Why WWE never mentions one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time

In the leadup to WrestleMania 13, on February 13th 1997 WWE held what would later become a much talked about event in its Thursday RAW Thursday show. The episode saw then WWE Champion Shawn Michaels relinquish his title after claiming to have 'lost his smile' after a then questioned career-ending knee injury.

The validity of his injury was doubted as HBK was reluctant to drop the belt to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. Michaels did not mention his knee once in the entirety of the segment, but the events caused panic backstage as WrestleMania plans went up in the air.

An emotional Shawn Michaels relinquishes his WWE Championship

WWE would then hold the In Your House 13 'Final Four' to determine a new WWE Champion. The contenders were Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vader, The Undertaker and Bret Hart with the match won by the latter. Hart would then lose the title the following night to Sycho Sid. WrestleMania main event plans were changed to suit the situation that was presented with Michaels' injury.

What we got was a main event that saw Sycho Sid defend his WWE Championship against The Undertaker and Bret Hart face off against Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Submission match. The title bout felt flat and ended up being an afterthought as Hart and Austin put on an all-time classic that rarely gets mentioned on WWE programming today.

The rivalry was perhaps the hottest the WWE had at the time and after a classic in Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series and a one-on-one segment within the Royal Rumble, the two were reluctant to face off again so soon. Hart has said in the past that he thought the bout came about too quickly, claiming to have 'run out of ideas when mapping the match'. Austin, on the other hand, was not a fan of the submission stipulation as he was not a submission wrestler.

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The two conceded that the match at WrestleMania would not live up to their high expectations

The match started off hot with a jump start and the two quickly ended up in the crowd, brawling throughout the now-called All-State Arena in Chicago. The special referee for the match, Ken Shamrock was there to keep order and ensure the fans did not get involved.

Steel chairs, ring bells, wires, middle fingers, low blows and a whole lot of blood would bring the chaos into the ring. A piece of art that told a story through every step the two Hall of Famers took.

With WWE now catering to a much younger and family audience, it is no surprise that this match does not get the recognition it deserves on WWE programming. Chair shots limited to the body are what we are used to seeing now and with a ring bell used on Austin's skull in the match, this would never be allowed to make air today. A wire used by Austin to choke Hart prior to the ring bell was used as a spot in the match; it was a similar move that got Daniel Bryan fired when the Nexus made their debut in 2010. Again, this would not be allowed to make air today.

Middle fingers would have to be blurred out, but the main reason is the use of blood. The image of Stone Cold Steve Austin in the Sharpshooter with his blood dripping down his face, through his teeth, onto the mat is something that is ingrained into fans' minds. Seeing the grit and determination of Austin try to persevere and ultimately fail and pass out is one of the great WrestleMania moments. An image that even made black and white would still be too gruesome for younger audiences today.

What would follow is a double turn which would see Hart turn heel and Austin turn babyface, a move that elevated Stone Cold to another level, preparing him for his record-breaking run that followed.

WrestleMania 18 gets talked about as the Show of Shows where the wrong match main evented. A similar argument can be had for WrestleMania 13. A sub-par pay-per-view which was salvaged by a 5* match that kick started an era of attitude in the WWE.

With Stone Cold's return at WrestleMania 38 looking like it will be more of a brawl with another Canadian in Kevin Owens, can he take some of the techniques used in his classic with Bret Hart? Even if they did, it would be hard to top the classic they had at WrestleMania 13.