411 Ranks The WrestleManias: #21 – WrestleMania 13

WrestleMania XII ended with the Iron Man Match and Shawn Michaels’ Boyhood Dream coming true as he would become the WWF Champion. WrestleMania XIII, according to legend, was originally to be a rematch of HBK and Bret Hart, but then Shawn lost his smile and gave the title up. Psycho Sid Vicious would win the title and walk into WrestleMania to do battle with the Undertaker. Back to Bret Hart. He was brought out of his self-imposed retirement by Stone Cold Steve Austin and the two would do battle before WrestleMania numerous times, but the score had to be settled once and for all. They would meet in a Submission Match with UFC Hall of Famer (and later WWF Star) Ken Shamrock as the special referee. Also, the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment would make his WrestleMania debut, although no one watching that match thought that Rocky Maivia would be, you know, the guy…. brother.

* The Headbangers defeated The New Blackjacks, The Godwins and Furnas and Lafon @ 10:29 via pin
* WWF IC Title Match: Rocky Maivia defeated The Sultan w/Iron Sheik and Backlund @ 9:47 via pin
* Hunter Hearst Hemsley w/Chyna defeated Goldust w/Marlena via pin @ 13:20
* WWF Tag Title Match: Owen Hart & the British Bulldog vs. Vader & Mankind w/Paul Bearer went to a double count out @ 16:10
* Submission Match: Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin via submission @ 21:05
* Street Fight: Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom defeated The Nation of Domination via pin @ 10:45
* WWF World Title: The Undertaker defeated Sid via pin to become the NEW WWF Champion @ 21:19

Alex Crowder
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: I Quit Match: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin. The glass shatters, and all of us get to witness one of the greatest matches of all-time. This is the best WrestleMania match ever. Stone Cold never backs down and attacks Bret Hart like a wildman. Bret Hart using his experience and submission know how to rein in this relentless attack is an incredible story. This match has technical prowess and a moving story. I believe this match put Steve Austin on the map. Everyone has seen the image of Stone Cold with blood pouring down his face. Austin walking out on his own power is a powerful image. Austin owes a lot to Bret Hart. Austin keeps up with one of the greatest ring technicians of all-time. Also, this match proves how great Bret Hart is, because Bret Hart can brawl with the best of them. This is the most famous example of a double turn and still the best.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: IC Title Match: Rocky Maivia(c) vs. The Sultan. Oddly, this match reminds me of something some fans think is happening right now. A wrestler of Samoan descent being pushed heavily; even though, some of the fans do not want it. Honky Tonk Man on commentary is somewhat unbearable. Even worse, Rocky has to be saved by an older established star. Again, the parallels are obvious to Roman Reigns. Nonetheless, this match just sucks. I’ll at least say this that Rocky Maivia guy got better quickly.

Show MVP And Why: Bret Hart without question. Steve Austin gets his share of credit for their match at WrestleMania 13, and Steve certainly deserves a lot of credit for that. However, Bret not only performed in his own match, but he had the time to interfere in the main event. Bret Hart’s constant interference was a story line of its own throughout the main event match. The crowd loved it anytime Bret interfered and showed this through their reaction. Bret’s promo before the main event was very entertaining too. Bret was all over this WrestleMania and made the most of every second. When you add in the best match in WrestleMania history…how can anyone but Bret get this award?

Your Thoughts on The Show: I rated this WrestleMania in the middle of pack and think I underrated it a little. The two opening matches are okay in my mind. They are not horrible just forgettable. The WWF Tag Team Championship is nothing to write home about and the rules confused people at the time. It got going towards the end, so I’ll say it is decent. The IC Championship match between The Sultan and Rocky Maivia showed how green Rocky was. Rocky was worse than Rikishi in the ring at one point. Crazy thought and this match proves it. Triple H and Goldust were feuding and had a somewhat dull match. The crowd and their lack of caring for this match killed it. The following tag match with The Bulldog and Owen Hart against Mankind and Vader seems to be very divisive. I really enjoy the match. I already explained Steve Austin and Bret Hart, so I won’t again. The Chicago Street Fight is a whole of fun. The crowd makes this match very engaging and worthwhile. I would call it a precursor to the Hardcore division. Jerry Lawler ranting against Shawn Michaels when he comes out before the main event begins is awesome. Shawn Michaels is fantastic on commentary and then things only get better as Bret Hart comes out to whine. Bret Hart calls out Michaels, insults The Undertaker, and insults Sid as well. Sid powerbombs him for his troubles and threatens to pull him out here after kicking The Undertaker’s ass. Undertaker takes exception and attacks him to start the match. I know everyone thinks this match is awful, but it is a guilty pleasure for me and Michaels’ commentary helps. Michaels and Lawler arguing on commentary is fun. Bret Hart interfering is entertaining too. The crowd helps the Main Event and actually makes it decent in my opinion. The match is a little too long but all the other factors in this match improve it and make it decent. The crowd loses it when The Undertaker wins the WWF Championship. I think this WrestleMania might be a little underrated. I think it only has one bad match, an all-time great match, and a bunch of decent matches. I rank it as middle of the road WrestleMania, but sometimes I wonder if I underrated it.

Michael Weyer
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin—Whatever else I do in my life, I’ll always take it as a point of pride that I was there to see the Bret Hart/Steve Austin “I Quit” match live. At a time when WCW was dominating so much that people honestly believed WWF would be out of business in a year, these two went out and stole the show with one of the greatest Mania matches of all time. Chicago is a city that loves tough guys so while Bret had cheers coming in, Austin was getting a good reaction too. Still, it seemed clear lines between them…until the match went on. It was brutal in a way you didn’t see in WWF at the time, these guys brawling through the crowd, smashing each other hard, doing their best to really hurt each other. Folks forget how skilled Austin was before his neck injury and thus he kept up brilliantly with Bret, who showed he could fight as dirty as anyone. You could feel the hate pouring out as both sold stuff from Bret doing a figure-four on Austin around the ringpost to threatening to break Austin’s leg with a chair but Austin smashed him with it on the top rope. Slowly but surely, we shifted to Austin and it’s one thing to see it on TV but being there, among that crowd, I can tell you how you felt the electricity flowing as we realized Austin was the guy to root for. He just appealed to us, this blue-collar guy in a town built on that class and his refusal to back down just won us over more. It continued as he got bloody, trying to strangle Bret with a cord but smashed with the ring bell. It climaxed in that moment we all remember: Austin in the Sharpshooter, blood pouring from his forehead, screaming in agony but refusing to give in. We were cheering him on, wanting him to break the hold as Bret continued onward, the crowd turning on him as he went. At first, it wasn’t clear to the live crowd Austin never submitted but passed out and yet still a crush when Bret was announced as the winner. While Bret left, he had a few cheers of respect but far, far more boos. Then Austin got up, Stunned a few refs and marched out, bloodied but not unbowed. In that moment, Stone Cold won over the entire WWF fandom and Chicago was where it started as we had to love a guy giving his all and more while still standing tall in defeat. A classic in every way that helped reshape WWF and change the business and damn amazing to remember it all live.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: Rocky Maivia vs. the Sultan—This really is a show where it’s one classic match amid a lot of bad. So much like the tag match of Bulldog/Owen vs. Mankind/Vader, Goldust/HHH and the poor main event of Undertaker finally beating Sid to win the WWF title. If I had to go with worst, it would have been the Intercontinental title match as Rocky Maivia defended against the Sultan. Despite winning the belt a month earlier, Rocky still hadn’t caught on with fans as the whole “high-flying smiling babyface” was totally out of place for the time. It didn’t get better here, the Sultan (the future Rikishi managed by Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik) had no real standing as a challenger. The match was a five-minute mess as poor Rocky got no cheers from the crowd. Yes, this is where the “Rocky Sucks!” chants began as it finally ended with Rocky doing a weak roll-up to retain, beaten by the Sultan and bailed out by his father, Rocky Johnson. A terrible match although it did lay the seeds for the transformation into the Rock, making it more important today.

Show MVP And Why: Many would say Austin but I’ll go with Bret Hart. He did a fantastic job in the I Quit match, brutal fighting amid a few technical moves now and then and handling the crowd reactions in stride. He didn’t overtly go heel but still came off that way as he took Austin down, a great way to push the storyline further for both. Bret also played a big part in the main event, coming out to trash Shawn Michaels on commentary for faking a knee injury to get out of their Mania match (which Bret still brings up today), eating a power bomb from Sid to a big pop but coming back later to cost Sid the title. This was a fantastic turn by Bret, still not selling himself as a heel but it came off that way and led to one of the high runs of his career. Vince McMahon always had a soft spot for Bret and giving him such a big spotlight at Mania showed that and why the man is so respected still.

Your Thoughts on The Show: My feelings are different than others as I was there in person and if you’ve never been to a WrestleMania live, it’s hard to describe. It just feels bigger, a different aura than a regular show or PPV and even in this rough period, that remained. This is a one-match show and while that match is a classic, it just underlines how poor the rest of the card was. Sure, the Ahmed Johnson/Legion of Doom vs. Nation of Domination street fight was a fun brawl but the rest of the show was just so forgettable with bad bouts all around and a main event that was lackluster. But at the time, it did feel like something notable, WWF trying to spark something against the WCW juggernaut and while the show lacked true magic, it still retained the qualities that make Mania a stand-out. It is notable to see guys who would soon become huge names for the company like Mankind, HHH and the Rock, all still green in many ways but the sparks that would be used in the Attitude Era. Of course, we all remember that match, Bret vs. Austin, truly one of the best WrestleMania matches ever as well as a match that helped change the course of WWF. Austin became an instant hero for the fans as Bret began his shift to heel in the U.S. and that would help carry the company for the next several months. This really was a turning point for the entire company and thus wrestling itself, a show that benefited from the Chicago crowd so while it may not be the best Mania, it can rank among the most important in the long run, a legacy that fits well in the lore of the show.

Sean Garmer
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (Submission Match) [****]- This one stole the show for sure and was just a classic kick ass brawl between these two. Bret Hart did the super smart thing and worked on Austin’s banged up knee and tried anyway he could to do damage to it. Austin fired back with some stuff of his own. They used everything they could find to beat the living crap out of each other and it was fantastic. The crowd turned in the middle of the match and started chanting for Austin and the rest is history as many would say. One of the most iconic WrestleMania moments is Austin in the Sharpshooter with that crimson mask of blood all over his face. This match cemented who Austin would become and finished Hart’s heel turn all in one motion.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: Four Way Elimination Tag Match [*]- It wasn’t horrible, it is just obvious this is there to have some more people on the card. The Headbangers and Godwinns end up having an okay match, but this could have just been a regular tag match and it would have been fine. I just didn’t care about this match and I thought the IC title match was a little better than this, or that match would have been here instead.

Show MVP And Why: Stone Cold Steve Austin – Undertaker may have won the Championship at the end, but Steve Austin became the next star of the WWE after WM 13. He gained the most out of this WrestleMania and he also was part of the best match on the show as well. One of the few flatout brawls I have ever enjoyed (because it had psychology to it) and Austin was a large reason why I enjoyed the match too.

Your Thoughts on The Show: Bret Hart vs. Austin was terrific, I liked the Chicago Streetfight, the Tag Title match wasn’t bad but it did have the stupid countout finish. The problem is the main event for me. I loved having HBK on commentary as I thought he really added to the match and put over both guys, it also kept King’s mouth shut more. Most of the match was slow and there were quite a few lulls. Sid had most of the action and there were way too many rest holds in this thing. The only reason Undertaker got any major offense was when Bret Hart interfered two different times. I also hated that Bret’s last interference gave Undertaker the win. There was no reason to protect Sid at all here, if they let Kevin Nash get beat clean at WM 12, I don’t understand the decision of Hart’s involvement three different times in the main event of WM 13. I think it tarnishes Undertaker’s win and it makes the match below average for me. The match had one nice spot where Sid got the Tombstone and you thought he might win there, but that’s basically it. Sid controlled too much of the match, the pace was very slow for the most part, and Bret Hart’s interference was stupid. We had one great match, a good main event, and a couple of decent matches in there. The main event wasn’t as good as it could have been and at WrestleMania that is what matters most.

What will #20 be? Come on back tomorrow to find out…

The List So Far…
30. WrestleMania 9
29. WrestleMania 2
28. WrestleMania 11
27. WrestleMania 4
26. WrestleMania 15
25. WrestleMania 27
24. WrestleMania 29
23. WrestleMania 25
22. WrestleMania 5
21. WrestleMania 13

REMINDER, each 411 writer had the opportunity to rank the WrestleMania events (based on overall quality, historical significance and personal preference), those rankings went into creating the final list.