Bret Hart losing the title at Survivor Series 1997 became one of the biggest controversies of WWE. Currently, it’s infamously known as The Montreal Screwjob. Maybe things would have been different had Hart agreed to drop the title. He did something similar to The Undertaker.
According to Gerald Brisco, Bret Hart did not want to lose a match against The Undertaker in Bahrain because there were several Canadian Soldiers. He did not want to look weak in front of his people.
“Bret said, ‘I’m not going to drop the match here. I can’t get beat here.’ I’m thinking, we’re in the middle of nowhere. I asked Bret, ‘Why? It’s The Undertaker.’ He said, ‘There’s too many fans.’ Granted, there were a contingent of Canadian soldiers in attendance, so he was right in that aspect.”
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Even though there weren’t too many Canadians, to Hart, it was a large enough number to refuse a defeat.
Watch This Story: The Rock to John Cena: WWE Superstars Who Created Iconic Moments at Survivor Series Over The Years
The Undertaker had a different reaction to the refusal than what WWE expected
When Brisco explained the situation to Vince McMahon over the phone, The Big Man wanted the match done, regardless of who won. Hence, Brisco had no other option but to approach The Phenom.
“I tell Taker what’s going on. He said, ‘He doesn’t want to drop the title to me?’ I said, ‘No, he doesn’t want to drop it. There’s too many Canadians here.’ Taker looked at me with a look of shock with those piercing eyes of his that scared me to the bone. I said, ‘Well, what do you want to do? He said, ‘The hell with it. I’ll put him over.’ That’s the professional that Taker is.” H/t Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard
Not only did Bret Hart not want to lose the match, he suggested executing the sharpshooter on Taker. However, this request was denied, and Hart was instructed to pin The Undertaker.
Gerald Brisco had a substitute referee ready for Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997
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During the same conversation, Brisco revealed that he had to pull referee Earl Hebner aside to explain what he had to do to ensure Shawn Michaels won the match. Unfortunately, Hebner wasn’t too sure of the same, and initially refused to do the task.
Gerald Brisco informed Hebner that he might have to replace him in case the job wasn’t done. But, he kept Timmy White on stand-by in the off-chance that Hebner failed to do the task.
Read More: Former WWE Referee Details The Montreal Screwjob Like Never Before
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Even to this day new stories and revelations come out about the Montreal Screwjob. It just proves that Vince McMahon had an elaborate plan to ensure WWE’s belt is not with someone who isn’t a WWE Superstar.