411Mania’s Countdown to Wrestlemania XXVI 03.20.10: Austin vs. Hart at WrestleMania - Most Important Match Ever?

Posted by Len Archibald on 03.20.2010

The Movie Zone’s Len “Arthouse” Archibald chimes in for “411’s Countdown To WrestleMania”, and makes the case for why Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin may be the most important match-up in modern wrestling history.



Good day, foreign film fanatics…!

…wait.

I'm in the wrong section. How the hell did I get here, and what the hell does some movie-snob indie-film and pretentious oversea film lover (and probably dirty liberal commie bastard) know about pro-wrestling?

BANNER!



Eh...That's good...Not great...



That's better. Thanks, Meehan!

THE BACKGROUND


Let's start with my first wrestling memory: a bloody Ric Flair being hoisted on the shoulders of other wrestlers after defeating Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight title. I'll be honest, I don't know where I saw it or what the circumstances were (I would have been a lil' tyke), but it is the very first image of a wrestling ring that I always go back to. My father was a big time wrestling fan. He would take me to house shows in the famed Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. I used to watch "WWF Cavalcade" that was based out of Hamilton's CHCH 11 channel every Saturday evening at 6pm. If I remember correctly, the great Billy Red Lyons hosted that show, where they always plugged house shows in Hamilton's Copps Coliseum and other Canadian venues.

I went to a supershow at Exhibition place – and my childhood live wrestling experience culminated with "The Ultimate Challenge" at WrestleMania VI in SkyDome (now The Rogers Center.) I remember the day of that show, The Toronto Sun's front page had a split picture of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior posing for the photogs. Jerry Lawler got on Warrior for wearing a baseball cap when he should've been in character when he returned in the weeks after WrestleMania XII, but in this picture – Warrior didn't look intense at all. In a cap, sunglasses and normal clothes, he looked like a young bodybuilder that was happy to be here. Also, since I am a Canadian, I can say with 100% authority that, yes – Bret Hart is a GOD here. In fact, I would go so far to say that Hart is probably the most recognizable Canadian figure in sports after Wayne Gretzky. Growing up I was pretty much trained to understand these three facets of Canada: 1) Pride 2) Hockey 3) Wrestling.

I'm not the guy who runs Ask 411 for the Wrestling Zone, but I consider myself as someone in touch with the history of pro-wrestling from the old days of black & white TV and Gorgeous George to the territorial structure that became widespread in the 60's and 70's up to the present day events where two companies (well, if one wants to be technical – one) rule the roost in North America with hundreds of little indies scattered. I've watched everything; from WWF, WCW, ECW, New Japan, NOAH, TNA, NWA:TNA, old school NWA, AWA, Calgary Stampede, Memphis, WCCW, CHIKARA, ROH, GLOW (yes, I admit that), and I've even grown a perverse desire to watch Celebrity Championship Wrestling and…Wrestlelicious *facepalm*. If there's a wrestling ring and some sort of grappling going on, I'm aware of it in some way. I don't want to say I'm an expert, but I've been around the block – even helping out as a cameraman for WAR Wrestling, an indie promotion based out of Lima, OH (hometown of one Al Snow.)

I recently read Aaron Hubbard's Contentious Ten, where he ranked "The Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History", and he placed the Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart "I Quit" match at #1. Some agreed, some disagreed. I noticed a lot of love for the WM XX Triple Threat main event between Triple H, HBK and Chris Benoit. LOTS of love for Y2J-HBK at WrestleMania XIX. Everyone has their own opinions and they are all valid…because they are opinions. Of course, I agree with Hubbard's ranking of Austin/Hart – and since we're in WresleMania Season and we at 411 are dedicating columns in celebration of the "Countdown to WrestleMania", I figured to throw my hat in the…what does one throw their hat into anyways?

Now, a quick caveat: I am older than Hubbard, but I don't think I'm as cynical or as "nit-picky" about things as he is. That's not a knock on him, just pointing out that even though we agree on something, that doesn't mean we share the exact same philosophy in regards to what professional wrestling needs to entertain effectively. Hubbard is into technique and storytelling in the ring, while I'm into the spectacle and the intangible things that make pro wrestling resonate past cultural barriers. Hogan/Andre is not a technical masterpiece, but the moment that Hogan slammed Andre brought wrestling to a moment of worldwide reverence that is rarely matched. Hubbard didn't rank Hogan/Rock in his Top 10 Greatest Wrestling Matches: it would be in my Top 5 – reason being of course, I was THERE, in Toronto, completely transfixed on how two mere men were able to make a structure with over 67,000 people tremble by way of the rabid audience just by the execution of the simplest moves. While great wrestling matches can contain moments of greatness, only a few great matches are recognized in full as actual "moments" – that is what separates Undertaker/HBK at last year's WrestleMania from the Undertaker/Mankind Hell in a Cell match. I truly believe that the reaction of the crowd DOES make or break a match: these guys are first and foremost, LIVE entertainers; if they can't get the LIVE audience to react to every move they make, they should NOT be in this industry. It's the same as being a stage actor; if one can't get the live audience compelled and suspending disbelief with their performance and stage presence, they probably shouldn't be acting. Anywhere.

But enough about my past and what brought me to the dance: I'm here to discuss Hart/Austin. Take a trip with me as I attempt to weave your minds and memories into the events that led to this match. For those who began following wrestling during or post-"Attitude" era, I understand it may be hard to truly express the wrestling landscape at the time. For those who know wrestling existed before 1998 – or better yet, 1983, I hope I will be able to do justice in stirring up your experiences during this time.

THE HISTORY


Here's the thing about Austin/Hart that puts it in another class with other WrestleMania –or- any other match for that matter: Hindsight and perspective. The way that some rate the WM XX main event now based from hindsight of Benoit going bat-shit insane is the same tangible in regards to looking at Austin/Hart. This was a perfect storm, and arguably the most important match/storyline in modern wrestling history. Yes, I said it. I will try to now explain why.

The previous year: 1996 – Shawn Michaels accomplishes his "boyhood dream" in the kid-friendly "New Generation" years of the WWF by defeating Bret "The Hitman" Hart in "overtime" of a grueling 60-minute Iron Man Match for the WWF Title at WrestleMania XII. After a while, his "goody goody sexy boy" act starts to wear thin for those who followed the largest wrestling organization in the world. Fans discover a little Philadelphia-based promotion called ECW, and a group of WWF castaways forming a stable called the n.W.o. in WCW when Hulk Hogan - the ultimate good guy for years – turns heel, aligns himself with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and somehow becomes cooler. A quick footnote: before Kevin Nash emerged in WCW, his final match in the WWF was against Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title at an In Your House PPV titled "Good Friends, Better Enemies" in which the highlight of the match saw heel Kevin Nash use the prosthetic leg of future WWE Hall of Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon on babyface HBK. I remember watching this match at a friends house and we all thought that was the single coolest thing ever. This was a precursor to the changing "attitude" of the North American wrestling fanbase.

We're introduced to "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin – a baldheadded scumbag who was hand picked by The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase to carry his Million Dollar Belt. After a few fits and starts, Austin eventually sheds "The Ringmaster" moniker, and embraces a new one: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He "intentionally" loses a match against his mid-card foe at the time, Savio Vega where DiBiase is banished from the WWF. Austin feels that DiBiase was holding him back from being the best. Later, Austin steamrolls through the 1996 "King of the Ring" tournament and "Austin 3:16" is born. Despite being booked as a baddie, Austin rose as a favorite from the trickling of the "so bad its cool" contingent of fans from ECW and WCW (one may not realize it, but Austin saying "ass" was such a BIG DEAL at the time, it was ridiculous – and his casual vulgarity was an undeniable reason for his initial success.) At this point as well, WCW was basically teetering on the verge of putting the WWF out of business completely, crushing them in nearly every category that matters to make a business survive on the back of the n.W.o. (Rey Mis-SPEAR-io, anyone? I miss lawn-darts.)

Hart basically disappeared after the WM XII Iron Man match. As much as I don't like to get into the "stereotypes" of male wrestling fans, Bret represented the whole "man's man" kinda character while Shawn Michaels, even though as technically sound as Bret, was *too* flamboyant – I think to the point where his sexuality was questioned. Those fans don't want a WWF champion who they have to wonder which team he bats for. After defeating Vader (again, a more "manly" character) at the 1996 edition of SummerSlam, the fan backlash began.

Enter Sid. Now, Sycho Sid wasn't the best wrestler on the planet, but his character was insanely (haha) cool and resonated with the new breed of adrenaline rush-bloodthirsty "smarter" fan. Sid was HUGE. Sid was NUTS. Sid was OVER (some may try to re-write history and say he wasn't: he may not have been a moneymaker, but the live audience loved nearly everything he did.) People wanted to see someone kick the snot out of the "boy toy" and Sid was their champion. Sid had an "attitude" mixed in with his lack of sanity and got fans to chant that he was the "MASTER. AND RULER. OF THE WORLD!" It worked like gangbusters, because even though Sid could never carry – or be carried to a "5-Star Match", he had a 5-Star character that people dug.



At the same time, as Bret Hart was about to return to the WWF, Austin's stock rose to heights that no one could have expected after King of the Ring. He did vignettes mocking Hart (some of the best ever done that truly matched the attitude and swagger of a character.) As mentioned before, Hart represented the more "traditional, manly" type of wrestler – but put him beside Stone Cold's rebellious streak, though – something that Bret was never known for, and compared to Austin, Hart looked like a sissy. Bret still had friends and always treated the ring as a way to *earn* respect and adoration from fans and peers. Austin, really – couldn't give two shits about fans OR peers. He hated everyone and everyone hated him. For some reason, though – that "attitude" resonated with the new jaded and more cynical fan. Whatever the cultural climate was at the time, Austin had literally caught lightning in a bottle. Even though people "respected" Hart's technical acumen, desire and nobility (from a character standpoint), they UNDERSTOOD and RELATED to Austin, who was basically telling everyone to screw themselves and he was going to get his no matter who he had to step over. If that meant the "great" Bret Hart, so be it.

So Bret returns at the 1996 Survivor Series and wrestles Austin. That's the key word, here. He wrestled Austin. Austin was basically able to match Bret move for move. In all actuality, the only reason Austin LOST that first match (in kayfabe terms) was because of his need to take Bret out of the picture for good, not letting go of the Million Dollar Dream. At this time, the hatred for Shawn Michaels from the core WWF fanbase was about to reach a fever pitch, one that had not been reached since the fans turned on Hulk Hogan before his temporary exit with the company leading up to WrestleMania VIII (which, coincidentally, SID was at the center of.) Two more testosterone-driven men basically stole HBK's thunder…and *HE'S* the champion? An important footnote: a "goodie two shoes" character named Rocky Maivia was the sole survivor in his Survivor Series tag match.

Fast forward to the 1997 Royal Rumble. Sid gets cheered for every dirty trick he uses. When he smashes that camera on Shawn Michaels' "Mentor", Jose Litario and the crowd ERUPTS, it was undeniable that the fans no longer wanted to embrace HBK's current characterization. It is this match that becomes ground zero for HBK's D-Generation X "attitude" (there's that word again.)

That same evening, Steve Austin gives one of the single most entertaining performances in history during the Royal Rumble event, tossing everyone out right and left, sitting on the turnbuckle and looking at his imaginary watch. He had this new breed of fan eating out of the palms of his hands. Even though he cheated, and used nefarious means to win the Rumble, if one has the original airing, it's terribly obvious that the crowd WANTED Austin to win – and probably preferred that he broke the rules to do so. This led to the "hot-potato" passing of the WWF Championship in early 1997 that eventually made its way to Sid for WrestleMania 13.

THE MATCH


During all this, Bret had stayed true to his character: a noble man who fought against all odds – but something new was bubbling underneath. There were chinks in his armor. Hart, from a storyline standpoint could not understand why his nobility was being rejected by fans, while Austin's rebellious nature was being embraced. It was Hart, for the first time ever – that acknowledged Vince McMahon as some sort of on-air authority figure. It was the worst kept secret in the world that Vince McMahon was the WWF owner, but it was NEVER explained on camera. When The Undertaker cost Bret his newly won WWF title at the expense of Sid during a cage match on Monday Night RAW, Bret literally snapped. He was being left behind by everyone and he didn't understand. He made threats to Vince. He told Vince he needed to "fix" things. Bret's star was waning. No longer was he the noble man who accepted defeat but was so valiant to fight another day. Now, he was a whiner. A complainer – and a man who found fault in everyone but himself. Austin was the antithesis to all of that, as he kicked ass, got his ass kicked, but never made an excuse out of it. He just wanted to be the best. Again, who do you think the crowd accepted?

I won't spend much time on the "I Quit" match itself, just the bullet-points: EVERYTHING about this match is perfect. It doesn't run too long. It isn't a 20 minute match crammed into eight minutes. There are no true "rest" periods. The video leading to the match that explains Hart's moral dilemma is exceptional. The "Austin 3:16" glass entrance that shatters as Stone Cold marches through is one of the coolest entrances I've ever seen in its simplicity – followed by the symbolism of Hart having to step over the broken glass to get to Austin. The 3-Man commentary between Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Vince McMahon is outstanding, and became the template for the Ross/Lawler tandem behind the desk. Listen to how the match even starts: Vince berates Hart for his "attitude" and The King is about to explain that McMahon called Bret a "son of a…" but before he could finish, Austin tackles Hart and the match begins. They grapple, they brawl, Austin takes a drink before chucking it at Hart. Listen to the crowd as Austin gives that first chair shot to Hart who sits on the turnbuckle and the flashbulbs that erupt as Austin performs the now iconic head swivel he does when he's pissed before crushing "The Hitman" with a second shot to his back. I remember watching WrestleMania 13 with a group of ten or so friends and we all knew from that moment that Stone Cold was destined to be not just "a" star, but THE star. Sometimes you never know where the next big pop-culture phenomenon will come from, but when you see it – 9 times out of 10 – you recognize it instantly. There was no doubt Austin was on the verge to cross a cultural barrier that only a small handful of pro-wrestlers ever tasted.

Fast-forward to the infamous double-turn where Austin lays in a pool of his own blood and Bret wins (or at least, is "awarded" victory because of Austin's resiliency.) I can't stress from a character standpoint how pitch-perfect this was in its execution. If Austin struggled for too long or too short before passing out, the ending of the match would have been perceived as too contrived. If Hart decided to pummel Austin to death with a chair after the match instead of just literally kicking him when he was down, it would have been too out of character for "The Hitman". If the special guest referee Ken Shamrock made his presence felt at anytime during the match, the impact of him taking down Bret in defense of Austin would have been lost. It was imperative to show the two grapplers exiting the ring as well: Bret, after being challenged by Shamrock – casually exits to a chorus of boos (and some confused cheers), while Austin's name is chanted as he stuns a referee who attempted to help him up to his feet. Austin limped down the aisle on his own terms and in that moment, became the face of the WWF and the company's changing "attitude".

THE CHAIN-REACTION


Here's the ripple effect from this one match:

1-Austin is given the rocket and shoots to the heights that the WWF had not seen since Hulk Hogan (who, ironically enough, works for the competition.)

2-HBK has a shift in "attitude" and forms DX with some guy named Hunter Hearst Helmsley. They take Austin's vulgarity and recklessness and amp it up to 1000, thus nuetering the "rebellious" nature of WCW's glory days.

3-Bret's shift in "attitude" leads to him forming the "New Hart Foundation" (making peace with his brother Owen in the process), and with that creates the insanely brilliant US vs. Canada storyline. Who's the main target of Hart's anti-US rage? "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

4-That leads to SummerSlam 1997, in which Bret defeats The Undertaker for the WWF title, with an unintentional assist from special guest ref HBK from a steel chair. At that same show, Owen Hart accidentally breaks Austin's neck during an IC Title match (which Austin wins.)

5-That "assist" leads to Taker basically making Michaels life a living hell which culminates in the first ever Hell in a Cell match at "In Your House: Badd Blood" which sees Kane's debut. Hell in a Cell is such a successful gimmick that it is used nearly a year later with Mick Foley and The Undertaker. We all know what happened there. The feud between Taker and HBK comes to a conclusion at the 1998 Royal Rumble where a spot sees Michaels injure his back to the point where he is gone for over four years.

6-Austin, already known as a badass who will walk through hell before he ever risks losing his reputation as being the best and toughest SOB on the planet, is seen as even TOUGHER when stories come to light that he DID finish his match with Owen with a broken neck. He needs to vacate the IC title. Owen Hart gets it back.

7-"Die Rocky Die" chants erupt because Rocky Maivia's "noble hero act" is seen as nothing more that a Hogan/Hart re-tread in a time where the "cool heels" rule the roost. He makes a shift in "attitude" and transforms himself into a little phenomena known as "The Rock", and becomes the yin to Austin's yang.

8-Survivor Series 1997 happens. The screwjob. Austin basically crushes Owen Hart and wins the IC title. He and The Rock collide in a mini-feud that becomes ground zero for their epic encounters years later.

9-The "Mr. McMahon" character is born, and from it – the storyline that would rule 1998 and would bring the WWF back to the top of the wrestling world. Vince convinces Mike Tyson to become part of WWF storylines – specifically, with Austin - while WCW counters with Dennis Rodman, Jay Leno and "One Warrior Nation". The "Austin Era" begins with Stone Cold defeating Shawn Michaels to become WWF Champion for the first time at WrestleMania XIV. The one-of-a-kind overbooking of Over the Edge. Mankind tossed off a cell. The emergence of Chyna and HBK "dropping the ball". That leads to the "reformation" of DX that includes the New Age Outlaws. That leads to X-Pac returning the night after WresleMania. That led to a feud between HHH's DX and The Rock's "Nation of Domination" that culminated in the two being made as main eventers in SummerSlam's IC Ladder Match.

10-Hart arrives in WCW and the "bookers" basically botch the Starcade 97 main event between Sting and Hogan - which should have been WCW's biggest show in history. It "came crashing down and hurt inside" from there (sorry, I couldn't resist.)

11-Austin's rise brought about Bill Goldberg - who even if it was "coincidence" that the bald head, goatee and black trunks matched Austin's look, there was no doubt that it didn't "spring" in Eric Bischoff's mind – since he basically considered Austin to be no more than a permanent mid-carder; Hart flounders in WCW and the shine he had in the WWF disappeared. Goldberg's rise leads to a "collision course" with Hart, in a match that basically ended his in ring career.

12-Austin would be on top of the mountain at the same time, with The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker, Mankind, Chyna, Sable, DX, Kane, Ken Shamrock and others not too far behind. WCW's stranglehold on the wrestling world was over from the star power that the WWF provided. Now that they had money, power and influence again, they signed all of WCW's big dogs who never got a chance to shine: Jericho, Guererro, Malenko, Saturn, Benoit. From ECW, they got Taz (Tazz) and The Dudley Boys. ECW never recovered from that. The Hardys and Edge and Christian joined the ranks to bring tag team wrestling to new insane heights (literally.) Vince McMahon signs Kurt Angle. While WCW was floundering with the same old storylines and revolving door characters, the WWF had an influx of new, interesting talent.

13-Then WCW goes out of business. Yes, the Time-AOL merger basically killed WCW, but I don't think it would have been killed so quickly if WCW wasn't losing so much money and fans at such an alarming rate to the WWF at the time.

THE LEGACY


So here's the final piece: hindsight. Look at the WWF in 1997 before *and* after the Bret Hart/Steve Austin match. That was the "Attitude Era" in a nutshell. Hart was the babyface of "The New Generation" after Hulk Hogan left for WCW. Austin was the foul-mouthed sonovabitch that didn't care about that generation, or the one that preceded it for that matter. It was a story of two forces who justifiably stood for what they believed in and the collision was so epic that it caused a chain of events that is still felt up to this day. Austin, as a guest host, presided over the contract signing between two of his two biggest foes: Hart and McMahon (how epic would it be if The Rock was the special guest ref? What an insane dynamic that could have caused...) Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13 did more to help the WWF in the way that the Sting/Hogan Starrcade match hurt WCW. It was the presentation, the talent, the culture, the fans, and all the little intangibles that made Austin/Hart not only in my opinion, the greatest WM match in history, the greatest fued in wrestling history – but perhaps the most important of the modern era.

Whoa, now. Even more important than Hulk/Andre? In my opinion, yes. WrestleMania III was the crowning achievement in regards to the brand awareness of the WWF. No one is going to compete with 93,000 people in the Silverdome (do NOT get on me about the "kayfabe" number: my cousin was there and is from Detroit. She knows that the Silverdome easily holds 81,000 people for a football game in normal stadium seating. I don't think it would have been too hard to add a little over 10,000 more on the floor.) There was really nothing on the line creatively or financially that hinged on the success of Hulk/Andre. Yes, more people saw it, more people recognize it, but it really didn't *change* the ENTIRE landscape of wrestling in North America. Where did Andre go after WM III? What was the DIRECT ripple effect from Andre ripping Hulk's crucifix (as much as a sweet moment it was)? I would crown WrestleMania III as a whole as the most important SHOW in wrestling history, as it became the template for "WrestleMania Season" and created the spectacle event that all televised sporting events aspire to be.

Compare Hulk/Andre to that of Hart/Austin, though, and look at my bullet points above. DIRECTLY and INDIRECTLY, the chain of events from the "I Quit" match led to the death of TWO major North American wrestling promotions, leaving the WWE as the only mainstream wrestling company standing (for a few years.) The WWF at the time was barely hanging on financially and creatively. WCW was really one major event away from changing history; personally, I think if they held off Goldberg vs. Hogan until Starrcade 1998 and worked the exact same match with the exact same result, in the exact same venue, there would be no TNA, because WCW would still be here. The WWF needed to catch white lightning, and didn't really expect it. That's the other point about hindsight: one never sees how important something is until time passes. Watch the presentation of WrestleMania II, III, IV and V. How much changed? What was different about the landscape of the characters, the storylines and the fans? Now watch WrestleMania XII, XIII and XIV. It's like night and day in a shorter period of time. That's what Austin/Hart did, and no one saw it coming. Everyone figured that no matter the outcome of Hulk/Andre, there would be a definite effect on the industry.

Still not convinced? I ask for you do to one final thing: sit back and ask yourself "what would the wrestling world be like if that match NEVER HAPPENED?"

{Wrestling Passport Stamped]

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