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TheGreatOne

How, why, and the effects of the Montreal Screwjob

Rating: 6 votes, 2.67 average.
5 Comments
by
TheGreatOne
, 11-24-2012 at 09:03 PM (5848 Views)
It is in my opinion, the best and worst moment in history of Survivor Series. The moment in 97, people are still talking about to this day. Decided to dedicate a blog of breaking down how, why, and try to explain the effects of Montreal Screwjob based on my opinion. This moment didn't just effect Bret, Vince, & HBK.....it also had an effect on the wrestling world.
Why it happened:
History-Before the Montreal Screwjob, Bret and HBK weren't the best of friends. Post Iron Man Match @ WM12 according to Bret, Bret attempted to shake HBK's hand and HBK told him to get the f out of the ring. Following year, planned match WM13 was suppose to be a rematch w/HBK losing. Bret felt if he jobbed for HBK, HBK should job for him. HBK lose his smile according to HBK, he got in a bar fight and got beat up bad. Bret thought it was a phony injury to get out of jobbing for Bret @ WM. HBK also dated Sunny in which she was a friend of Bret's. HBK believed at 1x that she was cheating on him w/Bret. "Sunny Days" promo on Raw.
Why Bret didn't want to lose to HBK:
  • Didn't like the direction the company was heading into the "Attitude Era". HBK fit that mold driving for the change with the clique.
  • Felt if HBK won the title again, clique members would be the ones who will get the title shots and main event matches. Holding back friends like Taker, Stone Cold, among others.
  • Bret claims Canada didn't play a factor "nec". It did, I believe at least based on the information I know. 1 of the biggest heroes in Canada losing to a man that put a Canadian flag up his nose.

Why Vince screwed Bret?:
  • Leaving to a rival company who already threw 1 of your belts in the garbage on National TV.
  • Bret and HBK had several fights backstage where everyone got sick of it. 1 of them had to go....
  • Bret refused to lose to HBK. He hates HBK, clique, and the direction of the company. Went public about it on TV weeks before Survivor Series.

Other info on the Screwjob:
Vince offered and Bret signed a 20 year contract. Turning down an offer to go to WCW. At the time, WWF were struggling financially according to Vince which is why he wanted out of his 20 year contract with Bret. Vince + Bret arranged him to go to WCW because Vince believed Bret deserved the money he couldn't afford to give him. Bret believed if he lost to HBK...it would kill the "Hitman" character. Bret isn't the #1 face or heel in the company at the time. Bret wanted to leave on his own terms. Didn't jave tp be a clean win, but he wanted to leave as the hero. Vince did what he did for his company. Bret did what he did for the boys, his pride, and what he believed in. Was it the best for the company? No because a world champion leaving without losing the title makes the title mean less in my eyes. Look how it looked when Flair showed up in WWF with the world title. They were struggling to survive. Both Vince and Bret had good intentions.
Aftermath:
  • Rumors swirled that a strike could happen the next night on Raw over the Screwjob. Some believe Bret deserved better than what he received. Just imagine if that ended up happening.
  • Karma: Some folks believe HBKs back injury @ Royal Rumble 98 that caused him to retire for 4 years was the result of Karma. Karma? For screwing Bret at Survivor Series 97.
  • Bret's career never the same in WCW. He wasn't used properly due to politics in contracts. Such as, they didn't have to work with you if they didn't want to. Some believe if you weren't good friends with Bischoff, you couldn't make it in the company anyways. Very few good moments in WCW. His career ended at Starrcade due to a more serious concussion than Bret thought vs Goldberg.
  • WWF won the war with neither Bret or HBK as the top star. First WWF rating victory in 98 was when the main event between Vince and Austin happened in April or March of 98. Went the direction most supported in the company.
  • Superstars wanting to jump ship to WCW. After the screwjob, The Anvil, Bulldog, among others jump shipped to WCW w/Bret. 1 member was missing which was Owen Hart who signed a long term deal before the screwjob. They wouldn't let him out of his contract. He didn't support the "attitude era" either with strong language, sex appeal, among other things. Owen refused to turn on Jarrett his tag team partner at the time to start a relationship on TV with Debra. He didn't want his kids to see him kissing another woman on TV. Punishment? According to WWE was go back to his old gimmick which was the blue blazer. Owen didn't see it that way though. He was glad he didn't have to do that.

This is how I see the Montreal Screwjob based on my opinion. Some of the factors that may have led to it happening like history of them two not liking each other. Montreal Screwjob will forever be the most discussed moment probably in the history of the company. Why? No one really knows what happened. Everyone has sides to the story. I recently watched back Bret's DVD he put out Wrestling with the Shadows. This blog was put out so I could give my opinion on it. I would have probably did the same thing that if I were in both of their shoes based on several factors. I may have missed something, but it is something that deserves a blog dedicated to it. Here it is!! All the factors I lised above may not have caused the screwjob, but I believe most of them did. This is how, why, and the effects of the Montreal Screwjob based on my opinion. Any thoughts on this blog, Montreal Screwjob, or the factors I listed? Did I miss any? Leave that in the comment section below. Thanks for reading....

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Updated 11-24-2012 at 09:04 PM by TheGreatOne (thoughts n opinions)

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Thoughts and Opinions

Comments

  1. ewantu2's Avatar
    Dam if the screw job never happened the Hart family would of not got a serious concussion and Owen might of still be alive today.
  2. TheGreatOne's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ewantu2
    Dam if the screw job never happened the Hart family would of not got a serious concussion and Owen might of still be alive today.
    That is what many think including Bret.
  3. ApolloMan's Avatar
    Lots of misinformation in this article.

    1) After the Iron Man Match at WM12, Bret not shaking Shawn's hand, Shawn telling Bret to get the hell out of the ring, Bret leaving the arena right after the match was ALL part of the story. Bret and Shawn were in on it. They both confirm this in their Greatest Rivalries DVD.

    2) In 1997, there were no Kliq members other than Shawn and Hunter. Nash, Hall, and Pac were in WCW, so Bret didn't think that if Shawn won the title again at Survivor Series, he'd only give title shots to his Kliq buddies. That was back in '96 when Shawn was first told he'd go over Bret at WM12.

    3) Bret and Shawn didn't have "several fights" backstage. They had 1 fight. The rest of the time, they were just not seeing eye-to-eye and stood clear of each other. Their rivalry was more inner animosity than outer. Despite their hatred of each other, not once did any of them take liberties with each other in the ring. So it was not physical, except for 1 time.

    4) And it wasn't because of those "several fights" that one of them had to go. It was never a question that either Shawn or Bret has to leave. It was ALWAYS Bret leaving because it was strictly and financial/contractual issue that forced Vince to break Bret's 20-year deal. Shawn was never potentially going to leave.

    5) Bret refused to drop the title to Shawn specifically at Survivor Series. He didn't refuse to drop the title altogether. The reason is because when it was decided Bret will drop it to Shawn, Bret said he had no problem with it. But Shawn then replied that he wouldn't do the same for Bret. THAT'S why Bret was adamant in not losing to Shawn in Montreal. This is well documented in the Greatest Rivalries DVD. Yes, being in Canada played a part in Bret not wanting to lose, but it is not the MAIN reason.

    6) Shawn never believed Sunny was cheating on him with Bret. Sunny was cheating on Chris Candido with Shawn (So Shawn and Sunnt WERE NOT dating, they were just having an affair). The "Sunny Days" comment was Shawn trying to use Bret's and Sunny's close friendship to smear Bret's name on a personal level. He didn't legimitately believe Bret and Sunny were actually having an affair.

    Not everything in this blog is wrong or off, but the Montreal Screwjob has been so well documented over the years that these misinformed articles can't happen.

    As for the domino effect the Screwjob had on other events in later years, I do believe that they would all be avoided had this not happened, particularly Owen's tragic death and Bret's career ending concussion at the hands (or boot) of Goldberg. But then again, who knows if other factors would cause other tragedies if Screwjob never happened.
  4. TheGreatOne's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ApolloMan
    Lots of misinformation in this article.

    1) After the Iron Man Match at WM12, Bret not shaking Shawn's hand, Shawn telling Bret to get the hell out of the ring, Bret leaving the arena right after the match was ALL part of the story. Bret and Shawn were in on it. They both confirm this in their Greatest Rivalries DVD.

    2) In 1997, there were no Kliq members other than Shawn and Hunter. Nash, Hall, and Pac were in WCW, so Bret didn't think that if Shawn won the title again at Survivor Series, he'd only give title shots to his Kliq buddies. That was back in '96 when Shawn was first told he'd go over Bret at WM12.

    3) Bret and Shawn didn't have "several fights" backstage. They had 1 fight. The rest of the time, they were just not seeing eye-to-eye and stood clear of each other. Their rivalry was more inner animosity than outer. Despite their hatred of each other, not once did any of them take liberties with each other in the ring. So it was not physical, except for 1 time.

    4) And it wasn't because of those "several fights" that one of them had to go. It was never a question that either Shawn or Bret has to leave. It was ALWAYS Bret leaving because it was strictly and financial/contractual issue that forced Vince to break Bret's 20-year deal. Shawn was never potentially going to leave.

    5) Bret refused to drop the title to Shawn specifically at Survivor Series. He didn't refuse to drop the title altogether. The reason is because when it was decided Bret will drop it to Shawn, Bret said he had no problem with it. But Shawn then replied that he wouldn't do the same for Bret. THAT'S why Bret was adamant in not losing to Shawn in Montreal. This is well documented in the Greatest Rivalries DVD. Yes, being in Canada played a part in Bret not wanting to lose, but it is not the MAIN reason.

    6) Shawn never believed Sunny was cheating on him with Bret. Sunny was cheating on Chris Candido with Shawn (So Shawn and Sunnt WERE NOT dating, they were just having an affair). The "Sunny Days" comment was Shawn trying to use Bret's and Sunny's close friendship to smear Bret's name on a personal level. He didn't legimitately believe Bret and Sunny were actually having an affair.

    Not everything in this blog is wrong or off, but the Montreal Screwjob has been so well documented over the years that these misinformed articles can't happen.

    As for the domino effect the Screwjob had on other events in later years, I do believe that they would all be avoided had this not happened, particularly Owen's tragic death and Bret's career ending concussion at the hands (or boot) of Goldberg. But then again, who knows if other factors would cause other tragedies if Screwjob never happened.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T16HH...feature=fvwrel
    6.Sunny states that Shawn thought Bret was.
    5.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F26TD...feature=relmfu
    In the past, Shawn said that.

    Gotta go, but reply to the rest of this later.
  5. guardduck's Avatar
    You never did reply back to this.

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