The infamous Montreal Screwjob at WWE Survivor Series 1997, where Vince McMahon orchestrated a controversial ending to Bret Hart’s WWE Title match against Shawn Michaels, forever bound the two men’s legacies.
For decades, the idea of a WWE without McMahon at its helm seemed inconceivable. However, this perception was shattered in January 2024 when McMahon resigned as chairman following a lawsuit filed by former employee Janel Grant.
Grant’s allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault against McMahon sent shockwaves through the wrestling world, leading to his abrupt departure and marking a significant turning point in WWE’s history. This resignation, ending his long control of the company, and the legal battle that followed, created a new chapter for the wrestling giant.
While appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked if he thought there would ever be a time when Vince wasn’t running WWE
“No. I feel that, as great as he was as far as ideas and imagination…in a lot of ways there is nobody like him. At the same time, I feel that he kind of governed things in a shady way. He didn’t care necessarily about the craft. I always thought about what he did to me. I like to think that I was his greatest artist and in the end I was just another [wipes hands] ‘get rid of him. He’s done.’ As much greatness as Vince brought to wrestling, he always brought a lot of negative and corrupted thinking to it. It’s kind of hard to explain, but there is a little more integrity right now and the guys being pushed are being pushed because they’re talented and not because they are Vince’s favorites.”
McMahon’s decision to call for the bell without Hart’s knowledge or consent created a shift in professional wrestling, marking a moment of betrayal that reverberated throughout the industry. Hart’s subsequent departure for WCW further fueled the animosity between the two, solidifying the Screwjob as a defining moment in their complex relationship.
Despite the deep-seated animosity stemming from the 1997 incident, Hart and McMahon eventually reconciled, culminating in Hart’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. They later worked a match at WrestleMania 26.
