Triple H's 10 Most Notorious Urban Legends

2. The Survivor Series 1997 Screwjob Of Bret Hart Was His Idea

Story: There are so many theories and opinions about the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels match at Survivor Series 1997 that it's hard to know what is true at this point. All we really know is that Bret had no idea that he was going to lose the way he did that night and because of that "The Montreal Screwjob" has taken on a life of its own. When WWE published a Shawn Michaels autobiography in 2005, he mentioned that it was Triple H's idea to come up with the Screwjob. Others have claimed to come up with it too, including WhatCulture's very own Vince Russo. There have been stories that maybe it was Gerald Brisco that came up with it because he was one of Vince McMahon's closest confidants. The quote attributed to Triple H in the scenario was this: "F**k him. If he doesn't want to do business, you do business for him." On the Hart/Michaels Rivalry DVD, Michaels admitted that he only thought a few three or four people knew about it beforehand, but he didn't know if it was true. Why People Believe It: Hunter has always had a great mind for the business. He's also the best friend of Michaels and at that time he was especially close with him, so he definitely could have suggested it. Should We Believe It: This is a tough one because it's one of those things where there's really no way of knowing for sure unless Vince McMahon gives the answer. He's the only one that would know who suggested it whether it was Russo, Brisco, Triple H or Shawn. For all we know it was Russo that got it in Vince's ear, then Hunter ended up suggesting it to Shawn and then Vince. There's really no way of knowing for sure although it wouldn't be that surprising if it was Hunter. It should be noted all these years later that Bret has been very critical of Hunter and called him an average wrestler, so there's still bitterness there.