One Of WrestleMania's Biggest Losers Ushered WWE's Nostalgia Era

WWE has undergone many different eras over the decades, from the Golden Era which had names like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage at the forefront, to the New Generation Era where Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart left their mark and where The Undertaker began his journey, to the massive Attitude Era that revolutionized pro wrestling and gave fans the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H. While the Attitude Era might have arguably been the most popular era of WWE to date, the movement began when it's future flagship star lost one of the biggest matches of his career at WrestleMania 13.

At the end of King of the Ring 1996, Austin cut the promo that would catapult him into the main event after years of going through gimmick after gimmick, establishing "Austin 3:16" as one of his many catchphrases. Following this, Austin would taunt Hart during promos for weeks, hoping to get the attention of the veteran, leading to their clash at Survivor Series that year that saw "The Hitman" walk away with a win. However, as fans of the time might recall, their feud wouldn't end there as at that year's Royal Rumble, Austin's elimination would be overruled as it went unnoticed by the officials, allowing the "Rattlesnake" to sneakily eliminate Hart and secure his win.

Even after this, Austin continued to cost Hart crucial matches even costing "The Hitman" the WWF Championship against Sycho Sid during the episode of "Monday Night Raw" the night after he just won the belt again. Hart again lost another shot at gold during an episode of "Raw is War" when Undertaker this time interfered in his steel cage match, leading to a very frustrated and disgruntled "Hitman."

With all the heat between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart, it was only natural that the two future legends would meet one more time at WrestleMania 13 that year. To ensure that the two could sort out the bad blood once and for all, the stipulation was set as a No DQ Submission bout, with one of the toughest men on the roster at the time – UFC Legend, Ken Shamrock – as the Special Guest Referee to somehow keep the peace between the two.

Even with Shamrock officiating the clash, the violence began before Hart could even make his way to the ring, and the fight spilled into the live audience. Over the course of the match, the two utilized several weapons to wear each other down, before Hart tossed Austin into the steel barricade, busting the "Rattlesnake" open and giving him his recognizable WM13 bloody face. After some more brawling, Hart ultimately got the win after locking Austin in the Sharpshooter, who passed out instead of tapping out, after smiling despite his face being red from all the blood. Despite Hart winning, he still attacked Austin, pushing Shamrock to get involved. "The Hitman" then walked away, with the crowd booing the former babyface and bursting out in chants for Austin, even after he hit a Stunner on a referee who tried to help him up.

After this, Austin would skyrocket in popularity and become one of the biggest pro wrestlers in history, ushering in the "Attitude Era" and having many of the most memorable feuds of WWE's history with the likes of The Undertaker, The Rock, Vince McMahon, and many others.