The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most infamous moments in WWE history. At Survivor Series ’97, Bret Hart was screwed out of the WWF Title by Vince McMahon. This came in his match against Shawn Michaels. Here are some backstage stories from the various people involved in the incident. Hopefully, this provides you with some new perspective on the incident.
10) Julie Hart Explains How Bret Was Feeling Before And After The Montreal Screwjob
Bret’s wife at the time (now ex-wife) Julie Hart was interviewed by Inside the Ropes and spoke at length about the Montreal Screwjob. She spoke about Bret getting suspicious (and nervous) prior to the Montreal Screwjob. This was after he heard that Shawn Michaels was in an elevator with Vince McMahon earlier in the day:
“It wasn’t really till we got to Montreal. I remember someone came to Bret and told him that they’d saw Shawn getting into an elevator with Vince in his hotel and that kinda got Bret a little worried. That was earlier in the day. The kids and I had gone shopping and when we got back, Bret said he had to go talk to our lawyer who was in town with us as well. The source, I can’t tell you who it is, but the source had said what happened, so Bret went over to our lawyer to talk about it and that’s when Bret really started getting nervous.”
She also responded to critics who claim that the incident was a ‘work’:
“Firstly, no it wasn’t work. It was as raw as…..you’d have to be there to experience the emotions that Bret went through. I can honestly say on my children’s head, that none of that stuff was set up. It was as real as you would ever get. That camera was in the place in the right time. It was never set up, it’s sad that people would think that. I know, I was there, my kids were there, I saw what it did to Bret emotionally, for our marriage after that, we were never the same…..”
An interesting insight into what Bret was thinking before and after the Montreal Screwjob.
9) Pat Patterson Was Kept In The Dark
Pat Patterson is known for being one of Vince McMahon’s closest friends and confidants. You might not know that he was kept out of the loop during the Montreal Screwjob (at least that is what he says).
In an interview with News Week, Patterson says that he was pissed off when he saw what happened to Bret on the night of the Montreal Screwjob since him and Bret were close:
“I really did not know- I was so mad when I found out, I grabbed my briefcase and I left the building- I went to the hotel, had a couple of drinks, and I didn’t know what to do—I thought I was going to quit the business. I then had another cocktail and said,“Wait a minute, it’s like I’m hiding”
Bret didn’t believe Patterson when he told him he wasn’t involved in the incident. This was due to Patterson’s close relationship to Vince:
“I went back to the arena and I went right to Bret Hart. He and I get along so good and I helped him in his career. It was hard for him to believe I didn’t know [because of my friendship with Vince]. For a couple of years, he didn’t speak to me. I would bump into him and say: “Bret, all these years, we were so close.” I wanted him to shake my hand and he finally did it”
This will be a recurring theme throughout these stories, Vince wanting to leave people in the dark in order to keep their hands clean of the incident.
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