| WrestleMania 13 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Federation | ||
| Date | March 23, 1997 | ||
| City | Rosemont, Illinois | ||
| Venue | Rosemont Horizon | ||
| Attendance | 18,197 | ||
| Buy rate | North America: 237,000[1] | ||
| Tagline | Heat! | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| WrestleMania chronology | |||
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WrestleMania 13 was a 1997professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 13th annualWrestleMania and waspresented byPlayStation. The event was held on March 23, 1997, at theRosemont Horizon in theChicago suburb ofRosemont, Illinois. This was the second WrestleMania held at this venue after the middle portion ofWrestleMania 2 in 1986. It would also be the final WrestleMania withVince McMahon on commentary.[2]
Eight matches were held at the event, including one on theFree for All pre-show. Themain event was ano disqualification match betweenThe Undertaker andSycho Sid for theWWF Championship, which Undertaker won following interference fromBret Hart. The main matches on theundercard were Bret Hart versus"Stone Cold" Steve Austin in aNo Disqualification Submission match withKen Shamrock as thespecial guest referee,Legion of Doom andAhmed Johnson versusNation of Domination in aChicago Street Fight, andRocky Maivia versusThe Sultan for theWWF Intercontinental Championship.
The event was attended by 18,197 who paid a total of $837,150 in admission fees, and drew a 0.77 buy rate. The event as a whole received mixed to negative reviews. However, the submission match between Bret Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was highly praised, being called one of the greatest matches in wrestling history, as well as being cited as the beginning of theAttitude Era (due to the intense match style and the storylinedouble turn between the pair);[3][2] the event elevated "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's public popularity to become one of the very top WWF superstars.[4] This match was the inaugural "Immortal Moment" recipient of theWWE Hall of Fame in2025.
WrestleMania is considered theWorld Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagshipprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) event, having first been held in1985. It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.[5] It was the first of the WWF's original four pay-per-views, which includesRoyal Rumble,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, which were dubbed the "Big Four",[6] and was considered one of the "Big Five" PPVs, along withKing of the Ring.[7] WrestleMania 13 was scheduled to be held on March 23, 1997, at theRosemont Horizon in theChicago suburb ofRosemont, Illinois. The event waspresented byPlayStation. This was the second WrestleMania in theChicago metropolitan area, afterWrestleMania 2 in 1986.[8][9][pages needed][10]
The mainfeud heading into WrestleMania 13 was betweenThe Undertaker andSycho Sid, with the two battling over theWWF Championship. AtIn Your House 13 in February,Bret Hart last eliminated The Undertaker in theFinal Four match to win the vacant WWF Championship.[9] Hart's reign, however, lasted only one day as he lost the title the next night onMonday Night Raw to Sycho Sid after interference byStone Cold Steve Austin, one of the other participants in the Final Four match (the other wasVader, who had no further involvement in the ongoing storyline).[9] Due to being the runner-up to the title at Final Four, Undertaker was named the number one contender and wasbooked to challenge Sycho Sid for the title at WrestleMania. However, on the March 17 edition ofRaw Is War, Sid defended the title against Hart in asteel cage match, with the winner defending the title at WrestleMania. During the match, both Undertaker and Austin interfered. Undertaker came out to help Sid because he wanted to wrestle Sid for the title, while Austin helped Hart because he wanted to make his scheduledsubmission match with Hart a title match. Sid won the match and retained his title and as a result, Sid vs. Undertaker remained themain event of WrestleMania.[9]
The second main match on the card wasBret Hart versusStone Cold Steve Austin in aSubmission match. Hart and Austin's rivalry began after Austin won the1996 King of the Ring tournament and began taunting Hart, who was taking a hiatus from wrestling at the time. Austin frequently insulted Hart in his speeches, in the hopes that Hart would accept his challenge to a match. Hart officially returned in October and accepted Austin's challenge, with the two facing each other atSurvivor Series 1996 where Hart defeated Austin.[11] Their rivalry continued as Hart and Austin were the final two participants in the1997 Royal Rumble match. Hart had originally eliminated Austin from the match, but Austin's elimination was considered unofficial because theofficials did not see it as they were busy attending to a brawl between eliminated wrestlersMankind andTerry Funk. Austin would eventually eliminate Hart from the match, thus becoming the winner.[9] Hart and Austin were participants in aFour Corners Elimination match for the vacantWWF Championship atFinal Four, which Hart won.[9] The next night onMonday Night Raw, Austin cost Hart the WWF Championship against Sycho Sid when Hart had applied theSharpshooter on Sid, and Austin nailed Hart with asteel chair followed by Sidpowerbombing Hart for the win.[9] Hart and Austin were booked to wrestle in a submission match at WrestleMania, but Hart got a shot at the WWF Championship in asteel cage match on the March 17 edition ofRaw Is War, with the winner defending the title againstThe Undertaker at WrestleMania 13. Hart almost had the match won, until Undertaker interfered and helped Sid in getting the victory.[9]
One of the mainundercard matches was aChicago Street Fight featuringAhmed Johnson andLegion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal) againstNation of Domination (Faarooq,Crush andSavio Vega). Johnson was attacked by a newcomerFaarooq Asad, aRoman gladiator on the July 22, 1996 edition ofMonday Night Raw during a match for theWWF Tag Team Championship.[9] Ahmed was scheduled to defend hisIntercontinental Championship against Faarooq atSummerSlam 1996, butlegitimate kidney problems forced him to vacate the Intercontinental Championship. Instoryline, it was explained that Faarooq's attack had caused Ahmed's kidney problem.[9] Ahmed returned from his injury in early 1997 and continued his feud with Faarooq, who had formed TheNation of Domination in Ahmed's absence. Ahmed joined forces with the Legion of Doom and the trio were scheduled to wrestle the Nation of Domination in a Chicago Street Fight at WrestleMania 13.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Vince McMahon |
| Jim Ross | |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| The Honky Tonk Man(Intercontinental Championship match) | |
| Shawn Michaels(Main event) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| French commentators | Jean Brassard |
| Raymond Rougeau | |
| Interviewers | Todd Pettengill |
| Dok Hendrix | |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |
| Jack Doan | |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Billy Silverman | |
| Ken Shamrock(Hart vs. Austin) |
Before the event aired live onpay-per-view (PPV),Billy Gunn facedFlash Funk atFree for All.[9] Gunn defeated Funk by pinning him following atornado DDT.
The first match that aired on television was aFour-Way Tag Team Elimination Match. The match featuredThe Headbangers (Mosh andThrasher),The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn andPhineas I. Godwinn),The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham andBlackjack Bradshaw) and the team ofDoug Furnas and Phil LaFon. All the teams wrestled each other and sometimes in the match, teammates also fought against each other. Barry Windham and Phil LaFon brawled to the outside the ring. Bradshaw attacked the referee and gotdisqualified, which led to the first elimination of the match while Furnas was counted-out. Headbangers and Godwinns were the remaining teams and they battled for five minutes and 39 seconds before Thrasher hit Phineas with aCannonball Senton and won the match via pinfall. As a result of winning the match, The Headbangers earned a shot at theWWF Tag Team Championship.[9]
The second match was betweenRocky Maivia andThe Sultan for Maivia'sWWF Intercontinental Championship.The Honky Tonk Man provided commentary for the match. Sultan had an early advantage in the match due to his size and power, but Maivia used his quicker moves to push the big man outside the ring. Sultan overpowered Maivia withslams andpunches but was unable to pin him. Maivia gained advantage on Sultan by nailing him with abelly to belly suplex,Maivia Hurricane and aflying crossbody beforepinning Sultan with aroll-up to win the match and retain the title. After the match, Sultan and hismanagers,Bob Backlund andThe Iron Sheik attacked Maivia before his father,Rocky Johnson, came out to help his son.
The third match was betweenHunter Hearst Helmsley andGoldust. Goldust dominated the early portion of the match. Helmsley had brief flurries of offense but Goldust had still the advantage. Helmsley began usingsubmission maneuvers to keep the advantages for himself. Goldust was going to hit his maneuver until Helmsley'sbodyguardChyna manhandled Goldust's wifeMarlena to distract him. Helmsley took advantage and hit Goldust with aPedigree, enabling him to pin Goldust for the win.[9]
The fourth match was atag team match for theWWF Tag Team Championship, asOwen Hart and The British Bulldog defended the titles againstMankind andVader. The big Vader made easy work of Owen in the beginning of the match. Vader tagged in with Mankind while Owen tagged in with Bulldog. Bulldog and Mankind punched each other but Bulldog had more advantage. He applied asleeper hold on Mankind which caused both of them to fall to the outside. They continued to brawl outside. Thereferee was distracted due to the brawl. Vader took advantage and hit Bulldog withPaul Bearer's urn and dragged him into the ring. Vader and Mankind both took turns and continued to attack Bulldog. Owen tried to save his partner, but Vader used his strength while Mankind used his cheating tactics to overwhelm Owen. Mankind trapped Bulldog to the outside and applied the mandible claw on him. Both men werecounted out as the match resulted in a draw. As a result, Hart and Bulldog retained the championship.
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The fifth match was aNo Disqualification Submission match between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin.UFC fighterKen Shamrock was thespecial guest referee for this match. Austin attacked Hart, who was still in his entrance attire. The two first beat each other in the ring before the action spilled outside the ring. Hart tossed Austin into the steel ring post while Austin drove him onto the steel barrier. The two men began fighting in the crowd, where both men hit each other with severalforeign objects. They moved up the steps high into the crowd. Shamrock followed them and brought them back towards the ring where Austin attempted to use steel steps on Hart, but Hart stopped him with a kick to the midsection. As the action began in the ring, Hart focused on Austin's leg. He busted Austin open with an Irish whip into the steel barricade and Austin's head began to bleed profusely. Hart tried to use a steel chair on Austin's leg, but Austin choked Hart with a television cable. Hart hit Austin in the head with the ring bell. He applied aSharpshooter on Austin who did not submit and tried to resist but passed out from the pain and loss of blood. Shamrock awarded the match to Hart, but Hart continued to attack Austin which led to a double-turn as the fans turned on Hart and began cheering for Austin. Shamrock pulled Hart off of Austin and executed a waistlock takedown and physically challenged him to a fight. Hart declined to fight Shamrock and left the ring to a chorus of boos.[9] Austin, meanwhile, after regaining consciousness, hit aStunner on a referee when he tried to help Austin out, then slowly limped away to backstage, while the crowd chanted his name.
The sixth match of the event was aChicago Street Fight between theLegion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal) andAhmed Johnson andNation of Domination (Faarooq,Crush andSavio Vega). Both teams hit each other with many foreign objects. The match continued inside the ring and outside the ring in the same fashion. Finally, Animal hit Crush with a2x4 and then pinned him to win the match.[9]
Themain event was aNo Disqualification Match betweenThe Undertaker and reigning championSycho Sid for theWWF Championship.Shawn Michaels provided commentary for the match. The then-heel superstar,Bret Hart, came out during the match and insulted Undertaker, Michaels and particularly Sid because he claimed that Sid had screwed him out of the title. Sidpowerbombed Hart while Undertaker took advantage and began attacking the champion from behind. Undertaker went for anOld School but Sid took him in abearhug. Sid attacked Undertaker with various moves and attacked him with television monitors, and applied acamel clutch on Undertaker. Sid had the advantage in the match until Hart came back and attacked Sid with a steel chair. He recovered and got Undertaker in the powerbomb but Hart returned again and distracted Sid which allowed Undertaker to hit Sid with theTombstone and pin him to win the match.[12][9]
The event was attended by 18,197 who paid a total of $837,150 in admission fees and drew a 0.77 buy-rate.[10]
In 2011, Marc Elusive of411Mania gave the event an overall score of 7.0 out of 10.0 and noted that "The Attitude Era began here..." and that the main event was "a very boring match".[13] John Canton ofTJR Wrestling gave the event an overall score of 4 out of 10 and said that the show was "poor" and noted that the main event "sucked for the first 15 minutes, but the ending was okay".[14]
Despite the lackluster reviews towards the event, the submission match between Bret Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was highly praised. In 2007, it was placed #1 onIGN's list of Top 20 Matches in WrestleMania History, and described as a match that "launched an era".[15] Thomas Golianopoulos ofComplex Sports also ranked it at number 1 in his list of the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History, citing the match's six factors of storyline, innovation, psychology, finish, post-match angle, and fallout.[16] Elusive of411Mania described the match as "outstanding" and "that helped propel Steve Austin into the stratosphere and become the star of the late 90s and the early 00s", while also noting the double-turn after the match. John Canton called the match "wrestling perfection". It received afive-star rating fromDave Meltzer and was also voted Match of the Year (1997) by readers of hisWrestling Observer Newsletter publication.Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers named it Match of the Year (1997). The submission match would also be the last time a WrestleMania match would receive a five-star rating untilWrestleMania 39 in 2023 whenKevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs.The Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso) on Night 1 andGunther vs.Sheamus vs.Drew McIntyre on Night 2 both received a five-star rating. Hart would call it his favourite match, labeling it "a real masterpiece".[17]Ken Shamrock would call it "one of the greatest matches in wrestling history",[18] andJim Ross called it the greatest match he had called at WrestleMania and the most "well-executed" match he had seen.[19] The match would later be inducted as the inaugural "Immortal Moment" recipient of theWWE Hall of Fame in2025.[20]
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Bret Hart continued their rivalry after WrestleMania, but Austin was now ababyface and his popularity would start to increase considerably while Hart was aheel. On the next episode ofRaw after WrestleMania, Hart did a promo where he apologized to his Canadian fans, saying that he felt like he let them down by not actually getting Austin to submit, but Hart then refused to apologize to the American fans, chastising them for cheering Austin, even though Hart had won the match, and claiming that American fans didn't know what "true heroes" were. Austin would interrupt Hart and argue that the fans cheered Austin not because he lost the match, but because Austin had refused to quit. Hart recruitedBritish Bulldog,Owen Hart,Brian Pillman, and formertag team partnerJim Neidhart to reformThe Hart Foundation, where Hart would continue to criticize American fans and claim that Canadian fans represented the proper "family values" that the Hart Foundation stood for.[21] AtIn Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker in April, Hart and Austin had a match in which Austin won bydisqualification after interference from the rest of the Foundation.[9] Theirfeud continued untilIn Your House 16: Canadian Stampede in July, where theHart Foundation (working as faces in Canada) defeated the American team of Austin,Ken Shamrock,Legion of Doom (Hawk andAnimal) andGoldust.[9]
The Undertaker received apush after he won his second WWF Championship at WrestleMania 13.[22] His reign lasted a total of133 days[23] which included battles withMankind,[9]Steve Austin,[9]Faarooq[9] andVader.[9] AtSummerSlam 1997, Undertaker's long reign finally ended when he lost the title toBret Hart whenspecial guest refereeShawn Michaels accidentally struck Undertaker with a steel chair, which was intended for Hart.[22][24]
After losing the WWF Championship to The Undertaker at WrestleMania, Sycho Sid's push began to diminish and afterKing of the Ring, he began to disappear from WWF programming. In actuality, Sid quietly left the WWF to focus on recovering from a neck injury. After making a few appearances forExtreme Championship Wrestling in early 1999, Sid would eventually return to rival promotionWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in mid-1999 and continue to wrestle as Sid Vicious until he suffered a career-ending leg injury atWCW Sin on January 14, 2001.
... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
At the time, SummerSlam was one of WWE's "big five" Pay-Per-Views (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, King of the Ring, and Survivor Series were the others), ...
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