8 Times WWE Turned Trash Into Treasure

1. Montreal Screwjob - Real-Life Treachery To McMahon Vs. Austin

Vince McMahon literally trashed Bret Hart by claiming 'Bret screwed Bret' in the aftermath of the infamous Montreal Screwjob at 1997's Survivor Series. Nobody could have predicted what happened next, least of all McMahon himself. Suddenly, he was the WWF's hottest heel.

Vince conspiring to remove the WWF Title from Hart at Survivor Series parlayed brilliantly into what is arguably still WWE's greatest ever rivalry. McMahon vs. Steve Austin was one of the most natural fits in history, so good in fact that it provided a template for pretty much every 'wrestler vs. authority figure' story to come.

Out of real-life treachery, McMahon banked millions by going up against the beer-drinking rebel. This was a war between authority and the common man, instantly capturing the collective imaginations of the wrestling world and turning an overwhelming negative (Bret's heartbreak) into a huge positive.

McMahon vs. Austin wouldn't have happened had Montreal not come first.

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When else have WWE rescued trash and turned it into treasure? Let us know what you think down in the comments section below!