WWE In 1997 | Wrestling Timelines

3. November 17 | Bret Screwed Bret

Vince McMahon tries to babyface himself in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob. In a sit-down interview, Vince infamously says “Bret screwed Bret. I have no sympathy whatsoever for Bret”. 

This is an unwitting heel promo, and a fantastic one. McMahon doesn’t grasp that the WWF fans still love Bret, a feeling intensified by his absence and the nature of his exit. The WWF fans love Bret more than the WCW fans, even. 

For all the talk of attitude and revolutions and brand new ways of doing things, Vince takes the most simplistic, tried-and-true route there is. He senses that he is becoming unpopular, aligns with audience sentiment, and, sensing the magic of September 22, slowly turns heel. It makes sense - the story demands it, he’s a sensational onscreen performer, and like the best characters he is essentially playing himself - and there’s also the Eric Bischoff of it all. Vince wanting to beat Easy E at his own heel authority figure game is almost certainly a consideration, and he wins that war, too: grim as it is to acknowledge in 2026, Mr. McMahon in 1998 becomes one of the absolute best heels ever. He is a hammy, sinister, blackly hilarious force of nature.