12 WWE Flashpoints That Led To The Montreal Screwjob

10. WrestleMania XIII

The plan for the WrestleMania XIII main event was a rematch of the Hart-Michaels classic from the previous year, the idea being that Hart would get his win back against Michaels, setting up a huge rubber match between the two. Unfortunately, that scenario never played out. In February 1997, Michaels announced that he had a severe knee injury that may very well threaten his in-ring career. He cried, handed over the WWE title to Vince McMahon during a memorable episode of Raw and proceeded to announce that he had "lost his smile" and needed to go find it. Some believed they had seen the end of Shawn Michaels for the time being but in reality, what they had witnessed was one man handing over his title without ever losing it. It was not the first time Michaels had done such a thing. Instead of wrestling Michaels at 'Mania, Hart was booked against Steve Austin in a Submission match. The two of them had been embroiled in a heated feud for months at their battle in Chicago was the next chapter in their intense program. Hart won the match via referee's decision, then sat back in the locker room and watched Michaels make his way to the ring to guest commentate during the main event. There was no noticeable limp or any sign of a knee injury. In fact, Michaels danced around the ring and performed his trademark pose for the fans, most of whom cheered him despite what was effectively an F-you to anyone who bout into his act weeks earlier. Michaels' display was something that Hart kept stored away in his memory and is something he would regularly pull out in an attempt to portray Michaels as a lying, manipulative backstage politician.