WrestleMania: The Greatest WrestleMania Match of All Time Revealed

What's up, ladies and gentlemen? My name is Eric Kanes and judgment day has come. For those of you who have been living under a rock, I have hosted a tournament called "The Greatest WrestleMania Match of All Time" over the past month. The finals were held this past week and the two matches that made it that far were Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 and Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 17. Before we move on, let's see what the people had to say:

"Austin vs Hart... Unlike Rock/Austin, the ending was perfect and there was no confusion. At WM17, Austin won, but a lot of the fans (including myself) were kind of like wtf just happened. Austin vs Hart also stole the show when it was not expected to. It had a definitive ending, showing Austin's defiance to quit and eventually passing out instead of quitting. At WM 17, Austin just beat the holy hell out of the Rock for about 30 seconds for the 123. Austin and Hart had a rare mid-level wrestlemania match that will always be remembered. At WM17, the entire show was based around Rock/Austin." - Matt Junghans

"i had to think this one through for some time,

Austin/Rock was an amazing match, right at the pinnacle of both men's careers, at the height of pro wrestling's popularity, and fiscally, and perhaps rightly proclaimed as the best match r between wrestling two of greatest ever with Austin's heel turn being a bit of a sour note.......on the other hand

Hart/Austin was a war between two men who showed everyone what wrestling was all about. it didn't need a gimmick, ken shamrock was barely a factor. hart and Austin delivered a match which the likes of hogan, flair, Michaels, undertaker, triple h, rock could only dream of.....you will probably hear many write about the double turn, the storytelling, the intensity, the fans reaction and so on, but i only have to say whenever i see that ICONIC image of Austin screaming in pain as blood gushes down his face....i wonder whether we will ever see that kind of magic again. 

as i wrote this , i realize my vote is for Austin/Hart....i was 15 when i saw that match and it reinvigorated my interest in wrestling" - VV Viv

"Austin vs Hart - for the future of the WWF/E, this was probably the most vital match in the entire history of the promotion - it led to the Attitude Era and the legend that is Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Austin vs The Rock match was fantastic, back and forth, and a greatly unexpected heel turn. But, as the main event it was meant to steal the show, whereas the Austin vs Hart match managed to change wrestling from below the main event. Fundamentally, without this match, there would be no Rock vs Austin Match at WM17, and either way it could not compare to this technical and violent masterpiece" - Callum Wiggins

"If all were fair in the world, then Austin vs. Hart would win. A 7 star match, it is easily the best WrestleMania match ever, in terms of pure ring work. Very few matches have had as much of a role to play, in shaping the course of the industry - it set the stage for the most successful face run ever. Unfortunately, I don't see it winning, and that is sad… but at least I have my peace that it made thus far." - Burn Again

"I'm surprised none of Shawn Michaels' matches are in the final two considering he's one of or probably the greatest wrestlemania performers of all time. and he's mr wrestlemania.that aside, my pick is Bret vs Steve Austin." - Jeff Arjen

"Austin vs Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

A good technical match, a hell of a blade job, good commentary, the moments where they focused on Stu and Alexandria, a good promo, the double turn, then the final moments where Shamrock slammed Bret, Austin stunning a doctor, the fan showing a finger to Bret,and Austin walking out on his own.

also i feel, in the Austin Rock match, McMahon did not hand Austin a chair on his own.. it felt more like Austin ordered McMahon and McMahon did not dare refuse.." - Varun B

So it seemed like Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin was the favorite. However, that is not exactly how things turned out. After over 450 votes, here are the final voting results:

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart (WM 13) (33.3%)

vs.

Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WM 17) (66.7%)

So there you have it. According to the Bleacher Report readers, the greatest WrestleMania match of all time is Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 17.

My thoughts?

I can't say that one is better than the other but both are in my top three. Austin/Hart had everything that is good about the wrestling business: two great competitors, a tremendous storyline, an extremely high workrate, plenty of crowd heat, one of the greatest blade jobs ever, and the greatest double turn in the history of the business.

Austin/Rock saw Austin capture the WWF Title after turning heel in a grueling, fast-paced match that was the culmination of the very successful Attitude era. That is not to mention that this was the main event of arguably the greatest PPV of all time.

Thanks for voting, everyone. This was the first time I did something like this and I enjoyed it a lot. You can definitely expect a similar tournament when SummerSlam season rolls around.

On a personal side note, I will be covering one of the WrestleMania matches tomorrow night, most likely the mixed tag. Make sure to stay tuned for that. I will be right back here tomorrow with more electrifying columns but until then, I'm out!

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