10 Reasons Why 1997 Was WWE's Most Important Year Ever

2. The Montreal Screwjob

What's there to say about Shawn Michaels beating Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1997 that hasn't been written and discussed many times over the last 17 years? When I wrote about the most famous matches ever, it took the #2 spot although as I wrote it there was a part of me that thought maybe it should be number one. Every wrestling fan knows about this match and has a strong opinion of it one way or another. Shawn Michaels had Bret Hart in the Sharpshooter, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell as WWE owner Vince McMahon told the timekeeper to "ring the f**king bell" and Michaels was handed the WWE Title. Some might say Bret Hart was wrong to refuse to put over Michaels the way Vince McMahon wanted because as a pro wrestler he should do what he was told. However, Bret had creative control at that point and he didn't want to put over Michaels because of disrespectful things that Michaels had said and done to him. On the other hand, some fans might feel like Vince McMahon was wrong for even booking the match knowing how much heat there was. Bret was okay with dropping the title the next night on Raw or at the next PPV in December. That wasn't good enough for Vince. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeTPQsBsE9Y Things could have been different. Would they have been better? Probably not. This was a real life angle that was unlike we had ever seen before and it happened a time when WWE could really use the attention from the wrestling world. They got it. McMahon embraced the heel owner role, Michaels was great as the obnoxious WWE Champion and they had a ready made next top guy in Steve Austin who they built up for WrestleMania 14. For Bret Hart and his fans, Survivor Series 1997 sucked. It tarnished his legacy. However, for WWE as a company it was one of the key moments in time that led to the company reaching that next level of success. It was the biggest show of 1997 for WWE. No question about that.