7 ways the Montreal Screwjob changed Pro Wrestling

#4. Wrestling executives became the ultimate villains

Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon both wielded power backstage in their respective companies

Heroes are always measured by the villains they oppose. Superman--rural background, lower-middle-class family--is opposed by Lex Luthor, the billionaire urban genius. Rational detective Batman faces off with the irrational and insane Joker, whose illogical motives often perplex the Dark Knight.

The same holds true for wrestling. Roddy Piper once stood in the ring with Hollywood Hogan and said 'If they hadn't hated me so much, they'd never have cheered so loudly for you.'

Piper was absolutely right. Wrestling villains, or heels, have taken many forms over the years; Aristocrats like Ric Flair, violent brutes like Kane, and arrogant pretty boys like Tyler Breeze. However, after the Montreal Screwjob, the greatest wrestling heels were often the people who ran the company--either for real or just as a storyline angle.

The pattern of evil authority has been repeated time after time, most often by the WWE itself but it has also been seen in WCW, ECW, Impact wrestling and even Ring of Honor, where CEO Jeff Koff refused to renew Christopher Daniels's contract because he was 'too old'.

These days, evil general managers and authority figures are just par for the course, and we have the Montreal Screwjob to thank for that.