Pro-Wrestling The Biggest Double Cross in the History of Professional Wrestling Page
Last updated 21 April 2015
This is an excellent in-depth piece on the Bret Hart doublecross, written by Dave Meltzer.
I suggest anyone who enjoys learning about the behind-the-scenes goings-on in professional wrestling subscribe to this newsletter.
The Biggest Double Cross in the History of Professional Wrestling
By David Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Dave Meltzer
:ࠉt will go down in history as the single most famous
finish
of a pro wrestling match in the modern era.ࠔwenty or thirty years͊from
now this story, more than any famous wrestler jumping promotions,
more than
any prominent death, and more than any record setting house, will be
remembered vividly by all who watched it live, and remembered as
legendary
from all who hear about it later.ࠔhrough the magic of video࠴ape,
the
last minute of this match will live forever and be replayed
literally
millions of times by tens of thousands of people all looking for the
most
minute pieces of detail to this strange puzzle.ࠂut the story of
what led
to those few seconds starts more than one year ago, far more
reminiscent of
the dirty con man past of the industry than the current attempted
facade of
a multi-million dollar corporate above board image those in the
industry
like to portray.
October 20, 1996
- Bret Hart was in a hotel room in San Jose, Ca,
hours from
making the biggest decision of his life - who would win the biggest
bidding
war in the history of pro wrestling.ࠈe had pretty well leaned
toward
staying with the World Wrestling Federation despite a much larger
offer from
world Championship Wrestling, but had changed his mind a few times
over the
previous two weeks as each side presented new offers.ࠍany close
advisers
of Hart's tried to tell him going to WCW was the best move for his
present,
and more importantly his future after wrestling.
McMahon, not to lose a very public fight with his arch rivals,
offered him
the famous 20-year contract where he'd, after retirement in about
three
years, become almost a first lieutenant when it came to the booking
process.
Hart would earn somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1.5 million per
year as
an active wrestler, and a healthy but far lesser figure working in
the front
office for the 17 years after retirement as an active wrestler.
The money was still only around half that offered by WCW, but
largely out of
loyalty Bret was ready to sign with McMahon. He was concerned about
the
legacy and future of the Bret Hart character,ࠡnd Vince assured him
the
character would be a WWF hero (babyface) for years to come. He
accepted the
WWF offer.
March 10, 1996
- Top babyface didn't last long as McMahon asked him
to turn
heel.ࠁt first Hart balked at the idea but after three days, Hart
realized
that people might be tired with his white hat image and agreed. He
figured
its more fun to be the heel anyway.ࠍcMahon andࠈart came up with
the
Anti-American angle, where he would remain a babyface in Canada and
Europe
and be the heel in the States.
September 8, 1997
- Vince McMahon and Bret Hart had their first
meeting
where McMahon seriously approached Hart about his contract.ࠁbout
three
months earlier, McMahon had told Hart that the company was in bad
financial
straights and that they might have to defer some of the money until
later in
the contract.ࠔhis time his approach was more than point blank.ࠈe
wanted
to cut Hart's regular salary, around $30,000 per week, more than in
half and
defer the rest of the money until later in the contract period when
hopefully the company would be in better shape financially.ࠈart
declined
the suggestion, because he didn't want to risk not getting the money
in the
future after he was through taking all the bumps.
September 22, 1997
- On the day of the Raw taping at Madison Square
Garden,
McMahon told Bret Hart flat out that they were going to
intentionally breach
his contract because they couldn't afford the deal.ࠈe told a
shocked Hart
that he should go to World Championship Wrestling and make whatever
deal he
could with that group.ࠢI didn't feel comfortable doing it, "Hart
said of
the suggestion.ࠢI feel like an old prisoner in a prison where I
know all
the guards and all the inmates and I have the best cell.ࠗhy would
I want
to move to a new prison where I don't know the guards and the
inmates and I
no longer have the best cell?ࠉ felt really bad after all the years
of
working for the WWF."
McMahon agreed to insert an escape clause in Hart's contract and
that he
would have what the contract called "reasonable creative control" of
his
character during that lame duck period so that he couldn't be
unreasonably
buried on the way out.
October 11, 1997
- The personal problems with Hart and Shawn Michaels
were
legendary.ࠔhe verbal war in the ring, had gone beyond a work.
After
Michaels claimed Hart was having an affair with blonde bombshell
Sunny, the
two came to blows in the dressing room.ࠁfter some time, the two
made an
agreement to work together again, and to leave their respective
families out
of their interviews.ࠉt took just one week before Michaels did an
interview
talking about Stu Hart being dead but walking around Calgary because
his
body and brain hadn't figured it out yet.ࠂy this point, Hart and
his
family had stopped watching Raw (the WWF televison show) because he
was
furious with the way Vince had dealt with the death of his friend
and fellow
wrestler Brian Pillman.ࠍcMahon did a live interview with Pillman's
wife on
that night's wrestling show, and made it part of a wrestling story
line.
Hart had problems with what he considered the perverted sexual
content of
the show because he has four children that were wrestling fans. He
found out
about Michaels remarks about Stu from his brother Owen.ࠏnce again,
Hart
concluded that the feud with Michaels was personal.
October 24, 1997
- McMahon, before the show at Nassau Coliseum, told
Hart
that the money situation in the company had changed and they would
have no
problems paying him everything promised in his contract.ࠈart told
McMahon
that WCW really hadn't made him a serious offer and that he really
didn't
want to leave.ࠍcMahon asked Hart to go on a tour of Oman, Hart
agreed,
with the idea that he was staying with the WWF, but knowing due to
the
window for the release in his contract, he had to make the decision
to give
notice by midnight on November 1.
October 31, 1997
- Hart surprised McMahon and returned from the
middle-east
a day earlier than planned. This allowed the WCW's Eirc Bischoff to
catch up
with Hart who had been basically incommunicado in a foreign land
most of the
week.ࠂischoff used to work for McMahon, and the hatred between the
two
made Hart and Michaels look like friends.
Just one day before Hart had to either give notice or stay for
another year,
Bischoff made a huge offer.ࠤ3million per year and working one
hundred and
twenty five days a year, half the days in the WWF contract.ࠈart
neither
agreed nor turned down the deal, but gave the impression to WCW that
they
had a great shot at getting him.
November 1, 1997
- Hart had until midnight to make up his mind.ࠈe
called
McMahon and told him about the WCW offer and said that he wasn't
asking for
anymore money to stay, but that he wanted to know what his future in
the WWF
would be over the next two years as an active wrestler.ࠈart made
it clear
his main concern was with the direction his character would take.
McMahon
said he'd think about it and call him back in an hour with some
scenarios.
Before McMahon called back, Bischoff called again trying to solidify
the
deal.ࠍcMahon ended up calling back four hours later from his
barber shop
and told Hart he didn't know what he was going to do with him but
that he
should trust his judgment because of their past relationship. He
saidࠨe
had made him into a superstar and he wanted him to stay and that he
should
trust him and asked Hart to give him an idea of where he wanted to
go.
During the conversation, McMahon brought up the scenario of wanting
Hart to
drop the title in Montreal, but promised that he would get it back
in
Springfield. "I realized he had given the top heel spot to Shawn,
but to
turn back babyface it was too soon," Hart said.ࠌike in the
negotiations
one year earlier,ࠩt was going down to the wire and he had until
midnight t
make up his mind.
AT 7pm Bischoff called again and presented a deal that, according to
Hart, "
would have been insane not to be taken".ࠁt that point Hart was
really
having mixed emotions.ࠈe somehow felt bad about leaving the WCW
and was
hoping McMahon would lay out a good set of sceneries for him and
convince
him to stay,ࠁt 9pm, McMahon called and, reversing fields once
again, urged
him to take the WCW offer.ࠈart told him that his heart was with
the
company and it would break his heart to leave, and that he
appreciated
everything McMahon and the company had done for him.
McMahon told Hart that he wanted him back as a babyface, and had
been
wanting him to turn babyface for two or three months but just hadn't
brought
it up until this point.ࠈe then presented a scenario to Hart,
presenting it
as a way to get Hart to stay, but obviously designed to get Hart to
take the
WCW offer.ࠈart looked at the scenario of four major losses with
only one
win and before his midnight deadline, gave official notice to the
WWF and
signed the contract WCW had sent over, with the agreement from all
parties
that the word wouldn't leak out until࠱1/10࠴o protect the
Survivor Series
PPV.
November 2, 1997
- Hart and McMahon started a very amicable
conversation
with the pressure finally off and the decision for Hart to leave
having been
made. He again suggested that Michaels win the title in Montreal and
in what
will go down as perhaps the ultimate irony, said they could do a
screw job
ending to steal the title from Hart, and that࠴he next night, on
Raw,
McMahon suggested the two get into a mock argument where Hart would
punch
him, blaming him for the screw job.ࠍcMahon even suggested to
hardway him
(a real blow) to make it look legit.ࠈart refused to do the job
(lose)ࠩn
Montreal, saying that he had never refused to do a job but he wasn't
going
to lose on Sunday or Monday (at Raw in Ottawa).ࠈart made it clear
that to
lose in Canada would be an insult to his Canadian fans, and would
destroy
the "Hit Man" character in Canada.ࠈe said he was a hero in Canada,
and
wouldn't do the job there. He agreed to put Michaels over in Madison
Square
Garden on 11/15, Springfield or anywhere else.
McMahon made legal threats to Hart if he wouldn't lose in Montreal.͊Hart
talked about the clause in his contract giving him "reasonable
creative
control" but McMahon claimed that refusing to drop the strap in
Montreal
wasn't "reasonable".
November 4, 1997
-ࠂy this point word that Hart had
signed with WCW had actually been reported the previous night on the
Observer and Torch hotlines.ࠉn response, WWF Canada released a
press
statement originally totally denying the story, claiming it was
simply
propaganda being spread by WCW. However, as the word got out Titan
Sports in
Connecticut a few hours later contradicting that story saying simply
that
Bret Hart was exploring all his options but not going any further,
with the
feeling that they wanted to protect the PPV show.ࠈart wouldn't
publicly
talk to anyone.
November 5, 1997
- The Internet had paved the way for
stories in the Calgary Sun, the Toronto Sun and one line in the
Montreal
Gazette in a PPV preview story about Steve Austin, a line which͊resulted in
the paper getting an incredible switchboard-blowing response of
phone calls.
McMahon called Hart and said the news was out everywhere and that
Bret had
to drop the belt before Monday because he couldn't have Bishoff go
on
television on 11/10 and announce the signing of his world champion
while he
still had the belt. Hart said that he would get Bishoff to postpone
the
announcement, but with Bishoff on a hunting trip all week in
Wyoming. Hart
couldn't get a hold of him. Hart promised to get the announcement
postponed,
and that he would drop the title any time after 11/12.
November 7, 1997
-There is no question that the power of on-line
services
when it comes to influence of pro wrestling was established this
past week.
It was generally portrayed that it was a power struggle between Hart
and
Michaels, that Michaels had won out, and to a lesser extent Hart was
leaving
over the direction of the product. While there was some truth to all
of
this, probably the greatest truth of all is it was simply a
manipulation by
McMahon to get out of a contract that in hindsight he wished he'd
never
offered.
The WWF's own on-line site said to be the domain of young kids with
no clue
about wrestling was besieged with reports about Hart leaving and the
so-called marks (fans not in the "know") were reacting very
negatively
toward Titan (McMahon's company) to the point Titan࠰ulled all it
folders
by the early afternoon which caused another outcry of censorship of
opinions
from wrestling fans. Finally McMahon responded publicly on-line with
a
letter of his own stating-
"Over the past few days I have read certain comments on the Internet
concerning Bret Hart and his"alleged" reasons for wanting to pursue
other
avenues than the World Wrestling Federation to earn his livelihood.
While I
respect the "opinions"of others, as owner of the World Wrestling
Federation
I felt that it was time to set the record straight. As it has been
reported
recently on line, part of Bret Hart's decision of pursue other
options is
allegedly due to his concerns with the "direction" of the World
Wrestling
Federation. Whereby each and every individual is entitled to his, or
her
opinion I take great offense when the issue of the direction of the
World
Wrestling Federation is raised. In the age of sports entertainment,
the
World Wrestling Federation REFUSES to insult it audience in terms of
"Baby
Faces" and "Heels". In 1997, how many people do you truly know that
are
strictly "good" guys or "bad" guys? World Wrestling Federation
programming
reflects more of a reality based product in which life, as well as
World
Wrestling Federation superstars are portrayed as they truly are--in
shades
of gray...not black or white. From what I am reading it has been
reported
that Bret may be concerned about the morality issues in the World
Wrestling
Federation. questionable language, Questionable gestures,
Questionable
sexuality, Questionable racial issues. Questionable? All of the
issues
mentioned above are issues that every human being must deal with
every day
of their lives. Also, with that in mind, please be aware that Bret
Hart has
been cautioned--on "numerous" occasions--to alter his language by
not using
expletives or God's name in vain. He was alto told--on numerous
occasions--not to use certain hand gestures some might find
offensive. My
point is: regardless of what some are reporting, Bret's decision to
pursue
other career options IS NOT genuinely a Shawn Michaels direction
issue, as
they would like you to believe! In the personification of
DeGeneration X,
Shawn Michaels character is EXPECTED to be living on the edge--which
I might
add Mr. Michaels portrays extremely well. The issue here is that the
"direction" of the World Wrestling Federation is not determined by
Shawn
Michaels, OR Bret Hart for that matter. It is determined by you--the
fans of
the World Wrestling Federation. You DEMAND a more sophisticated
approach!
You DEMAND to be intellectually challenged! You demand a product
with
ATTITUDE and as owner of this company--it is my responsibility to
give you
exactly what you want! Personally, I regret the animosity that has
built up
between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, but in the end, it is the
World
Wrestling Federation that is solely responsible for the content of
this
product--NOT Bret Hart --NOT Shawnࠍichaels--NOT Vince McMahon for
that
matter. May the best man win at the Survivor Series!...
This only made the situation worse in regard to how fans were
viewing
McMahon and the company. "You demand to be intellectually
challenged?" By
doing racial angles? The fans chose that direction? They asked to
see
Michaels pull his pants down and jump up and down on television?
At a match in Toronto, two days before the showdown in Montreal,
fans
obviouslyࠫnew what was going on behind the scenes. While there was
overwhelming support for Bret, and signs of "please don't go" and
"where
Bret goes, we go", there were also chants of "you sold out" directed
at
Hart. Although this should have been expected and Hart had been a
pro
wrestler for 21 years and been around the business a lot longer than
that,
the chants in his home country knowing what he was going through did
get to
him.
November 8, 1997
-The WWF ran a house show in Detroit at Cobo Arena
for what
would turn out to be Bret Hart's final match in the United States
asa
wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation. Tensions were really
high and
the prospect of a double-cross were looming by this time in many of
the more
paranoid types. But really this was 1997 and this was the World
Wrestling
Federation. That's stuff from the 20's where the real bad guy
low-lifes were
running the business. The days of making Lou Thesz world champion
because
you needed someone who could handle himself in the case of a
double-cross
had been over for more than three decades. That day Hart went to the
one
member of the front office he knew he could trust, Earl Hebner.
While there
are what you call a lot of good acquaintances in this business Hart
and
Hebner were genuine close friends for years. Hart said he'd use his
influence to get Hebner to referee the match because he wanted
someone in
the ring that he could trust. Hebner said he understood the
situation and
told Hart "I swear on my kids lives that I'd quit my job before
double-crossing you." On a personal basis a little more than 24
hours later,
remembrance of that conversation crushed him more than anything.
At about the same time the WWF brain trust was in Montreal one day
early.
Vince McMahon held a meeting at the hotel with Jim Ross, Jim
Cornette, Pat
Patterson and Michaels. Reports are that at least two of the afore
mentioned
names looked extremely uncomfortable leaving the meeting. Ross on
the WWF
900 line filed a report saying due to the tension between Hart and
Michaels
that there would be armed security backstage and the two would dress
as far
apart from each other as possible. That was a total work since
Michaels and
Hart actually dressed together and were on professional terms the
next
afternoon.ࠈe also said that McMahon wasn't going to announce the
show and
instead would be handling any last minute problems backstage. Ross
also
hinted that it could be Harts final match in the࠷orld Wrestling
Federation
something Hart at that point wasn't aware of.
November 9, 1997
-The Prelude- Imagine the most anticipated match in
years
and on the day of the show not having any semblance of a finish?
McMahon and Hart met that afternoonࠡnd McMahon said something to
the
effect ofࠢWhat do you want to do" Hart said that he just wants to
leave
the building with his head up. Hart said to McMahon "let tonight's
match end
a shomoze (a disqualification) and let me hand you the belt on Raw
(the next
night in Ottawa). Everyone knows I'm leaving I'd like to tell the
truth on
Raw Monday".
At this point the "truth" wouldn'tࠩnclude talking about finances,
contract
breaches, arguments about finishes, or anything that would make
McMahon or
the company look bad publicly.
McMahon said he agreed, that it was the right thing to do, and the
two shook
hands on it.
Hart and Michaels were dressing together putting together a match.
Both were
professional with one another and talking about putting on the best
match
possible in Hart's last hurrah. Agreeing to a DQ finish in about
17:00 after
a lengthy brawl before the bell would even sound to start the match.
As they
were putting their spots together Patterson came in. He had a
suggestion for
a high spot in the match as a false finish. There would be a referee
bump.
Michaels would put Hart in his own sharpshooter. Hart would reverse
the
hold. Hebner would still be down at this point and not see Michaels
tap out,
Hart would release the hold to revive Hebner. Michaels would hit him
when he
turned around with the sweet chin music. A second ref. Mike Ciota
would haul
ass to the ring and begin the count. A few paces behind Owen Hart
and Smith
and possibly Neidhart as well would run down࠴o the ring. Ciora
would
count1-2, and whomever got to the ring first likely Owen would drag
Ciota
out of the ring. While they think they've saved the day on the pin
on Bret
suddenly Hebner would recover 1,2 and Bret would kick out. That
would set
the pace for about five more minutes of near falls before it would
end up in
disqualification ending.
Before the show started both Vader with his Japanese experiences and
Smith
told Hart to watch himself. He was warned not to lay down and not to
allow
himself to be put in a compromising position. He was told to kick
out at
one, not two and not to allow himself into any submission holds.
Hart
recognized the possibility of the situation but his thoughts
regarding a
double-cross were more along the lines of always protecting himself
in case
Michaels tried to hit him with a sucker punch when he left himself
open. The
idea that being put in a submission or one of the near falls while
working
spots would be dangerous for him would be something to worry about
normally,
but he put it out of his mind because he had Hebner in the ring as
the referee.
The Match: People on the inside were watching this as close as on
the
outside. Would Bret do the job? Would Shawn do the job? Would Bret
give
Shawn a real beating before putting him over? The Molson Center was
packed
with more than 20,000 rabid fans, who up to that point had seen a
largely
lackluster undercard.
It appeared that about 10 to 20 percent of the crowd knew Hart was
leaving
and there were negative signs regarding his decision and negative
signs
toward the promotion for picking Michaels above him or the direction
that
seemingly forced him to leave.
Some things were also strange and not just the absence of McMahon
from the
broadcast. Hart the champion in the main event wasn't scheduled for
an
interview building up the match. When his name was announced early
in the
show thereࠧreat cheers, bit there were many boos from fans who
knew he
signed with the opposition.
Once Michaels got in the ring for the introduction, he wiped his
but, blew
his nose and then picked his nose with the Canadian flag. He then
put the
flag on the ground and began humping it. Hart was immediately
established as
a babyface.
The two began the match as a brawl all around ringside and into the
stands.
The crowd was so rabid that it appeared there wasࠧenuine danger
they'd
attack Michaels. As one࠰oint they were brawling near the entrance
knocking
down refs as planned, knocking down Patterson as planned and as
planned Hart
and McMahon had an argument almost teasing the idea of a spot later
in the
match where Hart would deck McMahon.
Yet it was also clear that everything going on was 100% professional
and the
only curiosity left at that point was how good the match was going
to be (it
appeared to be very good)and how would they get "out" of the match
(with
something nobody will ever forget). But one thing was strange.ࠗhy
were so
many agents circling the ring and why was McMahon right there and
acting so
intense? About eight minutes before the show was "suppose" to end,
Bruce
Prichard in the "Gorilla"position (kind of the on-deck circle for
the
wrestlers) was screaming into his headset that we need more security
at the
ring, Why? The had already done the brawl in the crowd. The finish
was going
to be a DQ and it was still several minutes away.
The Double-Cross: Hart climbed the top rope for a double sledge on
Michaels.
Michaels pulled Hebner in the way and Hart crashed on him. Just as
planned. Michaels for a split second looked at McMahon and put Hart
in the
sharpshooter, just as planned. The next split seconds were the
story. Ciota
listening to his headpiece for his cue to run in heard the backstage
director scream to Hebner it was time to get up. Hebner, listening
himself,
immediately got up. Ciota started screaming that he wasn't supposed
to get
up. Owen Hart and Smith readying their run in were equally perplexed
seeing
him get up. Prichard was freaking out backstage saying that wasn't
supposed
to happen. Bret still not realizing anything was wrong laid in the
hold for
only a few seconds to build up some heat before the reversal.
Michaels
cinched down hard on the hold and glanced at Hebner and then looked
away
which more than one wrestler in the promotion upon viewing the tape
saw as
proof he was in on it, but than fed Bret his leg for the reversal.
Hebner quickly looked at the timekeeper and screamed "ring the
bell."
At the same moment McMahon sitting next to the timekeeper elbowed
him hard
and screamed "ring the fucking bell".The bell rangࠡt about the
same moment
Bret grabbed the leg for the reversal and Michaels fell down on his
face on
the mat. Michaels music played immediately and was immediately
announced as
the winner and new champion. Hebner sprinted out of the ring on the
other
side, into the dressing room through the dressing room and into an
awaiting
car in the parking lot that already had the motor running and was
going to
take him to the hotel where he'd be rushed out of town with his
ticket home
instead of staying to work the next two Raw tapings.
Michaels and Hart both leaped to their feet looking equally mad,
cursing in
McMahon's direction and glaring at him. Hart spit right in McMahon's
face.
The cameras immediately pulled away from Hart to Michaels. Vince
screamed at
Michaels to pick the fucking belt up and get the fuck out of there.
Michaels
still looking mad was ordered to the back by Jerry Brisco who told
him to
hold the belt up high and get to the back. The show abruptly went
off the
air about four minutes early. The camera never returned to Hart,
standing in
the ring, looking perplexed, disappointed, angry, and even somewhat
amused.
The Aftermath: The officials left the ring immediately, McMahon went
into
his private office in the building with Patterson and a few others
and
locked the door behind him.
Hart in the ring flipped out on the realization of what happened and
began
smashing the television monitors left behind until Owen, Smith and
Neidhart
hit the ring to calm him down. The four had an animated discussion
in the
ring all looking perturbed. Finally Hart thanked his fans who for
the most
part left with the air let out of their sails, gave the I love you
sign to
the fans and finger painted "WCW" to all four corners of the ring,
which got
a surprisingly big pop, and went back to the dressing room.
He first confronted Michaels who swore that he had nothing to do
with it.
Michaels obviously afraid Hart would punch him out right there told
Hart
that he gets heat for everything that happened but this time it
wasn't his
fault and he was as mad as Hart about the finish. He said he didn't
want to
win the belt that way, was disgusted by what happened and to prove
it would
refuse to bring the belt outr say anything bad about Hart on Raw
the next
night.
Hart said that Michaels could prove whether he was in on it or not
by his
actions on television the next night.
The entire dressing room was furious at McMahon by this point. The
feeling
was that if Hart having worked for the company for 14 years and not
missing
shots due to injuries the entire time and having made McMahon
millions of
dollars throughout the years could get double-crossed this bad, then
how
could any of them trust anything he would say or do? People were
saying that
how could anyone trust anyone ever again and that it was an unsafe
working
environment
For three years after the steroid trial and all the bad
publicity McMahon had worked favourably to change his legacy in the
industry: not as the man who ran all the other promoters out of
business;
not the man who marketed pro wrestling to young children while
pushing
steroid freaks; not as the man who tried to destroy wrestling
history and
create his own; not his worked Harvard MBA, worked billion dollar
company;
not a man so vain as to give himself a Hugh award in Madison Square
Garden
as "the genius who created
Wrestlemania"; not the man who at one time tried to monopolize every
aspect
of the business for himself; -ࠢut instead as the working man's
hero,
coming from humble beginnings, fighting those ruthless rich regional
promoters and through nothing but guts, gusto and vision became the
dominant
force in this industry and taking it to a new level.
And now against all odds fighting against Billionaire Ted Turner.
Three years of a facade was largely working on a new generation of
wrestling
fans who saw him as their underdog hero.
Only this time there was a situation where those who didn't "know"
him were
truly "introduced" to him for the first time.
Undertaker was furious, pounding on McMahon's locked
door and when he came out to talk with him, Undertaker told him in
no
uncertain terms that he needed to apologize to Hart. He went to
Hart's
dressing room where Hart had just come out of the shower.
Smith answered the door and Hart said he didn't want to see him.
Vince and
son Shane McMahon came in with Sg. Slaughter and Brisco anyway.
Vince
started to apologize saying that he had to do it because he couldn't
take
the chance of Hart going to WCW without giving back the belt and he
couldn't
let Bishoff go on television the next night and announce Hart was
coming
while he was still his champion and said how it would kill his
business.
Hart shot back that he had no problem losing the belt and told
McMahon that
he was going to dry off and get his clothes on and told McMahon "If
you're
still here I'm going to punch you out."
Hart called McMahon a liar and an piecef shit and talked about
having
worked for him for 14 years only missing 2 shots the entire time and
being a
role model for the company and the industry and this was his
payback.
McMahon tried to say that in 14years this was the first time he'd
ever lied
to him and Hart rattled off 15 lies over the last year alone without
even
thinking about it. Those in the dressing room watching were stunned
listening to Hart rattle those off and McMahon not offering a
comeback.
Hart got dressed and twice told McMahon to get out. Hart got up and
a
scuffle started with them locking up like in a wrestling match, Hart
broke
free and threw a punch to the jaw that would have knocked down a
rhino. One
punch Ko in 40 seconds. McMahon growled like he was going to get up
but he
had no legs.
Shane McMahon jumped on Harts back and Smith jumped on Shane's back
pulling
him off. Not realizing there would be trouble Smith had already
taken off
his knee brace and hyper extended his knee in the process of pulling
Shane
off. Hart nearly broke his hand from the punch. McMahon's jaw was
thought to
be fractured or broken.
Hart asked Vince if he was now going to screw him on all the money
he owed
him and a groggy Vince said "No".ࠈart told Shane and Brisco to get
that
"piece of shit" out of here and glaring at both of them told them if
they
tried anything they'd suffer the same results. In dragging McMahon
out
someone accidentally stepped on his ankle injuring it as well.
Phone lines were ringing off the hook around wrestling land that
night. Some
people who were close to inside thought it was the greatest worked
finish in
all of wrestling because it got everyone talking.
By the morning, everyone realized the truth. This was the biggest
double-cross in the history of modern, professional wrestling.