The 1997 Survivor Series is remembered for the Montreal Screwjob, in which Vince McMahon controversially stripped Bret Hart of the WWF Championship.
Key Facts
- Event number
- 11th annual Survivor Series
- Date
- November 9, 1997
- Venue
- Molson Centre, Montreal, Quebec
- Matches on card
- 7
- WWF Championship result
- Shawn Michaels won via controversial stoppage
- Tagline
- Gang Rulz
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Bret Hart was set to leave the WWF for rival promotion WCW, yet remained WWF Champion. Vince McMahon faced the risk of Hart taking or vacating the title on rival programming, creating a behind-the-scenes conflict over how Hart would lose the championship before his departure.
During the main event at the Molson Centre on November 9, 1997, referee Earl Hebner was secretly instructed by Vince McMahon to call for the bell while Shawn Michaels had Bret Hart locked in Hart's own finishing move, the Sharpshooter, despite Hart never submitting. Michaels was awarded the WWF Championship in what became known as the Montreal Screwjob.
The incident became one of professional wrestling's most infamous moments. Bret Hart departed the WWF and did not appear on WWE programming again until 2006. The event fundamentally altered public perception of Vince McMahon, accelerating his on-screen persona as a villainous authority figure, and influenced professional wrestling's narrative direction through the Attitude Era.