10 Most Shocking WWE Survivor Series Moments
1. The Montreal Screwjob (1997)
Never mind Survivor Series: the Montreal Screwjob is one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.
It's an easy, easy pick for the number one spot, and perhaps a predictable one, but few moments have ever impacted WWE quite like the night Vince McMahon sent Bret Hart packing in the most humiliating way imaginable.
It was unlike anything the fans had ever seen before. Confusion reigned as Earl Hebner called for the bell with Hart trapped in a Sharpshooter, and Shawn Michaels was announced as the new WWE Champion. The head official bailed, and a bewildered 'Hitman' struggled to make sense of what had happened, marching over to Vince McMahon, and spitting right in his face.
Hart traced "W-C-W" with his fingers, trashed the ringside area. The fourth wall was blown to pieces. It was one of the messiest divorces the sport has ever seen, and opened a wound that took over a decade to heal, with Hart not returning to WWE until January 2010.
It's almost impossible to do the Montreal Screwjob justice, so deep was its web and far-reaching were its consequences, but Survivor Series will never produce such shock again. It changed wrestling forever, with Vince creating his iconic 'Mr. McMahon' character on the back of the fans' outrage, ushering in the Attitude Era's most successful period, while a miserable Hart languished in WCW.