The Wrestling Bard 03.28.09: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin

Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 03.28.2009

A comprehensive look at what many consider to be the greatest WWE match ever.

*Insert clever intro that nobody reads anyway here.*

Well, now that you have read the riveting introduction, I'm sure you're all extremely hyped for the rest of this column. Truth is, I am too, because I'm getting the chance to discuss one of my all time favorite matches, one that I truly believe to be flawless. But before we get to the GOOD stuff, I'm going to take advantage of my busy week (seriously, I've been in four or five different articles this week) and respond to a few comments.

Comment 1, from an anonymous guest:

"Now matter how hard my life gets, I can watch wrestling and it will put a smile on my face."

Jesus Christ that is f****** pathetic. Seriously man, you need to get out more, find a girlfriend or something, because you clearly have social inadequacies when wrestling becomes your crutch for all your social and emotional problems.

Actually, wrestling is not my "crutch". You mentioned it earlier in your comment, but one of the things I've learned in my year or so of writing this column is that most of my readerships would rather not discuss THAT subject. This is what we call "reading into things", and sadly, most people do a pretty bad job of it.

As for needing to get out more, I get out about as much as I can handle. Why? To paraphrase George Carlin, I have a very low tolerance for stupid bullcrap. Most people are full of it. For example, if reading about some random kid's life makes you this angry, that's stupid bullcrap

Comment 2, from the REAL MP:

Hubbard, I've never disagreed with a column more in my life. But you know what, you came correct, and now a ton of people are thanking you for it. Great job in taking A Man's Stance, and not cowering in fear as you did it.

Just agree to never, ever, in your entire life, write a column about Bob Dylan ever again. The man represents to music what Ric Flair means to wrestling. I will take care of that one.

The Rorshach to your Nite Owl,
I remain,

In case you missed the comment I posted later, you sure got the better end of that that tag team. And your request is granted, the Bob Dylan column is what we call "filler". Never again.

I think this is an opportunity to make it clear to people that last week's column was my statement of how I'm viewing wrestling, not a plea to the rest of the world to follow it. Wrestling needs to have people on the opposite end of the spectrum, the disgruntled critics. ECW and ROH owe their success to people who are dissatisfied with mainstream wrestling, so I'm glad the critics exist. I just don't want to be one of them.

Comment 3, from claudia chan:

Too late!
Im already carrying Aaron's child! ^_^

This is news to me, and clearly contradicts what I said a few weeks ago. Shame I don't remember this….were you hot?

In all seriousness, thanks for the overwhelmingly positive responses last week guys.

Comment 4, from somebody posting under my forced comment name:

That's my boy, knock it out of the park! Great stuff.

Posted By: Lansdellicious (Registered) on March 21, 2009 at 08:40 PM

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I think it's cute how you and Hubbard gave up your anal virginities to each other. Is it true you like to spoon each other whilst booking fantasy wrestling feds in which every match is won by your hero Chris Benoit?

Posted By: Guest#9351 (Guest) on March 22, 2009 at 03:05 PM

You go away and stop living, you meanie!!!

- Well, first off thanks Lansdell. Now stop mooching off my heel heat.

- To the anonymous guest, Chris Benoit is NOT my hero. Wrestlers are NOT heroes. Anyone still living under that delusion needs a wake up call.

- To the last guy, I admit it, WELL PLAYED! Genuinely funny!

Comment 5, again from the REAL MP, on my review of Wrestlemania XXIII:

So...Cena totally no-sold the leg work because it was "boring" when Shawn was doing it?

That's a pretty, uh...interesting take on that match.

This is where we get into opinions and subjectivity. When I watched the match, I saw leg work from Shawn that was not only boring, but short and really not very effective. He hit a few chop blocks, a few knee drops, and a few stomps and punches, and only for about two minutes of an almost thirty minute match. After years of watching Ric Flair, Bret Hart, and Shawn himself work legs properly, I found Shawn's legwork in this match to be poorly executed and not worthy of any more selling than Cena gave it. He didn't go anywhere with it and it had no effect on the rest of the match. How hard would it have been to work in a figure-four or even a Sharpshooter? Neither Cena nor Shawn took it anywhere and that's the real issue I have with it. But that's MY take on it. And that's only ONE of the problems I have with that match.

Watch the match and try to see it from my point of view. If not, we'll have to agree to disagree. Not the first time, and it won't be the last. You can enjoy (or not enjoy) any match as much (or as little) as you want. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

And Comments 6 & 7, from Luke81:

Could not agree more Aaron!!! I personally will be sitting back and enjoying this years mania, i really like the card so far and mania is ALWAYS a great ppv. The people who are bitching about how poor the card is are the same ones who will be singing its praises in 411 comments section come the end of day! Keep up the good work and keep sending the kick arse NOAH matches our way. (i'm to lazy to trawl you tube myself to find the goodness). Cheers.

I mean All Japan, My bad. Both companies but on a great, stiff, show! them japanese are crazy!!!!!

You like stiff? I give you this:





And now that we got all that out of the way, let's get to the main attraction:

THE GREATEST WRESTLING STORY EVER TOLD

In 2004, I was reading a special magazine from World Wrestling Magazine which was dedicated to the history of Wrestlemania. It made sense to do so, since Wrestlemania XX was on the horizon. One of the features I looked at first was an article about the greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time. All of the usual suspects were there. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (Don't laugh, the match had a huge amount of hype at the time). But what surprised me was the match at #1.

"Submission Match: Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wrestlemania 13"

I nearly died of laughter at reading this. Stone Cold in a submission match? Like that could possibly be any good. The guy who threw punches, stomped mudholes, drank beer and hit Stunners? THIS guy was in a fantastic "Submission Match"? Besides that paradox, the styles clash of Austin (the brawler) and Hart (the technical wrestler) had me fully convinced that whoever wrote this article was a hack who knew nothing about wrestling. Oh the ignorance of a fourteen year old.

A year and a half later, I was given "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be" and proceeded to watch the multitude of mat classics on the disc. Summerslam '91 with Mr. Perfect. A year later with British Bulldog. Wrestlemania X with Owen Hart. And then, I stumbled upon this match. Wondering why Bret would have a match that was sure to be awful on his "Best Of" DVD set, I popped it in. What I saw was one of the most exciting, dramatic, and flawless matches I've ever had the privilege of watching. I was awestruck as two of the greatest of all time took all of my foolish preconceptions of what they could do, and shattered them.

This is the story of how this match up came to be, and how important it is to wrestling history. I'll explain why I don't think this match will even come close to being duplicated. I'll explain the circumstances of wrestling in North America, and why the crowd was as important as the wrestlers and the bookers in making this match the classic that it is, and why this could only have happened in 1997. But before I talk about 1997, I need to go back to 1995.

1995: WWE's Worst Year

1995 was not a good year for the WWE. Vince's latest attempt at recreating Hulk Hogan, Diesel, had a year long reign with the World Title. Characters such as Jean-Pierrer Lafitte and Duke "The Dumpster" Droese were common place. Blood was a no-no and heated feuds were a rarity. The product was kid-friendly to the point of resembling Loony Toons more than a wrestling show. Ask people that were wrestling fans at that time, and most of them will say they are ashamed to admit it. According to the ratings, there aren't many of them. Business was at a tremendous low, and while talents like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were putting on quality wrestling, asking the average red-blooded American to sit through it for the short amount of time when Bret or Shawn would get to tear the house down was a bit much. Apparently, Vince McMahon realized that the goody-two-shoes juggernaut Diesel wasn't the next Hogan, and decided to give the ball to the man who had been the MVP of 1995: Shawn Michaels.

Wrestlemania XII: The Iron-Man Man Match

At the time, Vince had to look over at WCW and see the success they were having with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Randy Savage. The biggest stars of the ‘80's were in another company. Vince had to elevate somebody to be the new "it" guy of his promotion. Diesel was a talented big men who could talk, but wasn't in the same league as Hogan. Bret Hart had proved that athleticism and workrate could excite fans, but proved to have little appeal beyond the pure wrestling fans. Shawn was a guy who was even more athletic than Bret Hart, and knocked him out of the ballpark in the charisma department. Kids loved him, women adored him, and purists appreciated his talent. It was time to take a gamble, and showcase Shawn as the new face of WWE.

The first step was taking the title off of Diesel and putting it on Bret Hart. Bret was more popular than Diesel, and would definitely be a better opponent for Shawn to showcase his talents against. Bret could keep up with Shawn in the workrate department, but his mild-mannered persona would not overshadow Shawn's vibrant personality. To play to both men's strengths and give them a chance to showcase Shawn, Vince booked a one-hour Iron-Man Match that was sure to appeal to old school fans. Bret and Shawn put on a clinic in a match that lived up to the expectations of most fans, and Shawn walked away with his first WWE Championship, achieving his "Boyhood Dream" in an inspirational story.

But Bret Hart was not happy. Shawn had disrespected him by telling him to "get the f*** out of the ring" so that he could celebrate. It would be the first of many offenses Bret would take from Shawn Michaels over the next few years. Roddy Piper had never been so prophetic as when he said, "You better shake hands now, because you're going to hate each other afterwards." In many ways, Bret had been replaced by Shawn Michaels, phased out for a new model. He took a sabbatical from wrestling, and most likely brooded about getting revenge on his archrival at next year's mania.

Austin 3:16

One of the undercard matches at Wrestlemania XII was a solid but unmemorable confrontation between Savio Vega and "The Ringmaster". The Ringmaster was actually "Stunning" Steve Austin from WCW, and shortly after ‘Mania lost that moniker and became Stone Cold Steve Austin. After a memorable strap match with Vega, which Austin lost on purpose to get rid of his manager Ted DiBiase, fans were taking more notice of the newcomer. Through a series of political circumstances, Austin was chosen to become 1996's King of the Ring, last defeated Jaek "The Snake" Roberts, who was playing a born-again Christian. When it came time for his post-match interview, Austin would unknowingly create the character that was to become the next big thing in wrestling.

"You sit there and you thump your Bible and say your prayers and it didn't get you anywhere. Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16. Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass. Steve Austin's time has come, and that's the bottom line, ‘cause Stone Cold said so!"

After that promo, Austin would start calling out Bret Hart in promos. It was only natural, given the characters of both men. Bret Hart was the traditionalist, a classic catch-as-catch-can wrestler, the son of Canadian legend Stu Hart. He was conservative both in his wrestling style and in his ideals. He stood for fair play and respect. Steve Austin was a blue collar redneck from Texas. He was a foul-mouthed brawler who drank beer and didn't trust anyone. When it came to their ideologies and their in-ring styles, the two men could not be more different. However, they shared two very important things. First was a competitive fire that drove both to the best, and they would never back down and never quit. Second, both men were excellent psychologists and storytellers. With their competitive spirit and conflicting personalities, there was no logical way for the two NOT to run into each other.



Bret Hart would make his comeback with a match at Survivor Series. In Madison Square Garden the two competed in an outstanding athletic contest that mixed classic wrestling with brawling. The two styles meshed beautifully and left everyone in awe. Eventually, Bret would get a win by countering the Million Dollar Dream by walking the ropes and turning it into a pin, reminiscent of his match with Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania 8. The fluke win established that Bret was still as good as ever, without ruining Austin's credibility. In fact, by hanging toe-to-toe with Bret, Austin's stock rose even more. It was obvious that the issue between these two men would not end on that night.

1996-1998: The Changing Landscape

Something else happened at that same Survivor Series. Uber-babyface Shawn Michaels lost his World Title to monster heel Psycho Sid. But the New York crowd had grown tired of the goody-two-shoes babyface and instead cheered for Sid. It was a sign of the changing times and served as a wake-up call for Vince McMahon. He was behind the curve, and you didn't have to look far to see that. WCW was riding high on the controversial nWo storyline, which had turned the biggest good guy in wrestling into the most hated bad guy. At the same time, ECW was pushing the envelope of what was acceptable on a wrestling program, with bloody brawls, man-on-woman violence, and storylines that preyed on the emotions of it's rabid, cult-like audience.

Wrestling was changing, and Austin symbolized that change. His character was a heel. He was vulgar, he was violent, and he had no respect for anyone. He was a rebel that looked out only for himself, and he couldn't care less whether you liked him or not. But the fans identified with this man's man, and he was slowly becoming the voice of the audience. In his match with Bret Hart, he had received a considerable amount of cheers, and it wasn't just because of his magnificent in-ring performance. People loved and connected with his character. The Era of Shades of Grey was just beginning. Fans tastes were changing, and it was this paradigm shift from the old-school to the new-school that made this feud even bigger than it already was.

Building to Wrestlemania

In beating Austin, Bret had become the #1 Contender to the WWE Championship. He was unsuccessful in winning, but after hearing Shawn Michaels' commentary, it probably didn't matter much to Bret. Yes, the championship was important, but just as important was getting his hands on Shawn Michaels. And when Shawn defeated Sid, Bret must have been salivating as he prepared to win the Royal Rumble. After he won, he would earn a title shot at Shawn, and could his win, and his title back on the grandest stage of them all. It was a fairytale ending that Bret was foolish enough to believe in.

Austin was also in the Rumble, and was doing a great job in the early going, tossing men out left and right. Austin bided his time by looking at an imaginary watch as he waited for his next opponent, and eventually, Bret Hart came out. The two men renewed their old rivalry, but eventually got lost in the shuffle of the rumble. However, as it dwindled down to the last few men, Bret tossed Austin over the top rope. Due to a brawl outside the ring, nobody saw Austin's elimination, and he was to sneak back in and eliminate Bret to win his first Royal Rumble, setting an elimination record that would stand until 2001.

Naturally, Bret was furious. This miscarriage of justice had cost Bret a title shot and a shot at Michaels. His dream scenario of beating Shawn Michaels for the title was out the window, and he hadn't even lost it fair and square. Austin had cheated to win. Bret started complaining, justifiably so, but some of the audience weren't particularly enchanted with this new Bret. Austin hadn't made excuses when he lost, so surely Bret could "Man Up" and stop whining.

Then, something unexpected happened. Shawn Michaels "lost his smile" and forfeited the WWE championship. The title was up for grabs at In Your House: Final Four, where Undertaker, Vader, Austin and Bret (the last four Royal Rumble participants) would compete for the championship. While Bret would not get his chance at redemption against Shawn, he could at least accomplish his other goal of becoming WWE Champion once more. And he was able to accomplish that goal. For the second year in a row, Bret would be going into Wrestlemania as champion.

Or so he thought. He had a scheduled defense against former champion Psycho Sid, and Austin interfered, costing Bret the championship. If Bret hadn't snapped before, he had sure snapped now. Austin had cost him a Royal Rumble victory. Shawn Michaels had backed out of ‘Mania for no good reason. And now Austin had cost Bret his world title. He had been screwed, and he became increasingly vocal about it. His two Wrestlemania goals were out of reach. Shawn was off the big show. Undertaker would face Sid for the title. And Bret was going to take all of his frustration on the man who cost him his fairytale ending, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The verbal sparring and backstage confrontations built and built, raising to a fever pitch. Austin used a chair to crush Brian Pillman's leg, making him a casualty of the war. The No Disqualification and Submission stipulations were added to the match, creating another level of intrigue. Bret had beat Austin with a fluke roll-up, and had beat him under Battle Royal Rules, but he had never made Austin quit. In fact, neither Austin nor Bret had submitted in their entire careers. Was it possible? Who would give up?

Bret managed to get some vindication for the repeated injustice, facing Sid in a cage match for the WWE Championship, which should have insured that no interference take place. But Undertaker interfered and cost him another shot. Bret loudly voiced his frustrations, shoving Vince McMahon down and vulgarly vented about how he had been screwed. As if Bret needed any more motivation to destroy Steve Austin, this added even more fuel to the fire. A more vicious, more sadistic Bret Hart was being forged in these flames, and it was this Bret Hart that entered Wrestlemania.

The Match

The glass shattered as Steve Austin entered the Rosemont Horizon to a mixed reaction. In the ring was UFC great Ken Shamrock, soon to embark on a wrestling career, but for now, serving as the special referee in what was probably a wise decision for the sake of the other officials. Bret entered the arena to a thunderous ovation, but a smattering of boos could be heard as well. Austin wasted no time, attacking Bret before the bell. The two men exchanged right hands and brawled outside the ring and into the audience, a rarity at the time. The intensity was off the charts as Hart proved he could more than handle his own in a street fight environment.

Eventually, the two men made their way back into the ring, and Bret returned to what brought him to the dance: his wrestling. He jarred Austin with a swinging neckbreaker before hitting his patented forearm drop, and then attacked Austin's legs. It was a much more vicious assault than Bret fans were used to, but who could blame him? During this dissection, Austin let Shamrock know that there was no quit in him, by means of a double byrd. Austin finally got a small respite with a Stunner out of nowhere. Commentators Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler wondered what would be the decision if Bret had been knocked out, but they didn't have to worry for long. Bret went right back to the legs and put Austin in a unique figure four around the post, but Austin refused to quit.

Frustrated that his new trick had not worked, Bret made an uncharacteristic move by grabbing a ring bell, but suddenly got a better idea. He grabbed a chair and put it around Austin's leg like a vice, the same thing Austin had done to Pillman. Bret wouldn't get a chance to finish it though. Austin used the chair to attack Bret's back, leveling the playing field. Austin used a slam and a suplex to soften the back up more. He then chose to mock Bret by hitting several of his trademark moves. First, the forearm drop, but with the double byrd added for good measure. Next, the stomp to the ribs, but Austin chose to do a low blow instead. And next the Russian Legsweep, which Austin followed with an octopus stretch. Clearly, he was not just a one dimensional brawler. Austin tried a Boston Crab, but Bret was not a quitter either.

Austin went a step further by trying a Sharpshooter, but Bret raked the eyes to escape, another uncharacteristically heel move for Bret. The two traded blows until Austin tossed Bret outside, taking a moment to mock the crowd, who responded with loud cheers as well boos. But when Austin went outside, another turning point in the match occurred. Bret reversed an Irish Whip that sent Austin into the steel guardrail, busting him open. Bloodshed was uncommon at this time, and made the crimson plasma mean that much more. The fans cheered for the blood, and Bret pummeled away at the cut, both with his fists and with several ringside objects. Bret hit his backbreaker and a second forearm drop, as if to assert that his was better. Bret then grabbed the steel chair and jammed it into Austin's legs repeatedly before trying the Sharpshooter. Austin responded with the same counter Bret used, a rake of the eyes.

Bret continued to whale at Austin, and the Rattlesnake responded with a kick to the groin. Despite the blood loss and an injured leg, Austin was first to his feet. He whipped Bret into the turnbuckle chest-first. Then he tossed him in another corner before stomping a mudhole and hitting a superplex. Unable to make Bret quit, Austin got desperate and started to choke Bret out with some ringside cables. Fortunately, Bret had the ring bell from early close bell, and clocked Austin to save himself from being choked. Bret grabbed the legs, and one of the most iconic finishes in history was about to take place.

Locked in the Sharpshooter, blood covering his face and pouring down his teeth, Austin refused to give in. Mustering every last once of strength, Austin fought and broke the hold….almost. Bret was able to hold on, and applied more pressure. Austin refused to give up, refused to say "I Quit", refused to die, and passed out from the pain and the blood loss. Shamrock called for the bell and declared Bret the winner. Bret celebrated with the fans, but in his heart, he knew that the victory was hollow. He had not made Austin quit, Austin had not given up. And this courageous effort had won over every fan in attendance. Austin was a tough S.O.B. who never backed down and never quit. Not even the greatest technical wrestler in WWE history could make him quit, not even with his signature submission hold. Austin may not have been a role model, but he was certainly heroic in his own way.

And Bret could not stand it. Austin had cost him too much. His match with Shawn Michaels, gone. His world title, gone. Bret had been screwed, and he wanted his justice. So he went after the legs of Austin one more time, attacking a helpless man who had given everything he had. The fans did not approve of this poor sportsmanship, but they gave Bret the benefit of the doubt. That is, until Shamrock asserted his authority and threw Bret off of Austin. Instead of standing his ground, Bret backed away, a whiner, a poor sportsman, and a coward. The fans turned on him, and embraced Austin as the new hero.

What was remarkable was that Austin did not change. As referees helped him to his feet, he Stunnered them and walked to the back of his own volition. Austin was obscene, rebellious and sadistic, that is true. But he was also a proud warrior, a Man's Man, and as long as he was able, he would rely on nobody but himself. Austin took crap from nobody, but he never feed crap to anyone either. He made no apologies and made no excuses. Whether you loved him or you hated him, on that night, you had to respect him.

Both men had legitimate reasons for their actions. Bret was constantly the victim of injustice, and he took out his frustrations. It wasn't admirable, but it was understandable. Austin wasn't a role model, but he had traits that we could admire. For the first time, wrestling wasn't telling us who to cheer or who to boo. It simply provided too compelling characters, with opposing lifestyles and in-ring styles, who were proud competitors and masterful storytellers, and put them together in a logical, dramatic storyline. Professional wrestling met sports entertainment and the two melded in spectacular fashion.

This match was not only the Match of the Year because of its drama, quality, or memorable finish, but also because it represented 1997 as a whole. Bret was the old school, the conservative, the whiners, the traditionalist, the man whose mantra was "I'm not greedy for money, I'm greedy for respect." Austin was the new school, the rebel, the Man's Man, the tough guy, the man whose mantra was "Don't trust anyone." In 1997, old world values clashed with new world mentality, in every era. If you were over the age of 10, you were affected by it. This battle captured the spirit of 1997, and serves as a time capsule of one of the most exciting eras in professional wrestling.

What did I learn from this story? One, never, EVER judge a book by its cover. Bret wasn't known for his great brawls and Austin wasn't known for his great wrestling, but the styles clash served as a benefit, not a detriment, to their rivalry. On paper, these two never should have had a good match, but that's why matches don't happen on paper.

Two, don't underestimate the artistic value of professional wrestling. These two were artists, and this was their greatest work. Hopefully, it won't be forgotten for a long, LONG time.