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“This Match Made Stone Cold”- WWE Legend “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Recalls the Biggest Match of His Career

Published 03/24/2021, 10:56 AM EDT

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“Stone Cold” Steve Austin was one of the most prolific WWE Superstars to have entered the ring and ruled the wrestling landscape during the Attitude Era. His rivalry with The Rock took WWE’s product to the next level, and we saw him elevate from a wrestler to a legend.

Legends don’t just land on mountain tops, and Steve Austin also had his defining moments that ensured his solidification as a character. He faced many a foe during his journey to the top, but none was as vital as ‘The Hitman’ himself. 

In a recent post on Twitter, ‘The Rattlesnake’ thanked Bret Hart for the match he had with him on this day 20 years ago at WrestleMania 13. He also claimed that this match ‘made’ Stone Cold. 

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Many fans believe that Stone Cold’s breakthrough match was the one against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14 in 1998. However, Austin clearly considers the match against Hart as his line to glory. 

Bret Hart influenced a lot more men than “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Bret Hart is widely regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers of all time, if not the greatest overall. He was instrumental during the early to mid-90s and was a class apart from the others of his time.

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He did a huge job putting over Steve Austin during their match at WrestleMania 2013. The two Superstars really went at each other’s throats, and Stone Cold ended up all bloodied while trying to humble ‘The Hitman’.

However, Bret Hart shoved out any ray of hope by locking in his infamous Sharpshooter, out of which no one had escaped at the time without tapping out. Stone Cold, however, broke out of it before ending up within its grasp again.

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Refusing to tap, Austin passed out and lost the match with it. Hart emerged victorious but wasn’t fully satisfied as he wanted him to tap. Although ‘The Hitman’ did win, Austin also ended up coming out with a lot of respect in front of his name for not tapping out. 

He ended up becoming one of the most respected stars in WWE and led the company through the Attitude Era and Monday Night Wars. A star was born that night, and Vince McMahon probably already knew he was looking at the next face of the company. 

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Written by:

Luke Dias

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Luke Dias is a senior WWE and AEW author at EssentiallySports, having published more than 1000 articles on professional wrestling. Having completed courses in Advanced Writing from the University of California and Media and Ethics from the University of Amsterdam, Luke is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Xavier’s College. His tremendous knowledge of WWE history enables him to make past connections, adding depth to the articles.
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