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25 Years After the ‘Montreal Screwjob,’ Bret Hart Details What Might Have Been

On the anniversary of wrestling’s most infamous finish, the Hit Man explains the original plan for the match.

Justin Barrasso

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Bret Hart on his Survivor Series match against Shawn Michaels: “We hadn’t even hit our stride”

What if the main event of the 1997 Survivor Series had gone off as planned?

Had there been no “Montreal screwjob,” would we still be talking about the match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels?

“We had another 25 minutes,” Hart says, reflecting on the seminal event that unfolded 25 years ago Wednesday. “The match was already good, and we hadn’t even hit our stride.”

Twenty months prior to Survivor Series, Hart and Michaels worked an outstanding Iron Man match at WrestleMania 12. It was an hour-plus match with no wasted moves and remarkable precision, and a bout that cemented Michaels as a main-event star. Despite plans for a rematch to continue their storied rivalry, they never had the chance to do so in a singles match on pay-per-view—a result of injuries and a lost smile—until the showdown in Montreal at Survivor Series in 1997.

Perhaps you are already familiar with the Michaels-Hart match from Survivor Series and the details surrounding it. There are some great unknowns if the match had not been cut short. Had the match played out in its entirety, and Hart then exited for WCW, would Vince McMahon and Steve Austin have gone on to create an iconic rivalry in WWE? How would the crowd in Montreal have reacted to the finish of Hart-Michaels? It was set to feature multiple run-ins and end in a chaotic fashion, so Hart would still have to drop the belt. And when would he have dropped it, and to who?

There are enough questions to make your head spin. But if one monumental detail was altered—had the double cross never occurred—Hart believes that was going to be an incredibly memorable match.

“Even when we didn’t get along, Shawn and I always had great chemistry together in the ring,” Hart says. “When we worked together, we wanted to be flawless, and we didn’t get along, and that added to the intensity.

“When I clothesline Shawn over the top rope and we brawl and fight outside the ring, I could tell it was going to be a really special match. It was very competitive.”

Instead of the bout ending with Hart submitting to his own sharpshooter, the action would have just been starting to pick up.

“That match was just starting,” Hart says. “All the brawling was done just to set up the actual match. It was going to really get going after I reversed his sharpshooter. We pictured the crowd standing up and going crazy. That was going to be the moment when it took off.”

The 65-year-old Hart spent last weekend reminiscing with fans. He started at the Rhode Island Comic Con and continued at the Kowloon, an iconic Massachusetts restaurant just north of Boston that is beloved by pro wrestlers. Hart’s weekend trip finished on Sunday with a signing at Phil Castinetti’s Sportsworld souvenir shop in Saugus, Mass., where he signed autographs, took selfies, and gave everyone—from seasoned fans to children to a local police officer in uniform who politely asked for a photo—his full attention.

“I’m proud that people still appreciate what I did,” says Hart, whose active career ended abruptly when he took a blow to the head from Bill Goldberg in December 1999. “When I wrestled, I wanted to have the best match I could every night. I never believed in going to a certain city and taking it easy. I gave 100% every night. When you work that hard, you always hope someone will remember it. It’s nice that people remember.”

Hart’s style was one fostered by his father, Stu Hart, and a plethora of legends that he watched wrestle for his dad in Calgary for his Stampede Wrestling promotion.

“I always say the greatest wrestlers were great wrestling fans first, and I was a great wrestling fan,” Hart says. “All these greats came to wrestle for my dad in Calgary. My dad was a very special guy, and he certainly was a guy who really was a pioneer in developing the wrestlers who became the biggest stars of the ’60s. Killer Kowalski, Johnny Valentine, name one wrestler after another, they all went through Calgary and got taught right.

“I watched Buddy Rogers, I watched Killer Kowalski, I watched Harley Race, Dory Funk, I watched Bruno [Sammartino]. I was lucky as a kid to watch all these great wrestlers.”

During the battle royal at WrestleMania II, Hart had the chance to share the ring with legends like Sammartino, Andre the Giant and Pedro Morales, all of whom starred for Stu Hart in Calgary.

“I watched all these legends as a kid, and I was such a big fan,” Hart says. “It taught me a lot. Even at a young age, when I watched, I was pretty critical. If I watched someone miss a dropkick, I’d notice that. I always wanted to be the type of wrestler who people would want to see if they were sitting in the stands.”

Hart sought perfection each time he stepped between the ropes. He desperately wanted to give fans an all-time classic in 1997 at Survivor Series, a proper sendoff to his legendary run in WWE. Though what instead transpired is forever ingrained in the minds of wrestling fans, Hart would have relished the chance to let that match play out.

“I convinced myself they weren’t going to screw me,” Hart says. “I gave Vince 14 years, and I gave him 100% every night. We would have had a great match that night.”

Even if the match had not ended in the controversial way it did, one part that would never have changed took place in the aftermath. Even 25 years later, Hart says, this particular detail would remain the same: Hart’s brother-in-law and friend, the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, had a propensity for forgetting to pack a towel. Since Smith usually wrestled earlier on the card, he would use Hart’s towel after his shower—leaving Hart without a towel. That is also what happened at the Survivor Series, ultimately leaving Hart without a towel before he got into his altercation with McMahon.

“It was like a running gag,” says a smiling Hart. “Every time I came to the dressing room, my towel was already out of my bag. Davey stole my towel every night, so no matter what happened that night, that wouldn’t have changed.”

The (online) week in wrestling

  • Austin Theory is no longer in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase. In a story line with a few holes, Theory cashed in his briefcase on Raw to challenge Seth Rollins for the United States championship. It was peculiar storytelling, as Rollins is in the midst of an open challenge where anyone on the roster can get a title shot. This appeared to be the conduit to turn Rollins back into a babyface, as well as Bobby Lashley into a heel, so it was a significant moment.
  • Mia Yim is back in WWE, joining AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson to challenge Judgment Day. This is an outstanding opportunity for Yim, and she now has the chance to work some really intense matches against Rhea Ripley.
  • This week’s Dynamite features a potentially great match pitting Sammy Guevara against Bryan Danielson.
  • Nikki Cross disposed of the 24/7 belt on Raw, seemingly ending a very forgettable stretch for that title. If Triple H wants to have some fun with it, he should bring back “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan—a legend who has been off WWE programming for too long—and have him become the new champion.

Tony Khan excited to bring Final Battle to new afternoon timeslot

The next Ring of Honor pay-per-view is Final Battle, which will be held Dec. 10. It is a rare matinee showing, as well as a strategic move from ROH owner Tony Khan to run it in the afternoon.

UFC 282 takes place later that night, but the main card would be starting right around the time ROH would normally be wrapping up. NXT is also holding its Deadline special that night, so it is smart for Khan to air Final Battle ahead of the competition. But the most appealing reason to run the show in the afternoon is because there is only one college football game (Army vs. Navy) airing that day.

“The college football landscape changes on that day, so it’s a unique opportunity for us to run in the afternoon and see if there is a market for us,” Khan says. “There is a great game between Army and Navy, but it’s not a typical big-conference college football Saturday. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

While there is typically a whole slate of collegiate games, it is different that Saturday. It is also a day free of NFL games, providing a great window of time for ROH—especially on a Final Battle card that will feature Chris Jericho, Samoa Joe, FTR and Bryan Danielson.

“It will be different for us in the afternoon, but we’re excited for it,” Khan says. “We’re going to deliver a great show for wrestling fans.”

Tweet of the Week

The resemblance is uncanny.

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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