This is one of the most spoken about matches on the internet. There is countless ink and data space used on the topic it's almost a joke now. Today that joke comes of age. 21 years ago was The Montreal Screwjob. Bret Hart was on his way out of the company and he was the champion. Shawn Michaels was the number one contender and the one person Bret didn't want to look at the lights for in his home country. Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is a slightly concerned wrestling promoter that could have no world championship at the close of this show... Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler are on commentary. Before the hype video, JR says the match will be stiff. The video goes over the issues between the two since Shawn Michaels won the famous Ironman match at Wrestlemania 12 last year. Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude, collectively known as DeGeneration X, accompany Shawn Michaels from the dressing room but he walks out alone. He's the European champion at this time also. The fans boo every step he makes so he gives them something to boo, disrespecting the Canadian flag when he gets in the ring and whipping it at the French-Canadian ring announcer they brought in for the night. British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart walk to the entranceway with Bret but he also goes out alone. You can barely hear Bret's music over the fans as he goes out to the ring, proudly waving his country's flag.
BRET HART © VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WWF Championship)
WWF Survivor Series 1997 (9th November 1997)
Shawn Michaels waits patiently for the champion to soak in the crowd before jumping him with right hands. Bret Hart replies with some of his own, knocking Michaels down. Bret Hart keeps knocking Michaels down, then hits him with some rights on the mat. Bret knocks HBK down with a headbutt, Shawn Michaels holds on to the ropes to get to his feet and Bret hits him with another hard right hand, sending him over to the floor with a clothesline. Bret follows, sending Michaels into the ring post and sends him into the ring steps as JR mentions that the match hasn't started yet. Hart sends Michaels into the crowd and I lose vision as Bret carefully hits Bret between his countrymen and dumps Shawn Michaels back to ringside. Pat Patterson, Vince McMahon and Sargeant Slaughter are out at ringside now as Michaels fights back and sends Bret Hart into the announce table. Shawn Michaels ignores all instructions to get back in the ring, sending Bret into the ring steps and continuing his feud with cameramen. Bret Hart gets choked with the American flag and sent into the crowd as referees pull double duty as security. Probably not the best bet considering their fragility in matches.
Shawn Michaels attempts a piledriver in the crowd but Bret Hart sends him back over the guardrail. Bret Hart kicks Michaels low and sends him halfway up the entranceway with a right hand. Bret Hart avoids another piledriver, backdropping Michaels on the concrete floor and follows with a suplex on the drinks holder!!! Shawn Michaels decks Pat Patterson when he gets to his feet, but Bret attacks him with right hands. Shawn Michaels drags Bret into a referee by his singlet. Bret Hart sends Michaels' head into the guardrail and sends him over a barrier next to the top of the aisle. Bret Hart attacks him with the fire extinguisher, sending him back over. They fight in the tunnel as McMahon tells Bret to take it into the ring. Bret Hart decks a referee before finally bringing Shawn Michaels back into the ring and grabbing a Montreal flag to bring with him. The match officially starts with Bret Hart choking Michaels with the flag. Bret Hart drops a leg across the back of Shawn's neck and brings him to his feet for an inverted atomic drop.
Shawn Michaels bounces across the ring, so Bret brings him to his feet and sends him across the ring. Shawn Michaels ducks a clothesline and hits his flying forearm complete with a kip up and he just kicks Hart in the face. Michels jumps to stomp on Bret's face and chokes him with the Montreal flag before crotch chopping the fans. Shawn Michaels taunts the fans some more before sending Bret's head into the turnbuckle and sending him through the ropes in front of the rowdy fans. Shawn Michaels uses Bret to taunt the fans, hitting a right hand and a bionic elbow. Shawn Michaels takes apart the ringsteps and drops Bret Hart face first from a suplex onto the bottom portion. Shawn Michaels snaps the Canadian flag across his knee and drives the flag pole into Bret's ribs. Shawn Michaels jabs Bret in front of the fans again before sending him in the ring and following with an ax handle from the top rope. Shawn Michaels brings Bret Hart down to the mat with a front facelock. Bret Hart slowly gets to his feet, trying to lift Michaels. Shawn Michaels is dropped on his face from the third attempt.
Bret Hart starts focusing on Shawn's knee with elbow drops but Michaels puts a stop to it, raking at Hitman's face. Bret Hart is sent across the ring but he kicks Michaels who ducked too early. Bret starts kicking at Shawn's knee so Michaels goes back to the face and sends Bret's head into the top turnbuckle. Shawn Michaels slams Bret in the ring and climbs to the top rope but Bret rolls through the crossbody for a nearfall. Bret Hart kicks at the knee again but collapses from exhaustion, he slides out of the ring, dragging Michaels by the anke and wrapping his knee around the corner post. Bret locks in the corner figure four but breaks before the referee disqualifies him. Bret drags Michaels back to the middle of the ring and strikes at the leg. Shawn Michaels' knee is draped over the bottom rope and Bret Hart cannonballs it. I will never figure out why that wouldn't hurt the guy doing it almost as much. Bret Hart locks in a figure four but Shawn Michaels doesn't quit, he slowly rolls over to reverse the pressure but Bret Hart makes the ropes quickly so the hold is broken. Bret Hart hits right hands in the corner and sends Shawn across the ring. Shawn Michaels goes upside down in the corner and back again, walking into a Russian leg sweep, Bret Hart covers for a nearfall. Bret Hart headbutts Michaels in the midsection and hits a suplex for another nearfall. Bret Hart hits the backbreaker and climbs to the top rope but Shawn Michaels pulls the referee in the way of the attack. Shawn Michaels rakes at Bret's face and locks in the sharpshooter. Cementing the night in history.
WINNER: SHAWN MICHAELS (NEW WWF CHAMPION)
I have heard people call this match an amazing match before the finish and it must be a personal thing but when they try to push tension between two rivals it can sometimes make the match suffer. This match felt more like a walk-along fight to me, not in a good way. If it wasn't for the controversial finish I think this match would have been forgotten about long ago. It had its moments but the match just felt like they were phoning it in. Hating each other and taking it out on the live Canadian fans that would pop for Bret Hart blowing his nose by just doing the bare minimum. – WORKRATE: 2.5/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 2/5 OVERALL 4.5/10
After the match, Bret Hart threw a tantrum and spits in Vince McMahon's face on his way out because he had been screwed out of a championship on his way to the competition so he couldn't disrespect the belt or his now-former employer. There was wrong on both sides and this should have been figured out a lot sooner but on balance it did help towards the biggest boom period in the industry.
You can find anything and everything about this night anywhere on the internet, but to hear it from the two people involved in the match you can buy this WWE release “Greatest Rivalries: Shawn
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