Montreal Screwjob

The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the pay-per-view event Survivor Series held on November 9, 1997 at the Molson Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A secret manipulation of the match's result (known as a "shoot screwjob" in professional wrestling parlance) was devised by McMahon and discussed with Hart's match opponent, Shawn Michaels. It was decided by McMahon that Michaels would win the contest, and that the WWF title would be won from Hart no matter what. The plan was executed when the match referee, Earl Hebner, under orders from McMahon, called for the bell to ring and ended the match as Michaels held Hart in the Sharpshooter submission hold (which was Hart's signature finishing move), even though Hart had not submitted. Michaels was declared the victor by submission and crowned as the new WWF Champion. It would mark the last of three WWF Championship matches between the two, having previously headlined the 1992 Survivor Series and WrestleMania XII together.

The screwjob has garnered a notorious legacy both on-screen and off, and was partly chronicled in the documentary film Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998). The far-reaching impact of the incident led to its adoption as a theme in matches and storylines of the WWF's "Attitude Era" and the creation of the character, "Mr. McMahon", the evil boss. It has been suggested by some that the entire incident may have been a work created by McMahon and Hart. Nonetheless, Hart was ostracized from the WWF while McMahon and Michaels continued to receive angry responses from audiences for many years. The relationship between Hart and McMahon later healed, however, culminating in Hart's induction on April 1, 2006 into the company's Hall of Fame, where he thanked McMahon for the opportunity to perform for the WWF. Hart returned to live WWE television on January 4, 2010, where he served as Monday Night Raw's guest host. On that night, he and Michaels, whose personal differences had pre-dated the Montreal Screwjob, aired their grievances with each other on a personal level, and showed respect for each other's careers on a professional level. The segment ended with the two men shaking hands and embracing in a genuine, real-life reconciliation, bringing closure to the incident after more than twelve years. Both men sat side by side to discuss the Montreal Screwjob in detail on the WWE Home Video release, Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (2011).