Intro:
WrestleMania 13 was held on March 23, 1997, the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Il. This event is most famous for the incredible Steve Austin vs Bret Hart battle which saw a double turn and the emergence of Steve Austin as the number 1 star in wrestling. The main event featured WWF Champion Sid defend his title against The Undertaker.
Heavyweight Title Turmoil:
In February, World Champion Shawn Michaels vacated the title in his infamous “lost my smile” speech. In a four way match, Bret Hart won the vacant title but lost it the next night to Sid due to the interference of Steve Austin. After that match, Bret went on a tirade that caused USA to institute a five second delay for RAW.
The Events Leading Up to Bret vs Austin :
Bret returned to the WWF in November when he was challenged by Austin. Bret won the Survivor Series battle but Austin wasn’t done with Bret yet. At the Royal Rumble, Bret thought he won but was eliminated by Austin who was previously eliminated but none of the refs saw it. A few weeks later, Austin cost Bret the world title. The WrestleMania battle between the two men was a submission match which was refereed by UFC star, Ken Shamrock.
The Best WrestleMania Match Ever?:
This match was a brutally violent and featured Austin receive a major gusher on his head. When Bret had Austin trapped in his sharpshooter, Austin refused to quit. He eventually went unconscious due to the blood loss. Bret was unhappy that he didn’t get to hear Austin quit and tried to continue the battle. Austin, refused to be helped to the back by any officials. The match started off with Bret being cheered and Austin being booed, but their roles were reversed by the end of the match.
The World Title Match:
The Undertaker and Sid were both considered good guys at this point. Prior to the match, Bret came out and insulted both men and the special commentator Shawn Michaels, who had danced to the ring despite suffering from a career ending injury a little over a month earlier. The Undertaker won this battle to win his second world title.
The Aftermath:
Steve Austin went on to be the number one star in the company but suffered a severe neck injury a few months later that put his career in jeopardy. The real life animosity between Bret and Shawn would lead to “The Montreal Screwjob” that November. A few months after this show, Vince Russo was put in charge of writing and the company embarked on their Attitude era which would turn the tide of “The Monday Night War” with WCW.
Random Facts:
- This was the first WrestleMania in over a decade not to use Roman Numerals.
- In Sid’s only two WrestleMania matches, he closed the show.
- This was Bret Hart’s final WrestleMania appearance. At this point, he had wrestled in the more WrestleMania’s than anyone else.
- The Rock made his WrestleMania debut with the forgettable Rocky Maiva character.
Match Results:
- Four Team Elimination Match: The Headbangers beat The Blackjacks, The Godwinns, & Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon
- I-C Title: Champion Rocky Maivia beat The Sultan
- Hunter Hearst Helmsley beat Goldust
- Tag Team Titles: Champions Owen Hart & The British Bulldog fought Mankind & Vader to a double-count out
- Submission Match: Bret Hart beat Steve Austin when special ref Ken Shamrock stopped the match
- Chicago Street Fight: The Road Warriors & Ahmed Johnson beat The Nation of Domination
- WWF Title: Undertaker beat Sid to become WWF Champion
