@@RichSmithson It's been stated by a few people that one of Vince's weird quirks is that he hates sneezing. Apparently he's cursed himself whenever he's had to sneeze. Paul Heyman has also been on record that Vince refuses to grow a beard even though he can, because "he won't let it win." You're a weird dude, Vinny Mac.
Hey you never know. for all we know both men with a property been him and up each other and trying to choke each other out and then someone would have broke it up
@Lujack Shaw Have Hornswoggle and Taker at a WrestleMania in an I Quit match before the WrestleMania 30 one . Have the finish be Hornswoggle handcuffing Taker to the ropes. Going under the ring to pull out a bag or sack. Get into the ring and reveal that the bag is full of cucumbers, from whole cucumbers to sliced and diced cucumbers. Just all kinds of cucumbers. Start pouring the cucumbers over Taker until Taker is forced to utter the words "I QUIT!" "I QUIT!" Thus ending the streak.
Totally agree. Vince is totally ripped, but at no point in his life has he ever been in the sort of condition that Hitman was at that time. If Vince hadn't given Hitman a free shot and had instead tried going to brawling, Hitman would have unscrewed his head and replaced it facing backward.
You know who didn't have a match at Survivor Series? The Undertaker. Bret would have dropped the title to Undertaker and problem would have been solved.
They had already sold the tickets & Pay-Per-View based on Bret vs. Shawn, they had to have that match. This all began with Bret refusing to drop the belt to Shawn all of sudden.
@@christopherroberts7306 every time shawn had to lose to bret, he faked an injury to get out of it so why would bret wanna lose the title to shawn on his last night. they could have added undertaker as a triple threat and bret doesn't lose. either taker loses to shawn or undertaker wins and loses to shawn later
A side eye, as a young fan, was Vince saying that he could not afford to honour Bret's contract, but then mere months later, he found money down the back of the sofa, to pay Mike Tyson for his role in the build up to WM14
@@kurtbrowning9765 It's been speculated that it was between $3 million and $6 million, but in interviews, Tyson has said that all he can remember regarding the figure, is that all of it went on paying legal bills he had at the time.
While I'm not saying the fight wouldn't be on sided, you underestimate just how much an unprotected shot to the head can do to a person. The gloves in boxing are more for the other guy than they are for you.
@@Rayuzx Well if it is a shoot/unsanctioned fight, everything goes right? Shots to the head, groin, throat... It doesn't matter. If Vince didn't get KO'ed and fought back, Bret would have mopped the floor with Vince's body.
I've never heard anywhere where he was knocked out by the punch, plus it was a free punch.. if Bret had swung McMahon could've reacted. You evidently have had about as many fights as a vicar.
@@stevelowe2647 I’ve been in plenty of fights. I ain’t ever been knocked out so I wouldn’t know what it’s like. If you’re willing to offer up a free punch, you should at least have the chin to take it. And if you’ve never heard that Vince was Ko’d then you don’t know what you’re commenting on and shouldn’t remark.
Absolutely, and failing that, he damn sure should've taken the belt off of him BEFORE he let his champion sign a contract with his biggest competition!
@@jonathancampbell5231 On the contrary, business DID turn around enough to pay Bret. Vince told him as much in late 97, but it was too late as Bret had already signed the WCW contract.
@@jonathancampbell5231 right. After Shawn refused to do a job for him, Bret was never going to agree to drop the belt to Micheals. Why they didn’t just have him drop it to Taker or some else, I’ll never understand. Probably just Vince trying to flex his power over Bret
It's a business. Get over it. There are no ethics or "good faith" when it comes to a competitive industry. Theres been way worse things done than this. You're just butthurt because your hero took the L and went to WCW where he really got buried and exposed while HBK came back to WWE and got to headline PPV's and display more classic matches. Vince doesn't need to be a good person. If he was, WWF/WWE wouldn't be the successful brand it is now.
The truth is, Bret wasn't Hollywood. Bret wasn't a founding father of the nWo. Bret wasn't the franchise Sting. Given these facts, WCW had some great storylines with Bret. His brotherly rivalry with Sting, his siding with nWo Hollywood, his heat with his old WWF rivals. And especially his feud with Goldberg, which very few people were able to hold their own against, including Hollywood.
Vince reneged on Bret's contract. He should have taken the belt off him before telling him he was gonna break his contract. Vince essentially lied to Bret in order to keep him from going to WCW in '96. Vince screwed Bret.
Shouldn't have really had to. Bret should have dropped it when told, to whom told. Bret is a PROMOTERS son, Stu would have screwed anyone who refused to drop one of their belts.
@@maxxdahl6062 Bret had a 20 year contract Vince reneged on and he had creative control if his contract ended. Stu would have honored agreements he made with people. All vince had to do was honor his contract.
@@doomedhuh Don't care what contract he had, Stu hart would have screwed anyone refusing to drop a belt. Hell screwjobs were common from the beginning of wrestling until the 80's. ANYONE would have, Verne Gagne, Fritz Von Erich, Bill Watts, Stu, anyone would have.
@@doomedhuh You have a REALLY skewed vision of promoters if you think they would have put up with someone continually refusing to drop one of their belts. lol
I’m officially addicted to your channel bro! From one creator to another, thank you. This is exactly the type of wrestling content I’ve been looking for. Cheers!
18:21-Why does NO ONE ever acknowledge how many times Shawn Michaels refused to do the job. He refused Dean Douglas, he refused Jeff Jarrett, and he refused Bret Hart in what was supposed to be a 3-match trilogy in which Shawn would come out on top in the 3rd and final match. All Bret wanted was for Shawn to show that he had no problem dropping to Bret.
@@HereIsWisdom1318 Me too. Shawn is a slimebag and I don't care whether he was in the grip of substance issues, has become a born again Christian or was a phenomenal wrestler. Once a snake in the grass, always a snake in the grass in my opinion. And yes, I was always and still am a Bret Hart fan but I wouldn't think any different even if I was not.
Losing to Shawn wasn’t a big deal until HBK opened his mouth and insulted Bret. This wasn’t about not wanting to lose in Canada or because he simply didn’t like Shawn, this was about feeling disrespected and not wishing to reward someone for their behavior.
I’m sorry but it’s fiction. Your playing a part. When your director says you lose, you do you job. Bret was a mark for himself and was let go because he wasn’t worth what he wanted paid.
@@woobgamer5210 ya there is but Bret wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t drawing in 97. Nobody cared he was as stale as hulk hogan and all the other dinosaurs. I remember people went to those shows for Austin and DX. By the time Bret left nobody but foley cared and even he was only a day. Fact is raw didn’t beat nitro till they got rid of Bret. He wasn’t worth it
@@bclr6843Actually (Vince) should have honored his end of the contract that he signed in the first place and didn't which would actually give Bret every legal right and every (ethical and moral) right to void his end of that contract that wasn't honored as soon as it wasn't matched dollar for dollar or if it even deviated in the slightest in what was in the 30 day claus and that is loosely explained in the video and isn't hard to find the details of the contract (elsewhere) which has nothing to do with some dumbass (opinion) about how after being ripped off about 50% of the money initially agreed upon in a (legally documented contract) then being two faced in the end doesn't at all fit the analogy you laid out (director in a movie). If the director in the movie agreed that the actor was going to direct the last 20 minutes of the movie then it wouldn't matter at all what the director wanted the end of the movie to be and if you short an actor over 1 million dollars then they're not going to be showing up to finish the rest of the movie so I really didn't get your point in any of this at all since Bret did have more control in the contract at this point (if that didn't expire already) than Vince. As far as (not worth it dinosaur) 97 was his best year and that's after being the flagship of the company for the last few years prior consecutively and also being offered the same amount from WCW a year prior and this is probably the most memorable angle there is in wrestling history especially after the wm13 match which is still hailed today as the best match of all time and Bret at this point was still probably number one in all of the "Commonwealth" and still big in the United States...
Vince's reaction does really show tendencies of narcissism. Really putting the blame on Bret, while not taking blame. Certainly mixing a work and a shoot.
To make the money Vince has you kind of have to be a cruel sociopathic narcissist. You dont make a billion dollars without destroying a bunch of people in the process.
Indeed but since this sport is all a fake show the champion doesn't have control about holding his belt. That's the price you have to pay with no real competition. In real sport you never know for sure how it will end. And looking back on this situation as an adult its just a drama show for nothing. All about a fake world championship belt.
Bret screwed Bret, the interview that McMahon thought would make him face would actually turn him into one of the most hated heels in all the WWF! He got lucky, but made it work so well with him and Austin in 97, 98, and 99.
I always wondered if Vince thought this would make him a Face. I think he knew after this interview he would be a Heel. He said some ridiculous things like how he could beat Bret in a fight. Hart would have beaten the brakes off Vince if they actually fought.
@@murray1978 Why would an owner of a professional wrestling (or in this case a sports entertainment) company allow their championship belt to be retained by a guy going to a rival company they wasn't in a talent exchange with? The entire agreement for Bret to retain and go elsewhere would have made the championship seem as a joke and made the other company look much better by default. Considering the very odd and downright insane ideals Vince has had I don't doubt he thought his "Bret screwed Bret" comments would make him a face or at least sympathetic cause Vince is the same guy that started the XFL twice after all.
In my mid 30s now, but Bret will never stop to be my hero! Occasionally I talk about my favourite matches of all time. The list has not changed despite some truly amazing matches. It will always be: Bret vs. Owen WM10, Bret vs. Austin WM13 and Bret vs. Bulldog IYH Dec95
It still amazes me how Vince could claim they couldn’t afford Bret but then he tried to hire Ultimate Warrior AGAIN at an astronomically absurd deal not long after the screw job. And this was after his last two runs went horribly.
Don't forget he paid Tyson like crazy money. I think $25 Mil if I am not mistaken. Nothing about money but it was Triple H and Shawn not wanting Bret there.
Another great video! I agree with what Jim Cornette said regarding the Screwjob that “This was the biggest clusterf*** in the history of clusterf***s.” Why put the belt on someone when you’ve just realized you can’t afford him? Why let him negotiate with the competition when he’s still champ? Why put him in a situation with someone who you know he’s not been getting along with and who is acting like a spoiled brat at the time because his buddies went away? Why did the title change have to be at Survivor Series when there was another month on Bret’s WWF contract? There were a million ways they could have avoided this situation and, to my mind, Vince, Shawn, and Bret (and even Triple H to a degree) all share the blame for what happened.
@Ultra Instinct 94 he has since become a Christian and has stated in recent years he's ashamed of howe he acted n the nineties. \it's also why in his reunited \DX run in 06 he no longer said suck it and changed the cross chop.
Love Shawn the wrestler. Shawn the human.... Christian or not is an ass everything I've read. He's Clean. Much better person overall...but religion doesn't make ya great
Vince can't complain about Bret being unreasonable when he signed the contact giving Bret creative control in the last 30 days, And he put up with Hogan's and Warrior's demands by that point
There's a interview with Bret from a few years ago where he talks about after the match when he was leaning on the top rope what Owen Hart said to him. He says Owen told him "He did nothing wrong. It was all them. And he has nothing to be ashamed of." A few other things. But I remember that part. God I miss Owen. Bret was right in every way he handled himself and everything he thought about the situation.
@@ohlord3650 Well it is clear that you don’t know the story cuz this is just an oversimplification of the situation. It’s everyone’s fault. Bret , Shawn and Vince have all blame to carry. Bret said as much during an interview with JR and Shawn.
@@ohlord3650 what i never understood is why not just strip him of the belt at the arena if bret refused to drop the belt? why not be a man and say "bret, no chance in hell you're not losing tonight. if you're not dropping it, then as owner i'm taking yoru belt and you go home. i'm putting taker in the main event". why agree to a finish where the match ends in a DQ just to screw the guy? honestly, if he wanted to embarress bret, that would have most definately been worse then creating a martyr. This is a guy who had made ridiculous amount of sacrifices to better your company for years.. That was just not necessary when vince himself caused most of the issues by mis-managing. vince was extremely fortunate that things worked out for him.
@@devangpatel5227 OR Bret could just be an adult and drop the belt knowing he's leaving like an adult would do on their way out, regardless of his personal feelings about Shawn.....Its how adults actually do things in the real world when they are professional.
To be fair, the fact that Shawn was losing to Bret on houseshows is pointless. Bret worked as a babyface at this time and it’s a known fact, that heels rarely get the W at a houseshow events
Yeah, the house show argument doesn't carry any weight, Shawn certainly didn't help establish Bret as a main event star, especially considering Survivor Series '92 was the only match of note they had at the time. If anything, the opposite is true, Bret dropping the belt to Shawn at Mania 12 did infinitely more for Shawn than a few house show wins that nobody would even be aware of did for Bret.
I think that's been some Vince biggest problem right there overpaying wrestlers that he likes. He bitched about him not selling any merchandise to his satisfaction ok then why are you paying Bret Hart and ultimate warrior this much money if they not selling out like Max?
@@raidernation7427 so, had Vince not blown money on Warrior he could’ve honored Bret’s contract. Owen’s career would certainly taken another trajectory and he wouldn’t have been made to be the Blue Blazer again. And we would’ve gotten Bret Hart vs. Kurt Angle.
I never understood why Undertaker just didn't beat Bret. Bret, I am sure, would've had no problems dropping the title to Taker. But then again the Mr. McMahon character maybe would've never existed and that also a would've been quite the travesty.
Yeah, me neither. McMahon keeps talking about this 14 year relationship and that it was Bret that forgot it was in professional sports entertainment. Or maybe he left out the word professional. That word is key. It seemed to me that Bret was fed up with the lack of professionalism. And McMahon can't really deny that. I mean Vince was good at sports entertainment but he was seriously lacking in the areas of professionalism and a relationship. I mean pick anyone, literally anyone for Bret to job to other than the guy that falsely and publicly accused Bret of adultery and who's vanity let to a young girl and relative of Bret's dying while in such a saddened state of mind. That may have been inevitable, and it may be a thing that happens, but something could have been done but wasn't. Poor relationship skills. With my own relationships, if there was a person like Shawn in my life, I'd be restraining myself from killing him, not trying to end the relationship with humility.
@Tiger Exactly. Shawn was and would be champion again. It shortsighted to think there would be no other opportunities. And disrespectful to Bret. How is it appropriate to command respect without giving the same. That is not how a relationship works with respect.
@Tiger I always imagined if Bret was champion in 2001, would Vince sign him back to destroy the company that screwed him to put Vince out of business would have made sweet revenge. But honestly when WCW folded, Bret would have sat out his lucrative contract like many others have done, but wrestle for the upstart NWA TNA in 2002 I could have easily seen him as NWA world champion.
In Vince's own words if Vince coulda fought Bret back: "Not tonight, not any any night", in his own music theme no chance in hell. Bret was in great shape when he returned late 96 all the way to the screw job.
One of my favourite things about this channel is the way you bring up inconvenient truths (that often get overlooked in internet echo chambers) in a non-confrontational way that makes people think about their memories and perceptions. Case in point: Michaels constant loses to Hart earlier.
Constant losses YES!!!.....hoooowever the ones you REMEMBER are the iron man match wich Michael's one the screwjob and some lame ones. So idk do ya take the more mini wins or the few Big ones everyone remembers????? I gotcha THEIR
@@gumdeo They didn't publicly, but it is something to think about. When a guy has beaten you a hundred times face to face and yet refuses to lose just a third time to you? You do a certain script day in and day out a literal hundred times, it's going to stick in your mind.
Bret was definitely screwed and there was no evidence to prove he intended to go to Nitro with the WWE title. Bret had too much respect for Vince and WWE to do that. He didnt even want to go to WCW in the first place knowing he'd be mishandled but Vinny Mac practically gave him a ride to the front door
If you were at work and your boss was like, hey. Do this. And you were like, no, I don't want to. I don't like the guy I have to do it with. Not doing it, What would happen?
@@y2j13 especially if it's your top prize, the WWF championship. By having on Nitro and tossing it in a trashcan the WWF would lose face value and the belt would be worthless. In other words the company would be embarrassed.
@@LuchadorMasque The boss in your inapplicable scenario didn't give that employee the option to decide what he won't do the way Vince did when he agreed to Bret's reasonable creative control clause. So...kinda changes your little scenario.
It doesn't exist because it didn't happen! It was all a work! I can't believe people still think this was real. Bret had a camera crew there but conviently had them leave the room. Of course they are there to film Vince limping away though. Then the next night the put some makeup on Vince's eye and did that interview. They were both in on it...don't be a fool.
He also had some background in shoot wrestling. That makes a difference. He'd have the coordination and the techniques down. Vince never liked wrestling, only sports entertainment, so he would be at a disadvantage.
@@seanabbins5481 Yep. Bret said about the punch that he knew if he tried to throw a haymaker or anything that involved him bring his arm up and back that because of so many people being physically close, one of them would have grabbed his arm, which is why Bret threw an uppercut.
Vince has always thought he was a tough guy, so of course he'd say he could have taken Bret. How does that intro go again, thats right 'no chance in hell', that's about as much chance i'd give him of beating Bret in a fight that night or any other night before his career was cut short and he had the stroke.
You never know, Vince grew up in a violent trailer park environment in the Carolinas, and was a successful boxer and wrestler at school. Plus he freely admits that irl while growing up he fought dirty, eye rakes and throat punches among other short cuts. Bret would likely have won, but Vince was a fitness and muscle freak with a background in fighting.
@@dunnwell7780 This has only even been talked about by Vince, that's why i take it with a grain of salt. I don't doubt he got himself into fights though, he's a hard headed dude with a mouth on him.
Man to man, i love you. Had to be said. Your videos get me through the work day. I was a product of this era of wrestling and your videos blow me away with the nostalgia. Keep this excellence up my friend.
Imagine the journalism integrity we might have if the entire press did research and presentation like our man here. Anither great episode with a lot of info and unbiased.. fantastic again!! On day I hope the press follow your example!
Thank you for covering this part of the Montreal Screwjob. Once Bret lost to HBK (and I can't stand HBK then and now), that made me change the channel and I never saw this. Should be interesting (will comment later after this).
Bret would have went out with a loss to ANYONE other than Shawn and that refusal to lose to Shawn was only because Shawn said he wouldn’t do the job for Bret. So I’m not sure how anyone can say Bret lost sight that it’s JUST sports entertainment when Shawn made it personal.
Brett and Shawn are having a real feud at that time u do say some cocky sh!t to your rival which u don't necessarily mean. We don't know that Shawn will job to beret or not if such situation really arises. I still think screwjob happens because of bret's big ego.
Aight, so longtime viewer, obviously love the main wrestling content covered, but just had to compliment the music you have in your intros! Like holy hell, you don't really think about it, but it's literally like the videos entrance music to set the tone and for the life of me, I can't remember the last time I didn't catch myself nodding along with the first 20 seconds of one of your vids!
Bret and the heart foundation actually helped shape the attitude era Brets character with the heart foundation was way different than the untouchable baby face in the early 90’s it just wasn’t coined attitude era until he left. He would have fit in perfect.
@@Ken-uh8md I can’t argue your opinion but Canada vs United States was a good storyline his reign as champ never hurt the company and people like to point at DX beginning it but I look at Austin vs Bret as the beginning. You suddenly saw the crowd going against who the company said was heel and baby face and cheering for the heel in this case Austin. Austin vs Bret was one of the greatest and underrated rivalries and I believe they could have had even more great matches. Bret changed his character after noticing the crowds reaction to Austin to a me vs the whole United States, reformed the heart foundation, started cursing... we had never seen a baby face be painted as heel like that. Some wrestlers go back and forth from heel to baby face (Hbk, Rock, Jericho, etc)but Bret and Hogan were looked at as classic baby faces before their change. I look at things like that and Steve Austin being cheered vs Bret instead of being booed as the beginning... just my opinion.
As much as this has been talked about so many times, I really liked your breakdown on this particular video. I can see from both perspectives that both men to a certain extent refused to accept responsibility for their actions. I will say Bret's life and career went towards a downward spiral despite winning titles in WCW and making money. Bret did not want to leave the WWF and you see how his career turned out in WCW. At the same time I don't think Bret would have lasted in the edgy attitude era since he wasn't all ok with it in the first place.
I do agree that both men did not accept their responsibilities and you are right I don't think Bret Hart wouldn't have last that long in the Attitude Era
@Jhc you make great points and I agree with you for the most part. I can see with Austin since he has great chemistry with him but after that I'm not so sure. I think Bret would've started very well but then fall off after and I'm a big Bret Hart fan. The only other guy I could see Bret working well with would've been Kurt Angle as wrestling machine Kurt.
@@louisvelez40 thanks for reminding me of the one match I really wanted but never got 😭 but agrees with you, if Bret stayed he would have found a way to make himself work in the AE, and seeing that Shawn was gone soon, he would have been a lot happier
You mentioned how Bret was popular in Europe, I am from India and I had a bret poster when I was 4 in 93. He was huge to me but sadly we didn't have any network here that aired wcw lol. So when he left in 97, I didn't know what happened to him. Wish we had easy access to the internet,
I love your channel man. I'm an old school wrestling fan I don't care for the newer storylines or wrestlers of today. I love the fact that you cover content from the time period Where it meant the most to me. Keep being awesome brother
"Bret screwed Bret" and with those three infamous, the greatest wrestling villain was officially born and gone was the smiley friendly announcer. Mr. McMahon had arrived and everyone would learn the hard way, you don't cross the boss.
Bret never sold out. Even before he faxed his contract to WCW, he called Vince and asked him to tell him something that would make him stay. What would be the plan for his character for the next year and Vince said he would job to Shawn Michaels time and time again and then finally on the 5th or 6th time, Bret would beat Shawn. Now we all know that this would have degraded Bret’s character to lose multiple times in a row to Shawn and when it would come to the match that Bret wins....Shawn might lose his smile again. I truly believe that Bret would have liked to keep the title in Canada and hand over the belt the next night but I also believe that he would have done the job for the Undertaker or Stone Cold. This boys and girls is a lesson in communication or rather lack of communication. You had the two best wrestling athletes of all time at your company, and could have done so much with Bret and Shawn over the years. Unfortunately it was Shawn who was just too immature at the time. Bret was 8 years older and from a different generation of respect. Shawn was that rebellious character that was even hard for Vince to deal with. No one knew if Shawn was going to do the job for Austin at Mania 14 until the last minute.
This. All of this. VInce has been...out of touch. Some say since going PG, but this entire interview would show he's been out of touch for a lot longer. Bret just wanted his place. I've never been huge on Bret, when I was younger, I felt he was too one dimensional. But knowing everything around this that I do now, I'm all in for all things Bret Hart. The man was a wrestling machine.
Michaels was a pain self admitted, but Hart was no saint. Hart was a pain from a creative standpoint and was notoriously late to work which in the world of any business is very unprofessional and disrespectful. No smart wrestling promoter is going to allow there company champion to give a goodbye speech, hand over the title without losing it to go work for the competitor. That's terrible business. It's easy to say that Bret would have dropped it to others like Austin or Taker, but what gets overlooked in the story is the fact that Bret Hart made the decision to play hard ball by ultimately telling his employer that he flat out was not going to surrender the belt to ANYONE before Montreal took place AND would also not surrender the belt anywhere in Canada under any circumstances. By the time Bret was actually willing to drop the title, it would be too late. You'd have WCW easily spoiling everything by announcing that they had acquired the WWF champion immediately after the event in Montreal. In this instance Michaels turned out to be to the least to blame knowing all the facts.
7:56-If i was Bret, I would have NEVER dropped to Shawn Michaels. Hell, Bret should have resolved to NEVER drop to Shawn Michaels after he (Shawn) reneged on the WM13 match.
While this is easier said then done, essentially with 90s hbk, I feel it's hyprictical for brett to complain about sean not putting bret over in his later years with the company, when he didn't put sean over either. I feel if your going to complain about not putting people over you kinda have to be the bigger man. In general I feel that was Brett's biggest issue here. He was feeling with Sean at his worst and lowest point, and Vince who would do anything he thought was right to protect his company weather he was right or wrong. I feel brett went down to there level to deal with them and it made him hypocritical. But brett was in a very hard situation to be in, so I do understand. I also understand were vince was comming from to tho
Shawn Michaels seemed to be allergic to dropping titles during this period he didn't want to even drop it to Austin until undertaker threatened to give him a justified ass kicking.
@@kristopherbrown146 actually he was always gonna do it, shawn never know what taker was planing and even taker said he did not confront shawn about what he was planing, shawn was only going around saying that coz despite being injured and one wrong bump could have left him in a wheelchair he thought that vince and the company did not appreciate the sacrifice he was making so he was lashing out. he could hav easily just gave up the belt like he did when he had his knee injury at the start in 97. this is why shawn did not wrestle from rumble to maina to make sure he could rest up as much as he can to get thro the match, you could tell how much pain he was in throughout the match.
You can say Bret screwed Bret all you want. But you Vince hurt the integrity of your brand and your sport when you told them to hit the bell without Bret submitting. Thats not how the sport is played. So Atleast in that instant, Vince mocked all of wrestling. That’s all you need to know when you ask yourself who was wrong here. All for a buck.
I get what your saying but vince didn't really hurt anything. The wwe ended up being better off after Montreal then they were before. After the attitude era, which this definitely sparked , wwe was in better standing they they ever were. Also I think we should keep in mind the then wwf was a business, not a sport.
@@mitchellima4736 so when you say he was better off, you mean he made more money? Yea I’m sure he’d slit a baby’s throat if he could make ten dollars and only get charged five for the murder. Better off or not, he still put a dent in it. Why sell wrestling integrity for a dollar. Why even have wrestling if you have to bend the rules to make it what you want or get the victory you want. wrestling is wrestling and wrestling includes proper submissions.
And yet he thinks hes coming out of it as a babyface. And people wonder why people like Roman Reigns were booked the way they were for so long. WWE had their biggest success when they had all the territory talent they could get and they got themselves over. Vince only ever monetized ppl who got themselves over....he never actually booked in a way to make stars
I loved Bret, and i always believed the montreal screwjob was real. I just find it strange that Bret would allow himself to be placed in a submission hold, and it seems too convenient that his reasoning is because he thought Earl Hebner had his back.
Great video!!! It really is sad when you look back at this subject..... that such a DEPENDABLE and RELIABLE talent like Bett was treated so badly. I MSS all of those wrestlers that joined him in the Canadian clique. (Jim,Owen,Brian,Davey, ❤🇨🇦)
This interview has got to be the greatest botched attempt at something that accidentally yielded a near infinite harvest of magnificence. It’s up there with the creation of the potato chip and the invention of viagra.
Its amazing his story has never changed while shawn Michaels has since admitted that he was in on it as well as hhh,but on wrestling with shadows they swore to God in front of Bret's wife that they were not in on it.
I don't think Vince meant "I would've knocked Bret out!" When he said "it would've ended differently." I think he was implying he's no slouch in the fitness department either. Who knows though? Maybe he really thought he could take Bret down but I doubt it.
Vince has got to stop, whether he had fought back or not Bret would've worn that ass out. McMahon trying to save some of his manhood dignity with that statement haha.
I have just watched a beautiful biography of Paul Orndorff. In that video he states that the psychology of the match is missing in the matches seen now and this is exactly your point in one of the videos that you mention. I believe it was Bret Hart vs Piper. That the storytelling in the ring is missing from today’s matches. If they want people coming back to wrestling they need people who can bring that art form back.
Vince breached the creative control clause clause in the contract which stated that they could not degrade Bret's character during his last days in the company. Not only did they not honor that while he was leaving, but they continued to do that after he left for several weeks after, including the midget Bret promo and made money in the process.
Vince chose shawn Michaels for some stupid reason. Even after all the drama and diva nonsense, while brett busted his ass and always did what was best(minus the Montreal spot). Poor decision
Love your work brother!! One of my favourite channels.! Shawn Michaels was my idol as a kid and I still have him up there as the best of all time in ring performance wise. On a par with Flair. But as I’ve grown and learnt about the ins and outs of the business. As an art. Bret is the best of all time for me. Snug and safe style. Best psychology I’ve ever seen. Saddest thing of all was Owen was all of those things and a better athlete. Thanks for the amazing content. Especially in this toughest of years and a merry Christmas to you👍
Awesome video as usual. Great perspective and thank you for not going over Montreal in detail, we all know the story and don't need to hear it over and over again. Cool perspective as always, keep up the great videos!
You've misrepresented the initial situation here. Bret refused to lose in Canada, that's true. However, at no point did he refuse to lose to Shawn Michaels. Bret had told Shawn that he would drop the title to him, even though Shawn made it very clear he would have never even tolerated the idea of doing the same in reciprocation. Bret agreed he would do the J-O-B to Shawn but he suggested doing it on the episode of Raw a week later. And Bret had more than proved he was trustworthy, regardless of him being outside of his contract at that time. Vince played this perfectly and as such created the Mr McMahon character. Stone Cold and The Rock wouldn't have been so over without the Mr McMahon character. Inadvertently, Bret won WWF the Monday Night Wars and people over look that.
Yes but even in Canada and I don't care if he had creativity control "HE STILL SHOULD HAVE DROPPED THE BELT TO HBK" Even in Canada. In a perfect world he should have dropped that belt at the next in your house event degeneration x.
Maybe that was the plan from the very beginning it's hard to tell what was real and what was script we will never know the truth
3 года назад
@@attiepollard7847 He had creative control, he was told by the crying baby I lost my smile boy toy that he wouldn't do the job for him So, forgive Bret for being a man of a principle and not jump when the boss says jump Even in normal job, people might fight back boss order if it was degrading
@@attiepollard7847 You are just a bitter person who seemed to be against Bret How did he have it coming after all of what I said? I don't believe that a person should lay down for his boss to step over him and damage his character
Even on topics i know and have read up on. I really enjoy hearing your takes, historical breakdown, and how you set up the topic. Not to mention the music is always top tier, beautiful work you do brother
Great video. Here's my comments, including some revelations, and differences of opinion. 1-Shawn told Bret he wouldn't job to him, plus Shawn very often forfeited a belt instead of getting beaten in the ring. This, plus Bret's creative control made me side with Bret. But you shined the light that HBK lost many times earlier to Bret. So Bret wasn't fully right in Montreal. 2-I disagree that McMahon misjudged the fans in his interview. Vince always loved a wrestler who could generate heat, and he's a smart business man. I think Vince brilliantly judged the fans would hate him in the interview and purposefully did so to become the heel. 3-I think Vince let Bret punch him, for a counter-sue in case Bret sued Vince for the screwjob.
when HBK told Bret he wouldn't drop the belt for him, and Bret got offended, he wasn't acting professional. It's easy being a pro, when everyone around you is decent. Bret should have been the bigger man and just drop the belt to him anyways. on the other hand, HBK could/should have apologized, and make peace with Bret. on the other other hand, Vince could have organized a match between StoneCold and Bret, drop the belt, and everyone would have been happy. so, in this whole situation, not a single person acted professional. it would only take 1 of them to prevent this. on the question of who screwed Bret: Vince, HBK and Bret screwed Bret. not in that order regarding the timelin, but the share of the blame.
Excellent work again my friend. How about some videos on the history of most of the current long standing championships and belts we don't see anymore. I've always been curious about what happened to the wcw television title belt
I really love this channel. I listen to your videos while dozing off every night. Very soothing. Not a knock on the content tho. Really enjoyable videos.
Are you stupid?? Vince McMahon has been fit and ripped his whole life!! He owned several body building companies and you know neither of them.. silly comment
Trained him to be a fake wrestler. He wasn't trained in mma,boxing,kickboxing since a child lmao for all you know bret didn't know how to fight and me even having to say this kinda shows you don't know anything about fighting either so stick to your WWE fake stuff
@@kylerockwell1861 except ya Stu was a trained shoot wrestler and he did train Bret along with the rest of his boys. Bret even has a legit gold medal from a provincial level wrestling tournament.
Another solid video. I appreciate that you presented both perspectives and really made me think how both Vince and Bret must have seen things throughout the entire ordeal.
That should have happened but he would have sat out on his contract and wrestled anywhere but WWE. Imagine, more Bret/Austin, taker as a biker and dream matches with Angle, Jericho, or rock.
One has to admit this changed the WWE. While it was getting edgier, it allow The Mr. Mcmahon character to come alive and even though most people knew that VInce owned the company, it got him off of commentary duty and in the limelight of being the owner. Those two things really shaped the WWE from that point forward. Let's face it, had he lost that night without the screwjob, how many people would have remembered it? It would have been just another pay per view. I think "The fingerpoke of Doom" and this are two events will live on.
Eric bischoff on 83 weeks was asked about Bret getting offered a deal in 96 and eric said he talked with Bret but never offered him a deal as it became a story line in TV when Bret was returning after wm12 if he was going to resign with wwe or go to wcw
I think you did a good job and covered this from a better angle than most videos I've seen. I have long thought this was a work from the beginning and if they didn't make that dvd about 7 years ago with the sit down between Bret and Shawn, I would have changed my mind. The way it happened was win-win for all, so I can't see how it would have benefitted Vince burying Bret on the way out like they talk about.
Bret was in a "no win" situation in terms of his character. Had he stayed in the wwe by taking a pay cut, Shawn's influence on Vince would have reflected in Bret's character being continually mocked & devalued. The mini Bret parody & the Hart Foundation humiliation burials foreshadowed that. It's anyone's guess how Shawn could have further buried him personally & professionally. Staying in a company with an enemy that had so much political clout wouldn't have been good long term. Wcw's burial of Bret's character & career speaks for itself. Showing you're the better man by doing the job would have been the right thing to do, but any proud man would have done what Bret did after Shawn said he would never do the same for Bret. If Bret could become a multi millionaire & take care of his debts & family, then good for him. Everyone involved has to live with their decisions
I think it was a good thing that heart left because he gave opportunity to Stone Cold Steve Austin do to become a star. Besides can you really picture him in the attitude era with his personality. I just don't think Brett Hart would have been that edge here plus he does have a hard time selling promos.
@@attiepollard7847 do you think if HBK hadn't taken that spot in the casket match that broke his back, that he'd not try to undermine Austin with his politics?
@@walker1984 actually even b4 he was due to win the title hbk know he was only gonna have the belt till wm14 but he did not mind coz he was having fun with dx and they was looking at maybe getting a run with the tag belts and feuding with the outlaws (so the outlaws would not hav joined DX and DX would have been hbk hh and x-pac)
Let's be honest both men would have been trying to heam each other up and choke each other until someone broke it up. No way in hell would have seen fist flying
Another amazing video man. These are absolutely incredible. I was a huge Hitman Fan back in the day. I’m Still pissed about that Montreal screwjob finish. What WWE, should’ve done (IMO) was should’ve brought Bret Back in 2005, instead of 2010. Not sure what Bret and Vince’s relationship was at that time though? When HBK, cut the nuclear heat promo on Raw in Montreal. When Bret’s music played massive pop. Just a missed opportunity. Keep it up the great work!
I disagree with the sentiment that Bret was 'priceless' in 1997. You could maybe make that argument a couple years earlier. At that point though, Shawn and DX were outdrawing him. Austin was outdrawing him. Taker was outdrawing him. All of the people at the top the list were. Bret wanted way more money than he was worth at that point. I was never really a fan of his anyway, but even his fans at the time were dwindling.
There are 3 things guaranteed in life:
1) Death
2) Taxes
3) A brilliant Wrestling Bios video
Bret should’ve sneezed in front of Vince, that would have really pissed him off
🤣🤣🤣
Omfg
Bwahahaha imagine being that much of a control freak that u hate sneezing cuz u got no control over it
Context?
@@RichSmithson It's been stated by a few people that one of Vince's weird quirks is that he hates sneezing. Apparently he's cursed himself whenever he's had to sneeze.
Paul Heyman has also been on record that Vince refuses to grow a beard even though he can, because "he won't let it win."
You're a weird dude, Vinny Mac.
Vince taking out Bret In a fight is like Hornswoggle taking out Undertaker.
Hey you never know. for all we know both men with a property been him and up each other and trying to choke each other out and then someone would have broke it up
@Lujack Shaw Have Hornswoggle and Taker at a WrestleMania in an I Quit match before the WrestleMania 30 one . Have the finish be Hornswoggle handcuffing Taker to the ropes. Going under the ring to pull out a bag or sack. Get into the ring and reveal that the bag is full of cucumbers, from whole cucumbers to sliced and diced cucumbers. Just all kinds of cucumbers. Start pouring the cucumbers over Taker until Taker is forced to utter the words "I QUIT!" "I QUIT!" Thus ending the streak.
Who knows, vince is always in great shape too, and should know some boxing and olimpic wrestling moves.
U seen the body on that man at 75?
Totally agree.
Vince is totally ripped, but at no point in his life has he ever been in the sort of condition that Hitman was at that time.
If Vince hadn't given Hitman a free shot and had instead tried going to brawling, Hitman would have unscrewed his head and replaced it facing backward.
Vince would have swung for bret and fallen over tearing his quads in the process
😂😂😂
Lmfao
👍👍👍Good one🤣🤣🤣
Are you sure you're not confusing Vince for Kevin Nash here?
@@redacted1093 Either one would have probably had it happen
Bret Hart knocked out Vince McMahon with one punch and made Shawn Michaels cry at the same time. What a legend!
Perfectly said
Never been a bigger mark statement ever made .
@@anthonylewis9256 Nah, I think you topped it by unnecessarily calling him a mark, you dumbass mark...
@@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734 LMAO!!!
@@anthonylewis9256 bro your not a wrestler.. Using wrestling speak doesn't make you look badass it makes you look like a tool.
You know who didn't have a match at Survivor Series? The Undertaker. Bret would have dropped the title to Undertaker and problem would have been solved.
They had already sold the tickets & Pay-Per-View based on Bret vs. Shawn, they had to have that match.
This all began with Bret refusing to drop the belt to Shawn all of sudden.
@@christopherroberts7306 every time shawn had to lose to bret, he faked an injury to get out of it so why would bret wanna lose the title to shawn on his last night. they could have added undertaker as a triple threat and bret doesn't lose. either taker loses to shawn or undertaker wins and loses to shawn later
@@christopherroberts7306 Don't vilify brett...
I'll never understand why Vince didn't get the belt off Bret b4
@@elijahechicagobearsboyd5734 He was stating a verified fact. Conversation shouldn't be one-sided just because your guy is getting criticized
A side eye, as a young fan, was Vince saying that he could not afford to honour Bret's contract, but then mere months later, he found money down the back of the sofa, to pay Mike Tyson for his role in the build up to WM14
Right
How much did they pay Tyson? I can’t remember exactly but I recall it was a lot.
So Vince mcmahon basically lied to Bret to get iron Mike Tyson for WrestleMania 14, makes sense.
Yeah, the money he found was Brets salary
@@kurtbrowning9765 It's been speculated that it was between $3 million and $6 million, but in interviews, Tyson has said that all he can remember regarding the figure, is that all of it went on paying legal bills he had at the time.
The birth of Mr. McMahon
Bret never gets enough credit for that
Facts
Yup, I think it's a blessing in disguise honestly. I'm pretty sure if this never happened, we wouldn't get the Austin McMahon feud
You could argue that Bret pushing Vince earlier in the year was the birth of Mr. McMahon.
Wrong..... Started years ago in Memphis
No I think Bret would have beat the hell outta Vince , I mean Bret was pissed
sure bring her with a gave one punch but I think both men would have try to heam each other up and chok each other until someone broke it up
It was a work
Only one of them went through Stu Harts' dungeon.. I would of put my money on the one that did.
He would have beat Vince so hard it would have knocked Shawns tongue out
@@dr.loomis4221for bret it wasn't a work
Hard to put up a fight when you’re KO’d with the first punch.
Vince is delusional.
For Real man
While I'm not saying the fight wouldn't be on sided, you underestimate just how much an unprotected shot to the head can do to a person. The gloves in boxing are more for the other guy than they are for you.
@@Rayuzx Well if it is a shoot/unsanctioned fight, everything goes right? Shots to the head, groin, throat... It doesn't matter. If Vince didn't get KO'ed and fought back, Bret would have mopped the floor with Vince's body.
I've never heard anywhere where he was knocked out by the punch, plus it was a free punch.. if Bret had swung McMahon could've reacted.
You evidently have had about as many fights as a vicar.
@@stevelowe2647 I’ve been in plenty of fights. I ain’t ever been knocked out so I wouldn’t know what it’s like.
If you’re willing to offer up a free punch, you should at least have the chin to take it. And if you’ve never heard that Vince was Ko’d then you don’t know what you’re commenting on and shouldn’t remark.
The best thing Vince could have done for his company without even knowing it... the start of the Attitude Era
He did know it - it was planned like everything in wrestling, that's how it works and it's great.
Vince wouldn’t have done a goddamn thing in a fight
If Vince was truly acting in good faith he should have told Bret in 1996 that he couldn't afford to pay him and he should go to WCW.
Absolutely, and failing that, he damn sure should've taken the belt off of him BEFORE he let his champion sign a contract with his biggest competition!
@@jonathancampbell5231 On the contrary, business DID turn around enough to pay Bret. Vince told him as much in late 97, but it was too late as Bret had already signed the WCW contract.
@@jonathancampbell5231 right. After Shawn refused to do a job for him, Bret was never going to agree to drop the belt to Micheals. Why they didn’t just have him drop it to Taker or some else, I’ll never understand. Probably just Vince trying to flex his power over Bret
It's a business. Get over it. There are no ethics or "good faith" when it comes to a competitive industry. Theres been way worse things done than this. You're just butthurt because your hero took the L and went to WCW where he really got buried and exposed while HBK came back to WWE and got to headline PPV's and display more classic matches. Vince doesn't need to be a good person. If he was, WWF/WWE wouldn't be the successful brand it is now.
@@Coqui-Cariduro facts
Vince was right...WCW wouldn’t know what to do with Bret
How can anyone get ahead with Hogan in the company?
Bret really should have known better with the way Hogan refused to put him over in the early 90s.
@@RichSmithson
"Bret wants a dollar more..? Nah, that's not gonna work for me _Brother_ "
Because WCW didn't even need Bret they just want to take a Hard Blow to the WWF. That's why they take bret
Well, WCW used Bret better than how McMahon used Owen.
The truth is, Bret wasn't Hollywood. Bret wasn't a founding father of the nWo. Bret wasn't the franchise Sting.
Given these facts, WCW had some great storylines with Bret. His brotherly rivalry with Sting, his siding with nWo Hollywood, his heat with his old WWF rivals. And especially his feud with Goldberg, which very few people were able to hold their own against, including Hollywood.
Vince reneged on Bret's contract. He should have taken the belt off him before telling him he was gonna break his contract. Vince essentially lied to Bret in order to keep him from going to WCW in '96. Vince screwed Bret.
So many times
Shouldn't have really had to. Bret should have dropped it when told, to whom told. Bret is a PROMOTERS son, Stu would have screwed anyone who refused to drop one of their belts.
@@maxxdahl6062 Bret had a 20 year contract Vince reneged on and he had creative control if his contract ended. Stu would have honored agreements he made with people. All vince had to do was honor his contract.
@@doomedhuh Don't care what contract he had, Stu hart would have screwed anyone refusing to drop a belt. Hell screwjobs were common from the beginning of wrestling until the 80's. ANYONE would have, Verne Gagne, Fritz Von Erich, Bill Watts, Stu, anyone would have.
@@doomedhuh You have a REALLY skewed vision of promoters if you think they would have put up with someone continually refusing to drop one of their belts. lol
I’m officially addicted to your channel bro! From one creator to another, thank you. This is exactly the type of wrestling content I’ve been looking for. Cheers!
He is! Dude put so much into his videos..
@@kenrickeason a,,,qa22 z Ga tx.
!' much. Z r. Y yy
From one creator to another 🙄
@@JohnJohnson-fr5cx hey, you tell me that filming yourself unboxing new phones isn't TALENT...
18:21-Why does NO ONE ever acknowledge how many times Shawn Michaels refused to do the job.
He refused Dean Douglas, he refused Jeff Jarrett, and he refused Bret Hart in what was supposed to be a 3-match trilogy in which Shawn would come out on top in the 3rd and final match.
All Bret wanted was for Shawn to show that he had no problem dropping to Bret.
This ^^. You are exactly right, it pisses me off.
@@TheRoberino2001 I hate to seem like im going overboard, but these are the reasons i simply HATE Shawn Michaels!
@@HereIsWisdom1318 Me too. Shawn is a slimebag and I don't care whether he was in the grip of substance issues, has become a born again Christian or was a phenomenal wrestler. Once a snake in the grass, always a snake in the grass in my opinion. And yes, I was always and still am a Bret Hart fan but I wouldn't think any different even if I was not.
@@HereIsWisdom1318 All he did was do the job for people once he returned.
The heartbreak kid lays down for absolutely nobody,cause he's always bending over for McMahon
Losing to Shawn wasn’t a big deal until HBK opened his mouth and insulted Bret. This wasn’t about not wanting to lose in Canada or because he simply didn’t like Shawn, this was about feeling disrespected and not wishing to reward someone for their behavior.
I’m sorry but it’s fiction. Your playing a part. When your director says you lose, you do you job. Bret was a mark for himself and was let go because he wasn’t worth what he wanted paid.
@@bclr6843 difference between not being worth it, and being unable to be paid
@@woobgamer5210 ya there is but Bret wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t drawing in 97. Nobody cared he was as stale as hulk hogan and all the other dinosaurs. I remember people went to those shows for Austin and DX. By the time Bret left nobody but foley cared and even he was only a day. Fact is raw didn’t beat nitro till they got rid of Bret. He wasn’t worth it
Irrelevant. At the end of the day, Vince says who wins and loses, not Bret
@@bclr6843Actually (Vince) should have honored his end of the contract that he signed in the first place and didn't which would actually give Bret every legal right and every (ethical and moral) right to void his end of that contract that wasn't honored as soon as it wasn't matched dollar for dollar or if it even deviated in the slightest in what was in the 30 day claus and that is loosely explained in the video and isn't hard to find the details of the contract (elsewhere) which has nothing to do with some dumbass (opinion) about how after being ripped off about 50% of the money initially agreed upon in a (legally documented contract) then being two faced in the end doesn't at all fit the analogy you laid out (director in a movie).
If the director in the movie agreed that the actor was going to direct the last 20 minutes of the movie then it wouldn't matter at all what the director wanted the end of the movie to be and if you short an actor over 1 million dollars then they're not going to be showing up to finish the rest of the movie so I really didn't get your point in any of this at all since Bret did have more control in the contract at this point (if that didn't expire already) than Vince.
As far as (not worth it dinosaur) 97 was his best year and that's after being the flagship of the company for the last few years prior consecutively and also being offered the same amount from WCW a year prior and this is probably the most memorable angle there is in wrestling history especially after the wm13 match which is still hailed today as the best match of all time and Bret at this point was still probably number one in all of the "Commonwealth" and still big in the United States...
Vince's reaction does really show tendencies of narcissism. Really putting the blame on Bret, while not taking blame. Certainly mixing a work and a shoot.
To make the money Vince has you kind of have to be a cruel sociopathic narcissist. You dont make a billion dollars without destroying a bunch of people in the process.
@@RichSmithson i think you mean a Millionaire that should've been a Billionaire 2 decades ago.
Indeed but since this sport is all a fake show the champion doesn't have control about holding his belt.
That's the price you have to pay with no real competition.
In real sport you never know for sure how it will end.
And looking back on this situation as an adult its just a drama show for nothing. All about a fake world championship belt.
He did the same thing after Owen died.
Also thinking that he could say things like that and expect people to side with him.
Bret screwed Bret, the interview that McMahon thought would make him face would actually turn him into one of the most hated heels in all the WWF! He got lucky, but made it work so well with him and Austin in 97, 98, and 99.
I always wondered if Vince thought this would make him a Face. I think he knew after this interview he would be a Heel. He said some ridiculous things like how he could beat Bret in a fight. Hart would have beaten the brakes off Vince if they actually fought.
He Got Lucky: the vince "Scumbag" McMahon story
@@murray1978 Why would an owner of a professional wrestling (or in this case a sports entertainment) company allow their championship belt to be retained by a guy going to a rival company they wasn't in a talent exchange with? The entire agreement for Bret to retain and go elsewhere would have made the championship seem as a joke and made the other company look much better by default. Considering the very odd and downright insane ideals Vince has had I don't doubt he thought his "Bret screwed Bret" comments would make him a face or at least sympathetic cause Vince is the same guy that started the XFL twice after all.
You guys are fools.
He didn't get lucky...it was all part of plan. The Montreal Screwjob was 100% a work.
I haven't watched wrasslin' in 22 years, but still to this day, I'm still a Bret Hart mark!
In my mid 30s now, but Bret will never stop to be my hero! Occasionally I talk about my favourite matches of all time. The list has not changed despite some truly amazing matches. It will always be: Bret vs. Owen WM10, Bret vs. Austin WM13 and Bret vs. Bulldog IYH Dec95
Smark then
You must be a CM junk fan as well.. Bret screwed Bret.
Same. WWF lost its direction during the year 2000.
@Eddy Val Because it sucked after Russo and Ferrara both left.
Bret hart would've tied vince up in knots if he wanted
Yep - Vince was in decent shape for his age but still no match for the things Bret learned with Stu in the basement all those years
@@The_Dee_Jay thats it theres just levels, vince would slap up the average joe
lol bret would ve cried like the lil bitch he was and he is
Right. Vince should be lucky all he got was one punch
Hell yeah
It still amazes me how Vince could claim they couldn’t afford Bret but then he tried to hire Ultimate Warrior AGAIN at an astronomically absurd deal not long after the screw job. And this was after his last two runs went horribly.
Don't forget he paid Tyson like crazy money. I think $25 Mil if I am not mistaken. Nothing about money but it was Triple H and Shawn not wanting Bret there.
Another great video! I agree with what Jim Cornette said regarding the Screwjob that “This was the biggest clusterf*** in the history of clusterf***s.” Why put the belt on someone when you’ve just realized you can’t afford him? Why let him negotiate with the competition when he’s still champ? Why put him in a situation with someone who you know he’s not been getting along with and who is acting like a spoiled brat at the time because his buddies went away? Why did the title change have to be at Survivor Series when there was another month on Bret’s WWF contract? There were a million ways they could have avoided this situation and, to my mind, Vince, Shawn, and Bret (and even Triple H to a degree) all share the blame for what happened.
They should Interview Vince McMahon now about the Ratings in WWE and he can say ......
- “Vince Screwed Vince” .......... 👀
I was just thinking the same thing.
Truth
You either live long enough to become the hero, or you live so long that you become the villain.
“Vince screwed a paralegal”
interestingly enough HBK has since said that he regrets the screwjob which is why he agreed to shake Hart's hand in 2010.
@Ultra Instinct 94 yeah, dude was a grade A+ douche in the 90s..but you gotta respect him for changing his ways
HBK is so untrustworthy its hilarious.
@Ultra Instinct 94 he has since become a Christian and has stated in recent years he's ashamed of howe he acted n the nineties. \it's also why in his reunited \DX run in 06 he no longer said suck it and changed the cross chop.
Love Shawn the wrestler. Shawn the human.... Christian or not is an ass everything I've read. He's Clean. Much better person overall...but religion doesn't make ya great
@@stevenhoward1233 i would agree with that and I'm Christian.
Vince can't complain about Bret being unreasonable when he signed the contact giving Bret creative control in the last 30 days, And he put up with Hogan's and Warrior's demands by that point
There's a interview with Bret from a few years ago where he talks about after the match when he was leaning on the top rope what Owen Hart said to him. He says Owen told him "He did nothing wrong. It was all them. And he has nothing to be ashamed of." A few other things. But I remember that part. God I miss Owen. Bret was right in every way he handled himself and everything he thought about the situation.
How exactly was it not Bret's fault for being an unreasonable diva, refusing to do business, and forcing Vince's hand?
@@ohlord3650 grow up
@@ohlord3650 Well it is clear that you don’t know the story cuz this is just an oversimplification of the situation. It’s everyone’s fault. Bret , Shawn and Vince have all blame to carry. Bret said as much during an interview with JR and Shawn.
@@ohlord3650 what i never understood is why not just strip him of the belt at the arena if bret refused to drop the belt? why not be a man and say "bret, no chance in hell you're not losing tonight. if you're not dropping it, then as owner i'm taking yoru belt and you go home. i'm putting taker in the main event". why agree to a finish where the match ends in a DQ just to screw the guy? honestly, if he wanted to embarress bret, that would have most definately been worse then creating a martyr. This is a guy who had made ridiculous amount of sacrifices to better your company for years.. That was just not necessary when vince himself caused most of the issues by mis-managing. vince was extremely fortunate that things worked out for him.
@@devangpatel5227 OR Bret could just be an adult and drop the belt knowing he's leaving like an adult would do on their way out, regardless of his personal feelings about Shawn.....Its how adults actually do things in the real world when they are professional.
To be fair, the fact that Shawn was losing to Bret on houseshows is pointless. Bret worked as a babyface at this time and it’s a known fact, that heels rarely get the W at a houseshow events
Shawn Michaels wasn't really a "heel" during that time. DX was over.
Yeah, the house show argument doesn't carry any weight, Shawn certainly didn't help establish Bret as a main event star, especially considering Survivor Series '92 was the only match of note they had at the time. If anything, the opposite is true, Bret dropping the belt to Shawn at Mania 12 did infinitely more for Shawn than a few house show wins that nobody would even be aware of did for Bret.
But Vince turned around and paid Ultimate Warrior almost as much as Bret would've been paid months later......
I think that's been some Vince biggest problem right there overpaying wrestlers that he likes. He bitched about him not selling any merchandise to his satisfaction ok then why are you paying Bret Hart and ultimate warrior this much money if they not selling out like Max?
@@raidernation7427 Shame Vince didnt blow that wad on a sure thing instead of that steroid hound.
@@raidernation7427 so, had Vince not blown money on Warrior he could’ve honored Bret’s contract. Owen’s career would certainly taken another trajectory and he wouldn’t have been made to be the Blue Blazer again. And we would’ve gotten Bret Hart vs. Kurt Angle.
I never understood why Undertaker just didn't beat Bret. Bret, I am sure, would've had no problems dropping the title to Taker. But then again the Mr. McMahon character maybe would've never existed and that also a would've been quite the travesty.
Yeah, me neither. McMahon keeps talking about this 14 year relationship and that it was Bret that forgot it was in professional sports entertainment. Or maybe he left out the word professional. That word is key. It seemed to me that Bret was fed up with the lack of professionalism. And McMahon can't really deny that. I mean Vince was good at sports entertainment but he was seriously lacking in the areas of professionalism and a relationship. I mean pick anyone, literally anyone for Bret to job to other than the guy that falsely and publicly accused Bret of adultery and who's vanity let to a young girl and relative of Bret's dying while in such a saddened state of mind. That may have been inevitable, and it may be a thing that happens, but something could have been done but wasn't. Poor relationship skills. With my own relationships, if there was a person like Shawn in my life, I'd be restraining myself from killing him, not trying to end the relationship with humility.
@Tiger Exactly. Shawn was and would be champion again. It shortsighted to think there would be no other opportunities. And disrespectful to Bret. How is it appropriate to command respect without giving the same. That is not how a relationship works with respect.
Because the undertaker was still working with mankind in the fall of 97
@Ultra Instinct 94 oh that's right I forget mankind versus Kane
@Tiger I always imagined if Bret was champion in 2001, would Vince sign him back to destroy the company that screwed him to put Vince out of business would have made sweet revenge. But honestly when WCW folded, Bret would have sat out his lucrative contract like many others have done, but wrestle for the upstart NWA TNA in 2002 I could have easily seen him as NWA world champion.
In Vince's own words if Vince coulda fought Bret back: "Not tonight, not any any night", in his own music theme no chance in hell. Bret was in great shape when he returned late 96 all the way to the screw job.
Bret: "That finish doesn't work for me, brother."
DUMB COMMENT.
This is probably the best most unbiased breakdown of the screw job you can watch
The fact that he watched this back and thought "This is a babyface interview" shows how out of touch Vince was.
Vince also through a rich narcissistic Texas millionaire (JBL) was a Babyface.
One of my favourite things about this channel is the way you bring up inconvenient truths (that often get overlooked in internet echo chambers) in a non-confrontational way that makes people think about their memories and perceptions. Case in point: Michaels constant loses to Hart earlier.
Constant losses YES!!!.....hoooowever the ones you REMEMBER are the iron man match wich Michael's one the screwjob and some lame ones. So idk do ya take the more mini wins or the few Big ones everyone remembers????? I gotcha THEIR
Matches that didn't matter.
@@gumdeo They didn't publicly, but it is something to think about. When a guy has beaten you a hundred times face to face and yet refuses to lose just a third time to you? You do a certain script day in and day out a literal hundred times, it's going to stick in your mind.
@@dusteedawg2915 Please tell me English isn't your first language.
Goodbye, Vince Mcmahon: announcer.
Hello, Mr. McMahon.
Bret was definitely screwed and there was no evidence to prove he intended to go to Nitro with the WWE title. Bret had too much respect for Vince and WWE to do that. He didnt even want to go to WCW in the first place knowing he'd be mishandled but Vinny Mac practically gave him a ride to the front door
If you were at work and your boss was like, hey. Do this. And you were like, no, I don't want to. I don't like the guy I have to do it with. Not doing it,
What would happen?
either way Vince had to deal with one championship showing up on wcw. I wouldn't take the chance of it happening again
@@y2j13 especially if it's your top prize, the WWF championship. By having on Nitro and tossing it in a trashcan the WWF would lose face value and the belt would be worthless. In other words the company would be embarrassed.
@@LuchadorMasque The boss in your inapplicable scenario didn't give that employee the option to decide what he won't do the way Vince did when he agreed to Bret's reasonable creative control clause. So...kinda changes your little scenario.
@@burntvirtue he was given "reasonable" creative control. It wasnt like he was hogan in wcw
I legit wish they had footage of Bret knocking Vince out backstage....man! I’d pay mad money for that.
It doesn't exist because it didn't happen! It was all a work! I can't believe people still think this was real. Bret had a camera crew there but conviently had them leave the room. Of course they are there to film Vince limping away though. Then the next night the put some makeup on Vince's eye and did that interview. They were both in on it...don't be a fool.
Well known Brett was one tough badass even Austin and taker admits that
He also had some background in shoot wrestling. That makes a difference. He'd have the coordination and the techniques down. Vince never liked wrestling, only sports entertainment, so he would be at a disadvantage.
@@seanabbins5481 Yep. Bret said about the punch that he knew if he tried to throw a haymaker or anything that involved him bring his arm up and back that because of so many people being physically close, one of them would have grabbed his arm, which is why Bret threw an uppercut.
The fight with Michaels was pathetic on both sides though. Bret himself even refers to it as a ‘cat fight’.
Tough for an actor yeh. These guys are actors/entertainers remember.
@@pietropes1322 no dude Bret has a legit gold medal for winning a provincial level wrestling tournament. Probably a lot more then you have ever won.
Vince has always thought he was a tough guy, so of course he'd say he could have taken Bret. How does that intro go again, thats right 'no chance in hell', that's about as much chance i'd give him of beating Bret in a fight that night or any other night before his career was cut short and he had the stroke.
You never know, Vince grew up in a violent trailer park environment in the Carolinas, and was a successful boxer and wrestler at school. Plus he freely admits that irl while growing up he fought dirty, eye rakes and throat punches among other short cuts. Bret would likely have won, but Vince was a fitness and muscle freak with a background in fighting.
@@dunnwell7780 This has only even been talked about by Vince, that's why i take it with a grain of salt. I don't doubt he got himself into fights though, he's a hard headed dude with a mouth on him.
Man to man, i love you. Had to be said.
Your videos get me through the work day. I was a product of this era of wrestling and your videos blow me away with the nostalgia. Keep this excellence up my friend.
Imagine the journalism integrity we might have if the entire press did research and presentation like our man here. Anither great episode with a lot of info and unbiased.. fantastic again!! On day I hope the press follow your example!
Truth
he literally gave his opinion on every point of the interview. How is that unbiased?
Thank you for covering this part of the Montreal Screwjob. Once Bret lost to HBK (and I can't stand HBK then and now), that made me change the channel and I never saw this. Should be interesting (will comment later after this).
Bret would have went out with a loss to ANYONE other than Shawn and that refusal to lose to Shawn was only because Shawn said he wouldn’t do the job for Bret.
So I’m not sure how anyone can say Bret lost sight that it’s JUST sports entertainment when Shawn made it personal.
Brett and Shawn are having a real feud at that time u do say some cocky sh!t to your rival which u don't necessarily mean.
We don't know that Shawn will job to beret or not if such situation really arises.
I still think screwjob happens because of bret's big ego.
@@yagneshkumbhar4191 right because Shawn Michaels "losing his smile" had nothing to do with refusing to lose to Brett Hart.
@@yagneshkumbhar4191 SILENCE
If Vince fought back he’d get beat up worse
Aight, so longtime viewer, obviously love the main wrestling content covered, but just had to compliment the music you have in your intros! Like holy hell, you don't really think about it, but it's literally like the videos entrance music to set the tone and for the life of me, I can't remember the last time I didn't catch myself nodding along with the first 20 seconds of one of your vids!
"Could McMahon take Bret Hart if he taught back?" - hahahahahaha no.
Bret and the heart foundation actually helped shape the attitude era Brets character with the heart foundation was way different than the untouchable baby face in the early 90’s it just wasn’t coined attitude era until he left. He would have fit in perfect.
lol no he was too boring
attitude era is about attitude not cry babies
@@Ken-uh8md I can’t argue your opinion but Canada vs United States was a good storyline his reign as champ never hurt the company and people like to point at DX beginning it but I look at Austin vs Bret as the beginning. You suddenly saw the crowd going against who the company said was heel and baby face and cheering for the heel in this case Austin. Austin vs Bret was one of the greatest and underrated rivalries and I believe they could have had even more great matches. Bret changed his character after noticing the crowds reaction to Austin to a me vs the whole United States, reformed the heart foundation, started cursing... we had never seen a baby face be painted as heel like that. Some wrestlers go back and forth from heel to baby face (Hbk, Rock, Jericho, etc)but Bret and Hogan were looked at as classic baby faces before their change. I look at things like that and Steve Austin being cheered vs Bret instead of being booed as the beginning... just my opinion.
IMO, when Bret shoved Vince on his ass and gave the F-bomb tirade, that is when the Attitude Era started.
@@HereIsWisdom1318 I forgot about that that’s why I said people forget how much Brets character had changed from the early 90’s.
@@dericharris7835 when Bret was champion he was the #2 heel in the company behind Shawn Michaels. Of course that was done on purpose.
Every time I pull myself back from the edge, I am pulled right back to it believing that this was the greatest work in pro wrestling history.
It certainly feels like a work.
You mean every time you pick the crack pipe back up 😂
I agree. I've always thought it was a work.
Still to this day i am a Bret Hart fan.
YOU'R CANADIAN!
Me too and I’m a American
@@vladimirshevshenco6197 my head doesnt flop around, 100% Amerikan.
I'm an Indian Hart fan. When he toured India in 1996 with the WWF he sold out a 100.000 crowd arena. Hart was the man !
You know your Canadian when, you our a hitman fan,
As much as this has been talked about so many times, I really liked your breakdown on this particular video. I can see from both perspectives that both men to a certain extent refused to accept responsibility for their actions. I will say Bret's life and career went towards a downward spiral despite winning titles in WCW and making money. Bret did not want to leave the WWF and you see how his career turned out in WCW. At the same time I don't think Bret would have lasted in the edgy attitude era since he wasn't all ok with it in the first place.
I do agree that both men did not accept their responsibilities and you are right I don't think Bret Hart wouldn't have last that long in the Attitude Era
I think if he took a little bit of Sting's character at this time it could have worked. Not the whole "crow" aesthetic but more so the motivation.
@Jhc you make great points and I agree with you for the most part. I can see with Austin since he has great chemistry with him but after that I'm not so sure. I think Bret would've started very well but then fall off after and I'm a big Bret Hart fan. The only other guy I could see Bret working well with would've been Kurt Angle as wrestling machine Kurt.
Bret was a great heel at the time tho
@@louisvelez40 thanks for reminding me of the one match I really wanted but never got 😭 but agrees with you, if Bret stayed he would have found a way to make himself work in the AE, and seeing that Shawn was gone soon, he would have been a lot happier
As a huge bret hart fan, this channel has covered his story as a wrestling performer, from begining to end, better than any other ive seen.
You mentioned how Bret was popular in Europe, I am from India and I had a bret poster when I was 4 in 93. He was huge to me but sadly we didn't have any network here that aired wcw lol. So when he left in 97, I didn't know what happened to him. Wish we had easy access to the internet,
I love your channel man. I'm an old school wrestling fan I don't care for the newer storylines or wrestlers of today. I love the fact that you cover content from the time period Where it meant the most to me. Keep being awesome brother
"Bret screwed Bret" and with those three infamous, the greatest wrestling villain was officially born and gone was the smiley friendly announcer. Mr. McMahon had arrived and everyone would learn the hard way, you don't cross the boss.
Bret never sold out. Even before he faxed his contract to WCW, he called Vince and asked him to tell him something that would make him stay. What would be the plan for his character for the next year and Vince said he would job to Shawn Michaels time and time again and then finally on the 5th or 6th time, Bret would beat Shawn. Now we all know that this would have degraded Bret’s character to lose multiple times in a row to Shawn and when it would come to the match that Bret wins....Shawn might lose his smile again. I truly believe that Bret would have liked to keep the title in Canada and hand over the belt the next night but I also believe that he would have done the job for the Undertaker or Stone Cold. This boys and girls is a lesson in communication or rather lack of communication. You had the two best wrestling athletes of all time at your company, and could have done so much with Bret and Shawn over the years. Unfortunately it was Shawn who was just too immature at the time. Bret was 8 years older and from a different generation of respect. Shawn was that rebellious character that was even hard for Vince to deal with. No one knew if Shawn was going to do the job for Austin at Mania 14 until the last minute.
Well said 👏
Could not of said it better myself, well said sir
This. All of this. VInce has been...out of touch. Some say since going PG, but this entire interview would show he's been out of touch for a lot longer. Bret just wanted his place. I've never been huge on Bret, when I was younger, I felt he was too one dimensional. But knowing everything around this that I do now, I'm all in for all things Bret Hart. The man was a wrestling machine.
Michaels was a pain self admitted, but Hart was no saint. Hart was a pain from a creative standpoint and was notoriously late to work which in the world of any business is very unprofessional and disrespectful. No smart wrestling promoter is going to allow there company champion to give a goodbye speech, hand over the title without losing it to go work for the competitor. That's terrible business. It's easy to say that Bret would have dropped it to others like Austin or Taker, but what gets overlooked in the story is the fact that Bret Hart made the decision to play hard ball by ultimately telling his employer that he flat out was not going to surrender the belt to ANYONE before Montreal took place AND would also not surrender the belt anywhere in Canada under any circumstances. By the time Bret was actually willing to drop the title, it would be too late. You'd have WCW easily spoiling everything by announcing that they had acquired the WWF champion immediately after the event in Montreal. In this instance Michaels turned out to be to the least to blame knowing all the facts.
7:56-If i was Bret, I would have NEVER dropped to Shawn Michaels. Hell, Bret should have resolved to NEVER drop to Shawn Michaels after he (Shawn) reneged on the WM13 match.
I would drop the title to my worst enemy aslong as they put other more talented people over, then agein I would do what you said
While this is easier said then done, essentially with 90s hbk, I feel it's hyprictical for brett to complain about sean not putting bret over in his later years with the company, when he didn't put sean over either. I feel if your going to complain about not putting people over you kinda have to be the bigger man. In general I feel that was Brett's biggest issue here. He was feeling with Sean at his worst and lowest point, and Vince who would do anything he thought was right to protect his company weather he was right or wrong. I feel brett went down to there level to deal with them and it made him hypocritical. But brett was in a very hard situation to be in, so I do understand. I also understand were vince was comming from to tho
Shawn Michaels seemed to be allergic to dropping titles during this period he didn't want to even drop it to Austin until undertaker threatened to give him a justified ass kicking.
@@kristopherbrown146 actually he was always gonna do it, shawn never know what taker was planing and even taker said he did not confront shawn about what he was planing, shawn was only going around saying that coz despite being injured and one wrong bump could have left him in a wheelchair he thought that vince and the company did not appreciate the sacrifice he was making so he was lashing out. he could hav easily just gave up the belt like he did when he had his knee injury at the start in 97. this is why shawn did not wrestle from rumble to maina to make sure he could rest up as much as he can to get thro the match, you could tell how much pain he was in throughout the match.
You can say Bret screwed Bret all you want. But you Vince hurt the integrity of your brand and your sport when you told them to hit the bell without Bret submitting. Thats not how the sport is played. So Atleast in that instant, Vince mocked all of wrestling. That’s all you need to know when you ask yourself who was wrong here. All for a buck.
Vince McMahon is wrestling
I get what your saying but vince didn't really hurt anything. The wwe ended up being better off after Montreal then they were before. After the attitude era, which this definitely sparked , wwe was in better standing they they ever were. Also I think we should keep in mind the then wwf was a business, not a sport.
@@mitchellima4736 so when you say he was better off, you mean he made more money? Yea I’m sure he’d slit a baby’s throat if he could make ten dollars and only get charged five for the murder. Better off or not, he still put a dent in it. Why sell wrestling integrity for a dollar. Why even have wrestling if you have to bend the rules to make it what you want or get the victory you want. wrestling is wrestling and wrestling includes proper submissions.
I loved how cold & calculating vince sounded here with that interview. Especially when he utters those 3 words:
"Bret screwed Bret."
And yet he thinks hes coming out of it as a babyface. And people wonder why people like Roman Reigns were booked the way they were for so long. WWE had their biggest success when they had all the territory talent they could get and they got themselves over. Vince only ever monetized ppl who got themselves over....he never actually booked in a way to make stars
I can confirm that Bret was the most popular wrestler in Germany whenever they came over here
I loved Bret, and i always believed the montreal screwjob was real. I just find it strange that Bret would allow himself to be placed in a submission hold, and it seems too convenient that his reasoning is because he thought Earl Hebner had his back.
Thank goodness that Bret was recording wrestling with shadows because Vince would have been perceived “right”
I'm really surprised that Canadian crowd didn't riot that night.
We're good people.
Great video!!! It really is sad when you look back at this subject..... that such a DEPENDABLE and RELIABLE talent like Bett was treated so badly. I MSS all of those wrestlers that joined him in the Canadian clique. (Jim,Owen,Brian,Davey, ❤🇨🇦)
This interview has got to be the greatest botched attempt at something that accidentally yielded a near infinite harvest of magnificence.
It’s up there with the creation of the potato chip and the invention of viagra.
I side with Bret on this one.
Its amazing his story has never changed while shawn Michaels has since admitted that he was in on it as well as hhh,but on wrestling with shadows they swore to God in front of Bret's wife that they were not in on it.
Vince would have gotten killed by brett if he fought back
Vince didn't want an 'Hart attack'.
I don't think Vince meant "I would've knocked Bret out!" When he said "it would've ended differently." I think he was implying he's no slouch in the fitness department either. Who knows though? Maybe he really thought he could take Bret down but I doubt it.
I don't think after what he had done, Vince would have. It's like Bruce Prichard said, you gotta give him that one.
Vince has got to stop, whether he had fought back or not Bret would've worn that ass out. McMahon trying to save some of his manhood dignity with that statement haha.
Let's be realistic both men would have probably tied each other up trying to choke each other out into someone came in there to break them up.
I'd put money on Bret
I have just watched a beautiful biography of Paul Orndorff. In that video he states that the psychology of the match is missing in the matches seen now and this is exactly your point in one of the videos that you mention. I believe it was Bret Hart vs Piper. That the storytelling in the ring is missing from today’s matches. If they want people coming back to wrestling they need people who can bring that art form back.
Vince breached the creative control clause clause in the contract which stated that they could not degrade Bret's character during his last days in the company. Not only did they not honor that while he was leaving, but they continued to do that after he left for several weeks after, including the midget Bret promo and made money in the process.
fans reacted to the interview exactly how Vince wanted them to. He became the ultimate heel and capitalised on that with his rivalry with Stone Cold.
Vince chose shawn Michaels for some stupid reason. Even after all the drama and diva nonsense, while brett busted his ass and always did what was best(minus the Montreal spot). Poor decision
Vince chose Shawn cause they were secret lovers a homosexual relationship was hinted or assumed.
@@10YRWWEPPV that checks out
Shawn Michaels was his personal rent boy.
Love your work brother!! One of my favourite channels.!
Shawn Michaels was my idol as a kid and I still have him up there as the best of all time in ring performance wise. On a par with Flair.
But as I’ve grown and learnt about the ins and outs of the business. As an art. Bret is the best of all time for me. Snug and safe style. Best psychology I’ve ever seen. Saddest thing of all was Owen was all of those things and a better athlete. Thanks for the amazing content. Especially in this toughest of years and a merry Christmas to you👍
Awesome video as usual. Great perspective and thank you for not going over Montreal in detail, we all know the story and don't need to hear it over and over again. Cool perspective as always, keep up the great videos!
You've misrepresented the initial situation here. Bret refused to lose in Canada, that's true. However, at no point did he refuse to lose to Shawn Michaels. Bret had told Shawn that he would drop the title to him, even though Shawn made it very clear he would have never even tolerated the idea of doing the same in reciprocation. Bret agreed he would do the J-O-B to Shawn but he suggested doing it on the episode of Raw a week later. And Bret had more than proved he was trustworthy, regardless of him being outside of his contract at that time.
Vince played this perfectly and as such created the Mr McMahon character. Stone Cold and The Rock wouldn't have been so over without the Mr McMahon character.
Inadvertently, Bret won WWF the Monday Night Wars and people over look that.
Yes but even in Canada and I don't care if he had creativity control "HE STILL SHOULD HAVE DROPPED THE BELT TO HBK" Even in Canada. In a perfect world he should have dropped that belt at the next in your house event degeneration x.
Maybe that was the plan from the very beginning it's hard to tell what was real and what was script we will never know the truth
@@attiepollard7847
He had creative control, he was told by the crying baby I lost my smile boy toy that he wouldn't do the job for him
So, forgive Bret for being a man of a principle and not jump when the boss says jump
Even in normal job, people might fight back boss order if it was degrading
@ then Bret Hart got what was coming to him then.
@@attiepollard7847
You are just a bitter person who seemed to be against Bret
How did he have it coming after all of what I said?
I don't believe that a person should lay down for his boss to step over him and damage his character
Man, this was a great time in wrestling, two huge promotions with real competition great workers, and real controversy
I love your work!!!! I really love your middle ground take on things in your videos... Job well done!!!
Even on topics i know and have read up on. I really enjoy hearing your takes, historical breakdown, and how you set up the topic. Not to mention the music is always top tier, beautiful work you do brother
Bret Hart is the greatest wrestler of all time
I love Bret, but no he is not.
who's better then?
Great video. Here's my comments, including some
revelations, and differences of opinion.
1-Shawn told Bret he wouldn't job to him, plus
Shawn very often forfeited a belt instead of getting beaten in the ring. This, plus Bret's creative control made me side with Bret.
But you shined the light that HBK lost many
times earlier to Bret. So Bret wasn't fully right in Montreal.
2-I disagree that McMahon misjudged the fans in
his interview. Vince always loved a wrestler who could generate heat, and he's a smart business man.
I think Vince brilliantly judged the fans would
hate him in the interview and purposefully did so to become the heel.
3-I think Vince let Bret punch him, for a counter-sue in case Bret sued Vince for the screwjob.
when HBK told Bret he wouldn't drop the belt for him, and Bret got offended, he wasn't acting professional. It's easy being a pro, when everyone around you is decent. Bret should have been the bigger man and just drop the belt to him anyways.
on the other hand, HBK could/should have apologized, and make peace with Bret.
on the other other hand, Vince could have organized a match between StoneCold and Bret, drop the belt, and everyone would have been happy.
so, in this whole situation, not a single person acted professional. it would only take 1 of them to prevent this. on the question of who screwed Bret: Vince, HBK and Bret screwed Bret. not in that order regarding the timelin, but the share of the blame.
@@szepi79 well said i feel this way too
Excellent work again my friend. How about some videos on the history of most of the current long standing championships and belts we don't see anymore. I've always been curious about what happened to the wcw television title belt
I really love this channel. I listen to your videos while dozing off every night. Very soothing. Not a knock on the content tho. Really enjoyable videos.
No vince wouldn't have stand a chance
Are you stupid?? Vince McMahon has been fit and ripped his whole life!! He owned several body building companies and you know neither of them.. silly comment
Thinks he'd have a chance against someone who was stu harts son and trained him from when he could first walk lol
He gave him a free shot.
Just remember. Dre day only meant eazy pay.
Trained him to be a fake wrestler. He wasn't trained in mma,boxing,kickboxing since a child lmao for all you know bret didn't know how to fight and me even having to say this kinda shows you don't know anything about fighting either so stick to your WWE fake stuff
@@kylerockwell1861 except ya Stu was a trained shoot wrestler and he did train Bret along with the rest of his boys. Bret even has a legit gold medal from a provincial level wrestling tournament.
@@patrickged9109 he never had a gold medal in olympic wrestling or trained in any martial art fool and neither did his dad
Another solid video. I appreciate that you presented both perspectives and really made me think how both Vince and Bret must have seen things throughout the entire ordeal.
Imagine an invasion storyline where Bret came back then leading the WCW team
That should have happened but he would have sat out on his contract and wrestled anywhere but WWE. Imagine, more Bret/Austin, taker as a biker and dream matches with Angle, Jericho, or rock.
One has to admit this changed the WWE. While it was getting edgier, it allow The Mr. Mcmahon character to come alive and even though most people knew that VInce owned the company, it got him off of commentary duty and in the limelight of being the owner. Those two things really shaped the WWE from that point forward.
Let's face it, had he lost that night without the screwjob, how many people would have remembered it? It would have been just another pay per view. I think "The fingerpoke of Doom" and this are two events will live on.
Eric bischoff on 83 weeks was asked about Bret getting offered a deal in 96 and eric said he talked with Bret but never offered him a deal as it became a story line in TV when Bret was returning after wm12 if he was going to resign with wwe or go to wcw
Here's an important excluded detail, ERIC BISCHOFF IS A NOTORIOUS LIAR.
I think you did a good job and covered this from a better angle than most videos I've seen. I have long thought this was a work from the beginning and if they didn't make that dvd about 7 years ago with the sit down between Bret and Shawn, I would have changed my mind. The way it happened was win-win for all, so I can't see how it would have benefitted Vince burying Bret on the way out like they talk about.
He literally sacrificed a legend for the popularity of the WWE! Unknowingly, but true!
Bret was in a "no win" situation in terms of his character. Had he stayed in the wwe by taking a pay cut, Shawn's influence on Vince would have reflected in Bret's character being continually mocked & devalued. The mini Bret parody & the Hart Foundation humiliation burials foreshadowed that. It's anyone's guess how Shawn could have further buried him personally & professionally. Staying in a company with an enemy that had so much political clout wouldn't have been good long term. Wcw's burial of Bret's character & career speaks for itself. Showing you're the better man by doing the job would have been the right thing to do, but any proud man would have done what Bret did after Shawn said he would never do the same for Bret. If Bret could become a multi millionaire & take care of his debts & family, then good for him. Everyone involved has to live with their decisions
I think it was a good thing that heart left because he gave opportunity to Stone Cold Steve Austin do to become a star. Besides can you really picture him in the attitude era with his personality. I just don't think Brett Hart would have been that edge here plus he does have a hard time selling promos.
@@attiepollard7847 do you think if HBK hadn't taken that spot in the casket match that broke his back, that he'd not try to undermine Austin with his politics?
@@walker1984 maybe. By that time the locker room will probably be in full revolt if you play politics
@@walker1984 actually even b4 he was due to win the title hbk know he was only gonna have the belt till wm14 but he did not mind coz he was having fun with dx and they was looking at maybe getting a run with the tag belts and feuding with the outlaws (so the outlaws would not hav joined DX and DX would have been hbk hh and x-pac)
@@ajsgaming8003 also don't forget if shawn didn't dropped the title to austin, then undertaker would beat him to death.
Vince would like to think that he could actually take Brett in a fight. But no, no he couldn't
Yeah that might have been the most insane thing Vince said.
Let's be honest both men would have been trying to heam each other up and choke each other until someone broke it up. No way in hell would have seen fist flying
great work to the team that put this video together. I mean wow! this is good stuff as usual
Awesome channel can't get enough wrestling nostalgia
im on Brets side Always is. Always Was. Always will be
Bret Hart is my all-time favorite wrestler. Bret’s the only reason I tuned into WCW.
Another amazing video man. These are absolutely incredible. I was a huge Hitman Fan back in the day. I’m Still pissed about that Montreal screwjob finish. What WWE, should’ve done (IMO) was should’ve brought Bret Back in 2005, instead of 2010. Not sure what Bret and Vince’s relationship was at that time though? When HBK, cut the nuclear heat promo on Raw in Montreal. When Bret’s music played massive pop. Just a missed opportunity. Keep it up the great work!
I disagree with the sentiment that Bret was 'priceless' in 1997. You could maybe make that argument a couple years earlier. At that point though, Shawn and DX were outdrawing him. Austin was outdrawing him. Taker was outdrawing him. All of the people at the top the list were. Bret wanted way more money than he was worth at that point. I was never really a fan of his anyway, but even his fans at the time were dwindling.