The night that wrestling changed forever
Survivor Series 1997 Poster
It was November 9, 1997. The Molson Centre in Montreal was packed to the rafters, the crowd thunderous as two of the greatest wrestlers of their generation prepared to square off. Bret “Hitman” Hart — Canada’s hero, WWF Champion, and the man fans considered a national treasure — would defend his title against Shawn Michaels, his real-life rival and bitter enemy.
But this was no ordinary match. Behind the curtain, a secret plan had already been set in motion. Before the world, Bret Hart would walk into the ring as champion. He would not leave with the title.
The moment became known as the Montreal Screwjob, one of the most infamous events in wrestling history. It wasn’t just a storyline twist — it was a real act of betrayal. And at the center of it all was Shawn Michaels, a man torn between loyalty to his company, his rivalry with Bret, and the burden of a secret he carried for years before finally confessing.
The storm before Survivor Series
The seeds of Montreal were planted months earlier. Bret Hart had signed a lucrative deal to leave WWF and join rival WCW, a defection that shook Vince McMahon’s company to its core. In 1997, WWF was still fighting for survival in the Monday Night Wars, and losing a champion to the competition — especially one with Bret’s stature — was seen as catastrophic.
Bret had creative control in his contract for his final days, allowing him some say in how he would be written out. He made it clear he would not lose the WWF Championship in Canada, particularly not in Montreal. Losing to Shawn Michaels, a man he loathed both professionally and personally, was out of the question.
Bret later admitted,
“I offered to lose to anybody else. I would drop the title the next night. I just didn’t want to do it in Montreal, and not to Shawn.”
The real animosity between Bret and Shawn only made things worse. Their rivalry had spilled out of the ring — with public interviews, locker room fights, and deeply personal insults traded back and forth. For Vince McMahon, this was no longer just a wrestling storyline. It was a crisis that threatened the future of his company.
The plan behind closed doors
As the Survivor Series approached, the pressure on Vince intensified. He knew he could not allow Bret to take the WWF Championship to WCW. The thought of Bret walking into a rival promotion while holding Vince’s most valuable prize was unthinkable. Meetings were held in secret, often in hushed tones away from the locker room.
Different accounts vary on who suggested what. Jim Cornette has claimed he pitched the idea of ending the match by force. Jerry Brisco and Pat Patterson offered alternative finishes. Triple H was among those urging Vince not to risk losing the title, reportedly saying,
“If he won’t do business, then we make him do business.”
Eventually, the plan solidified: the match would end in the Sharpshooter. Bret would be put in his own hold, and before he could fight out of it, referee Earl Hebner would be ordered to call for the bell. The championship would remain with WWF, whether Bret agreed or not.
Shawn Michaels, though bitterly at odds with Bret, was placed in an impossible position. He was instructed to carry out the plan inside the ring. Later, Shawn would recall,
“You tell me what needs to get done, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
For referee Earl Hebner, the decision was even more painful. Just a day before the event, Bret had upgraded Hebner’s flight to first class and asked him face-to-face if he could be trusted. Hebner promised he would not betray him. But on the night of Survivor Series, Vince and others pressured Hebner into complying. Hebner later admitted,
“I swore to him I wouldn’t do it. But when Vince looked me in the eye, I just couldn’t say no.”
The screwjob in motion
When the bell rang and the match began, the energy in the building was electric. Fans expected a war, and they got one. For over 20 minutes, Bret and Shawn battled, blending stiff shots and technical sequences with a raw hostility that mirrored their personal hatred.
Then came the finish. Michaels grabbed Bret and locked him in the Sharpshooter, Bret’s own submission hold. Before Bret could reverse it, Vince McMahon shouted at ringside for the bell. Hebner, torn but obedient, signaled the match over. The timekeeper rang the bell.
Bret Hart had never submitted. Yet Shawn Michaels was announced as the new WWF Champion.
The Montreal crowd erupted in disbelief and rage. Bret spat directly in Vince’s face before destroying television equipment around ringside. Backstage, the chaos continued. Bret confronted Vince and punched him squarely in the jaw, dropping the boss to the floor.
Jim Ross, on commentary that night, captured the moment as only he could:
“This is a damn shame! This is not right!”
The industry had changed forever in a single moment.
Living with the consequences
Shawn Michaels and Triple H walk away with the WWF Championship
In the immediate aftermath, Shawn Michaels denied being involved. For years, he insisted he had no knowledge of the plan. To the public, Bret Hart had been betrayed, Vince McMahon had orchestrated it, and Shawn Michaels was, at best, a willing beneficiary.
The truth, as Michaels would later admit, was more complicated. He had been part of the deception. He had agreed to execute Vince’s plan in the ring, putting him at the very heart of the storm.
Years later, Michaels reflected on the weight of carrying that secret:
“It just isn’t the kind of attention and focus one desires. I was right smack dab in the middle of it.”
The Screwjob left lasting scars. Bret’s WCW run never reached the heights expected. Earl Hebner admitted the guilt haunted him. Vince McMahon, vilified by fans, leaned into the role, birthing the “Mr. McMahon” villain that became central to WWF’s Attitude Era. And Shawn Michaels, despite his incredible talent, was forever linked to betrayal.
Shadows and side stories
The Montreal Screwjob is often retold as a single, shocking moment. But the side stories give it even more weight. Earl Hebner’s guilt over breaking his promise to Bret remains one of the most human details — a simple flight upgrade and a handshake making the betrayal sting all the more.
The debate over who truly devised the Screwjob lingers to this day. Some point to Jim Cornette. Others to Triple H. Patterson and Brisco have been named in various retellings. The shifting attributions reflect just how chaotic and secretive the moment was, even among those who lived it.
For Bret, the event was more than just losing a title. It was the breaking of trust, the end of his relationship with a company he had carried for years. For Shawn, it was the choice to be loyal to Vince McMahon and the WWF, a choice that cost him respect among peers.
The long road to forgiveness
For more than a decade, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels lived with bitterness. Their names, forever linked by Montreal, were seldom spoken without reference to betrayal. Interviews, documentaries, and fan debates kept the wound fresh.
It took the voices of others to begin the healing. Younger wrestlers, who admired Bret but also respected Shawn’s later transformation into a locker room leader and man of faith, began bridging the divide. Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson), among others, spoke with Bret about the changes in Shawn’s life and character. Those conversations planted the seeds for eventual reconciliation.
Bret Hart returns
Bret Hart returns and shakes Shawn Michaels hand
On January 4, 2010, Bret Hart returned to WWE as a special guest host of Monday Night Raw. For fans, it was a moment once thought impossible. When Shawn Michaels entered the ring to confront Bret, the arena buzzed with anticipation.
Instead of another fight, the world witnessed something far more powerful: forgiveness. The two men shook hands and embraced, their words cutting through years of bitterness.
Bret told Shawn,
“I just want to say I forgive you. Let’s bury the hatchet once and for all.”
Shawn replied with sincerity,
“I want you to know from my heart how sorry I am. I thank you so very much for forgiving me.”
In that moment, the weight of Montreal lifted, if only slightly. Two men who had carried the scars of betrayal finally found peace.
Legacy of the Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob remains one of the most dissected events in professional wrestling. It is taught as both a cautionary tale and a turning point, an incident that blurred the line between fiction and reality in a way few moments ever have.
For Bret Hart, it was the moment he lost trust in a company he had once carried. For Vince McMahon, it birthed the villainous “Mr. McMahon” character that helped spark WWF’s resurgence. For Earl Hebner, it was a lifelong regret. And for Shawn Michaels, it was the burden of a secret he carried until he finally confessed and sought forgiveness.
As Michaels once said,
“I was right smack dab in the middle of it.”
History will always remember him that way — the man caught in the crossfire of loyalty, rivalry, and betrayal. Yet, his eventual reconciliation with Bret Hart showed that even the deepest wounds in wrestling can heal with time.
