5 WWE WrestleMania Losers That Were Ultimately Winners
There's definitely an art to losing...
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
Give credit to Bret Hart - it was he that suggested the finish for the match would look better if Stone Cold were covered in blood at the time. The Submission Match between sworn enemies was due to get out of hand in a hurry, and it did. This was a good thing.
Fans were increasingly warming to heel Austin, and this match was to conclude with a double-turn that cast Hart as a bitter heel, and Austin a valiant warrior. When "The Hitman" locks a crimson-soaked Austin in The Sharpshooter, Austin fights with all he has to escape, but he just simply cannot.
Austin passed out for the technical loss, and suddenly, hearts broke for the antagonist. When he limped off under his own power afterward, the crowd response in Chicago was enormous and awing. Is it any surprise a year later that he was stunning Shawn Michaels to win the WWF title?
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.