3. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1997)
It was no secret that WWE Champion Bret Hart was planning to bolt from the WWE for rival WCW at the end of 1997. Having suffered the humiliation of witnessing Madusa trash the WWE Womens Championship on live television, Vince McMahon was worried about the same thing happening with the companys most prestigious championship, and rightly so. It was tradition for a departing champion to put over the next champion and pass on the strap before leaving for another promotion, but this was at the height of the Monday Night War and it would have been easier a girl under the age of 12 in Jerry Lawlers locker room than a superstar actually abiding by time-honored wrestling traditions. As a result, Vince McMahon took matters into his own hands and orchestrated the infamous Montreal Screwjob, which saw McMahon calling for the bell to be rung even though Hart had obviously not tapped out to the Sharpshooter. Legend says that Hart refused to drop the title to Michaels in his home country of Canada, but that he was planning to do so at a later event. McMahon was unwilling to take the chance and screwed Hart out of the title. Afterward, Hart berated McMahon and spit on him in front of millions of viewers. The event would be significant because it was one of the first instances where Vince McMahon was acknowledged as the owner of the company, and he would undergo a transformation from enthusiastic play-by-play commentator to Mr. McMahon, perhaps the most sadistic heel in the history of the business.
Michael Hicks is a writer originally from Pittsburgh, PA. He has written for a number of websites about subjects ranging from professional wrestling to raw denim.
