Bret Hart on Steve Austin's WrestleMania 38 Plans, Reflects on Their WrestleMania 13 Classic

Bret Hart spoke with Sports Illustrated this week ahead of WrestleMania 38, which will see "Stone Cold" Steve Austin appear on The KO Show in what both he and Owens have promised will eventually turn into a fight. Hart and Austin's WrestleMania 13 classic officially turned 25-years-old last week, a match that saw Hart turn heel while Austin continued his ascendance to becoming the biggest star of WWE's Attitude Era. Hart spoke fondly of the match, saying it was "the greatest song I ever sang."

"The funniest thing about that match, and it will probably surprise people, is that we ran out of ideas when we tried to map out the match. It was all submissions, so there was no one-two-kickout," Hart said. "Taking away the pin falls removed a lot of the element of suspense. But we'd always had great chemistry, so we entered the match with confidence. If you look at our match from the Survivor Series in '96, some people argue that was an even better match. What we had was a storyline and two characters who were destined to cross paths. At that time, Steve was becoming a huge force and was just about ready to break through to a level that few wrestlers ever reach. I was lucky to be there at the right place and right time with him. The match with Steve, that's the greatest song I ever sang. When I watch it back, I wouldn't change a thing. I still love seeing that spot where I'm punching the daylights out of Steve in the corner and he kicks me in the groin. It was a beautiful, violent piece of art. Working with Steve was easy, it was fun, and it was memorable."

He was also asked about Austin's appearance at WrestleMania this Saturday — "I'm looking forward to it. I'm proud of him. It takes a lot of courage to come back and do what he's trying to do. I'll be there to cheer him on."

Austin has appeared at numerous WrestleManias since his in-ring retirement at WrestleMania XIX, but this marks the first time WWE is promising he'll get physical since that 2003 clash with The Rock. What are you expecting from his segment with Owens? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!