There aren't many rivalries more memorable and pivotal to wrestling history than the one between Bret Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It began in late 1996 as Hart was returning from time off and Austin was a rising star with the company. By 1997, it became a heated war between two all-time greats. Even though Hart left WWE at the end of the year, Austin was catapulted into a megastar.
Without this feud, WWE might not gain the momentum needed to overthrow WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Hart's greatest rival is often considered to be Shawn Michaels but his battles against Austin were typically far superior. Over their history, they met in eight different matches, including some classics.
8 The Rumble - Royal Rumble 1997
A few months into their rivalry, Steve Austin and Bret Hart were both participants in the 1997 Royal Rumble match. Held in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, which is near Austin's hometown, he was quite popular. Austin entered the bout as the fifth entrant and proceeded to dominate things. He did so by eliminating 10 competitors, trying the record at the time set by Hulk Hogan in 1989.
Bret Hart didn't arrive in the match until #21 and he went right after Austin. Their fistfight in the middle of the ring was one of epic proportions. The finish was controversial as Hart dumped out Austin but none of the referees saw it. Austin snuck back in and eliminated Vader and The Undertaker together before tossing Hart to earn the win, lasting 45 minutes. It would be the first of three Rumble victories for him.
7 The Hidden Gem - Sun City SuperBowl
It's the one clash between Steve Austin and Bret Hart that not many people are aware of. It wasn't contested on a weekly television show or on a major pay-per-view event. This was arguably the most interesting of them all because it was their first true encounter. In 1996, Hart took time off in between WrestleMania XII and Survivor Series but worked some live events.
One of them was this special show dubbed the Sun City SuperBowl, which took place a few months before his Survivor Series return. Jim Ross and Owen Hart provided commentary and this offered up a glimpse of what would make this feud so iconic. Two great wrestlers put on a quality outing which was won by Hart. The bout can be found in the Hidden Gems section on the WWE Network.
6 Street Fight - Raw 4/21/97
At In Your House: Revenge of the Taker, Bret Hart and Steve Austin added another chapter to their legendary feud. That didn't have a decisive result and Austin was hellbent on getting more of his rival. He came out the following night on Raw and challenged Bret to a fight.
This wasn't meant to be your traditional wrestling match. The two wore jeans and immediately got violent. Austin put a beating on the former WWE Champion. Officials had to pull Austin off of Hart when he applied a Sharpshooter and after a commercial, Austin waited for Bret in the ambulance to continue the ambush. It wasn't much of a match, keeping it from ranking higher as it was more of a fantastic segment.
5 Austin Finally Wins One - In Your House: Revenge Of The Taker
As noted, the issues between these two spilled over into this April pay-per-view. By this point, the roles of the two had flipped. Steve Austin was now firmly the company's hottest babyface and Bret Hart was a villain who had just formed The Hart Foundation stable.
Even though the pay-per-view was named after The Undertaker and even though he was WWF Champion, Austin and Bret still closed out the show. That's telling of how much this meant. While not up to their best work, it was still very good and notable as Austin's only singles win over Bret, albeit by disqualification.
4 The Title Match - In Your House: Final Four
Following the chaotic ending to the Royal Rumble match, something had to be done. Since Steve Austin cheated to win, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon made a decision. Austin, Bret Hart, and the two other men illegally eliminated by Austin after he was tossed out, Vader and The Undertaker, would do battle.
The match had unique rules as you could be eliminated by pinfall, submission, or getting tossed over the top rope. Thanks to Shawn Michaels "losing his smile," this was contested for the vacant WWF Championship. That made it the only time Austin and Hart wrestled over a title. Austin was sent over the top by Hart to be the first man eliminated. He returned to attack Hart but Bret still prevailed to win the title in the end.
3 Canada vs. USA - In Your House: Canadian Stampede
The final encounter between Bret Hart and Steve Austin took place at In Your House: Canadian Stampede. It's widely considered one of the best WWE pay-per-views in history for a reason. The main event continued the feud between countries that dominated parts of 1997.
Steve Austin teamed with Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom to take on The Hart Foundation (Bret, Owen, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, and Brian Pillman). The Calgary faithful gave each member of the Foundation a thunderous ovation, culminating with Bret's being so massive that it caused the camera to shake. Austin got into it with Hart Family members in attendance during this classic before Owen beat him with a rollup.
2 A Wrestling Clinic - Survivor Series 1996
When word got around that Bret Hart was returning to the company in late 1996, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made him his target. Austin cut scathing promos dissing Hart, calling him names, and suggesting that he was actually the "best there is, was, and ever will be," since he was hot off of winning the King of the Ring tournament.
The Madison Square Garden crowd was electric as soon as the bell sounded. Austin proceeded to match Hart hold for hold in what could only be considered a technical wrestling classic. Fans who only remember Austin after his 1997 neck injury probably don't recall that he was masterful on the mat before he was reduced to brawling. Austin resorted to an old move, the Million Dollar Dream, and Hart countered it into a pin to score a flash win and earn a WWF Title shot.
1 The Double Turn - WrestleMania 13
The original plan for WrestleMania 13 was reportedly a Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart rematch from the prior year. Michaels' injury caused an audible that led to Steve Austin locking up with Hart once more and wrestling was much better for it. To raise the stakes, this was a Submissions Match. The intrigue lied in how Hart had the best submission hold and Austin was too tough to ever give up.
That led to one of wrestling's greatest struggles. Hart and Austin waged war all around the arena in front of a molten Chicago crowd. Austin was famously bloodied and put in the Sharpshooter. He scratched and clawed and refused to quit, instead passing out from blood loss. Hart won but his villainous tactics made him a heel and Austin's courageous heroics turned him into a face. He'd ride that wave to becoming the biggest star in the world.