Montreal Screwjob
As Montreal Screwjob the events around the main event of Survivor Series 1997, are the World Wrestling Federation championship title match between Bret Hart and challenger title holder Shawn Michaels called. This title match took place on 9 November at the Molson Centre in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) instead.
As a previously Screwjob of agreed output of a wrestling match is referred to in wrestling. The so-called Montreal Screwjob was a than the hitherto most important Screwjob in the history of wrestling, as he before a home crowd ended the career of Bret Hart in the WWF different than it was agreed between him and Vince McMahon.
History
The history began in the fall of 1996, when Bret Hart could not decide whether to stay for 1.5 million U.S. dollars a year more in the WWF (now WWE) or accept the offer by Ted Turner and go to WCW should. WWF boss Vince McMahon could not deal with this indecision and did not want to put everything on hard, risking only that this then it could switch to the competition after his WWF contract. McMahon gave Hart therefore officially a ten -year contract, and both agreed a short time later that Hart should remain a crowd favorite in Canada and Europe, but should make a Gimmickwechsel the heel to the public in the U.S.. Hart was henceforth to insult as a villain, the American wrestling fans due to its alleged glorification of violence and depraved youth and the neuausgearbeitete storyline Canada vs. USA represented towards the outside.
McMahon made hard but then in September 1997 it clear that the WWF was financially not as well positioned as the competition league WCW, and wanted to replace the previously completed a ten-year contract for another gutdotierten. Furthermore, McMahon Hart suggested its content to 30,000 U.S. dollars to cut per week and pay him the rest later when it came back better financially to the company. Hart did not respond to this proposal. He was now a five-time WWF Champion, which had only managed Hulk Hogan before him. Bret Hart had for the last 30 days of his contract, the creative control over his character and could determine how the match would end in the last month of his WWF career itself. McMahon made him the offer, he should lose his title at the Survivor Series and win him back for it on 12 December of the same year. He would be six -time champion and record holder to date. But the " Hitman" did not want to lose in front of the home crowd, but to end his career in the WWF Champion. It was agreed that there be a title defense on Sunday at the Survivor Series and Bret Hart should lose the title for it on the following Monday on Raw.
The match
Hart had now accepted the offer of WCW and signed the contract. He wanted to but keep in his last days in the WWF at the match sequences that were agreed with McMahon. However, McMahon assumed that WCW would present the now tied hard with a bang. He feared that Hart could change with the WWF champion belt to World Championship Wrestling, where decrease its value by he would throw him, for example, in a garbage can, was just as it did two years earlier WWF Women's Champion Alundra Blayze ( Madusa Micheli ). To prevent this, there was a secret agreement between McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Hart's counterparty to the referee Earl Hebner without knowledge Harts.
Towards the end of the actual matches Hart was from Michaels agreement according to its own submission hold, the Sharpshooter taken. Hart should really get out of this, but McMahon was Hebner a sign, whereupon he was ringing the bell ring and the match ended. Michaels won officially before the horrified eyes of the Canadian public, as well as a completely disillusioned Bret Hart, who conceived the sudden end of the match only moments later. So was Shawn Michaels new WWF Champion. When McMahon came to the ring after the match to congratulate the new champion Shawn Michaels, Hart spat in his anger about the outcome of the match, his boss from the ring face. This then disappeared along with Shawn Michaels and other officials from the hall and let the still visibly confused Bret Hart alone in the ring back, which his rage now left out on the equipment panel of commentators and subsequently also vanished into the catacombs.
Bret Hart went to the office now furious McMahon to ask this to task. This, however, had included. This is what Hart moved back to his dressing room. Shortly afterwards appeared McMahon to lead clear the air. But Hart threatened him to flogging, if he should not be gone until he had finished changing. However, since McMahon did not want to go, hard struck him after a brief scuffle a violent punch in the face.
Vince McMahon suffered while a swelling of the left eye and a concussion. In the rotated at this time TV documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows of Canadians confessed shortly after open: " The old man went into my own ... ok, I 've got a bit hurried along - I have so firmly slammed shut as I could. "
Epilogue
Vince McMahon was then hated figure of Canadian wrestling fans, and the scandal was treated several years later as the most talked about event of the wrestling sport. At the same time allowed the Montreal Screwjob it McMahon to contact the shows themselves in the spotlight and to decisively shape as malicious boss the events of the following years. At the Survivor Series in the following year the events were then caricatured with Mick Foley and The Rock. In the PlayStation 2 game Smackdown vs. Raw 2006, there were an allusion to Montreal.
For Shawn Michaels the events meant the rise of the undisputed villain of the WWF / WWE shows and the confirmation of all his critics that Michael put diva exemplary occurrence of the day when he should do dirty work for him. Only the multi-year injury layoff, his marriage and a demonstrative Christian way of life meant a change in the appearance and an approximation to the fans.
Earl Hebner was the friendship which united both for years denounced by Hart. Meanwhile Hebner and Hart have spoken and their relationship cemented professionally, but the longtime referee had to face up to his dismissal in 2005 with hostility from the fans, which him with the abusive chants of " You screwed Bret" ( "You have Bret cheated " ) thoughtful.
When WCW was bought in 2001 by the WWF, Bret Hart was already dropped out of the wrestling business. The reason for his resignation was a chronic concussion that he had sustained in a careless kick Bill Goldberg, from which also resulted in a stroke. Bret Hart had and all his fans swore by the Montreal Screwjob, never to return to work for the WWF / WWE or ever to occur again before a camera WWE. In December 2005, appeared the 3 DVD box Bret Hitman Hart - The best there is, the best there what and the best there ever will be. This DVD box set is so dedicated hard all his fans. In April 2006, Hart appeared in the context of a WWE promotion, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. This he did, although to thank all its loyal fans, but Bret Hart did not want the next day occur as usual when shooting into the Hall of Fame at WrestleMania, since, as he said, " is true to his word." On 4 January 2010, was the first to Bret Hart at WWE Raw. It was also the first public meeting between Hart and Michaels, which ended with a gesture of reconciliation. There followed an extended storyline with Vince McMahon, which ended with a match against Bret Hart Vince McMahon 28 March 2010 at WrestleMania 26. This match had little of Hart's former technical brilliance, but was almost a pure Brawl, which after many hard blows with a chair against McMahon to the delight of the audience hall, which could also cheered - winning frenetic. Thus, the Montreal Screwjob was " avenged " even before the cameras. Hart remained a few months before the WWE camera, but occurred only rarely in the ring.