Bret Hart looks back on the Montreal Screwjob.
Hart faced Shawn Michaels at WWE Survivor Series 1997, where the infamous Montreal Screwjob occurred; Michaels won the match when the referee rang the bell while he had Hart in the Sharpshooter, though Hart didn’t submit. As a result, Michaels won the WWF Championship. “The Hitman” subsequently left WWE when his contract was up, and he signed with WCW. At Starrcade 1999, Hart faced one of WCW’s top stars, Goldberg, and suffered a severe concussion when the latter kicked him in the head. The injury ultimately ended Hart’s career.
All the while, and even after Hart left WCW, he and Michaels clearly weren’t on good terms, and it took until 2010 for the legend to officially come back to WWE, a few years after his Hall of Fame induction showcased an improving relationship between the two sides.
In an interview with The Ringer, Hart reflected on his relationship with Michaels and noted that seeing “The Heartbreak Kid” have an incredible match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania helped him decided to bury the hatchet with his former foe. He noted that their RAW segment in 2010, when the two men shook hands, was very real. He stated that they have been friends since then, and he expressed his wish that everything turned out differently so he wouldn’t have had to face Goldberg in WCW.
“We had our issues over the years,” Hart said. “But I watched Undertaker and Shawn Michaels wrestle at one of the WrestleManias. Even then, I had such a bitterness towards Shawn, but I had to admit it was one of the greatest matches I ever watched. That’s where I ended up deciding to make friends with Shawn and bury the hatchet and all that. It was very truthful, that little story line with me and Vince and Shawn. Me and Shawn making up in the ring (in 2010) and shaking hands and all that, that was all very real and very moving for me. And was not something that was orchestrated.
“Shawn wanted that off his back and I was in a position to take it off his back and that was the best resolution for both of us. We’ve been friends ever since. And I’m grateful that he’s in a better place today. I wish that none of the bad history that we had had ever happened. I wished I’d never left for WCW because I probably wouldn’t have had a stroke and I probably wouldn’t have had to wrestle Bill Goldberg.”
As part of Hart’s 2010 return, he wrestled in several matches for WWE; he memorably faced Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 26.
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