WWE announced that the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania 13 is going into the Hall of Fame - the first match to be given that honor under the "Immortal Moment Award".
Speaking at an autograph session, Austin commented on accolade:
"It was a hell of a match and we knew it at the time. And I think that it was good that it was in Chicago, because Chicago was kind of a stronghold for me, but it would have worked anywhere. But the fact that it happened with Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. There’s a couple behind-the-scenes stories that, you know, I don’t want to talk about. But, man, it was a hell of a match, and it’s cool for people to still remember it damn near 30 years later. So, yeah, it means something to me, because, I don’t know, if it wasn’t for the fans, I wouldn’t be sitting here. So the fact that that match is relevant and it’s going into the 2025 Hall of Fame for matches and it’s the first match to be inducted, cool."
Bret Hart, speaking on the Ariel Helwani show, had even more to say about the match and the honor:
"It’s a big honor. I’m really quite proud of that, especially that match and the work that I had with Steve Austin. If you asked me in truth if I thought there was a better match somewhere, I mean, I don’t think there’s been a better match. It was just magic what we did that night."
“It’s been at the top (of his career highlights) probably since I had it. I have my all-time favorites. I think the match I had with the Bulldog at Wembley was probably my first greatest match, in the sense that it was the first one that I wasn’t in a team, it was just me by myself going out there and putting that match together. And that was a beautiful match. And the Ironman match with Shawn Michaels—I mean, you could say what you want about our relationship—the truth is that it’s hard to top that match."
"It was, to me, the highest level of professionalism that you can get in a professional wrestling match. We both really worked really hard, took a lot of hard falls, large hits with the chair and stuff like that. But we also really protected each other and looked out for each other. And when they told me they were going to induct that match, it was like, well, they should, it was maybe the best match ever."
