There are many questionable moments associated with Vince McMahon’s career, ranging from his involvement in controversial WWE storylines to real-life scandals that transcend the world of sports entertainment. Sitting somewhere in between is the infamous Montreal Screwjob, an event that’s still being discussed after all these years, as some of the details surrounding it remain unclear. However, Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries reveals more information about the event that might surprise viewers.
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The Montreal Screwjob occurred at WWE Survivor Series 1997 and saw McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and Earl Hebner cost Bret Hart the WWE Championship in Montreal, Canada. Hart refused to drop the title to Michaels in front of his fellow Canadians as the pair didn’t see eye-to-eye behind the scenes, despite the fact he was leaving the company to join WCW. Still, McMahon couldn’t risk “The Hitman” showing up on a rival promotion’s television show with his company’s biggest title, so he ordered Hebner to ring the bell as soon as Michaels locked Hart in a sharpshooter.
The controversies that followed have been well-documented. Stars such as Rick Rude followed Hart out of WWE and Mick Foley skipped “Raw” for a week. Hart, meanwhile, punched McMahon backstage and walked out of WWE. Despite this, there are people who believe the Screwjob was a work, and how many people were involved has long been speculated. With that in mind, let’s discuss the biggest takeaway from Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon.”
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Triple H had a big role in the Montreal Screwjob
Bret Hart wishes he knocked out Paul “Triple H” Levesque for his involvement in the Montreal Screwjob. “The Game” has been Shawn Michaels’ best friend since the 1990s, so it’s unsurprising to learn that he knew about the backstage scheme beforehand. That said, just how involved was he in orchestrating the incident that rocked ’90s wrestling?
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The biggest revelation from “Mr. McMahon” documentary is Levesque admitting to helping plot the Montreal Screwjob finish in the first place. “The Game” felt that Hart was being unreasonable by refusing to drop the title, so he proposed going behind his back, and the rest of his history. While some fans will disagree with his sentiment, this type of thinking explains why Levesque was eventually elevated to a top backstage position as WWE’s Chief Content Officer.
What’s more, Levesque recalled McMahon ordering him and Michaels to lie about knowing about the Screwjob afterward. “The Game” obeyed this command and distanced himself from the incident, allowing him to take a backseat while McMahon and Michaels took most of the heat for it. Still, Bret Hart knew about it, and he regrets not giving Levesque a knuckle sandwich.
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The Montreal Screwjob wasn’t a work
The Montreal Screwjob essentially gave birth to the evil “Mr. McMahon” character and paved the way for WWE’s Attitude Era — one of the most successful periods in the promotion’s history. Because of this, some people believe that the Montreal Screwjob was staged, designed to stir controversy and generate headlines. In fact, the scheme was kept so close to the vest that some of Vince McMahon’s closest confidants, including his long-time right-hand man Bruce Prichard, weren’t in on it. As such, you can understand why some people are skeptical about its validity.
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During the documentary, Prichard revealed that was told the match would have a “schmozz finish.” This is industry lingo for a bout ending with a giant brawl, and this is also the outcome Bret Hart agreed to heading into WWE Survivor Series 1997. That said, “The Hitman” was suspicious of shady behavior going into the bout, as he remembered when McMahon screwed Wendy Richter out of the title in a similar fashion.
Regardless of the finish, the subjects who were interviewed for “Mr. McMahon” insist that it wasn’t a work. Furthermore, it seems that only a select few people knew about the controversial incident before it happened, as they clearly didn’t want word getting back to “The Hitman.”
