"’ll be there to cheer him on" WWE Hall of Famer on Stone Cold Steve Austin returning at WrestleMania 38
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart has given his warmest wishes to Stone Cold Steve Austin, ahead of the Texas Rattlesnake's WWE return this Saturday at WrestleMania.
Austin and Hart share a long history. Their submission match at WrestleMania 13 still lives in the memory of fans to this day.
In a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Bret Hart stated that he is looking forward to seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin back in a WWE ring:
“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.” H/T Sports Illustrated
In his first appearance at the Showcase of the Immortals since 2016, Steve Austin, will confront Kevin Owens on the KO show at WrestleMania.
Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin's iconic matchup recently turned 25
Bret Hart took on Stone Cold Steve Austin in a submission match at WrestleMania 13 on March 23, 1997.
25 YEARS AGO TODAY
Stone Cold Steve Austin & Bret Hart tore the house down at #WrestleMania. https://t.co/Ikx8pAVAqU
As well as the back-and-forth action that took place in the ring that night, the match itself is remembered for Hart and Austin both performing a double turn. The Hitman started the match as a babyface and ended it as the villain.
Hart's performance would lead to Austin subsequently gaining support from the fans that night due to the punishment he sustained in the ring. In his conversation with Sports Illustrated, Bret hailed his match with Austin as his greatest song:
"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." Hart added:" The match with Steve, that’s the greatest song I ever sang. When I watch it back, I wouldn’t change a thing.” H/T Sports Illustrated
Due to the story told in the ring that night, the match between the two Hall of Famers is still seen as the benchmark for all other WrestleMania matches to follow