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What's the story?
On November 9, 1997, an incident would occur that would change the face of wrestling forever. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Vince McMahon were part of an event that has come to be known as the Montreal Screwjob, over time.
Shawn Michaels remembered the interview twenty years later, in an interview with ESPN, and called the incident 'uncomfortable'. He remembers the incident as a 'miserable day'.
In case you didn't know...
Survivor Series 197 would have WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret 'The Hitman' Hart take on Shawn Michaels, a man with whom he had put on a 1-hour wrestling clinic, not long ago.
While Hart thought he would win the match, referee Earl Hebner called for the bell when Shawn Michaels put Hart in the 'Sharpshooter' submission.
This was because Bret Hart did not want to drop his championship as he made his way to WCW, and Vince McMahon did not want him to carry the belt, to his rivals.
The heart of the matter
The Montreal Screwjob lives on in infamy, and Shawn Michaels has an interesting take on the matter at hand:
You're out there doing your thing, which is again an unbelievably athletic, tough performance -- entertainment and being in character, and things of that nature. And then on top of that, on top of already concealing who you really are in just doing your job, you have to conceal from the person you're working with any hint of what may or may not happen.
Shawn Michaels does not remember the incident fondly:
From a professional standpoint, reputation standpoint, even though I wasn't the most lovable guy back then, it was still just an absolute miserable day, [a] very uncomfortable day.
Michaels admits that he aged more on that particular day than he did in the other twenty-five years that he was part of the company.
What's next?
The Montreal Screwjob has been one of the most discussed and even parodied moments in wrestling. It will live in infamy for a long time. Let's hope no such unfortunate incident ever occurs again.
Author's take
I remember watching the match when it happened, and without the benefit of a site like Sportskeeda Wrestling, not understanding what transpired. In hindsight, it certainly was a momentous occasion.
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