10 Wrestling Moments That Changed Everything
6. Bret Hart Roughs Up Vince McMahon
Bret Hart was the one hinted at during the intro to this piece. He got there before Steve Austin did when it came to getting up in Vince McMahon's face on Raw.
The 21 July 1997 episode, to be exact, was one of the first times fans had witnessed McMahon getting physical with one of his stars. In truth, some didn't even know he was the actual WWF owner. Until that point, Vince had always been presented as a happy-go-lucky, inoffensive announcer better known for chuckling his way through broadcasts than squaring off with wrestlers.
A change was coming, and it'd ultimately lead to McMahon becoming the WWF's top heel for the next few years. At the time though, few (including Vince) knew that was the plan. It's interesting that the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" forced his hand and led to him becoming a regular on screen character - interesting because that didn't appear to be the plan when Hart slapped his headset away in July.
Still, this was the first taste of McMahon as a character willing to get his hands dirty. The deafening crowd response must have told him that it was the way forward.