Survivor Series 2025 is just a day away, and Bret Hart is one of the names associated with perhaps the most infamous edition of the premium live event.
In 1997, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels battled for the WWE Championship in front of The Hitman’s home crowd before Vince McMahon interfered to cause the ‘Montreal Screwjob.’ Hart legitimately punched McMahon in the aftermath, and it remains one of the most debated segments in pro wrestling history.
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In a recent edition of his column, Uncrowned, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s Scott D’Amore revealed the tense atmosphere backstage on the edition of RAW after the screwjob. D’Amore recalled how Hart and his trainer, Leo Burke, had set up a WWE tryout for him the day after Survivor Series 1997. After he went backstage, looking for Bret Hart, he was asked not to take the former WWE Champion’s name:
“I had a tryout at WWE — set up by Bret and his trainer, Leo Burke — slated literally the day after the Montreal Screwjob… I reported backstage and went looking for Bret. I could tell there was a weird atmosphere, but I didn’t think there was anything out of the ordinary going on.”
He continued:
“So I see Steve Lombardi, the Brooklyn Brawler, and he’s on the other side of the ice rink. He waves, I wave back, and I yell, “Steve, you know where Bret is?” And Brawler just starts freaking out. He is running toward me, waving his arms in that “Cut it out!” manner and telling me to be quiet. He said, “Don’t say that name! Don’t say Bret’s name!” and he takes me to one side and clues me in on why Bret isn’t there.” [H/T Uncrowned]
WWE reportedly breached its contract with Bret Hart, claims Scott D’Amore
In the same edition of Uncrowned, D’Amore revealed that WWE allegedly breached its contract with Bret Hart after failing to fulfill their financial commitments and also taking away the creative control they had offered him over his character as part of his deal:
“My view, which hasn’t changed in three decades, is that WWE breached its contract with Bret. They had agreed to give creative control over to how his character was presented — and, on top of that, they’d already broken the reported $20 million over 20 years deal they’d signed, by telling him they couldn’t afford it and he should go see if he could resurrect talks with WCW.”
Bret Hart also made headlines recently after a bold claim that Vince McMahon and his former rival, Shawn Michaels, were lovers back in the day. Hart’s claims have generated reactions from fans and pro wrestling veterans across the board.
Edited by Arsh Das
