Bret Hart famously left WWE in 1997 after an incredibly controversial exit. That departure still lives on in pro wrestling fandom, but it seems that the incident is water under the bridge for everyone involved.
The Montreal Screw-Job
The Montreal Screwjob went down during the 1997 Survivor Series match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. In the closing moments of the bout, there was a controversial and unexpected turn of events. Despite Bret Hart not intending to drop the WWE Championship in his home country of Canada, Vince McMahon, the owner, and operator of WWE at the time, instructed the referee, Earl Hebner, to ring the bell and declare Shawn Michaels the winner.
This decision, which was made without Bret Hart’s knowledge, stirred immense controversy and changed the landscape of professional wrestling. It became one of the most talked-about incidents in the industry’s history. Not only did it inspire the legendary “Bret Screwed Bret” promo before memes existed, but it also lives on in pro wrestling history.
The Aftermath of the Montreal Screw-Job
During an interview with Steve Fall, Earl Hebner opened up about his current relationship with Bret Hart. It seems that the two have mended their bridge after that controversial Survivor Series main event in 1997.
“I have a merch shirt that says ‘Damn right I did.’ And a lot of people want me to say, Can you write on it ‘I screwed Bret?’ I go, ‘No. I can’t do that.’ A while back, maybe three or four years ago, I would do it but Bret and I made up. And before my brother passed, we were at a house show, or indie show and he was there and he called us into the ring and he put us over like big time. So now Bret calls me now and then and I’ll call him and we got a good relationship back and I’m not gonna screw it up by writing something over a dumb ass shirt. It’s gonna destroy our friendship.
Earl Hebner was questioned about any concerns he had before reuniting with Bret and the possibility of Bret being upset with him.
“For a long time it honestly it bothered me. It was bad for me, you know, cuz I carried it with me for a lot of years. We met one time an airport, and I wanted to talk to him and he said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you.’ … I said, ‘can I talk to you for a minute?” He goes, ‘I don’t want to talk.’ I said okay, so I let it go and that was it. And as time went on, you know, it finally worked out well. We got to see each other [and] communicate.”
Working With Randy Savage
Earl Hebner went on to speak about some talent who weren’t so easy to work with. One of those people was “Macho Man” Randy Savage, because he was such a perfectionist, and Savage wrote everything out in his matches move-by-move.
“Well, from the old referees and today’s referees and today’s matches back then in there, it’s a world of difference. It’s not the same. It’s just it’s like old school and new school. You know and the old school you had to work and be smart because they never gave you everything. You know a lot of times back then I’d go in there and I go, ‘What’s the finish?’ They said, ‘just count.’ Okay. We did know the finish a lot of times. I mean 99 percent of the time. We knew the finish Some of the old guys just come through and tell you what it was. They said watch the match and count.”
“Macho Man. I mean when it comes to WrestleMania, he gives you a sack of papers that thick of the whole match way before it was ever gonna go on. I mean two weeks before WrestleMania and then he comes back and I’ll go, ‘damn, this is a joke here.’ But that’s how he was, he was a perfectionist.”
Steve Fall went on to note how Diamond Dallas Page wrote his matches out move by move before bell time. This caused Earl Hebner to reply, “Oh Randy was the same way about like TVs and house shows, you know same thing…If you screwed up he’d go, ‘What the hell’s going on here?'”
Earl Hebner is full of stories, and he was a part of pro wrestling history along the way. It’s also nice to see that he was able to mend some of those relationships that he tarnished along the way.
Earl Hebner’s book titled “Earl Hebner: The Official Story” can be purchased at this link.