Bret Hart did an interview with Sports Illustrated to reflect on his WrestleMania 13 match with Steve Austin in 1997.
Hart was victorious over Austin in a submission match as Austin never tapped out, but passed out due to the pain and blood loss.
“The funniest thing about that match, and it will probably surprise people, is that we ran out of ideas when we tried to map out the match. It was all submissions, so there was no one-two-kickout. Taking away the pin falls removed a lot of the element of suspense. But we’d always had great chemistry, so we entered the match with confidence. If you look at our match from the Survivor Series in ’96, some people argue that was an even better match. What we had was a storyline and two characters who were destined to cross paths. At that time, Steve was becoming a huge force and was just about ready to break through to a level that few wrestlers ever reach. I was lucky to be there at the right place and right time with him. The match with Steve, that’s the greatest song I ever sang. When I watch it back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I still love seeing that spot where I’m punching the daylights out of Steve in the corner and he kicks me in the groin. It was a beautiful, violent piece of art. Working with Steve was easy, it was fun, and it was memorable.”
Austin is set to return to WrestleMania on Saturday as he’ll appear on the KO Show with Kevin Owens to confront the former Universal Champion. Hart said he would be cheering him on when he shows up.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m proud of him. It takes a lot of courage to come back and do what he’s trying to do. I’ll be there to cheer him on.”