Bret Hart issued ultimatum to Owen Hart after the Montreal Screwjob (Exclusive)

Former WWE writer Vince Russo has revealed that Bret Hart told Owen Hart to leave WWE after the Montreal Screwjob incident.

The Survivor Series 1997 pay-per-view ended with Shawn Michaels defeating WCW-bound Bret Hart for the WWE Championship. The Hitman thought he was going to retain his title in the match. However, to avoid WCW using the WWE Championship on television, Vince McMahon decided to book Michaels as the winner without Hart knowing.

Russo spoke to Dr. Chris Featherstone on the latest edition of SK Wrestling’s Off the SKript. He recalled that he received a phone call from an emotional Owen Hart five days after the Screwjob.

“Bro, I’m home and my phone rings. Bro, it’s Owen crying. He [said], ‘Vince, you’ve gotta call Bret, you’ve gotta call Bret.’ I’m like, ‘Owen, relax, what’s going on?’ And he basically said, ‘Bret told me that he is going to disown me as a brother and never speak to me again if I continue to work with the WWE.’”

Watch the video above to hear Vince Russo’s thoughts on Bret Hart, Owen Hart, the Montreal Screwjob, and much more.

Vince Russo on his conversation with Bret Hart

Owen Hart and Bret Hart

Vince Russo agreed to call Bret Hart after Owen Hart had failed to get hold of Vince McMahon. He said Bret was so infuriated by the situation that he felt like showing up to work with a gun.

“I’ll never forget, Bret said to me that night, and, bro, he was out of his wits at that time, like out of his wits. He goes, ‘Man, Vince, you know what I felt like doing the next day? You know what I felt like doing? I felt like showing up with a gun at the building and just start taking everybody out.’ At that point I knew he was gone. Like, freaking gone.”

Despite Bret Hart’s ultimatum, Owen Hart ended up working for WWE until his death in May 1999.

Please credit SK Wrestling’s Off the SKript and embed the video interview if you use quotes from this article.