Darkseve: Memorable Moments in Wrestling (2)

The Montreal Screwjob was the real life and unscripted double-crossing of then defending WWF Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart by Vince McMahon (owner of WWF), during the main event match at Survivor Series. The pay-per-view was held on November 9, 1997 at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec. A secret change of the match's pre-determined finish (known as a "screwjob" in professional wrestling) was devised by McMahon and discussed with Hart's match opponent, Shawn Michaels. The plan was executed when the match referee, Earl Hebner, under orders from McMahon, called for the bell to ring and ended the match as Michaels held Hart in the Sharpshooter (Hart's signature finishing move), even though Hart had not submitted. Michaels was declared the victor by submission and crowned as the new WWF Champion, even as Hart and the audience demonstrated their outrage.

How it all begins

In October 1996, Hart declined a multi million offer from WCW, opting to sign an unprecedented 20-year deal that he had been offered by McMahon, which promised to make him the highest-paid wrestler in the company and secure him a major role with the company management following his retirement. Both Hart and the WWF saw the contract as an expression of mutual loyalty.

By mid-1997, the WWF was facing financial difficulties due to stiff competition from WCW, which had become the largest professional wrestling promotion in the United States. At the same time, McMahon's plans to take the WWF public required him to minimize any long-term financial commitments. Regretting his decision to offer Hart a long and expensive contract, McMahon began to defer payments to Hart while letting him know of the WWF's "financial peril". McMahon also began encouraging Hart to seek employment with WCW. McMahon had no issue with Hart taking his character of "The Hitman" to WCW, but he was worried about the possibility of him entering WCW as the WWF Champion. Hart eventually entered into negotiations with WCW after McMahon informed him that he would have to defer Hart's pay indefinitely. Hesitating out of feelings of loyalty, McMahon then informed Hart that the WWF would honor his contract if he chose to stay while Hart was considering WCW's offer. However when Hart and McMahon discussed about future plans and storylines, Hart was disappointed by McMahon's response and was particularly unhappy about the WWF's move towards more controversial subject matter, which the Federation would later call the "Attitude Era".

In late 1997, Bret Hart decided to leave Vince McMahon's WWF for it's main competitor, WCW. However Hart, who cited a clause in his contract that granted him "reasonable creative control" over his storied-line carrer, was steadfast in his refusal to lose a match hosted in his home country Canada, where he was widely regarded as a national hero and especially against Shawn Michaels, whom he did not get along in real life. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had several backstage arguments including a fight before a house show after Michaels implied that Hart was having an affair with WWF valet Sunny. After a show in San Jose, California on October 12, 1997, Hart spoke to Michaels about being professional and trusting one another in the ring. Hart said he would have no problem losing to Michaels if McMahon requested. When Michaels replied that he would never lose to Hart, Bret was shocked and became angry. This led to Hart's outright refusal to lose the WWF Championship to Michaels at Survivor Series 1997, in Montreal. McMahon on the other hand remained insistent that Hart should lose to Michaels in Montreal, fearing that his company's business would suffer if WCW announced Hart as its latest signing while he still held the WWF World title.

Although Hart and McMahon agreed to a compromise on the match ending that allowed Hart to retain the title, McMahon was determined to remove the title from Hart. The WWF owner was anxious over a possible reenactment of then-reigning WWF Women's Champion Alundra Blayze's defection to WCW in 1995, which resulted in her dropping the WWF Women’s Championship belt in a trash can before a live audience on WCW Monday Nitro.

Survivor Series 1997 main event: Pre-match build up

As part of their rivalry storyline, Michaels had repeatedly performed acts insulting the Canadian flag and Canadian fans, which had also upset Hart. Hart believed that a loss to his arch rival in his home country would be humiliating to him and conceivably affect his career in WCW. Wrestling fans also knew of Hart's long-standing personal difficulty with Michaels - Hart had been angered at Michaels's forfeiture of the WWF Championship on Monday Night RAW, which ruined plans for a Hart-Michaels rematch at WrestleMania 13 (Michaels defeated Hart at Wrestlemania 12 for the WWF title in a 60 minutes Iron Man match), where Hart claims that Michaels was expected to lose the title to him. Hart also believed that Michaels had faked a knee injury and talked about major surgery just to get out of their planned match at Wrestlemania 13. Michaels denied rumors that he did not want to lose to Hart. The recent storyline rivalry had also seen Michaels make insulting remarks about Hart's father Stu Hart, which had left Bret and others in the Hart family upset.

Hart continued to refuse to drop the title to Michaels, offering to lose the title anywhere in the U.S. prior to Survivor Series or to surrender the title to McMahon on the episode of Monday Night RAW the day after Survivor Series. After several disagreements, McMahon, Michaels and Hart all agreed to a proposal of a disqualification finish, which would be the result of a brawl between Hart's allies Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith (British Bulldog) with Michaels's allies Triple H, Rick Rude and Chyna, who would interfere in the match to aid Michaels. Hart would then hand over the title to McMahon the next day on RAW or lose it to Ken Shamrock. Hart also asked for and obtained McMahon's permission for an opportunity to explain his actions, his heel character, praise McMahon and the WWF and thus leave on good terms with the company and the fans.

However, On the Wednesday before the Survivor Series (which was to be held on Sunday), McMahon met with Michaels, Levesque (Triple H), and a close coterie of advisors in a hotel room in Montreal and planned the screwjob. It is unclear how many people knew of the impending screwjob, but McMahon's close aides Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter had been involved in the planning. In addition, McMahon and Michaels contrived to keep Pat Patterson in the dark, owing to his close relationship with Hart. Hart and Michaels had met with Patterson to discuss the match setup and plan, during which Hart agreed to allow Michaels to put him into the sharpshooter hold at a time when the referee would be unconscious. The rest of the match was planned to proceed thus: Hart would grab Michaels' foot and reverse the hold, putting him in the sharpshooter. Michaels would submit to the hold, but the referee would still be unconscious. Hart would let go of the hold to try to revive the referee, but Michaels would hit Hart with his finisher, the Sweet Chin Music, and make the pin. A second referee would then run to the ring with Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, and Davey Boy Smith following close behind. The second referee would start the count, but Hart and Smith would break the pin. The original referee would then recover and start to make the count, but Hart would kick out, setting up about five more minutes of brawling that would result in a disqualification.

Michaels later suggested to McMahon that the screwjob be executed when he was holding Hart in the sharpshooter, with the referee getting up and calling for the bell, making it appear as if Hart had submitted to the hold. According to Michaels's account of the events, match referee Earl Hebner had been informed (by Michaels) of the plan only on Sunday evening, just as Survivor Series was about to commence.

Survivor Series 1997 main event: The infamous screwjob

Tensions and excitement were high as the wrestlers and officials congregated for Survivor Series. Hart was anxious over the match finish and had been warned of the prospect of a screwjob by his brother-in-law and Hart Foundation member Jim Neidhart as well as Vader, who had experienced similar situations while wrestling in Japan. They advised Hart to be alert, not lie on his back for too long, kick out from pinfall counts immediately so as to avoid a fast count, and not allow himself to be placed in submission holds. Hart said that his fears were largely assuaged because he was close friends with referee Earl Hebner and trusted him implicitly. Asked by Hart, Hebner reportedly swore by his children that he would never double-cross Hart and that he would rather quit his job than participate in a screwjob.

The Molson Centre in Montreal was sold out, with more than 20,000 fans in attendance. Rumors of Hart's imminent departure from WWF had leaked and consequently heightened the fan interest in the match. The mixed signals and a war of words between Hart, McMahon, Michaels and WCW further heightened anticipation. Emotions were also running high due to the Hart-Michaels rivalry and the "USA vs. Canada" storyline. WWF officials ordered the deployment of a large number of company agents around the ring as a precaution if Hart decided to attack Michaels or McMahon in reaction to the double-cross. Highly unusual for any wrestling match, the deployment was explained on television as a necessary precaution in wake of the intense animosity between Hart's and Michaels' characters.

Michaels' entrance was greeted by loud booing and upon entering the ring, he proceeded to rub the Canadian flag against his crotch, picked his nose with it and later humped it—Michaels maintains that this flag desecration was actually suggested by Hart as an effective way to draw heat and emotion. The palpable anger of the fans was converted into raucous cheering as Hart entered the ring carrying the Canadian flag and wearing the championship belt. However, Hart was visibly disturbed when segments of the crowd that were aware of his move to WCW jeered him with chants of "You sold out!" as the match progressed.

As the match began, Hart and Michaels fought outside the ring and into the crowd, while being followed by McMahon and WWF officials. As the climax of the match approached, the two wrestlers returned to the ring while WWF officials continued to order more personnel to ringside. Michaels pushed Hebner in front of him as Hart jumped from the top turnbuckle, sending all three men flat to the canvas. Michaels and Hart both got up, but Michaels raked Hart's eye, sending Hart back to the mat. Michaels then proceeded to grab Hart's legs to put on the sharpshooter. At this point, the match director was heard shouting instructions into his headset for Hebner to get up, but Hart did not notice anything amiss. Mike Chioda, the referee who was supposed to run in after Hebner was unconscious, began yelling back that Hebner was not supposed to be up yet. Pat Patterson reacted in a similar way, and Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith, who were waiting for their cues to run in, remained backstage in a state of confusion.

Michaels was then seen by many viewers as having glanced at Hebner as he put Hart in the sharpshooter, which some saw as proof that he was in on the scheme. Contrary to their agreed plan, Michaels tightened the hold and refused to offer his own leg to Hart for the latter to break out of the hold. At that moment, Hebner got to his feet, looked toward the timekeeper, and shouted, "Ring the bell!" McMahon then elbowed the timekeeper hard and yelled, "Ring the f**king bell!" The timekeeper rang the bell just as Hart reached forward and grabbed Michaels's leg, which broke the hold and caused Michaels to fall. Michaels's theme music then began playing and the ring announcer declared him the winner and the new WWF Champion.

After an initial moment of shock, Hart immediately turned and spat directly in McMahon's face, while Michaels feigned confusion. Michaels was ordered by McMahon to "pick up the belt and get out of here!" Acting as if he were angered, Michaels left the arena with Brisco and Triple H. McMahon and most other WWF officials also quickly made their way backstage as an angry Hart smashed cameras, monitors and ringside equipment. Fans in attendance also began to vent their fury on McMahon and WWF officials; a few even heaped garbage on them and some who were close enough pushed Michaels as he hurried backstage. Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith came out to the ring and had a conversation with Hart after calming him down. Hart proceeded to sign "W-C-W" and "I love you" to the cheering fans before returning backstage.

Survivor Series 1997 main event: Backstage

Hart proceeded to the dressing room to shower and change after discovering that McMahon, Brisco, and Slaughter had locked themselves in McMahon's office. When McMahon went to Hart's dressing room and tried to explain himself, Hart angrily rebuffed him and warned him to leave immediately or risk being punched. An altercation ensued, with Hart punching McMahon in his face and dropping him to the floor. Vince's son Shane McMahon and Brisco struggled briefly with Hart and Davey Boy Smith, Hart told them to take McMahon and leave or risk similar consequences. Hart angrily asked McMahon if he was also going to screw him on the pay he was still owed, to which a groggy McMahon replied in the negative.

Michaels and Levesque were later confronted and assailed by angry fans outside the Molson Centre and in the lobby of their hotel. While Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, and Owen Hart had flown out of Montreal with Bret Hart.

McMahon faced a major revolt in the WWF locker room. Most wrestlers were outraged at him and threatened to boycott RAW or leave the company altogether. McMahon addressed a meeting in an effort to mollify the wrestlers who had been outraged that a WWF veteran had been double-crossed by McMahon - many feared for their own future and were suspicious of McMahon. McMahon sought to explain that Hart had been disregarding the company's interests. By refusing to drop the title in Montreal, McMahon claimed Hart was jeopardizing the company's future by creating a potentially embarrassing situation that could affect its fortunes. The potential revolt was also quelled by Bret Hart's counsel to wrestlers who asked him about boycotting RAW or leaving the company altogether. Hart however advised them to fulfill their contractual obligations and not risk their own future over the episode.

On the next RAW taping, McMahon gave a televised interview to commentator Jim Ross, explaining his version of events and making the now-infamous statement "Vince McMahon didn't screw Bret Hart. Bret screwed Bret."

While on WCW Nitro, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels were criticized by commentators Mike Tenay and Tony Schiavone. Appearing on WCW Nitro, former Michaels ally Rick Rude also criticized Michaels by name. Despite the television shows and considerable antagonism from the fans, both Michaels and Levesque continued to deny any knowledge or involvement in the screwjob for several years when discussing the episode in real-life interviews.

The Aftermath

The Montreal Screwjob's impact defined later storylines and rivalries. WWF successfully tapped fan outrage at Vince McMahon by creating the persona of "Mr. McMahon"-an authoritarian, arrogant heel boss who imposed his own will and authority on rebellious characters such as Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Bret Hart's entry into WCW had been hailed at the time as a major coup for the company but it subsequently failed to utilize his popular appeal. Hart's active wrestling career ended in 2000 after he suffered a serious concussion during a match with Bill Goldberg.

After dropping the WWF title to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV in 1998, Michaels was forced into retirement for 4 years because of serious neck and back injuries. After a long period of rehabilitation, Michaels returned to the ring in 2002 as a changed man, a born-again christian in real life.

Many fans and wrestling observers believed WWE had been making admends to Bret Hart since 2004. Canadian wrestler and long-time Hart family friend Chris Benoit's victory over Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX that won him the World Heavyweight Championship and in the later match in Edmonton Canada, Shawn Michaels submitted to Benoit's application of the sharpshooter hold, were considered by several wrestling observers and fans as a symbolic apology to Hart and Canadian fans.

After weeks of speculation, WWE announced in late August 2005 that Bret Hart and WWE had agreed to collaborate on a DVD project chronicling Hart's wrestling career. In subsequent interviews, Hart attributed his decision to his desire to be remembered for his storied career that spanned two decades.

Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2006. Hart would later return to WWE television on the June 11, 2007 edition of RAW, where he appeared in a taped promo spot mocking Mr. McMahon's "appreciation night".