Earl Hebner was the referee for the main event of Survivor Series 1997, aka “The Montreal Screwjob” (as you’re either on a pro wrestling blog or clicked on an article about Bret Hart & Earl Hebner from your newsfeed, we’re going to assume you don’t need one of the most discussed events in the history of the business explained to you. But if you’re unfamiliar with it, we’ve got an explanation for you here).
With a new autobiography coming out soon, Hebner is talking about his career. Even though that career spans four decades and multiple companies, Earl knows he’ll always be associated with that November night in Montreal and its fallout. The fact it follows him to this day is part of how he updated WrestlingNews.co’s Steve Fall about his current relationship with the target of Vince McMahon’s “Screwjob”, Bret Hart:
“I have a merch shirt that says ‘Damn right I did.’ And a lot of people want me to say, Can you write on it ‘I screwed Bret?’ I go, ‘No. I can’t do that.’ A while back, maybe three or four years ago, I would do it — but Bret and I made up.
“And before my brother passed, we were at a house show, or indie show and he was there and he called us into the ring and he put us over like big time.
“So now Bret calls me now and then and I’ll call him and we got a good relationship back and I’m not gonna screw it up by writing something over a dumb ass shirt. It’s gonna destroy our friendship.”
The moment between Earl, his late twin brother Dave & Hart is on YouTube courtesy of Matt Hardy:
Earl also said it took Hart a while to get to that moment, which is something it sounds like he needed:
“For a long time, honestly it bothered me. It was bad for me, you know, because I carried it with me for a lot of years.
“We met one time at an airport and I wanted to talk to him and he said “I don’t want to talk to you.” I go, ‘Okay.’ He was talking to my brother and I said, ‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’ And he goes, ‘I don’t want to talk.’ I said ‘Okay’, I let it go and that was it.
“As time went on, eventually [we] got to a place where we could see each other [and] communicate.”
You can watch all of Fall’s conversation with Hebner here. And you can pre-order Earl Hebner: The Official Story here.
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