The only time a wrestler might have not known the script
Montreal Screwjob
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Montreal screwjob)
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The "Screwjob"—
Earl Hebner call the bell as
Shawn Michaels holds
Bret Hart in the
Sharpshooter finishing move.
The
Montreal Screwjob was the
real life double-crossing of defending
WWF Champion Bret Hart by
Vince McMahon, the owner of the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF), during the
main event match of the
professional wrestling pay-per-view event
Survivor Series held on November 9, 1997 at the
Molson Centre in
Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada. A secret change of the match's pre-determined finish (known as a "
shoot screwjob" in
professional wrestling parlance) was devised by McMahon and discussed with Hart's match opponent,
Shawn Michaels. The plan was executed when the match referee,
Earl Hebner, under orders from McMahon, called for the bell to ring and ended the match as Michaels held Hart in the
Sharpshooter submission hold (Hart's signature finishing move), even though Hart had not submitted. Michaels was declared the victor by submission and crowned as the new WWF Champion.
In late 1997, McMahon informed Hart that financial problems would not allow him to keep Hart on at the same rate of pay under his recently signed 20 year contract. McMahon's fears that the offer of a lucrative contract from the WWF's chief competitor,
World Championship Wrestling (WCW), could lure Hart away from the WWF were realised when Hart signed a three-year deal with the company.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">
[1]</sup> While the decision was made with McMahon's blessing, the reason for the screwjob was rooted in this decision. Hart cited a clause in his contract that granted him "reasonable creative control" for the last thirty days of his WWF contract and was steadfast in his refusal to lose a match hosted in his home country of Canada, especially against Shawn Michaels, with whom he did not get along. McMahon remained insistent that Hart should lose to Michaels in Montreal, fearing that his company's business would suffer if WCW announced Hart as its latest signing while he still held the WWF Championship. Although Hart and McMahon agreed to a compromise on the match ending that allowed Hart to retain the title, McMahon was determined to remove the title from Hart.
The screwjob has garnered a notorious legacy both on-screen and off, and was partly chronicled in the
documentary film Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows. The far-reaching impact of the incident led to its adoption as a theme in matches and storylines of the WWF's
Attitude Era and the creation of the character, "
Mr. McMahon," the evil boss. Hart was ostracized from the WWF, while McMahon and Michaels continued to receive angry responses from audiences for many years. The relationship between Hart and McMahon later healed, however, culminating in Hart's induction on April 1, 2006 into the company's
Hall of Fame.