Bret Hart Falls Victim to ... THE MONTREAL SCREWJOB! | WWE Survivor Series 1997 Review

Last month was the 20th anniversary of one of the most pivotal PPVs in the history of WWE. In this Classic PPV review, relive the the show that brought us "The Montreal Screwjob!"
01:37 New Age Outlaws & the Godwinns vs. The Headbangers & The New Blackjacks
04:46 DOA vs. The Truth Commission
08:18 Team USA vs. Team Canada
13:44 Kane vs. Mankind
17:04 The Nation of Domination vs. Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom
19:37 Intercontinental Championship: Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin
21:29 WWF Championship: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
24:34 Thoughts on the Montreal Screwjob & Final Grade
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@zmanbrianzane

[@JeffreyJFerguson]

I was there. In the crowd. Still mindblowing to think about it. After he destroyed the monitors, Bret went into the ring to say goodbye to the fans up on the turnbuckles. Kevin Dunn was cool enough to play his music. I dunno how many people know that.

[@emanueltejeda9131]

...Wow, I didn't even know that. That's a pretty sweet fact.

[@EmergencyChannel]

Because it was a work.

[@vince8520]

I was there to. For sure to me : The greatest PPV ever

[@thatdude-xj4qe]

@@EmergencyChannel agree

[@southbeachtalent]

I know it's been about 21 years, but what exactly did he say on the mic? Paraphrasing is fine by me!

[@JDotWill]

I still think Owen vs. Shawn was the feud that should've happened following the Screwjob

[@BigMonke69420]

100%. Have him go through DX one by one until he gets to Shawn, eventually getting some form of revenge for his brother. The two could've had an amazing series of matches.

[@metalabsynth]

AHorizontallyChallengedOrangutan and have Owen win the belt, even if for a short period of time, the man deserved a run

[@jamesbarnes1322]

I like it... might have been a bit close to home I guess

[@TheJL555]

agree

[@briancrocker3377]

They shit all over Owen the next night, and that's where the "nugget" stuff started. I wondered why he statyed around to take it. The disrespect he faced, and undervaluing of him as a worker, is what led to him having to take up the Blue Blazer gimmick again, and eventually led to his death. Owen could have gotten so over, and been so hot afterwards.

[@RoyStantz]

This PPV marked the *TRUE* end of the New Generation Era.

[@williamerazo3921]

Start of the. Attitude Era

[@KingKhanate1997]

I would argue that’s the 1997 Royal Rumble.

[@lerobshow6300]

This was the last wrestling event that i went with my father (R.I.P Pop). I was 9 years old at that time. Before the event started, we went to a restaurant inside the building called 'La Cage au Sports' which mean Cage of Sports. When i went to the bathroom with my father, we ran across Owen Hart and one of the Godwins (i forgot which one). I was so excited, afraid at the same time that i went to hide behind my father. Since we are french canadians i wasn't really used to speak, write english considering how young i was lol. I was so shy. Owen hart started to talk to me and said some word in french. He then hugged me and took a picture with me in the bathroom. I will never ever forget the whole experience. It was like meeting your superhero in real life. Well it wasnt like it, it was literally that lol. Unfortunately i was too young to understand what was going on Between Brett and Shawns but my father seemed pissed off and was talking to some people in our row. I'll never forget that night and how Owen Hart and how the Godwins were so nice. R.I.P both my pop and Owen. Golden era of wrestling.

[@ryanpetty8843]

Vader was a fantastic and terribly underrated worker. To be that size and to have that amount of athleticism and dedication to the business he was one in a million. RIP Leon

[@yankees29]

Too bad he smelled like garbage 😂

[@walcodebruyn2135]

As a South African i really appreciate that you did so much research on South African wrestlers i never really even knew about them!

[@MasteroftheDDT]

You should look up Col. Debeers. Classic character.

[@Alsebra]

Most of the members of the Truth Commission weren't actually South African (the only member that was actually South African was their manager, The Commandant (Robin Smith))...even Col. DeBeers (who actually was one of Brian's wrestling trainers) wasn't actually South African. The stable was based on (as Brian has stated occasionally) the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. From what I've found, the most well-known South African wrestlers (well-known to the world at large, that is) are Justin Gabriel/P.J. Black and Adam Rose/Leo Krueger. For a time, there was a faux South African tag team, consisting of Sergeant Krueger (Ray Apollo, who portrayed Doink the Clown after Matt Bourne left the role) and Colonel DeKlerk (friggin' Rocco Rock of Public Enemy).

[@jcace13]

In one match Foley drops an elbow onto the concrete, takes a biel off the top rope to the floor and a chokeslam off the apron through the announcers table. How is he even alive let alone able to walk 20 years later?

[@walcodebruyn2135]

JC Holmanation yeah. And 'Wrestling is fake' SMH. If that was the case there would never be any injuries.

[@testshietchannel]

It´s fake in a sense, that it is more a glorified stunt-show than actual competion, let alone real fights. As to the injuries: Even pro´s fuck up once or twice... that´s just the nature of the game, I guess. And no - I´m not bashing wrestling. But neither do I make more of it than it is...

[@Djarra]

Bash at the Beach no DQ against Sting. In that match Sting also threw Foley onto the concrete and a railing from the top rope at one point plus a missed elbow drop onto the concrete from the apron as Sting got out of the way of it. That match really was the first time the brutal Foley was really seen, and it's surprising that the then pretty boy face Sting went right along with him, and took his own set of bumps to the floor.

[@snoopyfod1807]

Piet de Vries it's akin to Olympic figure skating!

[@bernadettejohnstone4529]

Foley has mentioned many times over the years about mobility issues. He has done a lot of things over the years to get by. Hip replacement surgery this year (in March) helped a LOT

[@bradleyjohnson1702]

I think vader gets a bad rap because of the backstage politics of the 90s. One of my all time favorites, a big man that can move. When he was on he was amazing to watch. A 300+ lb guy that can pull off a sick moonsault? Yes please.

[@Njbear7453]

Bradley Johnson bam bam was just as athletic

[@bradleyjohnson1702]

Breen Machine I completely agree

[@bradleyjohnson1702]

Chris Iverson yeah had the mini movie feud with sting

[@spankyblu]

@@Njbear7453 bam bam was, but Vader was a beast

[@amysmileyreid95]

Vader was 450lbs and moved like a cruiserweight

[@The_Natural_Man]

The Jackal aka Cyrus aka Don Callis was a wrestler for like 8 years before going to the WWF, teamed with Rick Martel in Canadian indies.

[@commissarklink]

Drug Crimes Slime is my new faction name.

[@jcgl4life402]

Thaddeus Urban what about the blob squad

[@tylerxxyz8621]

I'm going for Tree-Generation X - it's and eco-warior faction

[@TeemoQuinton]

Necropost - Drug Slime Crimes

[@testshietchannel]

Just call yourself New Jersey, then

[@BrettStormXWP]

@@tylerxxyz8621 Why Daniel Bryan didn't use that name I won't have any idea. Tree-Generation X. Amazing. lol

[@notyoursavior78]

I was a Blackman fan. Head Chesse 4 Life!

[@kenrickeason]

I liked Blackman back in the day..

[@zeoalexo]

His promos weren't the greatest, but he put on some good matches. Especially during his hardcore title reigns. Loved whenever his brought the escrima sticks out ("It's party time!!")

[@CooroSnowFox]

@@zeoalexo He was probably better keeping quiet.

[@zeoalexo]

@@CooroSnowFox he probably could've worked on the delivery of his in ring promos more.

[@Demiglitch]

👨‍🦲🧀

[@apocrypha5363]

The Bradshaw pinned-but-not-really thing was indeed planned. In the 1996 Survivor Series, Bradshaw had been booked to be his team's sole survivor, but he was taken the mat and while his shoulders weren't down, the ref counted a pin on Bradshaw, Bradshaw didn't kick out and the ref eliminated him from a match he was set to win, the WWF had to scramble to put together a new finish on the fly and communicate it to the guys in the ring, and even though it was realistically the ref's fault, it killed what little momentum Bradshaw had in late 1996 (hence him wallowing as one part of the going-nowhere 'new' tag team a year later) his being eliminated without really being pinned here is a bit of an inside joke referencing the previous year.

[@drumrocka]

Can *someone* please explain how in the FUCK individual wins and losses affect trajectories and momentum in pro wrestling? It’s literally scripted, they hand pick who they push and don’t. Even a fuck up like an accidental pin fall could be fixed real quick, like within a week or two. I’ve never understood the mindset that wins and losses really matter thaaaaat much in pro-wrestling.

[@420jamamaw]

@@drumrocka wrestling is about timing though. A loss in right during your "rise" could kill any interest in you.

[@Alsebra]

​@@drumrocka, also, "fixing an accidental pinfall" a week or two later basically shows fans that there was an unscripted error and challenges any sort of suspension of disbelief (just look at how people react when a title change is either nullified or reverted in a week's time). From a business perspective, your options are either futz about with flipping the decision or to just ride out the natural progression of the mishap (and throw away some of the planned arc)...neither of which are easily justified.

[@louthegiantcookie]

I still wish the Jackal had been revealed as the Higher Power.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@Kelltron You're not wrong, but you are an asshole. lol

[@mediocremadman8168]

You mean the hower power?

[@TeemoQuinton]

@Kelltron Imagine being this salty about a pretty damn good mic-worker.

[@MrFnPink420]

Ok did anyone notice that Bossman & Bull basically gave the SHIELD their look??

[@AllHailKingKurt]

Chops The Clown doa basically gave aces and eights their look too

[@numa2k147]

Chops The Clown nothin is new, everything is reused

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

Bossman is kayfabe their dad

[@Thebossstage1]

If he was around today he would have made a great manager for the group

[@dannyhipolito817]

@@Thebossstage1 I can see The Big Bossman as a manager/wrestler like Gedo (maybe a bad example but you get the point)

[@gusbaker4u]

13:35 I want more info on the Super Supper results! Stone Cold has a podcast, please someone tell me he's been asked about his lovely dinner with the Cook family of South Carolina.

[@guylants6531]

Bret was inducted to the WWE Hall if fame in 2006, way before he made his comeback in 2010

[@aaronscott4984]

And now he's in it twice

[@GamersHolyArmy]

I love Vader's thousand yard stare after Cole's question like he's thinking "shit, he's right"

[@jamiehoward6505]

I always thought vader was super underrated. Such a great big man

[@blacklite911]

James Howard yea, he was an athletic fat guy. Great in ring.

[@snoopyfod1807]

Agreed. I think Strowman has a chance at being one of the best super heavyweights to ever go to WWE, though.

[@briancrocker3377]

He was so criminally undervalued. Man could he work.

[@joeyzapata6786]

Vader was an international star before he went to WWF. Vince ruined him IMO.

[@dkres82]

Only in WWF, in WCW he was used amazingly, till Hogan and The Giant got there.

[@thescott7539]

Just to clarify, this is not Steve Blackman's debut. It's his debut in this era. Blackman first wrestled for the WWF in 1988, when he beat David Sammartino in his first match. He would appear on Superstars and Prime time, basically as a jobber, but he was working his way up. Then he went to South Africa, caught malaria and dysentery, and proceeded to lose the next 6 years of his life to fighting this diseases and recovering. It was during this recovery he began studying martial arts, which is how it became his gimmick (his first run was a much more typical wrestler).

[@stephenlovejoy5377]

Legendary

[@ScottyMacBeats]

Rewatching all of the attitude era and making my way back into the ruthless aggression era really showed me how tame of a heel Vince was in the late 90s compared to the utter lunatic he became 2002 onwards

[@JackGeezy85]

The DX vs Nation of Domination rivalry was good shit, miss 90s WWF so much.

[@TheJustin905]

They did turn owen 3:16 shirt into merchandise....i had that shirt i got from a wwf/e event as a kid

[@TheTruth61989]

fucking awesome

[@shawdawg3675]

Kurrgan was also in Pacific Rim as the male Russian pilot.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

A Kurgan is a traditional burial mound native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, iirc.

[@JM1993951]

He was also in the BBC show Merlin as a giant a warrior that King Arthur has to defeat in battle. Hes typecast as fuck, but he's in a lot of cool shows and movies.

[@ultimategamingchannel3800]

Video idea: review Hulk Hogans 2002-2003 run (with 2005 and 2006 if you want)

[@BostonsF1nest]

Hulk hogan is a bitch

[@monosaturated]

I know he was "weaker" in comparison to the Undertaker, but I always thought the Higher Power should have been The Jackyl. When Kurrgan left the Truth Commission, he took on a much darker look with Jackyl, who began proclaiming himself a "prophet" and claimed there was more to come. After Kurrgan and Jackyl left TV for a hot minute, he comes back with the Acolytes. He proclaimed them to be a part of a larger plan that Jackyl has prophesied. Not too long after that, the Acolytes kidnapped Dennis Knight (Mideon) and the rest is history. When Taker began talking about the Higher Power, he hit a lot of the same notes as The Jackyl. Sure, you could claim that that's not that surprising considering how vague "prophecy rambling" can be, but still. I know many wanted Jake Roberts, and that would have been awesome (considering their history), but in the immediate era, Jackyl made more sense (to me).

[@diablosportscreme]

What a Mark

[@pjabrony8280]

25:20 "If Bret Hart dropped the belt to Shawn Michaels before Survivor Series and then he left, then you have Shawn Michaels taking on Who." I dunno, even though Jim Neidhart was in that faction, it wouldn't have been a good match.

[@vinnyreed723]

You’re right about it not being good It would have been a classic

[@maxdecphoenix]

uuugggggh... well... since we saw Shawn go on to do work with Stone Cold, and it ushered in one of the biggest boom periods for the company.... i'm going to go ahead and say Stone Cold.

[@SurgeonVault]

I'll tell you what those 45 people who disliked this video are about, they are about drug, crimes, and slime!?

[@stefanboshoff11]

Thanx for the South Africa mention. As a South African wrestling fan, its awesome to see that someone mentioned us Keep up the good work Brian, loving your work

[@stncldrwg]

Mick was Dude Love before Summerslam 97. He debuted the gimmick as Austin’s mystery partner when they won the tag belts earlier that summer.

[@andresscott9448]

The bald guy in the pink shirt on the front row! I swear I've seen him in so many legendary moments!

[@billyclick2002]

that dude used to run an independent company called the IWA (international wrestling alliance) here in Columbus Ohio, I actually worked for them for a few months, his wife was always at wwf shows with him all the time, she always wore a neon green jacket, an they always got front row seats an shit an got backstage vip type treatment, I remember in the main office of the iwa wrestling school, there was personalized 8x10 autographs from literally almost every fuckin wrestler u could think of from the 80s an 90s..but I do wonder what became of this guy after iwa folded

[@munchmahquchi4050]

I always remembered them because I had WM23 on DVD and they were center view front row of the hard cam. Bright pink and neon yellow jackets

[@chrysrhykyscalhoun9812]

@@munchmahquchi4050 Let's not forget No Mercy 99, but also in WCW GAB 95.

[@JamesJones-yl2cx]

Zane tackles the Big One.

[@Tacsmoker]

sounds like one direction fan fiction lol

[@HarryOsborneAS31]

Bret claims he would have dropped the belt the next night, just as long as it wasn't against Shawn Michaels. He even said he wanted to drop the belt to Austin too

[@toptenguy1]

It's hard to believe, but the world title had just changed ONCE in the history of RAW at the time. So that kind of thing usually happened on PPV, or MSG house shows basically. It would of course change a ton just a few months later and Raw title changes seemed to happen on a monthly basis.

[@danielmoore8695]

And let Eric Bischoff announce at 8:00pm on Nitro that the WWF champion is now coming to WCW?

[@emanueltejeda9131]

I really doubt that would've been a good idea. Austin getting His first title at Mania after winning the Rumble felt better.

[@toptenguy1]

Plus Austin basically HAD to win it from either Bret or Shawn. Aka, a "New Generation" top guy passing the torch. And yep, definitely at Mania.

[@Djarra]

Bishoff has said he wouldn't have done that, the backlash from the Medusa thing wasn't good and doing something similar with the big belt would have been far worse.

[@jackji2325]

'97 WWF Tag Champ titles = 2000 WCW World Heavyweight Champ Title

[@jackji2325]

chet michael all the title changes

[@TheBuddha337]

" That Billy Gunn leg drop" Lmao

[@duaneflint11]

Vader doing all that work doesn't surprise me at all. I know his prime was a bit before you started watching wrestling, but Vader has always been a beast and great for wrestling. I loved his around 1990ish feud with Sting.

[@HeinerGunnar]

From a 2021 perspective, it's funny hearing Zane talk about Don Callis, without once referring to him by name

[@purodeathcore]

Talking about underrated Jackyl/Cyrus the virus is so underappreciated in my opinion

[@planescaped]

He's a great commentator for NJPW.

[@briancrocker3377]

I always wondered why he was pushed out and around creatively. The guy could really sell on the mic.

[@patrickthornton840]

Don Callis is kinda awesome all around. Helped turn Impact Wrestling around in less than a year from a joke to a company that's putting out a consistently great show, and just put out a PPV that's being hailed as one of the best PPVs of the year.

[@christopherfouche6735]

Oh yeah. I’m a big Don Callis fan.

[@joker167able]

25:22 Shawn Michaels vs Who? Would have been interesting because Who? of course is Jim Niedhart

[@TheBuddha337]

Nasty Nate Owen maybe?

[@yallevereatenbeans2723]

I’m sure they did Shawn Michaels vs Neidhart about 2 weeks later on raw

[@xIcOnx89]

RIP sweet prince

[@braddockakalatis2]

RIP Who!

[@xIcOnx89]

braddockakalatis2 Jim The Anvil Neidhart

[@RollerCodsterWFEW]

That debut match for kane was such a great match. Prefect opponent to put kane over as a bad ass. What bumps Foley always took, hes a nut. Two great legends!

[@Its2D4Life]

Damn that Bulldog/Vader suplex was awesome.

[@SlasherLink119]

Jackal also introduced the Oddities!!!...

[@gboni66]

Brock Lesnar v. Vader is a dream match for the ages

[@KasumiRINA]

If they do it now, we'd have another Goldberg vs Taker disaster, and likely surgeries needed after all the botches.

[@brandonallen3289]

@@KasumiRINA Unfortunately Vader is gone. RIP big man.

[@xthe_nojx5820]

16:13 Jeezus, Mick. I've said it for many years, and I'll say it for many more: Foley is the GOAT.

[@VOAN]

The only WWF Pay-Per-View where both Kane and Bret Hart participated in, this would be Bret Hart's last PPV and Kane's first PPV.

[@ajk]

Not true if you count Mania 26. Granted it was WWE by then.....but still, he and Kane worked on that one too, and this PPV wasn't Bret's full last.

[@northcaladonia687]

Hawk never sold piledrivers going back to the 1980s. it was like headbutting a samoan.

[@siranthony3711]

To give them more heat and credibility in Memphis Lawler told them to no sell his big moves and the piledriver spot got over so well it became one of his signature spots.

[@TheWinstonSlip]

Of all the moves to not sell... wtf?

[@MidwestMachete]

Honestly, I feel like Bret should have faced someone other than Shawn. I know the two can put on one hell of a match, but, they had too much heat together. I would say Austin, but, that would ruin the Wrestlemania spot, so, I feel like Bret should have faced either Shamrock, Mankind or Undertaker and then, have either one of the two drop the title to Shawn at the IYH DX PPV and then, they could have the rematch at the Rumble, have HBK go over and then, have Austin win the title at Wrestlemania.

[@Djarra]

Taker was inactive due to his ankle. Paul Bearer apparently suggested that Kane burn Shawn the week before and declare himself the number one contender, dominate Bret then get taken out by Mankind. With Kane winning a rematch on Raw and Bret going out in a blazing coffin.

[@brianhurley2194]

There wouldn't have been any build to it though and it would have ruined the buzz for the pay-per-view.

[@futuregohan4837]

@@Djarra Or Undertaker Returns And Burns Kane Alive As The Deadman Returns From The Grave

[@futuregohan4837]

@@Djarra Or Undertaker Returns And Burns Kane Alive As The Deadman Returns From The Grave

[@futuregohan4837]

@@Djarra Or Undertaker Returns And Burns Kane Alive As The Deadman Returns From The Grave

[@Alsebra]

The Jackyl didn't "drop off the radar" in '98...after leaving the fed in '99, he went to ECW (as Cyrus/Cyrus the Virus) for a while, then popped up in TNA two years after he left ECW. After "retiring" in 2004, he returned to roles in both Impact and NJPW in 2017; his work with Impact then gave him exposure in AEW, where he has been since 2020 (managing names like Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay).

[@sportsnthingsshows2786]

thanks for this video review it was a nice look back this brings back memories of really getting into wrestling as I've been a fan since just before the start of the attitude era.

[@norbertop.niebres6320]

This begins the "Mr. McMahon" character.

[@sullygroot924]

I don't think it's a character

[@ElBribri]

I like these kind of "sloppy" matches and promos and all of that, it makes the show more appealing, it feels less hardcore scripted, restricted, more natural, more real

[@brianhurley2194]

The worst non-scripted promo EVER GIVEN is a million times better than the best scripted promo ever written.

[@TeemoQuinton]

@@brianhurley2194 no

[@CantRead1]

Why would you like crappy matches lmao get off the nostalgia drug.

[@rickytorres8566]

Great review Bryan!!!! But I still feel like Vince could have taken Bret's word that he wouldn't have taken the belt to WCW. I think it wouldn't possibly be out of the question if Bret's contract was extended by a few weeks in order for him to drop it on RAW or even the next PPV. Ultimately it sucks that a guy that was a loyal to Vince as Bret was had to leave under the circumstances that he did.

[@danielmoore8695]

Loyal? Vince simply asked him to lose a match and Bret acted like a total baby and wouldn't do it for the company that made him. Bret was not only screwing over Vince but he was screwing over the rest of the entire locker room. Earl Hebner even said this is why he did what he did cuz he felt like Bret was screwing him too.

[@rickytorres8566]

I don't disagree with you that Bret should have most definitely been more willing to do business and not let his personal feelings towards Shawn get in the way of that. But Bret did have some creative control over his character, and all he asked for at this period of time was that he didn't want to drop the belt to Shawn in Montreal, now at first this wasn't a big deal considering that Vince offered Bret a 20 year contract that he knew he couldn't pay for but still offered to Bret anyway, so Bret out of loyalty to the company that made him a star chose to stay in WWF, weeks later is when Vince informed him that he couldn't afford his contract and that he should go to WCW, while still being the champion. Leading up to Survivor Series Bret proposed many scenarios for him to drop the belt, one of them was to lose the belt to Shawn himself the following weeks RAW or to hand over the belt to Vince the Monday after. Ultimately I don't disagree that Bret let his personal animosity towards Shawn get in the way of conducting business properly, I just feel a better rout could have been taken where both parties benefited.

[@burntvirtue]

Bret was unquestionably loyal to Vince for 13 solid years. He laid down for Yoko so Hogan could immediately pin him and get the belt at Wrestlemania 9. He turned down WCW and more money to re-sign with WWF in 1996. The same year he laid down for Shawn at Mania 12. Shawn then refused to do the same for Bret. Instead, he handed the belt over on Raw and went home. Bret let them turn him heel and destroy his good will in the U.S., as well as letting Vince back out of the contract he signed in '96. He never wanted to leave, but because it will help Vince, he agrees, and as a favor, Vince facilitates the negotiations with Bischoff. All Bret asked was not to diminish his last bit of drawing power on his way out by losing in Canada, and he had the legal right to do that as we all know about the creative control clause in the final 30 days of his contract. Seems like Bret was about the only one who was loyal the whole time. He asked to not lose to Shawn, and/or hand the belt over on Raw. Both of which Shawn had already been allowed to do! Yet somehow Bret deserves to get screwed?! Vince is on tape agreeing to the DQ finish for the Survivor Series match. Yet, he's the respectable promoter who just did what he had to?! Give me a break. Bret is the only person in the whole scenario whose word has any value.

[@jamesbarnes1322]

Good response. A lot of ppl churn out the line that Bret screwed the locker room or Vince needed to put the WWF first but Bret still had a career to think about and needed to do what was right for him too. No matter which way you twist it, he was honest and Vince wasn’t

[@thomasjenkins7506]

no matter what, it's bret's job to do what he is told, creative control or not. he was on his way out of the company and he should've been a professional about it. instead, he was a big baby and got put in his place. bret was already nearing the end of his career, had already signed with the competition, and he never could draw flies to shit. he had no leverage left. just do the job and move on without burning bridges. be a professional.

[@damightybenstein]

3:16 The Montreal crowd predicted the Billy and Chuck tag team 5 years before it happened.

[@gman9203]

Great video and can’t argue with any of it. The Kane/Mankind match being the only other decent match on the card. Like you say the Shawn/Bret Match was good (screwjob aside) and a Schmoz finish would have been a poor way to end it

[@jmurdock8303]

I felt it deserved a higher ranking

[@juliooquendo220]

Damm 20 years seems so fast

[@mstrbltzr]

Just found your channel not to long ago through denkops and (cm) pulse and I’m enjoying the content so far.

[@helterskelter-xu2xd]

Is that Tito Santana at the Spanish announce table? Didn't know he ever did that.

[@samichopthechimrea8477]

13:40 Stone Cold Steve Austin what about me?😧😟😦 Jerry Lawler, 1997

[@afterglow-podcast]

My alternate: Bret drops the belt to Austin on Raw, Shawn and Bret have their match anyway due to the animosity between the two, except this time the title is not on the line, and the title match is now Owen vs Austin.

[@codeword632]

ummmmmm stone cold just returned and they needed stone cold to win at mania 14

[@futuregohan4837]

And Owen Chickened Out Leaving Undertaker As The Viable Option That Austin Felt Can Be Worthy

[@hardiks2685]

@Chris Terry You are an ignorant idiot, no matter what you say.

[@aztecwrrior1997]

So Owen vs Austin title vs title???

[@ferox965]

Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto have always been good, loud crowds. Wrestling was always big here, especially in Montreal (Lutte Internationale was huge and forged many stars for decades), just look at Hogan's return to face after his match with the Rock...probably the biggest pop in wrestling history.

[@nicholasfox9775]

Lovely stuff.keep up the good work mate

[@JeffreyJFerguson]

Ahhh Brian I love ya but I'm also super nitpicky and I was a huge fan in '97, so: - COMM-un-daunt - Dude Love debuted on RAW in July as Austin's surprise tag team partner, not at Summerslam - MUNN-treal (seriously) Keep making these videos!

[@ericsmusic5927]

I was born in 97

[@thetruecish]

As an American, I love slime.

[@jleffel6969]

Bruh, same. Thanks, Nickelodeon.

[@EmergencyChannel]

and drug.

[@lazrpo]

kiwi

[@SatoshiKong]

James Leffel Ironic, because the slime thing actually started on You Can't Do That On Television, which was a Canadian show.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

@@EmergencyChannel thank drug

[@SoftBank47]

That Team USA vs. Team Canada match has no less than two All Japan veterans in Furnas and Vader. Both had high-profile feuds and matches with the likes of Kobashi and Misawa. ^_^

[@stephensandridge3784]

You may have come across this by now but no-selling pile drivers was a signature spot for Road Warrior Hawk back in his NWA days, showing off the 'strength of his neck'. Don't recall ever seeing him do it in WWE, so here we are!

[@ninjaworshipper]

In regards to the screwjob, Bret proposed dropping the title at the next PPV on december 8th to Shawn as he was going to call Bischoff and tell him to postpone his first appearance by a week (he was supposed to debut on the 1st). but unfortunately Bischoff was hunting in Wyoming so Bret couldn't reach him. So basically, we gotta blame Wyoming for the screwjob.

[@gman9203]

TBH Bret putting over UnderTaker would’ve made sense. They’d had a classic match at One Night Only in the UK and it would’ve been a good blow off for it. Shawn was could’ve got the belt of Taker afterwards

[@LucasIsHereYT]

SCREW YOU WYOMING

[@Jimboola]

Feel you were a bit harsh on the marking. I saw the ppv recently & not only were all the matches entertaining but the crowd were super hot! And the spots from Mankind deserve at least a 3 star rating!

[@adamlennard1828]

Jimboola have to agree Mankind made Kane look like a complete beast the bumps in the match deserve at least 3 stars plus this helped Kane get over as a monster.

[@purodeathcore]

I think he was harsh on mankind vs kane but those 8 man tags were lame for the most part

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Kurrigan is also the uber immortal from 300.

[@KalHimself]

Did not know that, but it makes sense. That's definitely his neck.

[@Isaac-cm7zg]

Fun fact. Kane actually was the undertaker. Undertaker debuted as "Cain" the undertaker

[@icantbeafraidofyou]

In my opinion Vince was beyond paranoid for taking the title off of Bret. Bret was loyal for 20 years. He didn't even want to leave for WCW.

[@thomasjenkins7506]

bret should have dropped the belt when he was told to. he was leaving for WCW, so what does he care when he drops the belt?

[@danielmoore8695]

Eric Bischoff would have said on Nitro that the WWF Champion was now leaving to come to WCW. Vince couldn't let that happen

[@burntvirtue]

Daniel Moore Vince still let that happen anyway though. Screwing Bret out of the title on TV means Bret never actually lost the title, so now Bischoff can say the "rightful" WWF champion is coming to their show as he still left without losing.

[@danielmoore8695]

nah guys get screwed outta the title all the time, that's not a thing. Shawn was now the champion so Bischoff couldn't really say anything that would get over with the fans. Had to take the title off Baby Bret the night before though

[@Halloweenman33]

How would Bret have even been able to take the belt with him? Didn't the company own the belt, not Bret?

[@BillyMartin4Life]

Good video. A idea for a video should do is a top 8 starrcade matches

[@jamesbarnes1322]

Kevin Gonzalez love it. Yes THIS THIS THIS THIS

[@michaelhinegardner3849]

Good review. I did like this Survivor Series. I still have my WWF Coliseum Video of this Survivor Series.

[@phreak811]

Fun note. Kurrgan has had some memorable film roles now as well. Obviously Sherlock Holmes with Downey but also 300, Pacific Rim and even Deadpool 2

[@brianadkins3880]

Really enjoy your reviews. You're usually thinking about the same as me. lol Believe you've only done one TNA show. Maybe you could do one that is NOT a ppv? It's the IMPACT from 2010 that,unfortunately for them as they tried to go head-to-head with RAW on Mondays,was against the RAW you mention where Bret and Shawn reconcile. Just a suggestion. Thanks.

[@DerrickVW]

I dream of a day that the Screwjob won’t be mentioned in every single wrestling video (give or take). For the record, I’m not talking about this video. You’re reviewing the PPV which had the Screwjob as the main event. So it’s justified. I’m talking about the WhatCulture, Cultaholic type channels that seemingly make list topics just to include the Screwjob again. Oh, and the Pipebomb as well. Trying to cover all my bases, I don’t dislike those channels, by the way. Just a knit pick I have with them.

[@HT97775]

Derrick Van-Wyk sadly the magnitude of the screwjob makes that very unlikely, they even brought it back with Charlotte vs Natalya when ric and Bret were at ringside, but I agree with the purposely making a list just to talk about it!

[@DerrickVW]

smiley Then you have been under a rock, sir. 😂

[@briancrocker3377]

To be fair, it's impossible to talk about this PPV without talking about it, and Bryan does a good job of talking about it just enough, while not making it the focus of the video.

[@rajamicitrenti1374]

I know part of why the Screwjob happened was because there were ongoing negotiations for a while to keep Bret around for Monday Night Raw to get him to drop the belt there. But I think the cleaner way to go would have been to have him drop the belt to Shawn like a week before, turn this match into a rematch, and have a non-clean ending that results in Shawn keeping the title. Like have someone from the Hart Foundation run in and get caught by the ref for interference.

[@johngarcia6661]

the 90;s what a great time to be a teen and a wrestling fan!

[@freack3333]

Jeez no wonder Mick Foley's body is so messed up.

[@thekidfromiowa]

freack3333 My thoughts exactly

[@thetruecish]

Actually, we would see Shawn Michaels sporadically between 1998 and 2002. Let us not forget his run as WWF Commissioner.

[@RealAlphaDrum]

Fun fact about Blackman, he was in the WWF in the late 80s and got really sick and he was finally able to return to wrestling in 97.

[@marlondaniels7912]

He went on a tour of Africa and got some kind of infectious parasite that messed him up for years, I remember reading an interview in WWF magazine about it, lo these many years ago.

[@codyguindon2090]

its only ironic because YOU said bulk, thats not irony! haha great vid zane

[@__Lxkas]

In regards to The Jackal just droppin’ off the radar in 98. There’s a section in the Hardy Boyz book where they mention part of their sort of initiation into the locker room was to perform some seriously nasty ribs at the behest of Bradshaw (because of course) on the Jackal due to him having heat with nearly all of the boys at the time in an attempt to basically run him out of the company.

[@jerseyrd1086]

Vader used that same elbow drop in wcw too. I remember at Battle Bowl 93 when he hit it on Flair, it storyline took Ric out of the match.

[@Eexpers]

Kurrgan is arguably the second most prolific actor to come outta wrestling. I was kinda shocked when I started recognizing him in a bunch of movies. He isn't a A lister or anything but certainly had more roles than anyone but the rock. They're good roles too he plays his part well.

[@heyyou9693]

Hi Zane, I am not a Patreon backer, yet, but, I started watching in 1987, and Wrestlemania 3 was when I was hooked. If you could at least think about doing a review on that event, it would be awesome. If not, okay too.

[@eeeeewewew]

Not related but thank you for showing me the Mountain Goats beat the champ is a great album

[@alexhennigh5242]

Haven't heard TNN in a long time. Anyone remember Roller Jam? That shit was fire

[@BigLee1901]

Just to correct you on the tag team belts, Headbangers won the vacated belts (Due to Austin and Dude Love vacating the belts because of the Austin/Owen incident at Summerslam a month earlier) in a four way match against Owen and Bulldog along with The Godwinns and LOD (I think those were the other two teams) at the September PPV Event Ground Zero, and then The Godwinns won the belts at Bad Blood itself. On another note, Recon and Sniper (not the stage names though) did make one more appearance after WrestleMania 14 as they were repackaged as a team called Armageddon going by their real last names (Buchanan and Poirier) as they lost a tag team match against The Quebecers on April 29th episode of Shotgun Saturday Night.

[@CaptainEnglehorn]

You know the jackal is Cyrus from ECW aka Don Callis, the current English color commentator for NJPW.

[@aztecwrrior1997]

And Impact Wrestling

[@thepassingstatic6268]

The real Montreal Screwjob was the friends we made along the way

[@harleybuffington7493]

9:51 is that Kurt Angles theme?

[@christophernicholson20]

Yeah this is Kurt Angle theme song but this was before Kurt Angle. This was the Patriot theme song

[@trevonburtch4014]

I'd give anything to have another year as crazy and memorable as 1997.

[@OldHickory1971]

Great review👍

[@djpee25]

Not the big story here,but always tought the Truth Comission’s Kommandant looked like Bushwacker Luke Williams! Who was he anyways??

[@djpee25]

Just found out he’s Robin B.Smith,a real South African wrestler who Bret Hart met while touring over there.only appeared as the Commandant it seems..

[@BrokenInside365]

They could've had Bret drop the belt to Shawn the month before & continued the buildup to a rematch & then had Bret have his rematch, since there is always the automatic rematch clause for championships, at SS and had the stipulation that if Bret lost, he had to leave WWF & they could've had the match end with a "controversial" finish with people getting involved & having a dirty finish that made Bret look strong & like he was "screwed". That could've prevented everything, while stroking all egos because Bret would not had to have dropped the belt to Shawn in Canada & Vince would not have had to worry about Bret leaving with the belt & Bret would have been able to save face in Canada & not had to have "put Shawn over", thus allowing him to leave cleanly. But hey, what do I know? I'm not a pro wrestling insider lol.

[@Xcalibur425]

No...that was the build up. They hadn’t wrestled since Wrestlemania XII. That is why the match had so much heat.

[@tinotica]

Xcalibur425 but they could still have Shawn take the title into Survivor Series and Bret try to reclaim it

[@Xcalibur425]

tinotica No, you would have to have seen the ads to understand the build up to survivor series. The timing was perfect, no one would have wanted to see the “threepeat”, especially not back to back.

[@tinotica]

Xcalibur425 then how would you take the title off Bret?

[@Xcalibur425]

tinotica Have a confusing ending, and strip him of the belt that night. Also, they could of had someone or group of people run in beat Bret and Shawn up throw the match out and sanction it as a three way with both Bret and Shawn laid out and “steal” the title which could have started a new feud with Shawn and whoever while Bret left. Too many scenarios.

[@aaronscott4984]

Fun fact about the Vader character originally the guys who created it in Japan were going to use Jim Hellwig but Vince signed him and used him for the Ultimate Warrior

[@southbeachtalent]

Always wondered if the eerie red light for Kane's entrance was supposed to stay on the whole match vs Mankind. There were plenty of technical errors like weak pyro effects during the show. Just a thought

[@marlondaniels7912]

I think it was something they were trying out for a while - he had the red light when he was smashing guys every week on Raw, if I'm remembering correctly

[@jamessmith-ll2jy]

You had it right with sidewalk slam, why the caption with power slam?

[@doctorawesomeness1997]

The Montreal Screwjob was the reason why the Attitude Era happened.

[@rickytorres8566]

No...No it wasn't that's WWE's version of history that claims that the Screwjob and DX invading WCW was what started the Attitude Era and lead to a huge boom in business when in reality it was Steve Austin in 1997-8 that caused the huge boom in business while the start of the Attitude Era can be traced back to the Austin 3:16 promo at KOTR 1996.

[@jamesbarnes1322]

You the man Ricky 😀

[@briancrocker3377]

The groundwork for the Attitude Era was laid in this match. a) Bret was the lone main event holdout for the "older" model, the PG model. Shawn and others wanted to push a more mature angle. b) the Screwjob was the start of the Mr. McMahon Evil Genius character that was the mainstay of the Attitude Era, and the Austin vs McMahon matches that were the biggest draws to kick it off. If this doesn't happen it's arguable that the Mr. McMahon character doesn't have the built in "he screwed Bret so he could screw anybody" nonsense. Plus it was the "Bret screwed Bret" interview that really drove the nail for the character to kick off. Austin 3:16 is the precursor, but it really doesn't start until the Screwjob, and the fallout from that.

[@joeyzapata6786]

I personally see Bret Hart pushing Vince and saying "this is bullshit!" in early 1997 as the start of the Attitude Era.

[@EvanSchatz]

It was actually when Bob Backlund said "I've never taken any marijuanas" and when Owen kicked Bret's leg out of his leg

[@joiekelly3141]

I can tell how big of an influence this time in wrestling had on me, cuz everytime I do universe mode in the 2k games everyone ends up in a stable.

[@sicklettuce]

I had Godwin and Truth commission action figures in about 1998 and I never knew who they were because I didn't start watching until like 98 but these videos have reminded me of this