In November of 1997, one of the most infamous events in wrestling histories would happen in Montreal. Bret Hart was the reigning WWF Champion, but the issue was that he was on his way to WCW. At Survivor Series, he would defend against Shawn Michaels. Hart & Michaels were two men who always had good chemistry in their matches, so it was always going to be solid. The match was unremarkable until the end. Michaels would lock Hart in the Sharpshooter, and the bell would ring without Hart tapping out. Hart didn’t want to lose to Michaels in Canada, and was going to drop the title the next night on Monday Night RAW, but McMahon did not trust him. This is one of the most told stories in wrestling, and one man backstage has a way this could have went much more smoothly without screwing Bret Hart. Enter The Undertaker.
The Undertaker Should Have Faced Bret Hart Again
While speaking with ESPN, The Undertaker gave what his solution to how this messy situation could have been avoided. “You should’ve put me in the match somehow with Bret. I’m sure Bret would have dropped it to me. I could have dropped it to Shawn later on. You know, right after that. There was a different way to do it. But, you know, Vince had to make sure and he had to cover his bases, I guess, in his mind,“
The Undertaker was always someone who was deeply respected in the locker room even by Hart, making this much easier. He was also a known company man, someone Vince could trust to get this job done easily and cleanly. Making this even more appealing is that he would feud with Michaels afterwards anyways, with them clashing at the Royal Rumble in a Casket Match, which would leave Michaels injured and forced his first retirement.
Undertaker stepping into this match would have caused such a ripple effect in hindsight. Hart would have left WWE on better terms, Michaels still would have gotten the WWF Championship, and his career ending injury might have been avoided unless the feud bled into 1998. It all just makes too much sense, a rarity within professional wrestling.
Do you think The Undertaker stepping in to replace Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997 would have been a better move? Is the Montreal Screwjob too iconic to the history of WWF to imagine the company without it? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
