, refusing the help of anybody as he struggles with the loss and pain in his leg. A star making performance, even in defeat, Austin is a made man following this unbelievable match. |
For this, and so much more, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin is a 5 star match.
Until next time, be well, stay safe, and love one another.
Cliff Morgan
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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