Wrestlemania 13: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This thread is part of a series of threads looking back on the previous Wrestlemania events, one by one, up until Wrestlemania 30 which is just a little more than a month away. We are almost halfway through the 29 other Wrestlemania shows. Every couple of days I will post another topic until all 29 have been covered in time for the big day in April.

We are discussing Wrestlemania 13 this time around....!

Wrestlemania 13 was held on March 23, 1997. It took place at the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. There were 18,197 fans in attendance. Let's take a look at the results of the matches:


0. Billy Gunn defeated Flash Funk (with Tracy and Nadine) in a singles match as part of Free for All (07:05)

1. The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) defeated The New Blackjacks (Blackjack Windham and Blackjack Bradshaw), The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) (with Hillbilly Jim), and Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon in a Four-way elimination match to determine the number one contenders for the WWF Tag Team Championship (10:39)

2. Rocky Maivia (c) defeated The Sultan (with Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik) in a singles match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship (09:45)

3. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) defeated Goldust (with Marlena) in a singles match (14:28)

4. Owen Hart and The British Bulldog (c) fought Mankind and Vader (with Paul Bearer) to a double countout in a tag team match for the WWF Tag Team Championship (16:08)

5. Bret Hart defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in a submission match with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee (22:05)

6. The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) and Ahmed Johnson defeated The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, Crush and Savio Vega) (with Wolfie D, J.C. Ice, D'Lo Brown, and Clarence Mason) in a Chicago Street Fight (10:45)

7. The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid (c) in a no disqualification match to win the WWF Championship (21:19)



Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Wrestlemania 13, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in March 1997. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Wrestlemania 13 in this thread. The other Wrestlemania events will be getting their own retrospective threads shortly, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[The Brain]

This will be an interesting one. Things just didn't come together this year for a few different reasons but this show could have easily been better than it was. I'll be brief with my favorite and least favorite matches because I have a lot to discuss with possible changes. Obviously my favorite was Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin. It saved this show from possibly being the worst mania ever and I'd be shocked if anyone picks anything else as their favorite. Least favorite was Undertaker vs. Sid. No hype, no drama, and a terrible match. Possibly the most lackluster main event in mania history.

Now the changes. I have two different scenarios in mind. In the first one the tag team partners in the tag title match would go against each other in singles matches. The tag match was garbage as their was no story between the two teams and there were better ways to use them. Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart had a classic match just a few weeks before mania to crown the first ever European champion. That was a match worthy of mania, especially since it introduced a new title. Vader vs. Mankind would have been perfect for WM13. Paul Bearer just started managing Vader so the insecure Mankind could have shown some jealousy. They would have had a very physical brawl which would have fit right into that show.

My other scenario keeps Davey vs. Owen but involves different ideas for Vader and Mankind. I think Vader taking Sid's spot as defending champion in the main event could have worked. Vader vs. Taker was more intriguing and would have been a better match. I would then put Mankind in the IC title match against Rocky Maivia. The Sultan was a terrible opponent for Rocky for mania. It was originally supposed to be Marc Mero which would have been good, but Mero got injured and The Sultan was the replacement. That shows how weak the roster was at the time. The Sultan had no business even being on mania much less in the IC title match. Mankind would have been way better. The outcast freak against the blue chipper. So what to do with Sid? I say just leave him out. That might sound weird since he was champ going into the real show but if they put the title on Vader instead Sid wouldn't be needed at all. He was done right after mania anyway so I say just get rid of him a little sooner.
For as much as I would have liked Vader vs. Mankind I think my second scenario makes for a better overall card. These few changes could have turned one of the worst manias into one of the better ones.

 

[bitesthedust]

I don't remember much of this Wrestlemania except Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Undertaker vs Sid. I suppose the natural match change would be to have had Bret face and defeat Shawn Michaels in a rematch from the year before, which was seemingly the original plan before Michaels vacated the World title.

But by changing that you take away Hart vs Steve Austin and their respective double turn, not to mention the classic match they put on, the best on the card.

To answer the question I wouldn't change any of the matches on here.

 

[LODemolition]

The only matches I'd keep the same on this card would've been the Tag Title #1 Contenders match and Bret vs Austin, only I would've made that the WWF Championship match.

Free For All: Headbangers* vs Godwinns vs Furnas & Lafon vs New Blackjacks

This would've gotten the fans much more ready for the show than...Billy Gunn vs Flash Funk. Ugh.

1. IC Title: Rocky Maivia (c) vs. Triple H*

While I liked the Triple H/Goldust match, I would've rather seen Hunter regain the IC Title here. Did anyone ever take The Sultan seriously? What a lame gimmick.

2. Chicago Street Fight: Ahmed Johnson* vs Faarooq

I would've much rather seen these guys go 1 on 1 than in a 6-man tag. LOD were misused in that match imo.

3. Ken Shamrock* vs Vader

While I like how Shamrock played the enforcer in the Austin/Hart match, I would've rather seen him get his own program and debut against a behemoth like Vader.

4. Goldust vs Sycho Sid*

Sid winning the WWF Championship the night after In Your House: Final 4 never made sense to me. A 1 day reign for Bret? I know Sid was just a transitional champ, but Bret should've held onto it through at least Mania. Sid and Goldust could've put a good program on after Goldust's face turn I think.

5. Tag Team Title: Owen Hart & British Bulldog vs Legion of Doom*

It's a big pet peeve of mine that LOD was never in the Tag Team Title picture at a WrestleMania. I know they were scheduled to go against Money Inc at WM8, but there were other opportunities. None better than here at WM13 in their hometown of Chicago.

6. Casket Match: The Undertaker* vs Mankind

I know these 2 had plenty of matches, but never at Mania. I always thought that was a missed opportunity. Taker could've won the title at SummerSlam against Bret instead of the other way around. The Montreal incident would've never happened though.

7. WWF Championship: Bret "Hitman" Hart (c)* vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Wouldn't change a thing about this except like I said, I'd make it for the title. Anyone else could've played Shamrock's role, and the double turn would have been even bigger if the title had been at stake

 

[Wolf Pac]

This was my first Wrestlemania and the first wrestling event I ever watched. It wasn't a great card and it may be the most poorly built Wrestlemania of all time, but at the time, as a kid, I still enjoyed this PPV. Highlights for me were the Submission match, the Chicago Street Fight - fun match, and Bret's interruption before the WWF Title match to throw insults at Sid, Taker, and Shawn Michaels.

Favourite match is easily Austin vs Bret and is also one of my favourite Wrestlemania matches ever. This match took Stone Cold to a new level and is the reason why he is my favourite wrestler.

Worst match is Undertaker vs Sid. This is the worst Wrestlemania main event I have ever seen. The match was slow and boring, it hardly drew a reaction from the crowd, and Sid's selling in the match was just awful. Anytime Undertaker would strike him in the face, he'd just be staring into space instead of acting like it hurt him.

I would change the main event to Bret vs Undertaker for the WWF Title. No, I'm not saying we get rid of Austin vs Bret, I'm suggesting Bret pull a "Wrestlemania 10" and he defend the WWF Title two times in one night, first against Austin in the Submission Match and then later in the main event against Taker. Taker vs Bret would've made a better main event for the title and an even better rematch at Summerslam that year, and it might've saved the build up from being that bad if Bret had just walked into Mania as champion after winning the belt at Final Four. I consider Bret/Taker to be one of the greatest matchups to have never taken place at a Wrestlemania.

I'd have Bulldog defend the European Title against Owen in a rematch from their classic bout on Raw from Germany, or just move their Finals in the Euro Title Tournament to Wrestlemania.

I have three different scenarios for Vader/Mankind/Sid/Rocky.

1) Rocky vs. Mankind for the IC Title, and a babyface Sid vs. Vader.

2) Vader vs. Mankind, reprising their feud from WCW. Sid can be left off the card.

3) Mankind vs. Sid in a "Battle of the Psychos", and maybe Vader vs. Rocky for the IC Title.

Whatever I'd change it to, I would just keep Sid away from the main event and the WWF Title. That's my biggest gripe with the show.

 

[Pedigree1]

WM13 was a meh WM IMO. The only match on the card that saved it from being a total dud,is the Hart Vs Austin match. That encounter even their previous one at Survivor Series was a brutal encounter,for its time! The WM rematch outshined that encounter,and made it a classic worth seeing again and again. I would have had Davey Boy vs Owen hart one on one.

Prior to that one,i do remember they had quite a battle for the European Championship. Those two deserved to have a WM battle worth of the ages. I almost forgot about the Sultan,wow I think Marlena would have been better than him to go against the rock. I dont know if anything could have saved the ME,but IMO before that WM took place I would have had Vader beat Sid for the title.

A three way for the WWE/WWF title Taker vs Vader vs Mankind would have been interesting. Taker was young back then and that match could have happened without too much of a hitch screwing it up. Those changes might have made it a good card instead of just a meh card

 

[The Warlord]

Another one of those Wrestlemania's where one match stands out and the rest is forgotten, much like the previous year.
Bret/Austin is probably on my list of top 5 Wrestlemania matches...possibly top 3...so no need to say more.
To be honest I couldn't tell you my least favorite match because like I said, I don't remember the rest. I think the main event was the most disappointing since it WAS the main event after all...but not sure if it was the worst.

I have to agree with The Brain about taking Sid out and replacing him with Vader. I've always felt like Taker and Vader could have done some big things at a Wrestlemania...in fact I think that was one of the changes I made on the WM12 thread lol.

That's about all I would do. It's funny looking back at some of these cards...people talk about how the roster today is weak....but the mid-card scene around 96-97 was horrible. Of course the stars of tomorrow were just starting to get noticed (HHH, Rock, etc)...it still made for some weak cards and a very uneventful Wrestlemania.

CHEERS to Austin/Hart...it just doesn't get enough praise.

 

[Judah's Lion]

this mania had some rough spots with some good potential and a few [in my opinion] missed opportunities.

of course Austin/Hart was the match of the night. couldn't even be debated. worst match of the night might be a multi-digit tie between the rest of the card.

there are a few [again, in my opinion] simple changes I would have made to this card and I think it would have made it a very respectable Mania as opposed to the one-trick pony that it was.

Brain's idea of having Owen vs. Bulldog is brilliant. guess that's why he's called The Brain. sucking up aside, I think I would have saved the finals of the European Title tournament for Mania and had that match here with these two. it would have been very fitting to debut a title on this stage and they obviously would have had a great match. goes without saying.

that said, I prefer having the titles defended on the major pay-per-views, if not all of them. so if Owen and Bulldog are in a contest for the newly debuting European Title, then what of the Tag Team Titles? enter Legion of Doom. LoDemolition is absolutely right on this one. Mania was taking place in their hometown and LOD had never wrestled for the Tag Titles at this event. have them in a match with the Head Shrinkers or Head Bangers or the Godwinns or all of the above in a Tornado/Turmoil match.

Ahmed/Farooq was a good match up and I enjoyed their feud. their match at Royal Rumble was decent but didn't end decisively. so rather than a 6 man tag match, I'd put them in a final one-on-one contest here and give it some sort of gimmick stipulation, such as a street fight or strap match.

for the IC Title, since Marc Mero was injured, I'd make a triple threat match between Rocky, Triple H and Goldust. Rocky and Triple H had some history and Triple H and Goldust had some history, so intertwining all three of them would have been entertaining. and it'd have been better than the Sultan at Mania.

here comes the tricky and perhaps unrealistic bit. Hart/Austin was perfect and I'd keep that as is, non-title and all.

so that leaves Taker's match. I'd have him enter Mania as the World Champion and defend against the 97 Royal Rumble winner... Mankind. Stone Cold didn't need to win the Rumble this year and then not challenge for the World Title at Mania, so why not have a Rumble winner that does go after the title holder? Taker/Mankind is a match that should have happened at Mania and it would have been better than the "monster of the month" match that Taker got this year. this match allows Taker a good opponent, a good match and the Streak intact.

unfortunately, this leaves Vader out of a big Mania match this year. but my thought there is to put him in a match with Sid and let Vader go over. then after Vader's win and Mankind's loss, they can reignite their feud from WCW and duke it out till Summerslam or thereabouts. food for thought there. I'd just hate to see Vader off this Mania.

not the best event by any means, and Hart/Austin definitely stole the show in one of the best matches of all time. besides all my other thoughts in this particular response, I'd like to add that though not the best main event ever, I'm not sure I'd count it as the worst. that'd have to go to Mania 8. at least this one had a World Title on the line.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Like I'm sure everyone is going to say, Hart and Austin was the best match and everyone's favorite match on the card. Nothing else was really special about this card but I did enjoy the WWE Title match, Chicago Streetfight and the HHH/Goldust match. Even though I wouldn't change the Austin/Hart match, I wouldn't mind pushing it back to SummerSlam if I could guarantee this scenario to play out.

Michaels doesn't fake injury and we get the rematch from 12 with Bret regaining the title. This title match comes about with Shawn holding the title from Rumble to Mania, the 97 Rumble playing out as it did with Bret winning the 4 way match to determine the true #1 contender. I would still keep the Taker/Sid match, give Austin Vader to go over on and continue his rise, keep the IC title off Rocky for the time being at least as HHH/Goldust was a good story which could have been better centered around the IC belt, and have Rocky go over on Mankind to continue his rise. Post Mania, Austin would still have his feud with the Hart Foundation, which would serve as the buildup for their title match at SummerSlam to play out exactly as it did at Mania. Bret in this scenario would not be told by Vince to seek out the WCW contract and remain in the WWF and hold the title until Mania XIV where he drops it to Austin who just like in real life is full systems go top guy in the company with a better win this time around against the only guy he couldn't beat in Bret Hart.

My Mania XIII Card:

Rocky Maivia vs Mankind

Tag Title #1 Contender Match:
Headbangers vs Godwinns vs New Blackjacks vs Furnas and LaFon

IC Title Match:
HHH (c) vs GOldust

Undertaker vs Sid

European Championship Match:
Owen Hart vs British Bulldog

Stone Cold vs Vader

Chicago Strretfight:
Ahmed Johnson and LOD vs Nation of Domination

WWF Title Match:
Shawn Michaels (c) vs Bret Hart

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I can't really comment on this one, as I never saw the whole card...just the Bret/Austin match, which was pretty much an instant classic. I'd only say that I remember the Shawn Michaels "Have to find my smile" speech. That nonsense, and the spiraling out of control booking that followed it meant that I bailed on watching the show that year. If I were to change anything, I would take Fabulous Rougeaus' suggestion above, and force Michaels to drop the title to Hart in the Main Event. I'd tell Michaels that he only had to show up for promos and interviews, and no in ring action would be required of him up to the event. After the event, he could go find his smile wherever the fuck he felt he had to find it, but otherwise, if he didn't do the honors that night, he could kiss his ass and any chance of coming back to the promotion goodbye.

When McMahon really needed to be a hardass, he dropped the ball.

 

[Elchicano15]

I actually enjoyed this Wrestlemania. The Bret Hart/Stone Cold match was defiantly match of the night and I've never seen a double turn as natural as this before. I started to became more of a Stone Cold fan at King Of The Ring 96 so it was really cool to see everyone else behind him and Bret showing signs of a heel turn was new but interesting to me. I was very pleased to see Undertaker capture the world title and to finally have a lengthy run with it compared to his first one, and to see all this unfold in front of the passionate Chicago crowd. I loved it.

For what I would change, I would have maybe make Mankind and Vader go over Owen and Bulldog. They didn't necessarily have to win the titles, but it would help further the story line of signs of cracks in the Owen/Bulldog team.

 

[Wald]

This is a tough one to rebook because the WWF roster was in such a poor state at the time. The event itself is only not remembered more poorly because it contains, arguably, the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time on it in Bret Hart vs Steve Austin. Personally I also enjoyed Triple H vs Goldust but everything else fell short and you can see that the WWF were really scrambling following HBK walking out on the company. Michaels vs Bret in a rematch would have drawn more buys and I think that was what the hope for the PPV had been entirely placed on.

For a rebooking I'll keep it to a seven match card and go with

WWF Title Match
Steve Austin vs Bret Hart with Shamrock as the guest ref

WWF Tag Title Match
Legion of Doom vs Sid & Vader

WWF Intercontinential Title Match
Rocky Maivia vs Mankind

Owen Hart vs The British Bulldog

Triple H vs Goldust in a Street Fight

Faarooq vs The Undertaker

The Headbangers vs The Godwinns

I would keep everything about Austin vs The Hitman the exact same but have it as the main event and for the title to add more drama, even play into the title being vacated by HBK and have the belt vacated heading into the event.

Sid & Vader were a great tag team in WCW at one stage so I would have played up their history so that them vs Legion of Doom would seem like something of a dream match up.

Knowing how good Foley was at getting a more aggressive edge out of vanilla babyfaces I would have paired the two for this in the hope of getting the future Rock over more. Make the match as physical as possible and have the Rock go over.

Would have teased a break up more before the event and had Owen Hart and Bulldog square off here. You could still run the Hart Foundation angle the next night even if they had fought here.

Like I said, I enjoyed Triple H vs Goldust as an undercard match but I'd make it a street fight

Have the Nation attack the Undertaker in the weeks before Mania to set up their match too.

Actually I think that looks like a decent card all things considered

 

[THTRobtaylor]

As many have said it's a one match show and there is very, very little to recommend watching anything else... the curse of 13 just seemed to strike.

I don't think it's fair to blame ALL the talent however, just one... Shawn Michaels.

Many know I am not his biggest fan as a man, regardless of his talent and this was the time he proved how low he was. The company was in trouble, needed him to do the right thing and put Bret over in the rematch and he simply balked at it. But rather than do it like Punk, he had to come out and deliver the most embarrasing, mewling speech of all time. Everyone was embarrased, Taker said he knew it was cos he didn't want to drop the belt and Vince was hamstrung as Austin hadn't quite finished cooking yet to be the guy to hang his company on.

As you know I have reboooked many of the manias so far so in my timeline things will go differently but looking at the talent that was there, it seemed very misused in the main. It was almost as if they'd given up trying to be creative at this point and were just going through the motions booking wise.

The Sultan and Rocky were both bombing badly... Rocky needed to drop the strap and the way for me to do it was to put him in a Triple Threat with Owen and Davey. Those two could have worked with him to a great match and perhaps Davey walks out with both belts or Rocky shocks Owen... either way it would have given Rocky a much needed at the time boost in the ring. But remember the Sultan was his family, so this was a way to give him a friendly face through his first Mania so there IS some logic in putting them together.

The Tag picture was shocking at this point, genuinely bad. The Headbangers never belonged in the WWF, Furnas and La Fon were dull as dishwater and then came brainstorms like The Truth Commission. Now the team itself had merit and I would have brought Bill Eadie back with a new Demolition instead of the Truth Commision gimmick leave Rambo/Sniper out of it and have Crush, Buchanan and Kurgann as the 3 man team... I'll call them Blast and Behomoth and re-do the Demoliton LOD feud... only this time Hawk and Animal are totally outsized... You can still have the 3 man with Ahmed filling in but that might have been a better way to use LOD and Crush, Kurgann and B2.

Goldust by then was perhaps headed to the end of his first phase and into his "ball gag" phase so I think here is where you put him against Ron Simmons who in my Manias has been a prominent part of the last 2. This is an out and out hate feud, not so much based on Goldust's "differences" but more off the Dusty thing... Ron was a "friend of Dusty", Goldust hates his father so he hates Ron.

Shamrock was the biggest waste of all at this show and I'd have put him in with Vader in a UFC style brawl. I'd bring in Dan Severn as the ref and play off their rivalry and perhaps have Stan Hansen (another famed Vader opponent) in his corner.

I am gonna keep Taker v Sid but have it as a retirement match that Sid loses and not for the belt.

I'm moving the "Final Four" concept to Mania... Shawn is gone because I am sure he'd hide behind doctors rather than drop the belt... so I am going with Bret, Austin, Triple H and Mankind as the final four for the title. rather than it being one match it's a mini-tourney with Austin besting Mankind and Bret besting Triple H and then facing off for the gold... Finish is identical in fact the exact same match, just for the title with both guys having wrestled earlier in the night.

Looking back there isn't much you can say they got right in this period but they did get that match with Austin and Bret perfect... how much of that is down to Bret and Steve rather than Vince is very much up for question because the simply saved his ass... they don't pull off that performance and emotion, the WWF is gone a year later...simple as that.

 

[Gibby]

Did I really read someone upthread rebooking this PPV where Bret & Austin don't fight each other??? Christ on a bike! Let's be clear: this is one of the best endings to a match WWE has ever had and both guys play their part to an absolute T. Bret is earnest and bitter and intense and assholish in winning, where Austin essentially justifies his entire premise as an unrepentant badass by simply not giving up. It is the *perfect* example of where losing is better than a win. People talk of Hogan/Warrior being an example of the mantle being handed down, but Hogan would remain with the company longer. This was literally Hart not just handing the #1 guy mantle over, it was an era changing in one elongated sharpshooter! The match is only pretty good, but the ending! Woah!

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Can't speak for anyone else, but in my scenario I wouldn't get rid of the match, just move it to SummerSlam and have it play out exactly as it did only with the WWF Title on the line. Mania 13 should have been Bret's last high profile win at Mania to add to his singles resume of Piper at Mania 8 and Yoko at Mania 10. If done right and money had not been a factor (not sure if it ever really was or if it was an excuse for Vince to have Bret leave for Shawn's sake) Austin and Bret should have had a trilogy that lead to Austin beating Bret for the title at Mania 14. In fact the main focus of Survivor Series 96-Mania 14 would have been centered around Austin against Bret and the Hart Foundation with Austin chasing Bret and feuding with the Hart's as a heel/tweener from Mania to SummerSlam culminating in their match from Mania taking place at SummerSlam. From there we get the double switch and the feud continues but now the roles are reversed and Austin with his team defeat the Hart Foundation at Survivor Series. Austin wins the Rumble, Bret retains their vs Shawn (with HHH inadvertently costing him setting up their match) and we have the third and final Bret/Austin match with Austin winning the title and completing a great story over a year in the making.

 

[MCMG]

A one match show is a bit harsh but this will always be the Austin/Hart Mania. The iconic image of blood dripping down on Austin's face and the double turn. Many feel this is the greatest match ever wrestled. I do love this match and while it's not my absolute favourite match it is, indeed, very very good.

Owen and Bulldog vs Mankind and Vader isn't a match I am particularly fond of. Four good superstars, yes, but it seems like a waste. Could we have had Owen vs Bulldog and Vader vs Mankind instead. Owen vs Bulldog would have had a great story and Vader vs Mankind would be an awesome brawl. The street fight was pretty entertaining but this, like I said, will always be the Wrestlemania remembered for Austin and Hart.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

This was a pretty bad Mania which is a bit ironic considering one of the greatest matches of all time took place on this card (I think you can figure out my favorite match from that). The Wrestlemania as a whole wasn't much to look at but at the end of the day it did more for Austin's career than any match any wrestler has ever had, this was the match that put Austin on the map, this feud was the feud that put Austin on the map and although the Wrestlemania wasn't great it set up one of my favorite years in WWE so I got a soft spot for this Mania based off that.

The biggest thing I would have changed would have been simple, I would have built up other matches on the card besides Hart vs. Austin in a real way, the title match was announced like 2 weeks before the card, outside of Hart vs. Austin there was no real reason to care about any other match (outside of maybe Goldust vs. HHH). It wasn't so much the matches that were scheduled that was the issue, its that they gave the audience no reason to care about these matches, Wrestlemania 13 truly was a one match card in that respect.

Michaels getting injured (presumably) didn't help manners. I've heard rumors it was supposed to be Michaels vs. Hart for the title again but I will say it right now, if that happened WWE probably wouldn't have made it to Wrestlemania 14. I can't understand why anyone would change the match that launched the biggest star in WWE history.

Things I would have changed:

Instead of a 6 man street fight I would have had Ahmed Johnson vs. Farooq. The feud's interest was pretty dying pretty quickly around this time and Wrestlemania 13 would have been a great time to blow it off.

Owen vs. Davey for the European title would have been a logical match as well. They were feuding even though they were tag champs, it was one of the most interesting things about the card yet they didn't really play up their feud much in the tag title match. I would have put this match as the break between Austin/Hart and the title match, there you could reform the Hart Foundation (it's literally moving the storyline up 8 days).

As for their opponents? Mankind vs. Vader would have been an awesome match. Sure they were tag partners but they didn't get along that well and Mankind vs. Vader at Mania? How could that not be awesome.

I'm fine with Taker vs. Sid as the title match, I just would have taken more effort into making it a must see match, both characters had enough to pull it off, they just didn't give this match any time for build (and it closed the freaking show!).

Lastly I would have had Rocky fight someone besides The Sultan, lets go with Savio Vega. It would still be a throwaway match but Savio could give Rocky a good performance at his first Mania. Maybe have Rock feud with the Nation afterwards which ends with him joining the Nation (although in all fairness that sounds much better after the fact than it would of in 1997, that would have taken some incredible foresight).

I didn't put Shawn in because he wouldn't have been on anyways, he was presumably injured so can't pretend he would have been on the card.

Anyways that's where I would have started but they would have been much better off if they built up the matches (even if it was the same card they initially had).

 

[MMK]

If you could change a few things about Wrestlemania 13, what would it be and why?

WWF TITLE: Bret vs Austin
The only change to the Bret vs Austin match would have been to make it be for the title. Austin won the Rumble and had earned the right to go to the Mania main event for the title. All they had to do when Shawn walked out on them, was put the strap on Bret and keep it on him for the match with Austin. They did in fact put the strap on him at the February In Your House:Final 4 PPV but then they convoluted the whole thing by having him lose the title the next night to Sid. Say whaaaa?

IC TITLE: HHH vs. Goldust
I always liked the debut of Chyna in this match with her ragdolling Marlena outside the ring. The only change I'd make would have been for Helmsley to have held on to the IC title until Mania so this match could have been for the title. They rushed the IC title on Rocky Maivia too soon and all it did was lead to fans resenting him even more.

Mankind vs Terry Funk
Funk appeared at the 1997 Rumble and it appeared he and Foley were going to start a rivalry, but aside from a few interactions on Shotgun nothing ever really materialized. They could have put on a pretty awesome hardcore match.

Undertaker vs Sid vs Vader
Undertaker vs Sid was kind of a drag, adding Vader is by no means going to make it a classic, but it does put Taker's streak in even more jeopardy. Vader had been built up pretty well over the past year and he deserved one big Mania match. In fact I'd prefer Taker vs Vader alone, but that would leave Sid without anyone to face. Since Sid and Vader both use the powerbomb as their finisher, they could have each hit their move on Taker then argued over who would make the pin to beat the streak. That's when Taker rises up and chokeslams both men and goes on to win. The streak was not emphasized as much back in 97 as Taker was only 6-0 at that point. But Sid and Vader joining forces to try to end the streak would have been an interesting way to go. Seeing as how Shawn was in attendance that night doing commentary, you could even have Shawn interfere and hit a superkick on Sid during the final moments of the match, leaving Undertaker to pin Vader for the win.

TAG TITLES: Owen & Bulldog vs Rocky Maivia & Rocky Johnson
Owen, a 2nd generation wrestler, and Rocky, a 3rd generation wrestler, could have had an excellent in ring match at Mania. Throw in the tag team titles, a championship Rocky Johnson once held, and you've got a Family Feud featuring two of the most iconic families in wrestling. The brother in laws vs The Father and Son. In the end, The Rocky's lose and the young Maivia blames his old man for failing to hold his own. What better way to turn Maivia heel then to have him attack his own old man. Beats the hell out of a meaningless match with The Sultan.

CHICAGO STREET FIGHT: LOD & Ahmed vs N.O.D
I wouldn't change anything about this match. It wasn't a classic, but the LOD return was a great move by the WWF in 1997, especially with the tag team division being in the poor shape that it was in.

 

[klunderbunker]

The real main event has been talked about to death, so I'll focus on a match that thankfully is getting some more attention lately. The street fight between the Nation and Ahmed Johnson/LOD is one of the most fun, over the top brawls you'll ever find. It's the definition of throwing everything at the fans and letting them have a good time after the incredibly serious match prior to it. I like this match more every time I watch it and it just works so well.

But seriously go watch Austin vs. Hart again. It's one of the best matches ever.