5 things you didn't know about the Montreal Screwjob

The Montreal Screwjob will go down in history as the night WWE changed.

In case you've been living under a rock, the Screwjob occurred at Survivor Series 1997, where Bret Hart was supposed to retain the WWF Championship against Shawn Michaels.

That was the plan, as the real-life animosity between the two meant that Hart refused to lose in Canada to HBK, and would instead surrender the title the next night on RAW.

Instead, Michaels locked in the Sharpshooter, and despite the Hitman never tapping, Vince McMahon ordered the bell to be rung, with Hart leaving the company under the worst or circumstances.

Plenty has been discussed about that fateful November night, but there is still plenty that fans aren't aware of, all these years later.

Here are five things you (probably) didn't know about the WWE Montreal Screwjob.

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#5 Vader warned the Hitman

Despite feuding with Bret and his Hart foundation, Vader wanted to make sure Bret was treated fairly.

A legend of the industry, Big Van Vader was no stranger to controversy in his career.

Spending much of his career, the real-Leon White had seen his fair share of disagreements between promoters and wrestlers and sensed something bad would happen.

Worried that something bad was about to happen to the Hitman, Vader warned Bret to avoid getting in any submissions, advice that Bret should have followed.

The former WCW star even warned Hart about pinfalls, telling the Canadian to avoid being laid on is back as much as possible, and to kick-out as quick as possible, to avoid fast counts.

Vader's intuition turned out to be right, as Hart was screwed out of the title via submission, and the superheavyweight left the WWF the following year.

#4 The Undertaker played a part

Undertaker ordered Vince McMahon to give the Hitman and the locker-room an explanation for his actions.

One of the most respected figures in wrestling The Undertaker has often been referred to as the conscience of the WWE.

And after Hart was screwed out of the title, the Deadman certainly lived up to this moniker.

Seeing that Hart was furious, Vince McMahon and his henchmen, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, quickly fled, locking themselves in McMahon's office, refusing to face an irate Hart in person.

Hope seemed lost for the Canadian, until the Deadman made his presence known, banging on the door, and risking his job, told Vince McMahon that he owed Bret Hart and the rest of the locker-room an explanation for what had happened.

Ordering that Vince face the consequences of his actions, the Deadman was the one to coax the boss out, which leads us into...

#3 Vince screwed Bret, but Bret assaulted Vince

McMahon wipes Bret Hart's spit from his eye but would face worst later

After losing his WWF Championship in the most unfair of circumstances, Bret Hart was rightly ticked off.

Knowing that McMahon was to blame, Bret famously spat his now former boss in the eye, a brazen act of defiance against the chairman of the board.

Still angry after the broadcast, the Hitman went on the hunt for Vince, reaching McMahon's office backstage, but couldn't find him.

Always the voice of reason, it was The Undertaker who told Vince he had to see Bret, and whilst the boss did just that, he received a black eye for his troubles.

Reports state that this punch caused Vince to topple backwards, causing the boss to sprain his ankle and suffer a concussion.

You can never say that the Hitman went down without a fight.

#2 Vince gave Bret creative control

The Hitman and the boss have been able to put differences aside.

Creative control can be a dangerous thing in wrestling.

If used in the right hands, it can allow a Superstar to push themselves to their very best.

In the wrong hands, creative control can be easily abused, with top stars like Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash known for being able to book themselves as champions.

When the Hitman made it clear he was to leave the company, Vince gave Bret limited creative control for the last 30 days of his tenure, basically allowing him to decide how he would lose the title.

Out of all the options, Hart simply refused to lose to Michaels in Canada, with other plans suggested Hart forfeiting the title the next night on RAW, or losing it to someone else.

As we all know now, neither of these options happened.

#1 Bret trusted Earl Hebner

Bret, Earl and Shawn before the first ever Iron Man match at WrestleMania 12.

So much has been said about Hart, Michaels and Vince McMahon, but fans mustn't forget the fourth man involved - Earl Hebner.

An established referee, Hebner was one of the company's most trusted officials, and someone the Hitman was friends with, even confiding in him before the match.

Fearing something was up, Bret pleaded with his friend to call the match fairly, with Hebner swearing on his children's lives that he would play it down the middle, and would rather lose his job than betray his friend.

Despite this oath, Hebner sided with McMahon, and when he was supposed to be KO'd following a ref bump, Hebner leapt to his feet to have the bell called.

Hebner may have saved his job, but did so at the cost of his friendship with the Hitman.