Welcome to the latest edition of our WrestleMania Rewind series, written by yours truly, exclusively for everyone here at SLTD Wrestling. The aim of WrestleMania Rewind is to review every WrestleMania in roughly 2,000 words. Click here to read the series so far.
Today’s stop on our WrestleMania Rewind journey comes at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois, which is where WrestleMania 13 took place on March 23rd, 1997 in front of just over 18,000 fans. For the first time since WrestleMania 9, we had a three-man announce team – JR joined Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler at ringside.
Match 1: Fatal-4-Way Elimination Match – The Godwinns vs The Headbangers vs Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon vs The New Blackjacks (Windham & Bradshaw)
***The winners of this match become the number 1 contenders for the WWF Tag-Team Championships***
Unsurprisingly, there’s a multi-man brawl from the get-go before it settles down to Henry Godwinn and Bradshaw. Tag to Thrasher, who gets a big boot and back body drop from Phineas Godwinn. The Headbangers double-team Phil LaFon. Doug Furnas gets a 2-count off a hurricanrana on Windham.
There’s a brawl between the New Blackjacks and Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon which ends in a DQ and a count-out for those teams respectively, leaving the Godwinns and the Headbangers to battle it out. The Godwinns work over Mosh, but the Headbangers throw caution to the wind with some aerial offense on the outside. Mosh picks up the win for the Headbangers with a seated senton.
Opinion: There were a lot of frequent tags, so at times, the ref wasn’t sure who the legal men were. It was a decent opener, but it was hard to keep track of, especially early doors.
Match 2: WWF Intercontinental Championship Match – The Sultan (w/Iron Sheik & Bob Backlund) vs Rocky Maivia (c)
Rocky misses a clothesline on the outside, hitting the ringpost instead to give Sultan the advantage. Sultan controls things with a nervehold and lands a series of power moves. Sultan gets a 2-count off a top rope headbutt and a belly-to-belly suplex. Rocky fights out of a chinlock and they both go down as a result of a double clothesline. Sultan gets a long 2-count off a superkick, but Rocky gets the 3 with a roll-up.
Opinion: He did it…fo da Rock…He did it…fo da people. Yup. Rikishi and Rock going at it at WrestleMania. It was pretty good. Sultan dominated most of it though. Rocky showed some good babyface fire, but for some reason, the crowd just weren’t with him. How wrong they were…
Match 3: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) vs Goldust (w/Marlena)
Goldust lands a flurry of right hands on Helmsley early before connecting with an inverted Atomic Drop and a clothesline that sends Helmsley to the outside. Helmsley’s able to reply with a kneelift, only for Goldust to reply with a powerslam. Helmsley drops Goldust from the top rope to the outside, drags him back in and gets a 2-count off a right hand from the top rope.
Helmsley’s in total control now and gets a 2-count off a high knee and a kneedrop. Goldust manages to fight back until he gets dropped with a DDT. Goldust gets a couple of 2-counts from a backslide and a small package. He gets another from a crossbody and goes for the Curtain Call, but he’s distracted by Chyna and Marlena. Helmsley hits the Pedigree for the win.
Opinion: I said it last time and I’ll say it again, if Haitch-Ah hadn’t have ridden Shawn Michaels’ coat-tails or married the boss’ daughter, he’d have been a mid-carder at best. He’s decent but no better than Goldust. Oh, and by the way, Marlena was SMOKING hot…
Match 4: WWF Tag-Team Championship Match: Vader & Mankind (w/Paul Bearer) vs Owen Hart & British Bulldog (c)
It’s Vader’s power against Owen’s quickness early. Vader pummels Owen with lefts and rights. Owen takes him down with a spinning heel kick, but Vader lands a powerbomb. Bulldog and Mankind come in, and Bulldog has the best of it until Vader pulls the top rope down and sends him outside. Vader blasts Bulldog with the urn behind the ref’s back, and the heels work over Bulldog.
Bulldog slams Vader from the top rope and makes the hot tag to Owen, who gets a 2-count off a top rope crossbody. The heels get back in control fairly quickly though. Owen gets another 2-count from a spinning heel kick. He’s able to get a belly-to-belly suplex and an enziguri too before tagging Bulldog. There’s a brawl and Mankind ends up putting the Mandible Claw on Bulldog outside. The ref counts both teams out.
Opinion: A count-out finish again. In a championship match at WrestleMania. Again. Goddammit. This was really great. I properly enjoyed it. The champs’ craftiness was easily matched by the sheer brutality of the challengers. Great stuff that deserved a better finish.
Match 5: Submission Match – Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ken Shamrock’s the special guest ref.
There’s a chaotic brawl that ends up with both men fighting at ringside before making their way through the crowd. They get back to ringside where Austin sends Bret crashing into the steel steps and the ringpost. Back in the ring, Bret connects with a swinging neckbreaker and an elbow from the second rope. Bret works Austin’s left knee then, from out of nowhere, Austin hits the Stunner.
Bret goes back to working on Austin’s knee and puts him in a figure-4 using the ringpost. Bret brings a chair into play, but Austin gets to it first and blasts him with it. Austin’s in control now with a Boston Crab before sending Bret outside. Bret sends Austin flying into the barricade at ringside, which busts Austin open.
Bret works on the wound, and continues to work over Austin’s knee – this time with a steel chair! Austin lands a low blow, stomps a mudhole in Bret and suplexes him off the top rope. Austin chokes Bret with a cable, but Bret nails him with the ringbell, puts him in the Sharpshooter and Austin passes out.
Opinion: What a fantastic match. Honestly, great psychology, great heat and just an all-round outstanding wrestling contest. I can’t praise this highly enough. Even though Hart won, Austin broke him. One of the best matches I’ve ever seen.
Match 6: Chicago Street Fight – Legion of Doom & Ahmed Johnson vs The Nation of Domination (Crush, Faarooq & Savio Vega)
There’s a frenetic pace early as all six men beat the hell out of each other. There are bodies and weapons flying everywhere. Animal piledrives Faarooq. In the ring, the Nation are dominating (see what I did there!). It’s just 100% pure physicality. Ahmed drives Faarooq through the table. Hawk lands a double clothesline on Faarooq and Savio Vega. Legion of Doom hit their finisher on Crush, and pick up the win when Ahmed and Animal hit a 2-by-4 clothesline on Crush.
Opinion: The pop that LOD got was monstrous. This was a crazy match. Describing it as chaotic and frenetic doesn’t quite cover it. Just quality stuff. A great FIGHT, with the right team winning.
Match 7: No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship – Sycho Sid (c) vs The Undertaker
Bret Hart comes out and spouts some jibberish about the match, which results in him receiving a powerbomb from Sid for his troubles.
Taker’s all over Sid at the start and gets a 2-count from a slam. Sid catches Taker going for a splash and locks in a bearhug. Taker fights out, only to walk into a big boot before being clotheslined outside. Sid gets a 2-count after doing some more damage at ringside. Taker fights out of a Camel Clutch, but Sid gets a 2-count from a powerslam, then another from a legdrop.
Taker comes back with a flying clothesline. He sends Sid flying over the barricade, then into the steps, but misses an elbow back in the ring. Sid regains the advantage with a chinlock. Taker fights to his feet and lands a powerslam for a 2. Sid gets up, but he’s knocked back down with a clothesline for another 2. Both men are down after big boots, but Sid’s able to get a 2-count.
Sid gets another 2 with a right hand from the second rope. Taker gets back in it by slamming Sid from the top rope, and follows it up with a flying clothesline. Sid counters a Tombstone into one of his own for a nearfall. Bret comes out again and wallops Sid in the back with a chair. Taker sends Sid into the ringpost and lands a clothesline for a 2. Bret hangs Sid on the top rope, and Taker hits the Tombstone to win the title.
Opinion: Shenanigans galore here, but it didn’t detract from the match. Sid and Taker worked really hard to put on a good show, and they succeeded. Bret’s transition into the whiny bitch that he still is today was complete by the end of this PPV.
Summary: I actually thought it was a really good event, and nowhere near as bad as some people say it is. The Hart/Austin and Sid/Taker matches were excellent, and the tag-title match was another highlight. It was a really good way to spend a couple of hours.
Hopefully, you enjoyed that quick look back at WrestleMania 13. Leave your comments/feedback via the usual channels, and join me again tomorrow to revisit WrestleMania 14!
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