Montreal Screwjob - Discrepancies

Discrepancies

There are at least three discrepancies between the various versions of the lead-up to the Montreal Screwjob:

1. Who came up with the "Sharpshooter" spot and bell ring?
2. Who told Earl Hebner?
3. Was Pat Patterson in on the screwjob or not?

Regarding the first discrepancy, conflicting and contradictory testimony has been given at various points by various different people. For years, general consensus amongst insiders and the internet-based wrestling fan community was that Triple H had proposed calling for the bell whilst Shawn Michaels had Bret Hart in the Sharpshooter. In his 2005 autobiography Heartbreak and Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story, Michaels stated that it was indeed Levesque's idea, whilst the sharpshooter spot had been suggested by Bret Hart. "We were talking things through, and Bret came up with this spot where I get him in the Sharpshooter and then he reverses it by pulling on my leg,". Indirectly corroborating this assertion is Bret Hart's own testimony in his autobiography Hitman, that "Pat Patterson told me that he thought it would be a heckuva spot to let Shawn put me in the Sharpshooter and then reverse it on him," which would indicate that Patterson had initially proposed the "Sharpshooter" spot to Bret. However, in the same work, Hart also states, "I found myself jostling with Jerry Brisco, who I would find out later was the one who had designed the whole Screwjob for Vince.".

Adding to this confusion, Vince Russo states in his book Forgiven that it was he who proposed the match's ending to McMahon: "'Vince - we're making this way too difficult,' I said. 'Why don't we just do this? During the course of the match, let's have a spot where Shawn puts Bret in his own hold - the Sharpshooter. As soon as Shawn clamps it on, have the referee call for the bell as if Bret quit...'". Conversely, Jim Cornette, in his 2010 YouShoot Shoot Interview, stated that Vince Russo was not part of the meetings planning the screwjob at any time, appeared totally oblivious as to what had occurred whilst watching the event on a television backstage, and had to have the entire concept of a 'screwjob' explained to him.

Regarding the second discrepancy, Shawn Michaels states in Heartbreak & Triumph, "It was about seven o'clock when I walked into the locker room. There were only a few people in there and none were close to Earl. He was putting on his referee garb and I started to put my boots on. 'Earl, I need you to listen to me very carefully.' I was speaking very softly. 'We are doing a big swerve tonight. I am going to get Bret in the Sharpshooter and I need you to ring the bell.'" However, in the DVD Shoot Interview with...Dave & Earl Hebner, Earl Hebner states that Jerry Brisco was the person to tell him of the plan.

Regarding the third question, Pat Patterson's involvement, Shawn Michaels states in Heartbreak & Triumph that during planning he was told "'This cannot be discussed with anyone. Pat can't know, nobody can know about this but the three of us right now'", "We had the meeting, and as everyone was leaving, Vince asked me, Hunter, and Jerry Brisco, a longtime agent and close confidant of Vince's, to stay. We sat down and talked", and "Pat was in the room with us, and he had no idea what was going to happen. He had a strong relationship with Bret. He wouldn't have done it, and Vince knew that. That's why he didn't tell Pat...". However, in Dave Meltzer's online account of events before, during, and after the Screwjob, he states "Vince McMahon held a meeting at the hotel with Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, Pat Patterson and Michaels. Reports are that at least two of the aforementioned names looked extremely uncomfortable leaving the meeting" which suggests that Patterson may in fact have been in on the Screwjob. This is corroborated by a Pro Wresling Torch article from November 15, 1997 by Wade Keller which states, "However, a two-hour meeting was held on the second floor of the Montreal Marriott on Saturday night with McMahon, Jim Ross, Pat Patterson, Jim Cornette, and Michaels. Bret was wrestling that night in Detroit. There is some belief that at this meeting McMahon proposed the idea of the finish to whoever of that group wasn't already in on it. Ross and Patterson entered the meeting in a good mood and when they were seen in the hotel lobby afterwards, were said to be irritable, forlorn, and shaken."

In addition, Bret Hart states in Hitman, that while conversing with Michaels: "I added, 'I also want you to know that I have no problem dropping the belt to you if that's what Vince wants.' He glared back at me. 'I appreciate that, but I want you to know that I'm not willing to do the same for you.' And then he left. Jim snorted, 'I can't believe that he just said that.' There was no way I could ever drop the belt to him now: he'd just shown complete disrespect not only to me, but to the position of champion..." This exchange is confirmed in Dave Meltzer's account: "During the meeting, Hart told Michaels that he'd be happy to put him over at the end of the run, but Michaels told Hart flat-out that he wouldn't return the favor. Michaels and Hart spoke again on the subject on 10/12 in San Jose, when once again Michaels told Hart that he wasn't going to do a job for him." Additionally, in Forgiven Vince Russo stated, "Well - no surprise here - Bret refused to do the job (get pinned) for Shawn in Canada. Not because he was being unprofessional - but because according to Bret, Michaels had said that he wouldn't do business with him (the right thing for the company in the ring), due to the way he felt about him." However, there is no mention of this exchange in Michaels' Heartbreak & Triumph.