WWF Wrestlemania XIII was a professional wrestling event put on by the World Wrestling Federation. It was the 13th iteration of Wrestlemania, the 3rd event of 1997 and the 87th event overall in the alternate WWF timeline. Taking place in the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, the main event was a WWF title match between Vader and The Undertaker. Other matches on the card included Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart in a Submission Match, Shane Douglas challenging Rocky Maivia for the Intercontinental Title and a Mixed Tag Match between Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Chyna vs "Wildman" Marc Mero and Sable. The event is also notable for the presence of Shawn Michaels as guest commentator, due to Jerry Lawler's involvement in a match with Goldust.
Prelude[]
The two main feuds heading into Wrestlemania were between The Undertaker and Vader and the war between Steve Austin and Bret Hart. In the former's case, The Undertaker had won the 1997 Royal Rumble, albeit controversially, and thus had earned a title shot at Wrestlemania. In 6 1/2 years in the company, The Undertaker had never held a single title, though he had come close on occasion. This was a fact constantly brought up by Jim Cornette, the manager of Vader, after the Mastodon had regained the WWF title at Zero Hour. The two behemoths were set to meet in the main event with the title on the line: Undertaker putting his streak at Wrestlemania (he had been undefeated up to this point) for a chance to finally become WWF Champion.
The issues between Hart and Austin were far more ferocious. The two had been in each other's orbit for the better part of six months, and while Bret had managed to defeat Austin virtually every time they had squared off with each other, Stone Cold had cost Bret the chance at his 4th WWF title on more than one occasion as well. Adding to this was the fact that crowds had begun cheering Austin's anti-authority attitude versus the clean cut good guy of Bret Hart. To hopefully finally settle the issue between them once and for all, Commissioner Slaughter ordered a Submission match between the two, and also offered newly signed WWF superstar Ken Shamrock (a former Ultimate Fighting Champion) the chance to be the Special Guest Referee to try and keep the peace between them.
With the Nation of Domination running rampant throughout the WWF, and against Ahmed Johnson in particular, The Pearl River Powerhouse tried to put an end to them once and for all by challenging them to a No Holds Barred Chicago Street Fight. He promised to find two partners from Chicago to take on three members of the Nation, and the men he chose were the legendary tag team The Road Warriors. Against Faarooq and the Nation, the trio had had success, but the Nation still had the numbers game even with only sending out Faarooq, Kama and Savio for the match.
Goldust had turned face in early 1997 as a result of an interview with Jerry Lawler, where the King had bluntly asked the flamboyant Goldust if he was gay (which earned a resounding no from the star). Lawler had exacerbated the problem by making derogatory comments concerning Marlena (revealed to be Goldust's real life wife Terri) and more innuendo about the Bizarre One. This led to a Special Challenge match between the two at Wrestlemania. If Jerry Lawler beat Goldust, then Lawler would win the "managerial services" of Marlena for 30 days. But if Goldust won, then Lawler would be forced to wrestle in a dress for 30 days on Raw.
After Marc Mero cost Hunter Hearst Helmsley the Intercontinental Title, his feud with the Connecticut Blueblood had gotten even more personal as Helmsley's new "bodyguard" Chyna had attacked Mero's valet Sable on numerous occasions. The Amazonian Chyna was more than twice the size of the demure Sable, but the blonde bombshell was eager to stand on her own two feet, agreeing to stand with her man in a mixed tag match against Helmsley and Chyna.
Event[]
Coming Soon...
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| FFA | Jesse James Armstrong d. The Honky Tonk Man by Pinfall | Singles Match | 9:00 |
| 1 | The New Blackjacks [Bradshaw & Windham] d. The Godwinns [Henry O. & Phineas I. Godwinn] w/Hillbilly Jim by Pinfall | Tag Team Match | 8:11 |
| 2 | Goldust w/Marlena d. Jerry "The King" Lawler by Pinfall | Singles Match | 10:02 |
| 3 | Hector Garza (c) d. Lance Storm by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWF Lightheavyweight Title | 13:00 |
| 4 | Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (c) Wrestled to a Time Limit Draw | Singles Match for the WWF Television Title | 15:00 |
| 5 | Mankind d. Sycho Sid w/Paul Bearer by Submission | No Disqualification Match | 9:08 |
| 6 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Chyna d. "Wildman" Marc Mero & Sable by Pinfall | Mixed Tag Team Match | 7:55 |
| 7 | Rocky Maivia (c) d. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas by Disqualification | Singles Match for the WWF Intercontinental Title | 9:39 |
| 8 | Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. Stone Cold Steve Austin by Referee Stoppage | Submission Match | 20:54 |
| 9 | Ahmed Johnson & The Road Warriors [Hawk & Animal] d. The Nation of Domination [Faarooq, Kama & Savio Vega] by Pinfall | Chicago Street Fight | 10:14 |
| 10 | The Undertaker d. Vader w/Jim Cornette (c) by Pinfall | Singles Match for the WWF Championship | 15:00 |
Aftermath[]
The Austin/Hart match would result in arguably the most famous double turn in wrestling, as Bret officially became a heel and Austin a babyface. Bret's new gimmick would be that of an Anti-American, Pro-Canadian heel, and he'd form a new version of the Hart Foundation with his brother Owen and The British Bulldog (as well as a returning Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart, eventually), reconciling with them the following night on Raw after Owen/Bulldog lost the tag titles. Marc Mero would be off TV for two months following Wrestlemania, due to a foot injury, returning with a new boxing based gimmick.