Shawn vs Bret (From Eric Cohen)

**br0ken** · 11-12-2007, 12:04 PM

Shawn vs Bret
Intro
Unlike most of the on-screen feuds in wrestling, the feud between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels was very personal. In addition to great matches, it also had backstage fights, legitimate insults hurled at each other and their families in the ring, and the most controversial match ever.

Hart Foundation vs Rockers
These two men first faced each other as tag team opponents. In November 1990, the Hart Foundation lost the tag team titles to the Rockers in a match taped for Saturday Night's Main Event. Jim Neidhart had been fired by the WWF and was contractually obligated to lose the titles. During the match the top rope broke.

The Rockers defended the belt for a week before Jim Neidhart was rehired. The match was never aired and the Rockers title reign was never mentioned on TV. The excuse the WWF used for the lack of title switch was that the top rope broke and made for an unfair working condition.

The Kliq
When the Rockers first entered the WWF, they were fired after a few days. Shawn felt they were set up to look bad outside the ring. When Shawn became a singles wrestler, he started friendships with the new superstars of the era. They became known as the Kliq. The members of this backstage group were Shawn, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and Triple H. This group was notorious for hurting other careers and not losing matches. When Kevin and Scott left for WCW, Shawn became WWF Champ. The best example of the hatred for this group was when Scott Hall entered ECW in 2000. He was thrown out of the locker room by the wrestlers because many of them blamed the Kliq for ruining their WWF careers many years earlier.

WrestleMania 12
Even though they had fought in the past, WrestleMania XII is where the issues between the men became personal. This match was a 60-minute Iron Man Match. Bret had just won the title a few months earlier and spent the months prior to the match traveling and wrestling. Shawn was given a very light schedule so he could train for this match. In videos promoting the match, Shawn looked like Rocky about to gain glory yet Bret was shown being beaten up by his elderly father. Shawn won the match and Bret took some time off.

WCW Calls and I Lost My Smile

When Bret was gone, WCW offered him a major deal. Bret was loyal to the WWF and signed a 20 year deal to stay with the company. It has long been rumored that Shawn was scheduled to lose the title to Bret at WrestleMania 13. A few months before the match, Shawn vacated the title in the infamous "I lost my smile speech". He claims a doctor told him that his knee injury would be career ending. It is worth noting that Shawn lost all the three major titles of the era (World, Tag Team, and Intercontinental) by vacating them and not doing the job in the ring.

The Feud is Personal

Shawn returned from his career ending injury a few months later. Inside the ring, both men were making very bad comments about each other even though they never fought each other. Bret made several comments questioning Shawn's sexual preference because he appeared in Playgirl. Shawn made a comment about Bret having Sunny Days. This was in reference to a possible relationship between Bret and Sunny. Shortly after that comment, Bret and Shawn had a major fight in the locker room.

The Montreal Screwjob

The two men fought at Survivor Series '97. Bret was the champ and this was going to be his last match before leaving for WCW. Shortly before this match, Vince informed Bret he would no longer honor their 20 year contract. He used the excuse that he could no longer afford him because they were losing the Monday Night Wars to WCW. Others have said that since the company was going public, Vince needed to get long term liabilities (ex: a 20 year contract) off his balance sheet. Bret had worked out a deal with Vince where he would not lose the title to Shawn that night. He offered to lose the belt to anyone else, but he refused to lose to Shawn in his home country of Canada. The match ended with Vince McMahon calling for the bell even though Bret was in the process of reversing the sharpshooter.

After the match, Shawn ran to the back with the title. On TV Bret spit on Vince, broke the TV equipment, and wrote out WCW with his fingers to the audience. Backstage he gave Vince McMahon a black eye.

The Aftermath
Shawn would suffer an injury at a few months later that would keep him out of wrestling for 5 years. Bret's career would end in early 2000 due to a concussion he received from a kick from Goldberg. A year earlier, his brother Owen died in a tragic accident during a WWF PPV. Vince would use the Montreal Screwjob as a launching pad to become the hated Mr. McMahon character. His feud with Steve Austin turned the tide in the battle with WCW. He would go on to become a billionaire when the WWF went public and in 2001 he bought WCW from AOL-Time Warner.

What really happened in Montreal?
Through the years many things have come out about that night. In 1998, the movie Wrestling with Shadows was released. This movie featured a camera crew following Bret around during 1997. They had backstage access to some of the events. At the time, Shawn said he didn't know what was going to happen. In 2002, Shawn revealed he knew beforehand. In his 2005 autobiography, Shawn admits that the screwjob ending was Triple H's idea. In what should not be considered a coincidence, Shawn's autobiography came out a few weeks after Bret's DVD release. The working title of Bret Hart's DVD was Screwed: The Bret Hart story. The title and focus of the DVD changed when Bret decided to work with the WWE on the DVD set. Even though it has been eight years since they last met, the war of words between the two men still continues.

-END-

I read this and I want to know what the TPWW think? Is this all the thruth or do you guy have extra to add or to dispute from this artice?

**FourFifty** · 11-12-2007, 12:06 PM

There's already a Bret Hart thread....

**Loose Cannon** · 11-12-2007, 12:08 PM

he's not arguing anything. there's nothing to debate here. he's just covering facts.

**br0ken** · 11-12-2007, 12:11 PM

all those facts are 100%

**Mercury Bullet** · 11-12-2007, 12:12 PM

K 4 L

**Loose Cannon** · 11-12-2007, 12:12 PM

I didn't read every single word, but yea, pretty much

**br0ken** · 11-12-2007, 12:13 PM

you have nothing to add

, extra information, ext?

**FourFifty** · 11-12-2007, 12:20 PM

Quote:

When the Rockers first entered the WWF, they were fired after a few days.

Somehow I believe that is a false statement....

**Theo Dious** · 11-12-2007, 12:48 PM

Quote:

This group was notorious for hurting other careers and not losing matches.

I still have yet to understand that the Kliq ever truly held down any deserving wrestler in the days when HBK, HHH, Hall and Nash were all with the WWF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourFifty

Somehow I believe that is a false statement....

Nope, that one's true. If I recall correctly Vince gave them a sort of "go out there and prove yourselves and then check back with me" kind of talk.

**Vastardikai** · 11-13-2007, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthTedious

I still have yet to understand that the Kliq ever truly held down any deserving wrestler in the days when HBK, HHH, Hall and Nash were all with the WWF.

I remember a couple. Not the least of which being Bigelow. Who went from being in the Main Event of Wrestlemania as a Heel to an afterthought face in roughly 3 months. One could also make a case for Shane Douglas (I don't think the Manhattan Incident is legit, especially coming from the same guy who "Lost his smile."), and Chris Candido (who was inexplicably jobbed to Barry Horrowitz, around the same time Sunny was allegedly running around with Shawn.).

I'd almost say Vader (but that was after Hall and Nash left.). Another major one that stands out is Owen Hart (also after Hall and Nash.). Now, if anyone could have been made a star out of Montreal, it would have been Owen. However, the Main Event feud was inexplicably dropped, and Owen wouldn't even get to go over Hunter (Hunter-dust, yes. But not Hunter).

**Theo Dious** · 11-14-2007, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vastardikai

I remember a couple. Not the least of which being Bigelow. Who went from being in the Main Event of Wrestlemania as a Heel to an afterthought face in roughly 3 months. One could also make a case for Shane Douglas (I don't think the Manhattan Incident is legit, especially coming from the same guy who "Lost his smile."), and Chris Candido (who was inexplicably jobbed to Barry Horrowitz, around the same time Sunny was allegedly running around with Shawn.).

I'd almost say Vader (but that was after Hall and Nash left.). Another major one that stands out is Owen Hart (also after Hall and Nash.). Now, if anyone could have been made a star out of Montreal, it would have been Owen. However, the Main Event feud was inexplicably dropped, and Owen wouldn't even get to go over Hunter (Hunter-dust, yes. But not Hunter).

Ok, I don't know about the logic of Bam Bam, "main event of Wrestlemania" for him was jobbing to a football player. I don't think that was the Kliq's idea, and seriously, how could you make a credible main eventer out of a guy who's lost to LT on wrestling's biggest stage?

Shane Douglas is deserving of nothing. If the Kliq ruined Chris Candido, I'd like to buy them all dinner, because he sucks. I don't know any details of the Kliq doing anything to hold down Vader, and you can't really say that Owen would never have gotten a chance, however, if he was held down after Montreal you can hardly say that was solely the Kliq's fault.

**Loose Cannon** · 11-12-2007, 12:35 PM

nope

**Loose Cannon** · 11-12-2007, 12:58 PM

nah, they did something to get fired. like being late or leaving early. I can't remember though. I'll have the answer when I get home if nobody else knows

**Skull316** · 11-12-2007, 01:46 PM

If i remember right, wasnt HBK fired for starting some shit in a bar on off-time and Vince McMahon considered it unprofessional conduct and fired him after like 3 days on the job? Or am i mixing up incidents?

11-12-2007, 12:04 PM	#1
br0ken May 19 Posts: 440	Shawn vs Bret (From Eric Cohen) Shawn vs Bret Intro Unlike most of the on-screen feuds in wrestling, the feud between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels was very personal. In addition to great matches, it also had backstage fights, legitimate insults hurled at each other and their families in the ring, and the most controversial match ever. Hart Foundation vs Rockers These two men first faced each other as tag team opponents. In November 1990, the Hart Foundation lost the tag team titles to the Rockers in a match taped for Saturday Night's Main Event. Jim Neidhart had been fired by the WWF and was contractually obligated to lose the titles. During the match the top rope broke. The Rockers defended the belt for a week before Jim Neidhart was rehired. The match was never aired and the Rockers title reign was never mentioned on TV. The excuse the WWF used for the lack of title switch was that the top rope broke and made for an unfair working condition. The Kliq When the Rockers first entered the WWF, they were fired after a few days. Shawn felt they were set up to look bad outside the ring. When Shawn became a singles wrestler, he started friendships with the new superstars of the era. They became known as the Kliq. The members of this backstage group were Shawn, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, and Triple H. This group was notorious for hurting other careers and not losing matches. When Kevin and Scott left for WCW, Shawn became WWF Champ. The best example of the hatred for this group was when Scott Hall entered ECW in 2000. He was thrown out of the locker room by the wrestlers because many of them blamed the Kliq for ruining their WWF careers many years earlier. WrestleMania 12 Even though they had fought in the past, WrestleMania XII is where the issues between the men became personal. This match was a 60-minute Iron Man Match. Bret had just won the title a few months earlier and spent the months prior to the match traveling and wrestling. Shawn was given a very light schedule so he could train for this match. In videos promoting the match, Shawn looked like Rocky about to gain glory yet Bret was shown being beaten up by his elderly father. Shawn won the match and Bret took some time off. WCW Calls and I Lost My Smile When Bret was gone, WCW offered him a major deal. Bret was loyal to the WWF and signed a 20 year deal to stay with the company. It has long been rumored that Shawn was scheduled to lose the title to Bret at WrestleMania 13. A few months before the match, Shawn vacated the title in the infamous "I lost my smile speech". He claims a doctor told him that his knee injury would be career ending. It is worth noting that Shawn lost all the three major titles of the era (World, Tag Team, and Intercontinental) by vacating them and not doing the job in the ring. The Feud is Personal Shawn returned from his career ending injury a few months later. Inside the ring, both men were making very bad comments about each other even though they never fought each other. Bret made several comments questioning Shawn's sexual preference because he appeared in Playgirl. Shawn made a comment about Bret having Sunny Days. This was in reference to a possible relationship between Bret and Sunny. Shortly after that comment, Bret and Shawn had a major fight in the locker room. The Montreal Screwjob The two men fought at Survivor Series '97. Bret was the champ and this was going to be his last match before leaving for WCW. Shortly before this match, Vince informed Bret he would no longer honor their 20 year contract. He used the excuse that he could no longer afford him because they were losing the Monday Night Wars to WCW. Others have said that since the company was going public, Vince needed to get long term liabilities (ex: a 20 year contract) off his balance sheet. Bret had worked out a deal with Vince where he would not lose the title to Shawn that night. He offered to lose the belt to anyone else, but he refused to lose to Shawn in his home country of Canada. The match ended with Vince McMahon calling for the bell even though Bret was in the process of reversing the sharpshooter. After the match, Shawn ran to the back with the title. On TV Bret spit on Vince, broke the TV equipment, and wrote out WCW with his fingers to the audience. Backstage he gave Vince McMahon a black eye. The Aftermath Shawn would suffer an injury at a few months later that would keep him out of wrestling for 5 years. Bret's career would end in early 2000 due to a concussion he received from a kick from Goldberg. A year earlier, his brother Owen died in a tragic accident during a WWF PPV. Vince would use the Montreal Screwjob as a launching pad to become the hated Mr. McMahon character. His feud with Steve Austin turned the tide in the battle with WCW. He would go on to become a billionaire when the WWF went public and in 2001 he bought WCW from AOL-Time Warner. What really happened in Montreal? Through the years many things have come out about that night. In 1998, the movie Wrestling with Shadows was released. This movie featured a camera crew following Bret around during 1997. They had backstage access to some of the events. At the time, Shawn said he didn't know what was going to happen. In 2002, Shawn revealed he knew beforehand. In his 2005 autobiography, Shawn admits that the screwjob ending was Triple H's idea. In what should not be considered a coincidence, Shawn's autobiography came out a few weeks after Bret's DVD release. The working title of Bret Hart's DVD was Screwed: The Bret Hart story. The title and focus of the DVD changed when Bret decided to work with the WWE on the DVD set. Even though it has been eight years since they last met, the war of words between the two men still continues. -END- I read this and I want to know what the TPWW think? Is this all the thruth or do you guy have extra to add or to dispute from this artice?

11-12-2007, 12:06 PM	#2
FourFifty As over as Crystal Pepsi Posts: 21,639	There's already a Bret Hart thread....

11-12-2007, 12:08 PM	#3
Loose Cannon I'm all there is Posts: 31,811	he's not arguing anything. there's nothing to debate here. he's just covering facts.

11-12-2007, 12:11 PM	#4
br0ken May 19 Posts: 440	all those facts are 100%

11-12-2007, 12:12 PM	#5
Mercury Bullet The Year of the Bullet Posts: 4,259	K 4 L

11-12-2007, 12:13 PM	#7
br0ken May 19 Posts: 440	you have nothing to add , extra information, ext?

11-12-2007, 12:35 PM	#12
Loose Cannon I'm all there is Posts: 31,811	nope

11-12-2007, 12:58 PM	#13
Loose Cannon I'm all there is Posts: 31,811	nah, they did something to get fired. like being late or leaving early. I can't remember though. I'll have the answer when I get home if nobody else knows

11-12-2007, 01:46 PM	#14
Skull316 Member Posts: 144	If i remember right, wasnt HBK fired for starting some shit in a bar on off-time and Vince McMahon considered it unprofessional conduct and fired him after like 3 days on the job? Or am i mixing up incidents?