List of WrestleMania 13 Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin — The Greatest WM Match

The Setup — Austin Replaced Shawn Michaels

HBK's 'Career-Ending' Knee Injury Created Greatest WM Match

WM13's Submission Match was originally planned as Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels — a rematch of WM12's Iron Man Match. HBK withdrew citing a 'career-ending' knee injury, and Steve Austin was inserted as Hart's opponent, inadvertently creating the greatest WM match in history.

Ken Shamrock as Special Referee — UFC Legitimacy

UFC Champion Adds Submission Match Credibility

Ken Shamrock — UFC heavyweight champion and one of the most credible submission fighters in the world — served as special guest referee for the WM13 Submission Match, adding enormous legitimacy to the match's submission stipulation.

Steve Austin Blades — The Most Famous Blood in WM History

Austin's Blade Job Created Wrestling's Most Iconic Image

Steve Austin was intentionally cut (bladed) during the WM13 Submission Match — his bloodied face, grimacing expression, and refusal to submit while locked in the Sharpshooter created what is widely considered the single most iconic visual image in WrestleMania history.

Austin Passed Out — Never Submitted

Austin's Greatest Career Moment — Refusing to Quit

Steve Austin passed out from blood loss rather than submitting — Ken Shamrock saw Austin's arm drop three times and called the match, declaring Hart the winner even though Austin never said 'I Quit' and never tapped. Austin's refusal to quit while losing transformed him into the WWF's greatest hero.

Hart Attacked Austin Post-Match — The Heel Turn Confirmed

Bret's Post-Match Attack Completed His Heel Turn

After Shamrock declared Bret Hart the winner, Hart continued attacking the fallen Austin — Shamrock had to physically pull Hart off Austin. The crowd that had cheered Hart booed him loudly, completing his heel turn in real time.

The Double Turn — Most Celebrated in Wrestling History

Hart Turned Heel — Austin Turned Face — In One Match

WM13's Submission Match produced the most famous double turn in professional wrestling history — Bret Hart entered the match as the beloved babyface and left as the despised villain, while Steve Austin entered as the heel and limped out as the WWF's greatest hero, all within one 22-minute match.

Five Stars — Dave Meltzer

Wrestling Observer's Highest Rating

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded the WM13 Submission Match five stars — the highest possible rating, given to fewer than 50 matches in the history of professional wrestling.

Match of the Year 1997 — Wrestling Observer

Reader Vote Confirmed the Match's Greatness

Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers voted the WM13 Submission Match as Match of the Year for 1997 — the prestigious reader award confirming the match's status as the greatest bout of its year.

#1 Greatest WM Match — Multiple Rankings

Ranked First in IGN, Complex, and Other Publications

The Hart-Austin Submission Match has been ranked #1 on IGN's Top 20 WM Matches list, #1 on Complex's 50 Greatest WM Matches list, and among the top positions of virtually every WM match ranking ever published.

Inaugural Immortal Moment — WWE Hall of Fame 2025

WWE Officially Recognized WM13 Hart-Austin as Greatest WM Moment

At the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2025 (WM41 weekend), Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WM13 was inducted as the inaugural 'Immortal Moment' — a new Hall of Fame category recognizing the single most significant moment in WrestleMania history, making WM13's Submission Match officially the greatest WM moment in WWE's own canon.