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Steve Austin Gave Bret Hart Incredible Gift Honoring WrestleMania 13 Match (PHOTO)

By John Canton • Published 22nd July 2023
ken shamrock wrestlemania 13 steve austin bret hart

Steve Austin gifted Bret Hart with something incredible to honor their legendary match at WrestleMania 13.

When wrestling fans are asked about their favorite matches in wrestling history, a lot of it depends on when they grew up and when they were watching the business. For those of us that grew up wrestling fans in the 1990s, one of the most popular matches from that era was Bret “Hitman” Hart facing “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 in 1997.

It was a legendary Submission Match that was one of the most intense and believable brawls in pro wrestling history. With the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock making his WWE debut as the referee, it was a competitive match the whole way. Bret went into it as a babyface while Steve went into it as a heel, but they left in different roles.

One of the best parts about the match is how much Steve Austin bled from his forehead. Austin used a blade to cut his head open and it was a “gusher” as they say with the blood pouring from Austin’s forehead throughout the match.

The finish is also memorable with the Hitman putting Stone Cold in a Sharpshooter submission. Austin refused to pass out while screaming in pain as Shamrock kept asking if he would give up. The visual of Austin reaching for the ropes with blood pouring into his mouth is iconic. Austin ended up passing out to give Bret the win.

After the match, Bret set up his heel turn by attacking Austin. Shamrock pulled Hart off to stop it from going too far. As for Austin, he slowly got back up, refused help, and left to “Austin, Austin, Austin” chants. It was an early indication of how big of a superstar Austin would become as WWE’s top star over the next year.

Steve Austin and Bret Hart have talked about the match a lot in their careers with each man naming it among their favorite matches. Back in March, Austin spoke about how he owes a lot to Bret Hart for helping him become a bigger star.

On Twitter, @IANdrewTheGiant shared a gift that Austin sent Hart with a photo from the match along with a note from Austin.

Austin signed it with: “Bret – Thank you for the match of a lifetime. This was the match that made Stone Cold. It was always a pleasure & honor to work with you.”

In addition to that, Steve Austin also attached the blade that he used to cut his forehead. We don’t know when this was sent to Bret, but it’s pretty cool and you can check it out below.