STW #5: The Montreal Screwjob

Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard is an audio podcast that discusses topics, events, wrestlers and memorable moments through the lens of former WWE executive Bruce Prichard co-hosted by Conrad Thompson.
The show was launched in August 2016 on MLW Radio. The episodes typically range from 2 hours to 4 hours in length, and include discussions about previous WWE pay-per-views and former WWE wrestlers.
What really happened when Bret Hart opted to leave the WWF for WCW when he was still the WWF Champ? Find out the real story behind the Montreal Screwjob.
www.Facebook.com/SomethingToWrestle
Don't miss our live shows: www.BoxOfGimmicks.com
Buy a Shirt, Get a Call from Bruce: www.BrucePrichard.com
Save Yourself Some Money: www.SaveWithBruce.com Visit BlueChew.com and get your first shipment FREE when use our special promo code WRESTLE - Just pay $5 shipping! Logos and album art by Dave Silva
All backgrounds licensed by Videoblocks
Videos edited and uploaded by Steve Kaufmann Some copyrighted images may have been curated and altered to create the uniquely transformative piece of content you're watching.

[@aaronchef82]

Watching this podcast again after several years, still great

[@shanedorman5635]

Favorite part of this is Bruce’s bulldog impression,” they fooked him, they fooked Bret”

[@m.bowman2841]

Makes me laugh every time

[@RamsonOpoku]

Lmaooo

[@stewartmartin8382]

He's good at that, and his dusty Rhodes impression is fantastic too

[@jonfranks6902]

Omg YES 😂😂😂😂

[@evanremillard5640]

That Randy Savage impersonation was on point.

[@siblix3957]

"I will never work for WWE again" - Bruce Prichard: December 2017 early 2019/20: working for WWE.

[@jtaco4101]

He did say probably.

[@crisdes7260]

money talks, bullshit walks

[@michaelgriffith5747]

"Only thing that matters is in the ring. Everything else is just conversation. "

[@Cdeaver25]

4:09 starts the show... and I ain’t tryin to fook ya eh!

[@Super122291]

Thanks 🙏 Charles

[@Skazellino]

Hero shit.

[@jamiespencer1041]

This is the first real touchy subject where Bruce tows the company line, this doesn’t mean he’s disingenuous, I think he should he worked there. Conrad getting in a few pushes testing his boundaries, I’ve heard a lot of shows on Montreal, this is one of the best, for the Bulldog reaction alone. 5/5

[@matsong5134]

Here you see the class of Undertaker. He gets everyone who didn’t need to be in the dressing room out, and he himself stays out because it had nothing to do with him. Don’t get involved with other people’s shit. Worry about yourself.

[@jcp1977]

Taker was also the one that told Vince straight up that he needed to explain himself to Bret.

[@marknorth8904]

Taker was the one who banged on Vince's door, and told Vince to "Get your ass out here..."

[@benmurphygo1]

Props to Vince for taking the punch like a man.

[@CobraCraig88]

“They fooked him. They just fooked Bret.”

[@MrOrganicdude]

He's got grapefruits!!

[@kiddbuu5178]

Props to vince for doing everything like a man.

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

@@kiddbuu5178 I dunno dude in the 90's he gazed at Shawn Michaels like a giddy schoolgirl

[@dusteedawg2915]

That's why he's the man

[@TruckerJenkins82]

This is absolutely fascinating, many thanks.

[@wt44]

The only thing I've always wondered about... when it happened, Bulldog and Owen were at Gorilla... but then Hunter comes out to ring... and then he and Shawn come backstage. How did they not pass each other and then why did it take so long for Davey and Owen to make it to ring...

[@beechy006]

58:24 never gets old 😂😂

[@panagenesis2695]

I was there, live. The crowd knew it was bullshit and everyone was pissed!!!

[@TheeCoachg]

Bruce says Bret was paranoid but also says when Vince had Bret & Shawn on the phone...he,Cornette,Russo were all at Vince’s house and Cornette suggested screwing Bret. Also HHH suggested it. So wasnt Bret justified in being paranoid if you guys are gossiping about how to screw him?

[@jhot2477]

ppl act like being paranoid is bad, it's a defense mechanism, it's crucial to survival, most of the time if you're paranoid, there's real concern, your instincts are almost always right, unless drugs or mental issues come into play lol

[@kevinn4038]

Coachg Jim Cornette is a leftist fraud. You know he is lying when his lips are moving. If every story by Cornette ends with “he’s a piece of shit”, chances are Jim is the real POS.

[@fins2334]

Coachg first of all, Cornette would never suggest screwing Bret at the expense of Shawn. He hated Michaels

[@daleharris3809]

@@fins2334 No but he might suggest it for the sake of the business. Remember the WWF title was still involved here as well. They simply couldn't risk Hart holding the title and no longer being under contract. Cornette suggested getting Ken Shamrock in the match at one point

[@mr.strong376]

@@fins2334 Welp, after watching "Dark side of the ring", you're wrong.

[@spaceghostp6672]

“they fooked him” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cjrich7720]

Best part of the episode

[@giangarcia3364]

F00K

[@paulwidit3792]

Lmao I saw this comment when Bruce was saying that part 😂

[@samuelgurrola5632]

He fell flat on his Ars - The Shock Master

[@CobraCraig88]

oliver closehoff because it sounds funny get over it

[@humpy1980]

I miss this era of the Podcast. It’s still good but just different.

[@pauljames6353]

Brett would have been the best teacher. Maybe wrestlers today would understand in ring psychology today. He was the excellence of execution for a reason. His father trained Brett and Owen plus all his brothers. Brett could have trained countless wrestlers and made them better than they are today.

[@dewiwilliams4821]

If I ever interviewed BP this is how I think it would go me: so bruce, who decided to give bret a 20 year contract? BP:Vince me:bruce, who stirred shit between bret and shawn just to up their rivalry in search of ratings leading to shawn refusing to put bret over and bret deciding he would take same stance? BP:vince me: Who then realised they made a mistake and wanted out of contract? BP:vince me: who then decided to put the title on someone he wanted out of company? BP:vince me:who then insisted that bret lose the title to the person who has said he would not do the same? BP:vince me:who agreed to have a creative control clause in the contract for last 30 days should contract be terminated? BP:vince me:and who broke this clause by going against agreed finish? BP:vince me: so bruce, who screwed bret? BP:BRET!!!! I love the podcasts with BP but cant help think is head is still stuck up vince's behind!

[@paulwidit3792]

Same this channel is probably the only podcast I ever listen too on the daily but totally agree with your comment I think BP even not working in WWE he still defending Vince. This is behind the scenes gives up the 110% truth nothing is going to happen to you if you say it all.

[@ryanjames6480]

WCW gives Bret all that money to bury him .. incredible

[@JoeyMartz]

They didn't bury him. They just didn't know how to properly utilize the Hitman.

[@kevingillman8062]

@Chris Terry Bret was done after the Screwjob. ECW could have brought him in, and still not use him correctly.

[@waylonmercy8125]

Hey I'll take that payday for less work 😁

[@IrishCarney]

His heat died down a lot after the no compete clause expired. And WCW had too many big names. They didn't know what to do with him

[@David-li4uw]

Hogan was never going to let Bret catch on in WCW. If I was Bret, I'd thank him. He got all those millions of Turner dollars and didn't have to do much of anything for it.

[@ryanvannice7878]

There really is no good guy in this whole situation. Shawn was spoiled, didn't do business the right way, and did not respect Bret. Vince let Shawn get away with his crap, which planted the seeds of discord. He didn't follow through with commitments he made to Bret, but at least he let him work out a deal with WCW. He only had one way to get the belt off Bret - drop it to Shawn. There were other ways, but he didn't take care of business and left himself no other options. Bret was childish and prideful. Regardless of his behavior, Shawn was tremendous in the ring and in front of the camera and was worthy to win the belt; Bret was trying to settle a score. Vince has the most blame and Bret the least. However, all three of them are probably doing better than anyone commenting, so don't feel too sorry for them.

[@evilsWa]

Porn stars make more than most of us. I still feel sorry for a lot of them, because money actually isn't everything and is kind of a stupid capper to what was a pretty intelligent point. El Chapo has a lot of money, I feel sorry for him right now because he's rotting in prison. Because money doesn't have anything to do with this. That being said, Bret is as much to blame as anyone. Imagine if HBK had said "I won't drop the title in the USA cuz I'm from there." Preposterous. You don't hold a companies title like that. Bret isn't the first or the last to get "screwed" because he didn't want to do what the bookers of the company asked their paid employee to do.

[@lekvukdedaj]

Vince wanted to get rid of Bret so why didn’t he have him drop the title before survivor series to someone else?

[@bubbacalling]

@@lekvukdedaj I've always asked that question as well. I guess it's because Bret didn't want to be challenger at Survivor Series and lose as well.

[@arkansasstorm]

Bret woulda given up the title to anyone other than the kliq members. Cornette knew this but vince was wanting to push shawn to the moon and that is why corny said screw him over but he never thought vince would agree to it. So, we got bret that wouldnt lose to shawn in canada but would lose to anyone else. Shawn who would never put bret over and was running the backstage politics. Vince was so set on shawn vs bret at survivor series that he didnt think about anyother way. We all know in hindsight what we coulda done to change it. We could have made a triple threat match where the third person would have lost. We could have changed the opponents. To me, everyone has some blame in all this and now almost 25 years later we know more details than ever before including the fact that shawn and bret decided before the match to stop being so bitter at each other and be friends again.

[@zackaryb1013]

the episode that made me become a fan of something to wrestle with.......bruce prichard

[@chrisl9804]

The greatest "work" in the history of the business. Going on 22 years later, and this is still one of the most talked about topics in wrestling. Was brilliantly done, considering every single player came out perfectly. Shawn wins the title, adds to his "bad boy" persona... Bret gets out of a clean loss in Canada, gets his huge payday in WCW... Vince launches his monster heel persona, and sets himself up for years of business as wrestling's biggest (and best) heel performer. Also, Bret just happened to be shooting his "Wrestling with Shadows" doc, so cameras caught all the build-up & aftermath... Took years & years before the participants began to come clean on this thing. Will continue to be a legendary angle for the entire history of pro wrestling.

[@theoutdoorsman9726]

Who’s came clean in the Montreal screw job being a work? I haven’t heard of anyone doing that.

[@weworldwide1348]

Bret lost clean! The only reason you know he didn't is that he ran to the media and exposed the business. Sounds like an immature brat (pun intended, bitch) to me.

[@frg172]

Great episode!

[@marceledel8619]

Hearing this story from Bruce's side shows many people were unfortunately dragged into the middle of this rivalry.

[@jmiller9972]

Still come back to listen to this

[@jeffreyriley8742]

It will always be suspect why Vince was so crazy in love with pushing Shawn Michaels to the moon. He never drew as the Man.

[@AcidRayne100]

Babyface Shawn in 1996 may not have been a draw as Champ, but he certainly deserved the chance to have a run with the title. DX Shawn was definitely a better character and draw.

[@StanStacks]

Vince use to fawn at Shawn with little girl crush eyes.

[@AD-ur1fk]

Bret never drew in the mid nineties as well. The wwf was trash in general after hogan left

[@benzion8885]

Because Michaels was mcmahon boy toy

[@sleazyfellow]

@@AD-ur1fk Bret drew better than Shawn for sure. Another factor in 96 when nWo started I don't think anybody in WWF could of drew. But it's weird, people like the guy in pink more than the guy dancing like a male stripper.

[@BetaTrigger]

Congrats on 100k subs man.

[@bigdrules]

The superkick on RAW they said didn't air did air on the west coast. I remember it vividly.

[@evilsWa]

Wow....that certainly means that the other 3/4 of the country saw it live and remembers vividly. Can't believe they were so blatantly wrong to not acknowledge that the tape delay west coast version had the moment. You do know that the West Coast rarely gets a live feed of Raw right?

[@bigdrules]

@@evilsWa No shit, Sherlock. And did I say that the rest of the country saw it? No, I said it aired in the west coast. Quit trying to start shit just because you're a Fuckface with an inexplicable axe to grind.

[@caseyj8313]

@@bigdrules I bet you he would be fun at a party

[@bigdrules]

@@caseyj8313 Probably not. I don't go to parties.

[@ClassicJM85]

I still believe this could have been avoided and worked out. As a wrestling fan, I am glad it happened though.

[@arthurmorgan7086]

@Bryan Mack it was

[@Soccerable1]

The irony of this behind this is that this podcast is on the WWE NETWORK and that Bruce said he will never work for the company

[@Mikefantasia22]

Just shows bruce is often full of shit

[@Cdubya]

He also said never say never but just gloss over that

[@brianspellbergio4502]

hbk vs hit man survivor series 92 is the most underrated contest between them two they take the best bumps this was the match that I knew these two were going to be wrestlemania main eventing greetings from the best city in the world Buffalo N.Y.

[@vapeymcvape5000]

Bruce Pritchard sounds so much like Mike Judge. I can't hear his voice without picturing Hank Hill.

[@chrisratcliff7466]

For the love of god Conrad let Bruce finish talking. Quit trying to finish his sentences. You weren't there remember?

[@Super122291]

Les Grossman I’m a mark bro damn !!

[@chrisratcliff7466]

THE GOOD GUY oh me too. We all are. If we weren't we wouldn't gobble up as much of this info as we do. Bless the man. He is the Podfather

[@fins2334]

Les Grossman ain’t that the truth. I came here to hear Bruce talk

[@marksoto4243]

I would like to hear Bruce talk more but it seems Bruce starts to shift the conversation into other topics. Conrad is good at keeping Bruce on track.

[@chrisratcliff7466]

@@marksoto4243 fair point. Bruce likes to wander around in a conversation. But sometimes when he making a point I feel like Conrad is trying to guess the answer. He's a smart guy. No doubt. What's he got like 4 Starrcast things now? Which all sounded so awesome. Wish I could've been there

[@tommymclaughlin3203]

You never say never * Bruce is back in WWE*

[@giangarcia3364]

"bRuCe iS sUcH a LiAr!!1!1 say, when's the next episode?"

[@brianboyd1437]

So Shawn wants to forfeit the title and its because he takes pride in his work. Bret wants to do the same and its selfish and bad for the business? Double standard?

[@AD-ur1fk]

He was leaving the company. It wasn’t the same. Vince couldn’t afford Bret leaving with the title to a rival company

[@sleazyfellow]

Bret was leaving for their biggest and only legit competition ever. Vince at the end wanted to keep Bret but he'd already signed the WCW offer.

[@thorvalentinehatesytalgori2632]

@J Crash Prince died of AIDS.

[@SIX6SIXer]

Shawn wasnt quitting. Brett was.

[@garrisjp3557]

Bruce hates Bret

[@TL2354]

That RAW at MSG 1997 wasn't in October, was in September

[@Keepitgreasy11]

Sept 22 was the date approximately 2 months before Montréal (Vince drops the bombshell according to Bret)

[@scottsmith9529]

I stopped watching wrestling right around the time Shawn became the #1 guy. It was news to me he forfeited more of his title belts than he lost in the ring. Sounds like a real classy guy.

[@BeeBumper]

Me too. After 1 year of nwo and Bret Leaving the way he did

[@GrayRedRoom]

Are you gonna cry?

[@scottsmith9529]

@@GrayRedRoom cry like Shawn did when he lost his smile? Career ending injury? Droopy eyed pole smoker.

[@GrayRedRoom]

@@scottsmith9529 You seem angry. Must suck to be an inbred, impotent virgin. You seem like a crybaby just like Bret Hart.

[@LowHonorMorgan]

@@scottsmith9529 for someone who clearly isn’t a fan of Shawn, you sure do pay awful close attention to him. Sounds like you’re mad he wouldn’t let YOU smoke HIS pole.

[@eln0rte]

Sorry, I realise I could go ahead and listen to the podcast to find out but from the few clips I've listened to it would seem that Conrad isn't the biggest fan of Bret Hart, and that he and Bruce lay at least the majority of the blame on Bret for what happened to him in Montreal. Now whether that is justified or not, I was just wondering if at any point they touch on the incident where HBK told Bret he would never put him over and that therefore it might be understandable that self-respect played a considerable part in what then happened in Montreal? I realise this is a multi-faceted subject but I think it would be wholly wrong to dismiss this fact out of hand.

[@ciarantreacy7721]

If it wasn’t for Madusa dropping the women’s championship in the bin on Nitro, there would be no screwjob period. She sowed the seeds of paranoia in Vince that led to al of this

[@ScotsGal]

Bret would have been a phenomenal teacher.....its because of bret we got edge , christian , mark Henry, ken shamrock amoung others ....he could have given so much more if he had stayed with wwe

[@trurobertson]

Bret asked Shawn in the locker room after the match if he knew anything about it Shawn swore to God he didn't know. It's on Wrestling with Shadows

[@gojirajenkins8528]

member when Bruce pulled a gun on the writers room hahahaha

[@drdizzy1]

I heard thst Owen asked to be released and was 'refused', this interview said all Hart foundation members were offered one?.

[@MrHavince]

Interesting. Wrestling with shadows suggests taker didn't know because he goes into vince and orders him to go apologise to Brett and explain

[@MaynardOwns]

I remember going to a friends house one time. And being jealous as fuck he had diesel and rocky maivia wrestling figures. I Had 100s of them but not those 2

[@michaelgriffith5747]

My nash figure kept coming apart at the hip... ironically...

[@BrandanTheBroker]

Younger me sided with Bret, older me sides with Vince.

[@ffreplica515]

I would agree except for the creative control clause. if this is all a shoot, what vince did i think was illegal, and my guess is it never went to court because again if this is all a shoot Bret Allegedly punched him in the eye.

[@coryh3984]

Bruce is so full of shit his eyes are brown!!

[@InstagramAWrestlingHistorian]

Same.

[@strategic1710]

Older me understands why both men did what they did.

[@BrandanTheBroker]

@@strategic1710 I do try to understand where Bret was coming from, and a contract is a contract. On the other hand, I understand Vince not wanting his title on Nitro being blown up or ran over. It's a Catch 22.

[@markmenning1804]

You would think Vince would have got out of there as soon as possible

[@jerransperarman9411]

Good podcast

[@tobiaswilliamson00]

The Montreal Screwjob: professional wrestling's first ever shoot-work double cross.

[@msmith42001]

Same thing happened with The Mountie. In Canada he didn't do that gimmick and was a face by default.

[@CAMZAB]

He got asked to take a lot more photos when he was in Canada, mostly tourists. He got asked for directions a lot too.

[@markmenning1804]

I always heard Bret didn't want to lose in Canada

[@mrkipling2201]

Bret was quite happy to drop the belt to Shawn until he disrespected Bret when Bret told Shawn they would be working together and that he would be professional and safe in the ring with Bret. Shawn said that he appreciated that but he wasn’t prepared to reciprocate. After that the gloves were off as far as Bret was concerned. I don’t blame him, I would have done the same thing. I believe it happened like that as well. Bret has never changed his story.

[@arthurmorgan7086]

Never heard this story anywhere?

[@mrkipling2201]

@@arthurmorgan7086 really?? Bret has told that story many times and it never changes. At all.

[@arthurmorgan7086]

@@mrkipling2201 I’m joking pal

[@mrkipling2201]

@@arthurmorgan7086 that’s cool. 👍👍

[@aa_da_man]

Bruce Can't Even Talk With Conrad Interrupting I'm Like Damn

[@joeyzapata6786]

Relax, it was fine. I personally love Conrad calling Bruce on his BS. Because there's a LOT of it.

[@edwinbaires6605]

Most people say HBK is better cause he was in the minds of every wrestling fan for a long time. After the Montreal Screw Job you never saw The Hitman and forgot about how great of a wrestler he was, unless you went and saw tapes of his matches from pre Montreal Screw Job. IMO they're both equally talented.

[@ryanjames6480]

Bret should have stayed in WWE

[@JoeyMartz]

It's true... I never watched Bret wrestle again after Montreal. I never made that connection before...that's crazy. I was there live in MSG when bret won the title from yoko at wm x.

[@aa_da_man]

Conrad Let Bruce Talk Damn

[@gothchicksbongrips5712]

Love Bret, absolute mark for him. But, he was wrong. However, Vince let it get to that point. And he didnt have too.

[@IrishCarney]

They never got to the central issue. Did it make sense to seriously think Bret would take the belt to Nitro and trash talk WWF? That there was a serious chance that would happen? You don't have to be a Bret-is-a-saint type to think that was paranoid. Why the hell couldn't they just let Bret drop or vacate the belt on Raw?

[@SIX6SIXer]

letting him vacate the title and just leave would've been bad for the WWE since they had already been losing several superstars to WCW. Vince did what he had to do to protect his business. Brett wouldn't play ball and refused to put anybody over on his way out. He wanted consideration for how a loss would affect his WCW career, while refusing to consider how the way he wanted to lose the belt would affect Vince and everybody that didn't jump ship. I dont think Vince did anything wrong. Brett unprofessional behavior left Vince no other choice but to remind him who was calling the shots.

[@cheerwhiner7829]

Bischoff had already talked Madusa into dropping the WWF Women’s Title into the trash live on Nitro, so maybe they thought Bret would do the same. 🤷‍♂️ I don’t know. Madusa link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faOvqKV4gbtgotE

[@IrishCarney]

@@cheerwhiner7829 The difference is that the top belt was on a completely different level, Bret would not have devalued a belt whose championship it represented meant so much to him, and Bischoff already had enough legal issues to deal with. In fact IIRC the Madusa stunt itself led to costly litigation so there was no way Turner brass would have allowed another like it let alone at the top level

[@IrishCarney]

@@SIX6SIXer Bret was willing to lose, just not to Shawn in front of a Canadian crowd.

[@SIX6SIXer]

@@IrishCarney yeah i know but it was still childish. he was leaving to go to the wcw... his job was to put whomever vince wanted to have the belt over... which is the same reason Bret even had the belt to drop in the first place. But Bret was delusional. He believed he "won" the belt. It was like he suddenly forgot that his entire career in it's entirety was scripted. A choreographed show. An illusion.

[@Tresdad09]

27:40 i was 13/14 so what the hell do I know but it seemed like Shawn forfeiting the title was the better choice. Def more dramatic

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

After watching Dark Side of the Ring, it is now clear that Bruce Prichard lies on these podcasts. So how can we trust anything he says anymore or at all.

[@matsong5134]

They all lie bro. Undertaker said in a 2003 interview that the fans are only as smart as what we allow then to be smart too. Which means these guys will lie to our faces to protect the business if they have to. Especially and old school guy like Bruce.

[@JDjade1]

I thought Cornette got the hair and Lawler was in the bathroom stall when the fight happened.

[@HereIsWisdom1318]

27:20-But Bret’s not doing the time-honored tradition when HE wants to do the same thing!

[@josephboza7448]

This screwjob made Vince became Mr McMahon and not his issues with Steve Austin. That might have started it but this screwjob did it. The Monday Night War was a really bad time between Vince and Ted Turner. Some good wrestlers were royally screwed in this ratings war. I think Vince was scared Bret was going to pull a Madusa. He might have done it for the boys in the locker room but lets be clear, he was really doing it for himself. The reason why is if that really happened, he would have to go to WCW to get it back and Ted Turner would laugh his ass all the way to the bank. Many people were unfortunately dragged in the middle of this.

[@KORANHORACIO]

Ted Turner didn't really care he had several other business ventures. Wrestling was all Vince had

[@makinamuerte7590]

Yea thanks for repeating what EVERYONE already knows and has been REPEATED endlessly. Asswipe.

[@raccooneyes2099]

what is "lost the smile"???

[@thorvalentinehatesytalgori2632]

Seriously?

[@Illusionistical822]

Hulk Hogan: The Face of the New Generation

[@kyloren5799]

U mean facelift of the old generation.

[@Cdubya]

@@Illusionistical822 why are you talking to yourself?

[@ZEUSDAZ]

Bret,...that don't work for me brother!

[@teddibiase2932]

Documentaries are in favor of those that make them Bruce? Like Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior?

[@inmyopinion651]

Bret got to knock Vince out and Hebner ran but the only thing I ll never understand and that is why in the hell did Bret not beat Shawns ass in the ring or at very least back stage? It was obvious from watching the documentary that Shawn was in on it. Why did Bret let him slide I wonder? Bret still had 30 days on his contract left so plenty of time for him to drop the belt after Montreal. They did fuck Hart badly and its hard for me to believe that Vince still had any respect from the boys after that.

[@patburke9483]

He didn't have 30 days left on the contract. He was due on nitro the next night, he wanted to come in the morning at a WWF taping and drop the belt

[@cyrus2546]

Pat Burke Bret let him slide because Bret’s 7 year old son Blade was in the room.

[@cyrus2546]

Pat Burke That’s compete nonsense. His WWF contract finished on November 30th. Shawn Michaels even mentions this on the November 24th episode of Raw. His WCW contract began on December 1st and he made his first WCW TV appearance on the December 15th episode of Nitro.

[@bucksolo703]

Was shawn happy that Bret hart was leaving

[@mickmickymick6927]

how fucking long is that ad?

[@ryanjames6480]

Let him finish God damn

[@BrakerLane]

Good Lord, he sounds just like Macho Man 😮

[@cryptozoomauler5505]

Austin did have a submission move, it was the sleeper, remember?

[@darylchase7595]

That was only when he was the ringmaster so when he became stone cold hes not gunna use the million dollar mans hold when there not together anymore

[@Njbear7453]

Daryl Chase he used it at wrestlemania X7 against the rock in their match, that’s the only time I’ve ever seen him use it when he wasn’t the ringmaster.

[@adriellfields5843]

The million dollar dream. He gave it up after dropping the ringmaster moniker.

[@patburke9483]

It was the million dollar dream

[@Njbear7453]

The Montreal screwjob just shows how “professional” both hbk and Bret Hart really were. Bitching about losing to one another and not wanting to lose to each other is ridiculous. Man up, do your job and wrestle each other and leave it in the ring. It shouldn’t matter if you lost to someone before and now you want to beat them! Wrestle , stay healthy and do your job- be a professional and put someone over.

[@mox19380]

meh...that's an easy thing to say but main eventers have always lobbied to lose and win on their own terms. dusty, flair, hogan, etc, etc all refused to do the job to certain people at certain times. so while i 100% get your point it's not so simple as two unique individuals. there is a long established precedent.

[@jeremymatthews9999]

The funny thing is this couldn’t have played out better. Say Bret takes sweet chin music in the middle of the ring. No body would have talked about it a week later let alone 20 plus years later

[@jeremyvanb821]

What always bugged me about Bret was that he tends to always paint himself as the victim in everything and that he was the squeeky clean hero who everyone except Shawn loved.

[@choch72]

Jeremy Vanbrunt This is why Nash and Hall, without hesitation, call Bret The Biggest Mark" for Himself

[@Aggie1985]

That's what bugs everyone about Bret I do think Bret just started buying into the gimmick and worked himself into a shoot way too much.

[@booty121212]

Token Blackguy "boohoo I am making a million bucks at wwf yet have to leave to make EVEN MORE MONEY at wcw. I'm a victim pity me ." I lost all respect for Bret when he criticised bulldog for going bakc to wwf post his spinal injury and his contract being terminated by wcw. Instead of criticising Davey despite Owens death all Bret talked about was Montreal screw job. The guys a narcassist.

[@ogarstyle]

Here's how I describe Brett Hart... Seating party of Bitter, Table for one...

[@booty121212]

ogarstyle yes if you've seen one Bret Hart interview you've seen all: Such and such was a terrible wrestler and I was better , subtly jab wwe (but not to much so that his family can still work there) and then tell some funny story about Neidhart or Owen and bash Hogan.

[@pikkon899]

Turns out Prichard was pretty accurate with his account as Bret confirmed on the Broken Skull sessions that it was indeed only 1 punch and Vince did indeed go down. So for any of the other Wrestling journalists like Meltzer to say other wise is complete crap. The rumor that it was Undertaker who went and got Vince to confront Bret because he was so appalled by what happened is indeed true as this was confirmed by both Steve Austin and Bret Hart. Undertaker kicked a trash can out of anger. I guess it wasn't as "magical" as the dirstsheets made it out to be.

[@justinroark88]

Listening to these old STW podcasts are kinda cringe-y; the ads, the fact that Bruce works for WWE now. Notice how those old Brother Love pictures are edited out of these videos in 2021.

[@chrisrodriguez1084]

Was there a bigger diva in wrestling at the time than HBK?

[@SpaceGhost92]

Chris Rodriguez Maybe Bret Hart?

[@chrisrodriguez1084]

@@SpaceGhost92 in this instance Bret was being impossible to work with but Michael's made a career out of acting like an entitled baby

[@seeyouinhellyeowie3865]

Watched vice land about moolah did they screw that girl as moolah was playing spider girl or someshit looked like it was a screw job as well but must have been a work

[@lewjones3]

I thought Stone Cold always had the Texas Cloverleaf submission

[@UncledadBFD]

Million Dollar Dream

[@bgorder34]

I only remember Dean Malenko doing the Texas Cloverleaf. Stone Cold used the Million Dollar Dream

[@7trainQbnyc]

Lol never say never

[@fredbear7087]

I've heard it was the biggest cluster fuck in the history of cluster fucks.

[@CesarHernandez-pd1eb]

So after this it catapulted to the attitude era?

[@johnnieriot13]

Imagine if they kept Bret......NXT would probably be Brets baby

[@bubbacalling]

mm don't think Bret was into the creative side of things. He would be good as a coach that came and went but he didn't enjoy being creative in the business.

[@kevinsolo3591]

Dosent Steve Austin have the million dollar dream for a submission?

[@MTRZ97]

Kevin Solo He stopped using it when he evolved into "Stone Cold"

[@maxxdahl6062]

Not really he still pulled it out on occasion.

[@Nostalgicguy2242]

In WCw he had an awesome leg grapevine, maybe he was prohibited from using it in WWE..

[@alexs7670]

I think he used it on rikishi in like 2000?

[@danielescalera6638]

Vince was smart he did it to make that sweet moolah. He knew the internet and sheets were buzzing. WCW had their biggest year in 97, Vince needed something to get the ship right. Plus he was focused on the IPO coming out the following year in becoming a billionaire. He was desperate cause he was number 2 at the time. Because if the belt mattered and champion lineage mattered he could've took off like they did to punk in 08 by some b.s. rationale like he did to punk. Smart marketing hence why he's a billionaire

[@dp-mo5jh]

The thing is all these so called wrestling visionaries never realised, and I still think don’t realise how bad the Montreal screw job was for the wrestling industry. It was the single most damaging scandals to happen to wrestling. They fucked themselves, fans never looked at wrestling the same way after this happened.

[@TheeCoachg]

As an adult,I now believe the screwjob was a work. It was the only way the match could end and everybody win. Bret was able to go to WCW with momentum and fans feeling like he’d been screwed by the other promotion. It gave Shawn MAJOR heat as the new heel champion and also in Canada. And it created heat for Vince to now see him as the authority figure and build toward he & Austin.

[@minesweeper105]

The only thing that's hard to believe is Bret being willing to lose in Canada. Even though it wasn't a clean loss, I could never see him agreeing to lose the World Heavyweight Title, in his home country, to Shawn Michaels of all people. He saw himself as a Canadian hero, and to many Canadian wrestling fans, he absolutely was. He was going through a lot at the time as well - the death of his friend Brian Pillman, Vince telling him he can't afford to pay him his contract, and at One Night Only he had to watch Bulldog get humiliated in his home country, despite dedicating the match to his dying sister.

[@marknorth8904]

It's difficult to me to believe that Vince would have willingly took a punch from Bret , as part of the work ...

[@choch72]

Its hard for me to believe a guy, who was raised as a carny and very aware of how the business works, would care so much about holding a fake title and would refuse to lose the belt when the owner asked him to because most wrestlers understand you dont actually win or lose titles, but your character is scripted to win or lose it as part of a show. I have little doubt it was a work and it's still kept in kayfabe because it CONTINUES to be a money making topic around podcasts and the internet.

[@CAMZAB]

Mark North Regardless of if you believe it was all a work or not. No punch was recorded, we see Vince staggering backstage being helped and then he has a black eye on following TV spots, not impossible with make up and selling a punch. You must be able to see that?

[@choch72]

Mark North You realize he's a carny right?

[@jonfranks6902]

They fooked him -Davey

[@calamaty9963]

Russo sounds more believable in telling vince to be heel Bruce sounds more like his Jerry Jarrett impression in regards to what he said in it.

[@ir1041]

THE PEOPLE SCREWED THE PEOPLE

[@user-ck5fy6eb9o]

Let Bruce talk!!!!!! Conrad you do not to Chime in all the God damn time!!!!!

[@ChristopherJohn4389]

25:28 that's incorrect. It was a good story with stone cold looking dominant. But like, 75% of the entrants got zero reaction. And a lot weren't even part of the WWF

[@bucksolo703]

Cornette has shawns hair in a ziplock bag at his ex wifes hair

[@juniorsanchez7441]

Why does Connor care so much about what the wrestlers got paid?? Hes obsessed with that. Is he a member of the ummmm... CHOSEN people by chance??

[@weworldwide1348]

I'm just here to say, "BRET SCREWED BRET!!!!" Ol boy couldn't differentiate between real life and wrestling, took himself waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too seriously, refused to do the right thing, and subsequently got what he deserved. What made his ass think he was all that? Should've went to Vince, told him I don't deserve $1.5 million a year, I'm nothing without you, let's renegotiate and find a solution because WCW is NOT going to know how to use me effectively.

[@cfairfax85]

Everybody keeps telling you Conrad and you aren't listening. Can you let the person who was there actually answer the question

[@amanwithanideabutnoconvict7545]

@Andy Goldsmith You should be a male model.

[@knightmare1015]

Conrad = Mark. It was like Conrad was forcing his conspiracy theories that he had heard over the years.

[@KINGCHAMPHHH]

IT WAS A #YOUNG=#HHH! THAT SAID "IF #BRET! WON'T DO #BUSINESS! THEN #FUCKHIM!!!....WE DO BUSINESS FOR HIM" THAT GAVE #BIRTH! TO THE #MONTREALSCREWJOB. WAY BEFORE HE BECAME #THEKING=#TRIPLEH. THAT'S TRULY WHY #BRETHART! #HATES=#HHH! WITH A #PASSION! & ALWAYS #UNDERRATED! HIS MATCHES. WHICH IS F'N #PATHETIC.

[@dewiwilliams4821]

your right I think. Bret under rates HHH for that very reason and it is silly. Bret was far superior to your king tho so "suck it!" you degenerate ;-)

[@phillipcollins1658]

I just cut the stinkiest fart that has ever been cut by anyone in history

[@thorvalentinehatesytalgori2632]

I smell what you're cooking.