WWE has undergone many alternative eras over the many years, from the Golden Era which had names like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage on the forefront, to the Latest Generation Era where Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart left their mark and where The Undertaker began his journey, to the large Attitude Era that revolutionized pro wrestling and gave fans the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H. While the Attitude Era may need arguably been the preferred era of WWE to this point, the movement began when it’s future flagship star lost considered one of the largest matches of his profession at WrestleMania 13.
At the top of King of the Ring 1996, Austin cut the promo that will catapult him into the primary event after years of going through gimmick after gimmick, establishing “Austin 3:16” as considered one of his many catchphrases. Following this, Austin would taunt Hart during promos for weeks, hoping to get the eye of the veteran, resulting in their clash at Survivor Series that 12 months that saw “The Hitman” walk away with a win. Nevertheless, as fans of the time might recall, their feud would not end there as at that 12 months’s Royal Rumble, Austin’s elimination could be overruled because it went unnoticed by the officials, allowing the “Rattlesnake” to sneakily eliminate Hart and secure his win.
Even after this, Austin continued to cost Hart crucial matches even costing “The Hitman” the WWF Championship against Sycho Sid through the episode of “Monday Night Raw” the night after he just won the belt again. Hart again lost one other shot at gold during an episode of “Raw is War” when Undertaker this time interfered in his steel cage match, resulting in a really frustrated and disgruntled “Hitman.”
How WrestleMania 13 gave birth to the Attitude Era
With all the warmth between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart, it was only natural that the 2 future legends would meet another time at WrestleMania 13 that 12 months. To be certain that the 2 could sort out the bad blood once and for all, the stipulation was set as a No DQ Submission bout, with considered one of the hardest men on the roster on the time – UFC Legend, Ken Shamrock – because the Special Guest Referee to one way or the other keep the peace between the 2.
Even with Shamrock officiating the clash, the violence began before Hart could even make his option to the ring, and the fight spilled into the live audience. Over the course of the match, the 2 utilized several weapons to wear one another down, before Hart tossed Austin into the steel barricade, busting the “Rattlesnake” open and giving him his recognizable WM13 bloody face. After some more brawling, Hart ultimately got the win after locking Austin within the Sharpshooter, who passed out as an alternative of tapping out, after smiling despite his face being red from all of the blood. Despite Hart winning, he still attacked Austin, pushing Shamrock to get entangled. “The Hitman” then walked away, with the gang booing the previous babyface and bursting out in chants for Austin, even after he hit a Stunner on a referee who tried to assist him up.
After this, Austin would skyrocket in popularity and turn out to be considered one of the largest pro wrestlers in history, ushering within the “Attitude Era” and having a lot of essentially the most memorable feuds of WWE’s history with the likes of The Undertaker, The Rock, Vince McMahon, and plenty of others.
