Tickle Fiend
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CREDIT: QUOIPOURQUOI & www.WrestlingForum.com
The following is a very detailed breakdown of the Montreal Screwjob incident from WWE Survivor Series in 1997.
Over the following pages you will see bold subtitle indicators, explaining what each category is describing. You will see the following categories on the next few pages:
-The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon
-The 1996 Contract
-Violating The 1996 Contract
-The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
-Full Timeline Breakdown of the Hart/Michaels Relationship
-The Event Itself and the Aftermath
-Full List Of Wrestlers Who Supported Bret Hart
-Full List Of Wrestlers Who Supported Vince McMahon
-The Current Relationship Between Hart & Michaels
-Admission Of Fault and Closing Notes
Let's get started with part one....
The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon
Paul Jay's documentary Wrestling With Shadows sensationalized a father-son relationship between Hart and McMahon for the sake of a better movie. By Hart's own admission, there was clear respect between the two (Hart gave McMahon a framed drawing and letter of appreciation after being given the main event spot at SummerSlam 1992; without Hart's knowledge, McMahon arranged for the wrestlers to fill the ring and praise Hart at the end of WrestleMania X), but there was an element of distrust when it came to business.
In late-May of 1993, after doing the promotional shoots for the planned SummerSlam match, McMahon told Hart that he would be going over Hogan for the WWF Title. McMahon would later tell Hart that Hogan refused to lose to him, so instead, Hogan would drop the belt at King of the Ring to Yokozuna in an unclean finish. Hart confronted Hogan about it, and the two stormed McMahon's office in an attempt to straighten out the story. McMahon denied ever planning a title match between the two, leaving Hart distrustful of both McMahon and Hogan.
That following November, Hart and McMahon began contract negotiations, as Hart's contract was set to expire just before the new year. After a handshake deal on a contract that would give Hart the rights to the name "Hitman" and the ability to act outside the WWF, McMahon sent Hart a written contract that didn't contain any of the terms on which they negotiated. Hart called him on it, and McMahon redid the contract according to the verbal agreement.
The 1996 Contract
Hart continued to wrestle after WrestleMania XII on the overseas tours for which he was advertised, but he was technically a free-agent who could've signed with the WCW. In late September, Bischoff met with Hart unannounced and asked for a number. Hart's asking price was "the exact same contract as Hulk Hogan, plus one penny." Eventually Hart told Bischoff he would need "$3 million a year and a lighter schedule" to even consider WCW.
Two days later, Bischoff offered $2.8 million per year for three years. Vince McMahon, knowing about the offer, told Hart that he couldn't match it financially. Instead, McMahon offered Hart an incentive-laden contract, which gave Hart full compensation in case of an injury and creative control over his last thirty days of employment.
Just like in 1993, the WWF sent Hart a contract without any of the perks, and he had to have them draw up a new one on the day he appeared on RAW to announce that he had re-signed with the WWF.
This is the second time the WWF tried to screw him over on a contract.
The final numbers worked out like this: $1.5 million per year for three years as a wrestler. $500,000 per year for seven years as a senior advisor. $250,000 per year for ten years as a company standby.
It would have taken Hart twelve years into his WWF deal to earn what he would have made in three years with WCW. That means that had Hart never left, 2008 would've been the year that he finally would have earned with the WWF what WCW had offered, assuming the WWF was still around (after all, the WCW was in better shape, and they were gone within five years).
Violating the 1996 Contract
With the WWF in "financial peril," McMahon told Hart on June 2, 1997 that he might have to restructure Hart's contract. On September 22, he told Hart that he would have to defer the bulk of his pay to the end of his twenty-year contract.
With Hart's contract lasting all the way to 2016, and with the WWF on the verge of collapsing, there was a serious danger of Hart never getting that money. As I have pointed out, looking at how WCW collapsed from 1996 to 2001 (and acknowledging how poorly the WWF was doing compared to WCW in 1997), if the WWF had gone out of business instead, Hart would've lost out on about $10 million had he allowed the WWF to defer his pay to the end of a twenty-year deal.
McMahon, knowing how badly he screwed the pooch, told Hart that he would be doing himself and McMahon a "favor" to leave. McMahon gave Hart until November 1 to negotiate a deal with WCW. Bischoff initially offered $1.8 million per year for three years, but Hart was able to get WCW up to $2.5 million per year for three years (a contract that was $900,000 short of what he could've made with WCW had he signed in the Summer of 1996).
On October 24, a month after asking him to leave and a week before his opportunity to do so would expire, McMahon asked Hart to stay with the WWF. He couldn't come up with a storyline that would convince Hart to stay in the WWF, so McMahon told Hart to "think with [his] head, not [his] heart" and sign with WCW.
Hart's WCW contract didn't begin until December, twenty-three days after Survivor Series. WCW was leery about negotiating with Hart until they knew he had McMahon's permission, because they were already being sued by the WWF for having Alundra Blayze drop the Women's Championship in a garbage can (trademark infringement).
The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
Hart and Michaels were on friendly terms until 1994. Shortly after SummerSlam 1992, the two even sat down together to watch a tape of Hart/Smith. Hart was slightly peeved when Michaels used Hart's ladder match finish at WrestleMania X after Hart asked him not to, but after that, no conflicts arose until 1996, and most of those were a series of misunderstandings.
One that most people recall is the claim that Michaels kicked Hart out of the ring at WrestleMania XII. While it is true that Michaels wanted Hart to get "the fuck out of the ring," it was nothing personal. Michaels also wanted mentor and trainer Jose Lothario to keep out (you can see Earl Hebner telling Lothario to stay out while Michaels celebrated). It was Michaels' defining moment, and he wanted to celebrate alone - just one of the many ways his personality contrasts with that of Hart.
Though Michaels was alone in the ring at WrestleMania XII, he was fiercely loyal to his friends and employer. To Hart, his loyalty was to the locker room, because the wrestlers had a shared responsibility for each other's safety.
Timeline of the Hart/Michaels Relationship
1996-03-31: Hart and Michaels agree beforehand not to shake hands at the end of the match
1996-04-??: Michaels, after prompting from McMahon, calls Hart and thanks him for the match
1996-05-19: Madison Square Garden incident
1996-06-??: Hart and Michaels agree to begin taking verbal shots at each other as a work
1996-07-22: Hart turns down a WWF contract
1996-10-21: Hart makes comments about Shawn Michaels' Playgirl spread
1996-12-15: Michaels interferes in Hart/Sid
1996-12-16: Michaels appears visibly upset about the angle with Hart
1997-01-19: Hart congratulates Michaels for his match with Sid
1997-02-02: Michaels and Triple H complain about Hart being late to a show
1997-02-03: Hart/Michaels is changed from a WrestleMania XIII title match to a non-title match with Sid taking Michaels' belt; Taker is scheduled to win at Final Four
1997-02-13: Michaels forfeits the WWF Title; Hart is now scheduled to win at Final Four and lose the belt to Sid the next day
1997-02-16: The locker room learns that Michaels will recover from his injury
1997-02-26: Triple H books himself to go over Hart; McMahon changes it to a DQ at Hart's request
1997-03-24: Michaels breaks kayfabe saying: "Nobody knows better than me, you have to have a handwritten note from the Lord Almighty to get the belt from you."
1997-03-25: Triple H books Hart to win the IC Title from Rocky Maivia; McMahon changes it to a DQ at Hart's request
1997-04-07: Michaels breaks kayfabe saying: "When it came time for Bret Hart to return the favor, oh yeah he did it, but he did it kickin' and screamin' every inch of the way… The reason Bret Hart returned to the World Wrestling Federation, after using a rival organization against [Vince McMahon] and the company that made him what he was, he stabbed the World Wrestling Federation in the back! Why? For his financial gain!"
1997-04-??: Hart puts off surgery to work a match at Revenge of the Taker
1997-04-21: Hart and Michaels apologize to each other in hopes of working a match at King of the Ring
1997-05-12: Hart's promo goes over, and Michaels doesn't get to Superkick him on live television
1997-05-19: Michaels alludes to Hart's alleged affair with Sunny in a promo; Hart pulls out of King of the Ring
1997-06-09: Hart and Michaels have a backstage fight; Michaels threatens to quit
1997-07-03: Michaels agrees to stay with the WWF
1997-07-14: Hart and Michaels agree to stop taking personal shots in interviews
1997-08-03: Hart apologizes for the amount of spit he delivered to Michaels at SummerSlam and they shake hands
1997-09-??: Hart becomes critical of the WWF's sexual storylines
1997-09-21: Michaels convinces McMahon to let him book himself to beat the Davey Boy Smith in England; Michaels jokes that he's not doing jobs for anyone anymore
1997-09-22: Michaels asks Hart to call him and Triple H "gay" in an interview
1997-10-06: Michaels, again, asks Hart to call him and Triple H "homos" in an interview; Hart asks Michaels not to make comments about him or his family
1997-10-12: Hart tells Michaels: "I just want you to know that despite any differences we've had this past year, I have no problem dropping the belt to you." Michaels responds: "I appreciate that, but I want you to know that I'm not willing to do the same thing for you."
1997-10-21: Hart refuses to agree to put Michaels over at Survivor Series in return for a win in Springfield on December 7th
1997-10-31: Hart signs with WCW for December 1997, starting his 30 days of creative control
1997-11-02: Hart offers to lose the title to Steve Austin, the Undertaker, Ken Shamrock, and even the Brooklyn Brawler, but not Shawn Michaels: "If he puts me over, I'll be happy to put him over."
1997-11-??: McMahon agrees to let Hart win- only to change his mind
1997-11-05: McMahon, Michaels, and Triple H plan the Montreal Screwjob; Michaels and Triple H are told to deny any involvement
1997-11-09: Hart proposes that they do a double DQ; McMahon agrees; Hart gets screwed
1997-11-10: McMahon tells the wrestlers that Hart refused to lose the title under any circumstances
Event/Aftermath
Vader warned Hart about pinfalls and submissions in the match.
Earl Hebner took off to avoid confrontation, only to apologize and break down in tears upon seeing Bret Hart at an airport some time later.
The Undertaker was the one to convince Vince McMahon to come out of his office.
When Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter tried to get everyone out of the locker room, Davey Boy Smith stopped Owen Hart from leaving and said: "Remember what happened to Bruiser Brody."
Bret Hart gave Vince McMahon proper warning that he was going to punch him. For the record, it was an uppercut. Gerald Brisco was the one to sprain McMahon's ankle, however.
Davey Boy Smith didn't really re-injure his knee to the extent to which he claimed.
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, crying at that point, shook hands in the locker room, and Hart thanked him for the match.
Jim Neidhart joked: "I guess they won't say anything to me anymore about smashing TV monitors."
Undertaker later told Bret Hart: "I got it right from Vince. That little **** Shawn, he was in on the whole thing.
Marcy Engelstein convinced Bret Hart to leak his side of the story to Dave Meltzer before the WWF's public relations team went to work.
Wrestlers Who Supported Hart
Chris Benoit
Chyna (comments made upon falling out with WWE; ex-girlfriends, eh?)
Crush
Dory Funk
Harley Race
Jack Lanza
Jim Neidhart
Ken Shamrock
Konnan
Mick Foley
Owen Hart
Pedro Morales
Rick Rude
Savio Vega
Steve Austin (comments made upon falling out with WWE)
The Rock
The Undertaker
Vader
Wrestlers Who Supported McMahon
Gerald Brisco
Julie Hart (comments made recently; ex-wives, eh?)
Ric Flair
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
Ted DiBiase
The Big Show
Triple H
Davey Boy Smith (comments made upon his return to the WWF) and Earl Hebner have made statements in support of both.
The Current Relationship Between Hart and Michaels
While Michaels was critical of Hart in his likely ghostwritten autobiography Heartbreak & Triumph, claiming that Hart "was not a great wrestler," "wasn't that versatile," and "didn't do a lot of exciting stuff," he has otherwise been respectful of Hart as a worker since the Montreal Screwjob. In 2002, he claimed that Hart was the only person with whom he could've worked an ironman match. When Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Michaels said "It's been a long time coming for The Hitman."
Hart, too, has been respectful of Michaels as a wrestler. While Hart's comments about Michaels being a "hairless yellow dog" are aimed at the Michaels the man, even Michaels acknowledges that Hart is a fair evaluator of his in-ring work: "Despite all of our differences, he's always been objective about my ability." This comment preceded Hart's complimentary remarks on Michaels/Undertaker at WrestleMania 25: "One of the best matches I've seen in years. To a certain degree, I was proud of both of them. I never take away from the fact that Shawn was a great wrestler and he did a lot of great stuff."
Michaels even wants Hart to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame, though to that, Hart said, "Maybe if he wants to make himself feel better about [the Montreal Screwjob], he should have the guts to pick up the phone and apologize. Then we'll see after that."
Admission of Fault
Though Michaels has yet to have apologized directly to Hart and says that as a Christian, he would feel obligated to follow his boss' orders to this day, he acknowledges that the Montreal Screwjob was wrong: "I'm not in denial about what happened in Montreal. I'm okay that it was that way, but that doesn't make it right. It's still wrong, but it is what it is."
McMahon admitted on Off the Record that Bret did not, in fact, screw Bret. In 2005, on the Bret Hart DVD, McMahon said about Hart and himself, "I think there's regret on both our parts."
Hart stands by what he did.
The following is a very detailed breakdown of the Montreal Screwjob incident from WWE Survivor Series in 1997.
Over the following pages you will see bold subtitle indicators, explaining what each category is describing. You will see the following categories on the next few pages:
-The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon
-The 1996 Contract
-Violating The 1996 Contract
-The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
-Full Timeline Breakdown of the Hart/Michaels Relationship
-The Event Itself and the Aftermath
-Full List Of Wrestlers Who Supported Bret Hart
-Full List Of Wrestlers Who Supported Vince McMahon
-The Current Relationship Between Hart & Michaels
-Admission Of Fault and Closing Notes
Let's get started with part one....
The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon
Paul Jay's documentary Wrestling With Shadows sensationalized a father-son relationship between Hart and McMahon for the sake of a better movie. By Hart's own admission, there was clear respect between the two (Hart gave McMahon a framed drawing and letter of appreciation after being given the main event spot at SummerSlam 1992; without Hart's knowledge, McMahon arranged for the wrestlers to fill the ring and praise Hart at the end of WrestleMania X), but there was an element of distrust when it came to business.
In late-May of 1993, after doing the promotional shoots for the planned SummerSlam match, McMahon told Hart that he would be going over Hogan for the WWF Title. McMahon would later tell Hart that Hogan refused to lose to him, so instead, Hogan would drop the belt at King of the Ring to Yokozuna in an unclean finish. Hart confronted Hogan about it, and the two stormed McMahon's office in an attempt to straighten out the story. McMahon denied ever planning a title match between the two, leaving Hart distrustful of both McMahon and Hogan.
That following November, Hart and McMahon began contract negotiations, as Hart's contract was set to expire just before the new year. After a handshake deal on a contract that would give Hart the rights to the name "Hitman" and the ability to act outside the WWF, McMahon sent Hart a written contract that didn't contain any of the terms on which they negotiated. Hart called him on it, and McMahon redid the contract according to the verbal agreement.
The 1996 Contract
Hart continued to wrestle after WrestleMania XII on the overseas tours for which he was advertised, but he was technically a free-agent who could've signed with the WCW. In late September, Bischoff met with Hart unannounced and asked for a number. Hart's asking price was "the exact same contract as Hulk Hogan, plus one penny." Eventually Hart told Bischoff he would need "$3 million a year and a lighter schedule" to even consider WCW.
Two days later, Bischoff offered $2.8 million per year for three years. Vince McMahon, knowing about the offer, told Hart that he couldn't match it financially. Instead, McMahon offered Hart an incentive-laden contract, which gave Hart full compensation in case of an injury and creative control over his last thirty days of employment.
Just like in 1993, the WWF sent Hart a contract without any of the perks, and he had to have them draw up a new one on the day he appeared on RAW to announce that he had re-signed with the WWF.
This is the second time the WWF tried to screw him over on a contract.
The final numbers worked out like this: $1.5 million per year for three years as a wrestler. $500,000 per year for seven years as a senior advisor. $250,000 per year for ten years as a company standby.
It would have taken Hart twelve years into his WWF deal to earn what he would have made in three years with WCW. That means that had Hart never left, 2008 would've been the year that he finally would have earned with the WWF what WCW had offered, assuming the WWF was still around (after all, the WCW was in better shape, and they were gone within five years).
Violating the 1996 Contract
With the WWF in "financial peril," McMahon told Hart on June 2, 1997 that he might have to restructure Hart's contract. On September 22, he told Hart that he would have to defer the bulk of his pay to the end of his twenty-year contract.
With Hart's contract lasting all the way to 2016, and with the WWF on the verge of collapsing, there was a serious danger of Hart never getting that money. As I have pointed out, looking at how WCW collapsed from 1996 to 2001 (and acknowledging how poorly the WWF was doing compared to WCW in 1997), if the WWF had gone out of business instead, Hart would've lost out on about $10 million had he allowed the WWF to defer his pay to the end of a twenty-year deal.
McMahon, knowing how badly he screwed the pooch, told Hart that he would be doing himself and McMahon a "favor" to leave. McMahon gave Hart until November 1 to negotiate a deal with WCW. Bischoff initially offered $1.8 million per year for three years, but Hart was able to get WCW up to $2.5 million per year for three years (a contract that was $900,000 short of what he could've made with WCW had he signed in the Summer of 1996).
On October 24, a month after asking him to leave and a week before his opportunity to do so would expire, McMahon asked Hart to stay with the WWF. He couldn't come up with a storyline that would convince Hart to stay in the WWF, so McMahon told Hart to "think with [his] head, not [his] heart" and sign with WCW.
Hart's WCW contract didn't begin until December, twenty-three days after Survivor Series. WCW was leery about negotiating with Hart until they knew he had McMahon's permission, because they were already being sued by the WWF for having Alundra Blayze drop the Women's Championship in a garbage can (trademark infringement).
The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
Hart and Michaels were on friendly terms until 1994. Shortly after SummerSlam 1992, the two even sat down together to watch a tape of Hart/Smith. Hart was slightly peeved when Michaels used Hart's ladder match finish at WrestleMania X after Hart asked him not to, but after that, no conflicts arose until 1996, and most of those were a series of misunderstandings.
One that most people recall is the claim that Michaels kicked Hart out of the ring at WrestleMania XII. While it is true that Michaels wanted Hart to get "the fuck out of the ring," it was nothing personal. Michaels also wanted mentor and trainer Jose Lothario to keep out (you can see Earl Hebner telling Lothario to stay out while Michaels celebrated). It was Michaels' defining moment, and he wanted to celebrate alone - just one of the many ways his personality contrasts with that of Hart.
Though Michaels was alone in the ring at WrestleMania XII, he was fiercely loyal to his friends and employer. To Hart, his loyalty was to the locker room, because the wrestlers had a shared responsibility for each other's safety.
Timeline of the Hart/Michaels Relationship
1996-03-31: Hart and Michaels agree beforehand not to shake hands at the end of the match
1996-04-??: Michaels, after prompting from McMahon, calls Hart and thanks him for the match
1996-05-19: Madison Square Garden incident
1996-06-??: Hart and Michaels agree to begin taking verbal shots at each other as a work
1996-07-22: Hart turns down a WWF contract
1996-10-21: Hart makes comments about Shawn Michaels' Playgirl spread
1996-12-15: Michaels interferes in Hart/Sid
1996-12-16: Michaels appears visibly upset about the angle with Hart
1997-01-19: Hart congratulates Michaels for his match with Sid
1997-02-02: Michaels and Triple H complain about Hart being late to a show
1997-02-03: Hart/Michaels is changed from a WrestleMania XIII title match to a non-title match with Sid taking Michaels' belt; Taker is scheduled to win at Final Four
1997-02-13: Michaels forfeits the WWF Title; Hart is now scheduled to win at Final Four and lose the belt to Sid the next day
1997-02-16: The locker room learns that Michaels will recover from his injury
1997-02-26: Triple H books himself to go over Hart; McMahon changes it to a DQ at Hart's request
1997-03-24: Michaels breaks kayfabe saying: "Nobody knows better than me, you have to have a handwritten note from the Lord Almighty to get the belt from you."
1997-03-25: Triple H books Hart to win the IC Title from Rocky Maivia; McMahon changes it to a DQ at Hart's request
1997-04-07: Michaels breaks kayfabe saying: "When it came time for Bret Hart to return the favor, oh yeah he did it, but he did it kickin' and screamin' every inch of the way… The reason Bret Hart returned to the World Wrestling Federation, after using a rival organization against [Vince McMahon] and the company that made him what he was, he stabbed the World Wrestling Federation in the back! Why? For his financial gain!"
1997-04-??: Hart puts off surgery to work a match at Revenge of the Taker
1997-04-21: Hart and Michaels apologize to each other in hopes of working a match at King of the Ring
1997-05-12: Hart's promo goes over, and Michaels doesn't get to Superkick him on live television
1997-05-19: Michaels alludes to Hart's alleged affair with Sunny in a promo; Hart pulls out of King of the Ring
1997-06-09: Hart and Michaels have a backstage fight; Michaels threatens to quit
1997-07-03: Michaels agrees to stay with the WWF
1997-07-14: Hart and Michaels agree to stop taking personal shots in interviews
1997-08-03: Hart apologizes for the amount of spit he delivered to Michaels at SummerSlam and they shake hands
1997-09-??: Hart becomes critical of the WWF's sexual storylines
1997-09-21: Michaels convinces McMahon to let him book himself to beat the Davey Boy Smith in England; Michaels jokes that he's not doing jobs for anyone anymore
1997-09-22: Michaels asks Hart to call him and Triple H "gay" in an interview
1997-10-06: Michaels, again, asks Hart to call him and Triple H "homos" in an interview; Hart asks Michaels not to make comments about him or his family
1997-10-12: Hart tells Michaels: "I just want you to know that despite any differences we've had this past year, I have no problem dropping the belt to you." Michaels responds: "I appreciate that, but I want you to know that I'm not willing to do the same thing for you."
1997-10-21: Hart refuses to agree to put Michaels over at Survivor Series in return for a win in Springfield on December 7th
1997-10-31: Hart signs with WCW for December 1997, starting his 30 days of creative control
1997-11-02: Hart offers to lose the title to Steve Austin, the Undertaker, Ken Shamrock, and even the Brooklyn Brawler, but not Shawn Michaels: "If he puts me over, I'll be happy to put him over."
1997-11-??: McMahon agrees to let Hart win- only to change his mind
1997-11-05: McMahon, Michaels, and Triple H plan the Montreal Screwjob; Michaels and Triple H are told to deny any involvement
1997-11-09: Hart proposes that they do a double DQ; McMahon agrees; Hart gets screwed
1997-11-10: McMahon tells the wrestlers that Hart refused to lose the title under any circumstances
Event/Aftermath
Vader warned Hart about pinfalls and submissions in the match.
Earl Hebner took off to avoid confrontation, only to apologize and break down in tears upon seeing Bret Hart at an airport some time later.
The Undertaker was the one to convince Vince McMahon to come out of his office.
When Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter tried to get everyone out of the locker room, Davey Boy Smith stopped Owen Hart from leaving and said: "Remember what happened to Bruiser Brody."
Bret Hart gave Vince McMahon proper warning that he was going to punch him. For the record, it was an uppercut. Gerald Brisco was the one to sprain McMahon's ankle, however.
Davey Boy Smith didn't really re-injure his knee to the extent to which he claimed.
Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, crying at that point, shook hands in the locker room, and Hart thanked him for the match.
Jim Neidhart joked: "I guess they won't say anything to me anymore about smashing TV monitors."
Undertaker later told Bret Hart: "I got it right from Vince. That little **** Shawn, he was in on the whole thing.
Marcy Engelstein convinced Bret Hart to leak his side of the story to Dave Meltzer before the WWF's public relations team went to work.
Wrestlers Who Supported Hart
Chris Benoit
Chyna (comments made upon falling out with WWE; ex-girlfriends, eh?)
Crush
Dory Funk
Harley Race
Jack Lanza
Jim Neidhart
Ken Shamrock
Konnan
Mick Foley
Owen Hart
Pedro Morales
Rick Rude
Savio Vega
Steve Austin (comments made upon falling out with WWE)
The Rock
The Undertaker
Vader
Wrestlers Who Supported McMahon
Gerald Brisco
Julie Hart (comments made recently; ex-wives, eh?)
Ric Flair
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
Ted DiBiase
The Big Show
Triple H
Davey Boy Smith (comments made upon his return to the WWF) and Earl Hebner have made statements in support of both.
The Current Relationship Between Hart and Michaels
While Michaels was critical of Hart in his likely ghostwritten autobiography Heartbreak & Triumph, claiming that Hart "was not a great wrestler," "wasn't that versatile," and "didn't do a lot of exciting stuff," he has otherwise been respectful of Hart as a worker since the Montreal Screwjob. In 2002, he claimed that Hart was the only person with whom he could've worked an ironman match. When Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Michaels said "It's been a long time coming for The Hitman."
Hart, too, has been respectful of Michaels as a wrestler. While Hart's comments about Michaels being a "hairless yellow dog" are aimed at the Michaels the man, even Michaels acknowledges that Hart is a fair evaluator of his in-ring work: "Despite all of our differences, he's always been objective about my ability." This comment preceded Hart's complimentary remarks on Michaels/Undertaker at WrestleMania 25: "One of the best matches I've seen in years. To a certain degree, I was proud of both of them. I never take away from the fact that Shawn was a great wrestler and he did a lot of great stuff."
Michaels even wants Hart to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame, though to that, Hart said, "Maybe if he wants to make himself feel better about [the Montreal Screwjob], he should have the guts to pick up the phone and apologize. Then we'll see after that."
Admission of Fault
Though Michaels has yet to have apologized directly to Hart and says that as a Christian, he would feel obligated to follow his boss' orders to this day, he acknowledges that the Montreal Screwjob was wrong: "I'm not in denial about what happened in Montreal. I'm okay that it was that way, but that doesn't make it right. It's still wrong, but it is what it is."
McMahon admitted on Off the Record that Bret did not, in fact, screw Bret. In 2005, on the Bret Hart DVD, McMahon said about Hart and himself, "I think there's regret on both our parts."
Hart stands by what he did.
