THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
Professional wrestling is famous for “kayfabe” or staged results.
Kayfabe makes the whole thing look real. However, one such incident that occurred 28 years ago broke kayfabe — “The Montreal Screwjob.”
It took place when the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) put on its November pay-perview event called the Survivor Series on Nov. 9, 1997, in Montreal. The main event was then-WWF/E champion Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels.
The match was Hart’s final pay-perview contest with the organization before he joined the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling that December. WWF/E owner Vince McMahon had an unwritten rule that wrestlers who left his organization lost any championships they earned before their departure.
Prior to the match, Hart met with McMahon and Michaels had agreed to lose the match via disqualification, which meant Hart would retain the title because those can only change hands if the champion loses by pinfall or submission, then either vacates the title or loses it to another wrestler before leaving the WWF/E.
Pinfall is when you hold an opponent’s shoulders to the mat while the referee counts to three.
Hart, a native of Calgary, Canada, had a long feud with Michaels and did not want to lose the world championship to him in his home country.
During the match, which lasted nearly 20 minutes, Michaels put Hart in the sharpshooter — Hart’s signature move. According to Hart, he was supposed to break out of the hold, then he and Michaels would battle for another five minutes before the match ended in a disqualification against Hart.
However, things didn’t go as scripted or agreed upon. Shortly after Michaels put Hart in the sharpshooter, McMahon and match referee Earl Hebner ordered timekeeper Mark Yeaton to ring the bell to end the match.
Right after the bell rang, Hart broke out of the sharpshooter — as originally scripted — but there was confusion for both wrestlers. After learning that Michaels was awarded the world championship, Hart snapped.
He proceeded to spit in McMahon’s face before McMahon, Michaels and other WWF/E officials ran back to the locker room as pro-Hart fans threw debris at them. Hart then proceeded to smash cameras, monitors and other ringside equipment before reentering the ring to finger trace “W-C-W” and bid farewell to his fans.
The aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob proved to be a turning point for Hart, McMahon and Michaels. Hart went on to WCW before retiring in 2000 — a year prior to McMahon’s acquisition of the company — while Michaels retired from the ring for four years (19982002) following a back injury.
McMahon used the incident as a means of ushering in his evil boss persona, “Mr. McMahon.”
In 2010, Hart reconciled with McMahon and Michaels on an episode of WWE RAW. Hart also was inducted into the WWF/E Hall of Fame in 2006, while Michaels was inducted in 2011.
As a wrestling fan, I thought the events that took place 28 years ago were kayfabe. But it actually broke kayfabe and the controversy behind it created a legend.
Chlapek is area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jasonchlapek@ gmail.com.
