WRESTLEMANIA XIII Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart Submission Match
This was the first “double switch” match in Pro Wrestling history as Bret Hart went from being the top good guy to the top bad guy, while Stone Steve Austin did exactly the opposite and the fans loved every second!
It was billed as a submission match as both men had beat the holy heck out of each other since Bret Hart returned in November of 1996. While this Mania is highly regarded as one of the worst of all time, this one match will forever be one of the best of all time.
UFC Champion Ken Shamrock was brought in to give the Submission match a real shoot fight feel. Both men took vicious chair shots and were dealt every blow the other one had in their arsenal. The climax came when a busted open Stone Cold Steve Austin refused to quit while locked inside of a Bret Hart sharpshooter. The image of Austin gushing blood while hanging on has become iconic.
In the end, the pain was too much and Stone Cold Passed out from the pain. He never gave up but passed out from the pain. A post-match Hart beat down of Austin led to Shamrock making the save and beating the crap out of Hart. The transition would continue over the summer of 97, but that night, that match, kicked off the Austin Era!
Will
March 26, 2018 at 12:05 pm
I’m intrigued with Vince’s “personal connection” with Bill Belichick. Could Vince elaborate on this?
Vince McKee
March 26, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Good afternoon Will,
I would love to elaborate. Back in 2015 I was working on a book about the Browns from 1985-1995 when they moved the team. I was able to interview almost every single top player on the team during that ERA with the exception of Bernie Kosar. That is when the incident happened, and Bill Belichick came to the rescue of not only myself, but the entire book, allowing it get to get published.
The name of the book is called, “Bernie, Bill & The Browns”. The incident in detail not only with Bernie but then the relationship formed with Belichick is described in in my book “Live To Inspire”. Both great reads! I will post the link for both below. Thanks again for reaching out!
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Inspire-Vince-Mckee/dp/1628653000/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522084115&sr=8-4&keywords=Vince+McKee
https://www.amazon.com/Bernie-Bill-Browns-Vince-McKee/dp/1681570114/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522084162&sr=1-9&keywords=Vince+McKee