When Shawn Michaels left Montreal with the WWF Championship without ever actually making Bret Hart tap out, the pieces were set in motion for the creation of one of the most iconic character in WWF history. Despite not knowing exactly what to expect in terms of reaction, Mr. McMahon became the most hated person in the wrestling world almost overnight. Capitalizing on fans anger, Mr. McMahon went on public record with the Bret screwed Bret promo, further angering fans and employees alike. In doing so, while he did anger many longtime WWF supporters and even caused some of his employees to quit, he created arguably the greatest character of all time: the evil, ego-driven boss character, who abuses his power to get everything he wants and stops at nothing to do so (even wrestling his own daughter). Beforehand, Mr. McMahon was simply a commentator, and seldom, if ever, showed any bias towards one wrestler or another. For on-air authority figures, there were people like Gorilla Monsoon or Jack Tunney, who never took that role as far as Vince did. Vinces biggest claims to fame at that time were performing in the video Stand Back and his overuse of the phrase what a maneuver. In this new role, McMahon favored his own, hand-picked favorites, and punished the fan favorites, particularly Austin. This boss-employee feud was especially popular because of how it resonated with ordinary viewers. Have you ever had a terrible boss who berated you or treated you unfairly, and you felt powerless to do anything about it? The McMahon-Austin feud allowed many people to escape their own realities and enter a new one where the boss was getting embarrassed and the anti-hero rebel have him a Stunner whenever he could. Had the Montreal Screwjob not taken place, many things would have been wildly different. If Vince was never revealed as the CEO of the WWF/E, whom would Stone Cold Steve Austin have feuded with? While there were many wrestlers at the time that were more than capable heels, none of then drew the ire of fans the way Mr. McMahon did. He wasnt a wrestler, but was more powerful than the strongest of wrestlers. Whether or not Vince McMahon foresaw the backlash from the Montreal Scrwejob is irrelevant. When it was there, he capitalized on it and changed the course of the WWE, by becoming the evil corporate boss that everyone just loved to hate.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
