‘You’re the Champion’: Vince McMahon Once Sent WWE Legend On Cloud Nine Before Screwing Him Over

The 1990s was a different vibe altogether for the WWE. The Attitude Era had not begun yet, and the roster had a very different feel about it. Flashy outfits and outrageous out-of-the-world gimmicks were the norms. Vince McMahon was busy competing with various promotions to maintain WWE’s supremacy in the wrestling world.

Among many superstars that graced the company at the time, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart was perhaps among the best. He had held all the titles that the company had on offer: The Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team Championship, and The WWF Championship. Hart defeated Ric Flair in 1992 to lift his first WWE title ever. With his initial reign lasting a total of 174 days.

In a recent interview with Ringer, Hart opened up about a discussion he had with McMahon when he won the WWE Championship for the first time.

Hart opens up on advice he received from Vince McMahon

Hart said, “Vince gave me a lecture on it one time, saying, ‘You’re the champion. You call the shots. No one tells you how to wrestle. You’re the guy that tells everyone else how to wrestle.’ And I made that my new rule. For a long time up until that, I always had to incorporate some other wrestler’s ideas into my match to make him happy.”

“Now I could tell people, ‘No, we’re not going to do that idea. We’re going to cancel that because it doesn’t make any sense, but we’re going to do this instead.’ And nobody would argue with me anymore. I became a very detailed guy and I think just the passion and the work rate that I brought to wrestling is finally being appreciated today.” added The Hitman.

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Hart was finally getting the credit that he deserved. And his dominance in the squared circle was just starting as he went on to lift the prized WWE title 4 more times in his career. It’s safe to say that McMahon also acknowledged the wrestling acumen that Hart possessed at the time.

The infamous Montreal Screwjob

However, this proved to be a lengthy calm before the storm. McMahon royally betrayed Hart in the infamous Montreal Screwjob. The controversial incident took place in the 1997 Survivor Series. The former chairperson secretly instructed referee Earl Hebner and the challenger, Shawn Michaels, to deviate from the planned finish of the match. 

HBK had locked Hart in his own version of the sharpshooter when Hebner abruptly called for the bell. He controversially handed the match as well as the WWE title to Michaels. The watching audience was left shell-shocked and confused by the outcome. Hart reportedly confronted both McMahon and Michaels backstage over the tainted finish. The incident is still considered one of the most infamous moments in the promotion’s history.

The relationship between Hart and McMahon would remain sour for 12 years. But the two reconciled in 2009 in an edition of Raw to the applause of thousands. Nevertheless, as The Hitman’s recent comments point out, he had to fight hard to earn his right of becoming the face of the promotion. And it was indeed a long wait for the fans to see the legend finally get his deserved place in the WWE Hall of Fame after the dust settled.

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