This week in WWE history (Nov 1-7th) - WWE Hall of Famer returns, Former Champion suffers career-threatening injury
This week's news has been dominated by the recent WWE releases. More than a dozen WWE Superstars have departed the company with "budget cuts" cited as the reason for the cull once again.
The likes of Nia Jax, Karrion Kross, Eva Marie, Keith Lee, and Mia Yim were all released from the company this week, and many fans are still talking about this news.
While this wave of releases is the biggest story in the wrestling world right now, this past week has also been an entertaining stretch of news throughout history.
The following article looks at just five of the biggest stories from this week in WWE history.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart officially signs with WCW - November 1st, 1997
Perry Saturn on Bret Hart's first day in WCW and showing class by ripping the sign off the door of his private dressing room:
"Bret looked and tore the sign off the wall then went and told Eric, "Don't ever do that to me again, I dress with the f*cking boys." https://t.co/ohU4mNUiAs
Bret Hart is most famous wrestlers of all time, and some of the most important parts of his career happened in the month of November.
While the WWE Universe will remember that The Montreal Screwjob on November 9th, 1997 marked the end of his WWE career, it appears that the writing was already on the wall.
Hart officially signed with WCW eight days before Survivor Series, where he took on Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship. It was supposed to be a secret that he had penned a deal with WWE's competition. But the news was later leaked, and it led to one of the most controversial moments in WWE history.
Bret Hart had one of the most gangster theme tunes in WWE history
Monday Night Raw
(Cincinnati, September 8, 1997)
#wweraw https://t.co/PQG4qr9Ylf
Hart was the champion at the time, and while his time with the company was ending, he was under no obligation to drop the title to Michaels. WWE was desperate to prevent Hart from leaving with the gold, and The Montreal Screwjob was the company's solution.
During Hart's match with Michaels at Survivor Series, Vince McMahon called for the bell when it was clear that Hart did not tap out. Fans could tell that something unusual was happening while Michaels left with the title, and Hart made it clear that he had been screwed.
This controversial ending has become the subject of several documentaries and books over the years, and it remains one of the most controversial moments in WWE history.
In the aftermath of The Montreal Screwjob, Hart went on to make his WCW debut on December 15th; he had to wait out his 30-day non-compete clause following his WWE departure. Due to injuries and questionable booking choices, Hart's WCW career never reached the fans' expectations. That being said, his decision to sign with the company in the first place remains a legendary move.