Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin

[5.0] "Nowhere as good as their Wrestlemania classic. I found it to be rather dull and went on for too long, with a terrible finish on top of that. I don't know why this main evented over Taker/Mankind with that finish."

[7.0] "Similar to their Mania 13 in some ways but the magic that was there for their first two matches isn't here but that's not to say it's a bad match. It's a good match that serves its purpose of continuing the Bret Austin story that unfortunately never got a proper ending. I'm pretty sure one of if not both guys are working legitimately hurt here so the match isn't as I guess you can say exciting but I personally enjoyed it nonetheless. The post match angle with Austin and the whole hart foundation was awesome. 3.75/5"

[9.0] "Truly a hidden gem. Austin vs. Bret on an In Your House show sounds unbelievable, but perhaps the most overlooked part of their legendary feud is this match. Austin and Bret waste no time attacking each other and start fighting. Austin getting the upper hand in the fight gives him the opportunity to beat Bret, and that is exactly what he does, but Bret's sharp mind manipulates Austin's impulsiveness and with a chair he captures, he destroys Austin's knee. Bret's limb-attacking focus combined with Austin's excellent selling deepens the psychological layers. Austin obsessively tries to return to Bret what Bret did to him at WM 13 and locks in the Sharpshooter, but due to Owen and Bulldog a rational DQ finish emerges. Post-match, Austin attacking Bret's leg is a powerful revenge moment. Excellent psychology, character work, storytelling, brawling & technical combination, brilliant limb work and selling. Austin vs. Bret. Is there anything more to say? ****"

[7.0] "Something first to say, this is after their classic of WrestleMania 13, How can you top that? And then this match was not as good as the WrestleMania one but it had it's things like they kept it full rhythm, and I was worried about a spot where Bret receives a pile driver and he fell back but apparently he kept the match, then in the end British Bulldog ends it, when a match is good, the worst is to end it in a DQ like here. 7/10 [****1/4]"

[6.0] "The black sheep of their PPV trilogy. And for good reason. On the plus side, Austin's selling is amazing and they really make this one feel like a down and dirty fight. They're both cheating, they're both doing whatever they have to to hurt and put the other out. The Survivor Series match is a wrestling match, the Wrestlemania match is a work of art all around, and this is the fight. And while this is still an excellent outing, everything they do here we've seen before in their prior two encounters and seen better there. Additionally, having a match where both guys throw the rule book out the window only to end in a DQ is colossally stupid. Bad booking is a theme of this PPV. So yes, this is still a very good match without a doubt. It just can't measure up to either previous match and is filled with nonsense that drags it down. Fun for the novelty, but there is really no reason to watch this one over either of their bigger encounters."

[7.0] "The WWF was starting to rebound from the "dark days" of 1995 here thanks to Steve Austin's ascension. His feud with Hart was the catalyst for business going up and the screwjob shot it into the straosphere. This match may have been their weakest PPV effort, but it was still better than watching anything Mantaur ever did."

[8.0] "Not as good as their two previous matches at WM 13 and SS '96 but still it was a enjoyable match. Austin started beating Hart at first but after a while Bret got the upper hand and started working on Austin's injured knee. The match ended as a DQ after Bulldog hit Austin with a chair, which protected both wrestlers i guess. Overall a nice match which is worth watching and pretty much saved the PPV from being a 1 match show."

[6.0] "Like the previous match on the card, this match is apparently no count out, low blows are ok, you can hit the official, and you can use a chair with impunity. The audience is mostly disinterested in this. While not a bad match, it drags in sections and is inferior compared to these two's other outings. Plus it has a run-in finish despite all the dq-able stuff happening earlier."

[6.0] "It lacks the electricity and gravitas of their previous matches at Survivor Series '97 and WrestleMania 13, especially the latter. This match feels more like a cold, open-ended epilogue to their rivalry. The pacing is slower, and the crowd's lack of energy doesn't help. The blatant cheating in front of the referee, who takes no action, and the disappointing disqualification finish are particularly frustrating for a main event PPV. Despite these issues, their undeniable chemistry is still evident and the in-ring action is great. While not essential viewing in their rivalry, fans of both wrestlers and those interested in their history will find it worth watching."

[8.0] "Very good match that picks up on the intensity from the great Taker-Mankind match that led into it and helps make the show worth the watch. Stakes were high and the in-ring action delivered, even liked the finish contextually even though DQs are always a little disappointing."

[9.0] "not quite as great as the other two matches but a fantastic brawl between arguably the greatest brawlers of the era, Bret's unmatched ring storytelling and selling helps Austin as well, only real weakness is lesser time and DQ finish"

[8.0] "It may have ended by DQ and had to follow up two matches that was impossible to top, but this was still a hell of a match! My only issue with it really is that the refs was a little too lax when it came to some of the illegal shots, but you could also say it lead to a better match. Bret Hart is a different beast as a heel. The way he continues to target Austin knee is like a surgeon. He is absolutely relentless throughout the match and is very creative with his offense, at one point using what would become his trademark figure four around the ring post. He removes Austin's knee brace to punish him even further. I liked how he applies the figure four which he is clearly doing to weaken Austin, they are seriously playing it up on commentary that Austin would never give up, but could pass out through the pain like he did at Wrestlemania. It is tremendous action and the selling from Austin seriously puts over how strong Hart's offense is. Austin is like a machine in this and I loved that nothing about his style really changed since turning face. He is like a Rottweiler with his brawling style and doesn't think twice about using underhanded tactics in order to get an advantage! Austin finally had it won with the Sharpshooter before Owen and Bulldog eventually got involved and even after the match he continues to attack Bret and gets him again with it. The war between Austin and the Harts continues on and I'm loving it."

[6.0] "The finishing moments were great, but like in a previous match I was rolling me eyes every time they gave the referee a reason to disqualify both of the guys or count them out. It wasn't so obvious though as in Mankind vs Taker, so it was a better watch, plus these two are much better wrestlers. Bret working on Austin's leg just to get caught in a Sharpshooter was a phenomenal spot and I wish that they put more effort in making previous things as believable as this. The DQ finish didn't bother me much as the aftermath was fantastic, but it's a third bullshit finish on this show."

[8.0] "Easily the weakest of their three PPV matches.....and it's still pretty dang good, all things considered. These two just didn't miss in the ring together, even with lower stakes at play, and injuries affecting performances. A really fun match that sadly doesn't get the spotlight it deserves."

[5.0] "I counted four moments of blatant cheating directly in front of the referee with no explanation... hard to suspend your disbelief watching this match. I don't know how they could have topped their WrestleMania 13 match, but it wasn't like this."

[7.0] "Russo's influence can clearly be felt on this show as 3 out of 5 matches on this card ended with either a DQ or a count-out! We have to deal with more blatant cheating in front of the referee here too, with Austin just straight-up hitting Bret with a low blow as Earl Hebner has to quickly pretend to look away. My gripes about the booking aside, this was a PPV match between two of the best ever, so the match itself wasn't going to suck at least. Much like their Wrestlemania 13 match, they open the match with some excellent brawling. This was smartly worked, with a great emphasis being put on limbwork as Bret systematically tears apart Austin's damaged knee. Austin's knee giving out when he attempts to land a piledriver was a great bit of long-term selling. I thought the finish here was flat. Bulldog nails Austin with the chair as he has Bret locked in the sharpshooter. Not quite on the level of their Survivor Series '96 or Wrestlemania 13 classic, this was still a fun yet flawed main event."

[8.0] "Earlier in the night, Doc Hendrix was interviewing Marc Mero and Sable and in the background we see Austin head into the bathroom and then a lot of noise as Owen and Bulldog run out of the bathroom with weapons and they do hilarious double takes at the camera before taking off. Austin has a messed up knee but he says the match is on. This is probably the most forgotten about of the Hitman/Austin PPV matches and it's a bit of a hidden treasure. Bulldog and Owen are barred from ringside. Both guys fight outside and Bret goes into the steps. They fight out into ringside and Bret gets knocked around then sent back over the railing. Bret gets pummeled all over the place until he gets a chair and smacks Austin in the knee and works that portion of the body for the next few moments. Bret even gets the ring post figure four, which even if it is fake it looks like it hurts like a bitch. Austin gets some token offense but Bret just kicks him in the knee to drop him and continues. Hart yanks off the knee brace to cause even more damage. Austin gets a low blow but misses an elbow followup and Bret is back to the knee. Austin uses some wrist tape. Austin on the apron, Bret suplexes him back in. Bret with a figure four but Austin counters it. Bret wraps the bad leg around the post. They fight outside where Austin drops Bret across the railing then clotheslines him from the apron. Bret does his chest first crash into the corner. Austin tries a piledriver but the knee craps out. Bret Superplexes Austin then goes for the sharpshooter for the first time. Austin grabs his knee brace off the mat and smacks Bret in the face then puts on the sharpshooter. The families back and Bulldog manages to get into the ring with a chair and lays out Austin drawing a dq. Total chaos! Bret goes outside and grabs the ring bell he takes a swing at Austin but Steve grabs the chair and smacks Bret right in the knee in convincing fashion and puts Bret in a wheelchair for a couple of weeks. Austin smacks him again and puts the boots to him. Bret, crippled gets helped out and Austin celebrates. That was nuts start to finish. Even with the DQ finish, it's a solid 8/10 stars!"

[8.0] "With a better finish, I would've liked this more but this was still really good, with a phenomenal heel performance by Bret Hart. Austin ultimately wins the opening brawl but Bret takes control when he starts damaging his left knee of Austin and focuses his control on that the rest of the way, in which Austin sold well by limping all throughout the match.This being really good and yet still not being near WM13 and SS96 is a testament to the chemistry that these two had.****1/4"

[8.0] "It was another example where these two stole the show with the match the night. With a more decisive finish this one could have approached the five-star level. Since it was a DQ, it hurt it a bit. Great selling by Austin and fantastic the story of the match which was Austin's injured left knee being worked on by Bret Hart. I like Bret Hart as a heel it's something different than what he used to be. ****1/4"

[8.0] "For most wrestlers this match would be a career highlight, but it was only middling for a match between these two. Heel Bret Hart was the best Bret Hart, although that did lead to yet another dumb finish on the show. I mean, why was the save necessary, Bret would never submit to his own hold, right... A great match to continue a rivalry that should have gone on for longer."

[6.0] "Yet another great match between Hart and Austin. Nowhere near the level of their 2 prior matches, but this was still enjoyable. They had an intense fight while being convincing enough to keep fans invested. Also some nice callbacks to their previous battles, which I appreciated. Worth a watch. ***1/4"

[9.0] "A smidge below their most famous matches, but I love the storytelling around Austin's knee and his selling is extremely excellent."

[6.0] "Not bad, but I found this match to be extremely underwhelming, especially after watching their first two matches. Nothing really happened other than some brawling and limb work, and on top of that, there was no finish. Maybe with more time this could have been better, but to me, it felt like it never got out of second gear. ***1/4"

[8.0] "This was really good although not even close to the classic these two had at Wrestlemania a month prior but still really good. The leg work was just incredible by Bret and Austin sold it extremely well and that told the fantastic story here. The crowd was hot for parts of this but in this match as a whole. These two just simply can't have a bad match together and this is an example of that. (***1/2)"

[7.0] "A match that feels less complete than the other at Wrestlemania. Good Wrestling but too many interferences and a disappointing ending. ***3/4"

[8.0] "4 Stars. A very good match. The only thing that stopped it from being 5 Stars was the finish."