8 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About The Montreal Screwjob
The controversial moment provides conflicting stories.
A full generation has passed since the fateful night of November 9, 1997. Yet, to many wrestling fans that had what would become known as "The Montreal Screwjob" anywhere near their frame of vision, the incident provides many talking points to this day.
It's professional wrestling's equivalent of the Kennedy assassination, where questions about what actually happened still ring long after, and conspiracy theories continue to burrow through the woodwork.
Through the various perspectives of the principals involved, from Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels to Vince McMahon to every secondary player, different sides of the stories have been told. Through conflicting claims, the truth about what actually happened in both the planning and the actual 'hit' can be a bit murky.
These contradictions have led to the curious readers and fans assuming some things about the incident that just simply are not true.
In the forthcoming Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners And Screwjobs (dispatching on June 1st for pre-orders now!), WhatCulture's James Dixon and I thoroughly break down the entire Montreal incident, from the first sign of trouble in paradise regarding Hart's WWE contract status, through the fallout of everybody directly involved.
As a little taste of what readers can expect out of the book, here's a little primer on Montreal itself, specifically what one should not believe.
8. Bret Wanted To Leave WWE Over Creative Direction
Even as WWE was veering off into smuttier storylines and presentation, something that Hart admits he was lamenting from his longtime employer, he was by all means happy to stay on with his wrestling home of thirteen-plus years.
When Hart re-signed with WWE for a twenty-year contract in the fall of 1996 that would pay out $10.5M in total, he was actually due to make $4.5M over the next three years as a wrestler. Had he signed with WCW at the time, he would have made between $7M-$9M in that same time frame.
Hart was goaded out the door by McMahon, who was claiming an inability to pay out Hart's contract, starting in the summer of 1997. McMahon flat out told Hart he was intending to breach the deal, and urged Hart to try and see if Eric Bischoff would make him the same offer from the previous year.
In reality, McMahon was trying to get Hart's large obligation off the books to make the company attractive for when he eventually went public with the stock market.