Approaching the 10th anniversary of the...

[Jingus 0]

I think Bret was being petty by refusing to do the job, but it was his legal right to, he did have the creative control clause in his contract. It was Vince who insisted that Bret HAD to do lose the belt, in his home country, to the man he hated most. For that matter, why did Vince keep the belt on Bret knowing that his days in the company were numbered? Why were they so afraid Bret was going to randomly show up on Nitro? Didn't they know exactly when his contract expired? The only way Bret could appear on a WCW program would be for his current contract to run out, otherwise Vince could've sued the shit out of them and ended up owning his competition a few years sooner. They could've had him do the job at a different time, or to a different person. The Montreal scandal was entirely Vince's fault, as there were a hundred things he could've done to stop it from getting to that point.

[TheFranchise 0]

As far as I know, Bret couldn't legally show up on Nitro for something like 3 weeks after Montreal.

[Diamonddust 0]

I think Bret was being petty by refusing to do the job, but it was his legal right to, he did have the creative control clause in his contract. It was Vince who insisted that Bret HAD to do lose the belt, in his home country, to the man he hated most. For that matter, why did Vince keep the belt on Bret knowing that his days in the company were numbered? Why were they so afraid Bret was going to randomly show up on Nitro? Didn't they know exactly when his contract expired? The only way Bret could appear on a WCW program would be for his current contract to run out, otherwise Vince could've sued the shit out of them and ended up owning his competition a few years sooner. They could've had him do the job at a different time, or to a different person. The Montreal scandal was entirely Vince's fault, as there were a hundred things he could've done to stop it from getting to that point.

 

It wasn't so much they were worried about Bret showing up with the title as they were worried Bischoff was simply going to announce "Hey everyone... our show is so much better that the REIGNING WWF Champion is coming here in a couple of weeks".

 

 

[CBright7831 0]

Vince should have known Bret wouldn't show up on Nitro w/ that belt.

 

Bret respected the title and the WWF to much to do that.

[Guest Ant]

People have it it wrong. It was HBK who refused to lose. Bret was due to win then at the next ppv it would Bret vs Austin vs HBK vs Taker with the last 2 being HBK and Taker

 

I speak to a member of the Hart family so yeah

[TheFranchise 0]

That is partially true there Ant (and FYI, saying 'I speak to a member of the Hart family so yeah') won't help your point around here.

 

Unless you know my mate at Titan Sports or the guy in WWE Canada.

 

Heh.

 

But yeah, HBK refused to lose, but so did Bret (who had creative control) - I don't know if this was a factor in it, but I dont know how crazy Vince would have been in giving this match away on PPV 18 months in the making and making it finish on a double DQ - especially in the middle of the ratings war.

 

That would have been as great as the slow fast count at Starrcade that year.

[Guest Ant]

I only said i speak to a member as i thought people wouldnt believe it. And i honestly do talk to one of them. TJ.

[Jingus 0]

I was Teddy's driver for about a month. Take my word for it, nobody here cares.

[Guest Ant]

Wow you were Teddys driver? Thats pretty cool.

 

And yeah i know no one would care just didnt want myself to come across like some arrogant jerk.

[Bix 0]

Hart got a written agreement from Bischoff not to mention the signing on TV until he had fulfilled all of his WWF obligations.

[Guest Ant]

Hart got a written agreement from Bischoff not to mention the signing on TV until he had fulfilled all of his WWF obligations.

 

 

Completely Untrue.

[Hawk 34 0]

I was Teddy's driver for about a month. Take my word for it, nobody here cares.

 

No wonder he missed so many shows.

 

I had to say that.

[Bix 0]

Hart got a written agreement from Bischoff not to mention the signing on TV until he had fulfilled all of his WWF obligations.

 

 

Completely Untrue.

Says who?

[Boxer 0]

Hart got a written agreement from Bischoff not to mention the signing on TV until he had fulfilled all of his WWF obligations.

 

 

Completely Untrue.

Says who?

 

Was this due to the Razor/Diesel lawsuit? When the settlement was determined, this was one of those written rules?

[Hawk 34 0]

Ten years of constant arguments and countless testimonies from those involved and people still insist on adding new things to it. Amazingly, some still believe it was all a work.

[Bix 0]

Hart got a written agreement from Bischoff not to mention the signing on TV until he had fulfilled all of his WWF obligations.

 

 

Completely Untrue.

Says who?

 

Was this due to the Razor/Diesel lawsuit? When the settlement was determined, this was one of those written rules?

No, this predated the settlement by a few years.

[Guest clon3isnasty]

Whats funny is Bischoff went out on NITRO the next night anyway and announced Bret was coming, so, I guess that probably vindicated Vince in his own mind. I don't know if Bischoff would have done the same thing had the screwjob not gone down.

 

I've never heard Meltzer say has was holding something back until someone dies. If he did say that I find it interesting. I'd imagine the person who would have to die would be Bret or Jim Cornette, assuming his sources on the story were Bret, Cornette, Paul Jay, and maybe even Bischoff.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

What Meltzer is holding back on is the person who came up with the sharpshooter spot that was the crucial part of the double cross. In his detailed account of what went down, Meltzer says Pat Patterson suggested the spot to Bret and Shawn, but it was actually someone else's idea and may have even been a way to let Shawn know once and for all that the talked about double cross was going down.

[cabbageboy 0]

Here is the often overlooked aspect of Bret's contract. He had "reasonable creative control" in his contract. To me that means he couldn't be buried on the way out, as in lose the belt, then job in 5 different matches the next night on Raw and have DX piss on him while he was laying. That sort of thing wouldn't be reasonable. If this ever went to court Bret may well have found himself on the losing end since Survivor Series 1997 was the last major PPV he was going to be on in the WWF and Bret couldn't convince anyone that it was reasonable for him to refuse to lose the belt whenever and to whomever Vince wanted. To me that isn't really reasonable, for a champion leaving a promotion to refuse to lose in a certain place to a certain wrestler.

 

At the time I was totally in Bret's corner on this, but as time goes on I see more and more of Vince's side. I can see Vince thinking "Who does this asshole think he is that he can refuse to do a job on the way out? Fuck him!" Why Bret cared so much is beyond me. Bret should have just said "Eh, who cares?" and gone out and half assed it and done the job to HBK. It's not like anyone would have really cared once he started showing up on Nitro.

[RedJed 0]

I think its as simple as this - Bret and Shawn had so much heat and tension towards each other that when Shawn outright refused to do the job in that match, Bret said "fuck it" and refused to play ball just as much, out of spite probably. If they would have thrown anyone in that spot other than Shawn, I am 99.9 percent sure Bret would have been much more reasonable in how he wanted to go out. Although its complete speculation if he would have actually done a clean job for anyone in Montreal, but part of me thinks he would at least drop the title there via some sort of screwjob.

[Bix 0]

Bret was originally supposed to stay until IYH: DX, but the Survivor Series issues and Michaels refusing to job to ANYONE (not just Bret) complicated things.

[dubq 0]

People have it it wrong. It was HBK who refused to lose. Bret was due to win then at the next ppv it would Bret vs Austin vs HBK vs Taker with the last 2 being HBK and Taker

 

I speak to a member of the Hart family so yeah

 

TJ Wilson isn't a member of that family. Close friends, maybe. Related, no.

 

And either way, as if a member of the Hart camp (related or not) isn't going to be a little biased on their take of the story.

 

Grain of salt.

[Guest Ant]

No TJ isnt related..but he is going out/engaged to one of the daughters and has been in the family since he was well born. And HBK is one of TJs idols. There feud was due to carry on till the next ppv in a fatal 4 way elimination with Austin and Taker and thats where Bret would originally lose

 

And to the person who asked Says who?...Bret Hart in one of his columns on his site.

[Guest Joseph2112]

Wasn't part of the bitterness that because of Brett Harts contract with WWE (10 mil or something), he could have basically destroyed the Vince when WWE was floundering for money? I thought I read that somewhere, that Hart basically let that go thereby figuring that Vince owed him something.

[Bix 0]

And to the person who asked Says who?...Bret Hart in one of his columns on his site.

Link?

 

I just did a little digging and you might be right that it wasn't in writing, but Hart did get Bischoff's word that he wouldn't announce it until after the title was switched.

[pappajacks 0]

10 years later, still so much speculation on what really happened. Will the truth ever come out one day? Too bad the "Wrestling with shadows" cameras weren't allowed in the dressing room after the match to tape Bret allegedly punching both Vince and Shane.

 

The sad part in all this is that 10 years from now, the vast majority of those still following the WWE wouldn't be able to answer the question: "What is the Montreal screwjob"? It's sad because that event along with the push of Austin 3:16 saved the WWE from going under.

[TheFranchise 0]

Both Bret and Vince have confirmed Bret struck him.

 

I don't believe him striking Shane holds water though.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I don't see why there's any confusion or interest anymore...Shawn Michaels admitted on TV a few years ago that he was in on the screwjob all along.

[pappajacks 0]

On an unrelated note, was it ever confirmed that Bret had an affair with Sunny, or was it just a rumor?

[Diamonddust 0]

On an unrelated note, was it ever confirmed that Bret had an affair with Sunny, or was it just a rumor?

 

From Tammy's mouth, they were just friends. Shawn was the one who had the affair with Sunny.