WWE News: Bret Hart reveals why he punched Vince McMahon following The Montreal Screwjob
What's the story?
The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most famous incidents in wrestling history but it was well-known that in the aftermath Bret Hart assaulted Vince McMahon. Hart has only recently revealed the reasons behind his actions.
In case you didn't know...
Bret Hart walked into Survivor Series back in 1997 with the WWE Championship, but it was well-known at the time that he was heading to WCW. This was Vince's final opportunity to take the title from The Hitman but the latter was scheduled to win the match and retain the Championship in his match against Shawn Michaels.
Michaels, McMahon and the referee were already aware that the finish of the match was going to be different to the way it was planned backstage with Michaels locking Hart in the sharpshooter and the referee calling for the bell when he didn't even tap. Bret was furious and it has since become one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history.
The heart of the matter
Hart recently appeared on CBS's In Your Corner podcast, where he stated that he thought he was right to assault McMahon following the match. (Transcript via Rajah)
"In some ways, I'm not so proud of that moment but in a lot of ways, I think it was the single defining moment of my lifetime. It kinda stings when I think of how much I gave to WWF and how they just wanted to stab me in the back that day and sweep me out the back door and have nobody ever hear from me again. All that I did meant nothing, all those years taping up injuries and working sick and I'd worked for WWF for at least three hundred days a year for at least sixteen years and it meant nothing to them in the end."
Hart also stated that if he was to be in the same position again then he would do the same thing because he believes that he was standing up for himself in that moment.
"If I had to do it again I would have probably done the exact same thing again. I have no regrets on my behavior. I look at it myself in some ways as my crowning moment. My moment to stand up and say I'm a businessman and I'm gonna protect myself and you don't have the right to destroy me."
What's next?
Bret Hart has made a lot of comments about WWE recently, but after skipping Raw 25, Hart doesn't look set to return to WWE any time soon and even stated that he wouldn't attend any more Hall of Fame ceremonies if WWE refused to induct worthy stars.
Do you think Bret Hart was right in this situation? Sound off in the comments below.