Dr. K's Waiting Room

The Build-Up:
Wielding incredible backstage power in the then-World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF), “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels built an eclectic list of rivals over the years but none were more personal than Bret “Hitman” Hart. Their in-ring and backstage antagonism escalated following their polarising WrestleMania XII Iron Man match, which sparked a blood feud that saw Bret adamantly refuse to drop the WWF Championship in his homeland ahead of his departure to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and placed WWF Chairman Vince McMahon in a questionable position that would change the wrestling landscape forever.

The Match:
After being walked through the arena by his D-Generation X flunkies, Chyna, Triple H, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude, the cocky European Champion Shawn Michaels sauntered out alone to chorus of unanimous boos. In comparison, WWF Champion Bret Hart was met by rapturous applause after being led out by his Hart Foundation brethren, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and the British Bulldog, especially as he proudly carried the Canadian flag and greeted his fellow countrymen. The bitter rivals immediately flew at each other and threw hands, ending with HBK being clotheslined outside and bashed into a ring post, smacked off the ring steps, and battered amidst the decidedly pro-Bret crowd all before the bell rang! Perhaps to help manage the chaos, Vince McMahon, WWF Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter, and a gaggle of referees appeared at ringside as HBK turned the tide by smacking Hart off the announce table and steel steps and choking Bret with an extension cord. HBK threw the Hitman back into the crowd to continue the assault, though Hart regained control by tossing HBK over the barricade, going low, and reversing a piledriver to smack Shawn’s spine on the ramp. The Hitman then doubled down with a suplex to the concrete, though HBK strangely shrugged this off to attack the referees, leaving him open for Hart’s assault, which ended with HBK being battered with a fire extinguisher! Bret also took shots at the referees as they desperately tried to get the competitors in the ring. Bret then smacked Shawn by the entranceway, glared at McMahon, and finally dragged Shawn into the ring and choked him with a fan’s flag after the bell rang. Bret had his way with the helpless Shawn, landing a leg drop and an inverted atomic drop, though HBK fired back with a flying forearm out of nowhere and a punt to Hart’s face!

After a follow-up stomp, Shawn returned the favour by choking Bret with the flag and mocked the booing crowd between attacking the Hitman. Tossed back outside, Hart was powerless to avoid Shawn’s jabs and a front suplex onto the steel steps. HBK then snapped the Canadian flagpole and drove it into Bret’s throat before rolling him into the ring and hitting a diving axehandle. A front facelock grounded the action, forcing Bret to fight out with a front toss and frantically target Shawn’s leg to set up for the Sharpshooter. HBK retook the momentum with some eye rakes, but Bret rolled through a top rope crossbody for the first near fall, then methodically kicked at Shawn’s leg and smacked it off a ring post before applying the Figure Four Leglock around the same post! Bret continued to soften up the challenger’s knee and leg in the ring, including another Figure Four, though Shawn reversed the hold by rolling over. Following his trademark corner flip, HBK kicked out of a side Russian leg sweep and a beautiful suplex before yanking the referee to cause a momentary knock down. This allowed Shawn to add insult to injury by slapping on the Sharpshooter and, seconds later, Earl Hebner frantically called for the bell and fled the ring! As Shawn’s music played and he was announced the winner, he grabbed the belt and quickly stormed away, leaving a livid Bret to spit right in McMahon’s eye and urge the insulted and devastated crowd to watch him on WCW Monday Nitro. While I enjoyed the pre-match brawl and the animosity that pulsated throughout this match, it’s had to consider it a “good” contest because of the abrupt and controversial ending as it never got a chance to tell a complete story, making it a notable but ultimately disappointing final match between these two bitter rivals memorable only for the screwy finish.

The Aftermath:
This controversial finish became known as the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” and soured Bret Hart’s relationship with the WWF, Vince McMahon, and Shawn Michaels for decades. Immediately following the ending, the irate Bret confronted Shawn backstage, who denied any knowledge of the screwy finish. Many of his fellow wrestlers were equally outraged, with Mankind tempted to walk out in solidarity and the Undertaker demanding that Vince apologise. As witnessed by a handful of wrestlers and personnel, McMahon and Bret got into an argument that ended with the Hitman punching Vince to the floor, leaving him with a black eye and sprained ankle. McMahon eventually quelled a potential mutiny by claiming to have acted only to ensure that the WWF Championship wasn’t besmirched on WCW programming, a stance he reiterated in a sit-down interview with J.R. where the memorable “Mr. McMahon” character was born. The Montreal Screwjob was recreated time and again as the WWF became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), with a near exact repeat occurring at the following year’s Survivor Series and references to it coming up at every Survivor Series event or whenever those involved appeared onscreen. Perhaps fuelled by his lacklustre WCW career, Bret remained understandably bitter for decades, even after Shawn became a born-again Christian. However, Bret finally returned to WWE in 2010, burying the hatchet with Shawn on live television to set up a much-maligned WrestleMania “match” with McMahon, though the Montreal Screwjob remains a notorious and much-discussed event in wrestling history.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy this final, controversial match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels? Were you a fan of the pre-match brawl and the animosity on display? Who were you expecting to win? Were you shocked by the screwy finish? Do you think Vince made the right call screwing Bret? How do you think Bret’s career would’ve gone if the Montreal Screwjob hadn’t happened? What’s your favourite Survivor Series moment? Like the review and comment below with your thoughts on the Montreal Screwjob, then donate to my Ko-Fi to fund future Survivor Series content on the site.