WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke about the Montreal Screwjob on his recent Broken Skull Sessions appearance with host Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Hitman retells the legendary tale that is still considered to this day as the most memorable wrestling finish in history, and claims that Shawn Michaels was “scared for his life” after the bout was over.
I came back to the dressing room. Shawn is sitting in my dressing room, which is so strange. I open up the dressing room door and Shawn is changing in my dressing room. He never changed in my dressing room before… Right away I asked Shawn, he said ‘I swear to God, I had nothing to do with it.’ Shawn, I think, was scared for his life.
Hart then recalled his interaction with Vince McMahon after getting out of the shower.
I end up in the shower. That’s when Rick Rude and Davey Boy Smith came in and said ‘Vince is right outside, and he wants to talk to you.’ I told Rick ‘Just tell him to go.’ There’s nothing he can say to me to make it nice or make it –the safest thing is for him to leave right now before something bad happens. I said ‘Just tell him to get the hell out and leave me alone. I come out of the shower and into the dressing room and Vince is right there. He’s got Sgt. Slaughter, Shane [McMahon], he had about five guys sort of line up to kind of back him up, I guess. Over against the wall is Undertaker. Shawn is in the corner crying. He was in tears the whole time. And Owen [Hart], Davey, Rick Rude and everybody were to my left. I remember walking past Vince naked. I was so mad at Vince, that part of me was like I should just rush him right now, naked. I remember thinking, that would look really bad in the movies someday…
So, we sat down, and me and Vince exchanged some things. He kept talking about this – the first time he ever lied to me and I was like ‘Please, stop lying to me.’ I believe, Vince came to that dressing room after Undertaker got him to confront me and stand me down. Either in the sense that I would just do the right thing and not punch him…So, I think it was a calculated guess that he wanted to stand up to me in front of the wrestlers that were left at the building that night. I remember I told him ‘As soon as I get finished getting dressed, and you’re still here, I’m going to knock you out. He stayed there talking to me. I remember when I tied my shoelaces, I stood up and said ‘I guess, we’re going to do this thing.’ Vince and me actually walked out towards each other, and it was like we actually tied up…I was going to go with an overhand right punch. But everybody, Briscoe and Slaughter, and all these guys are getting ready to pounce. I thought no, don’t go for that overhand right punch, because they’ll go right after your arm. So, I drop my arm all the way down to my foot. I remember I said to myself, 14 years, 300 days a year. I have given this guy everything… everything I could have given to a man, I gave to Vince. I uncorked like Mike Tyson. It was like a beautiful uppercut punch. Vince had the shiner the next day, but it wasn’t from an overhand punch. It was from an uppercut. I only hit Vince one time, with an uppercut. I broke my hand, I broke a bone in my hand and knocked him out cold…Everyone was stunned. I couldn’t believe I just knocked out Vince McMahon.
Hart reveals that he actually thanked Michaels after the match, but wishes he would have struck him as well.
I remember I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. I said, Shawn, thanks for the match. I shook his hand. We shook hands. I remember thinking, I should have just kicked him in the face, and gone for like a 50-yard field goal.
Check out a short clip of the interview below, or check out the full thing on the WWE Network. (H/T and transcribed by Wrestling Inc.)
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