During a recent edition of his “Foley is Pod” podcast on AdFreeShows, Mick Foley discussed the Montreal Screwjob from the 1997 Survivor Series pay-per-view event, which saw Shawn Michaels win the WWE Title as Vince McMahon rang the bell during a Sharpshooter on Bret Hart.
Foley shared that his refusal to work RAW in protest led to his realization that the wrestling business is ultimately about forgiveness and business-driven decisions. Despite the personal and professional tensions, he learned that Vince McMahon acted to save his company. He said,
“Ultimately, it’s a business about forgiveness, right? Ultimately, that’s what it turned out to be. But, I mean, that was a harsh reality. It really was a harsh reality for me. When I was in my hotel room watching the TV and realized I was the only guy, I think Rick Rude. Also, Rick Rude and I were the only ones who followed through on not showing up. And then my wife read my contract to me and I realized I just breached it and legally couldn’t work anywhere in the world for five years. So the next day, I came back hat in hand and was welcomed back, no questions asked. But the Hart family appreciated that, right? The one-day walkout was one day longer than most. And Bret really appreciated it as well. But it was a business, but it was also very personal. You know, we had our backs to the wall.”
Foley added that the entire fiasco, perhaps the most controversial incident in WWE history, while unfortunate, contributed to WWE’s success by introducing the Mr. McMahon character and the iconic angle with Steve Austin. He said,
“And I did come to understand that Vince was doing what he thought he had to save his company. It was unfortunate that it happened, but no doubt it was good for WWE business because that was really the origin of the Mr. McMahon character. And then without that, you don’t have the angle with Steve and Vince, which really strapped a rocket to WWE at that time.”
The Montreal Screwjob remains one of the darkest and most-talked-about incidents in the history of the professional wrestling industry, over 25 years after its occurrence.
