“There Was Personal and Professional Stuff Involved”: WWE and Owen Hart Encountered a ‘Tricky’ Situation Following the Infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997

Oftentimes we come across the expression ‘The boss is always right’. Vince McMahon took it literally by playing the ultimate boss card at the Survivor Series in November 1997. The incident, which has since been infamously dubbed as the ‘Montreal Screwjob’, remains one of the most talked about incidents in pro wrestling. Apart from the two main characters- Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels- there were many who either were involved or got dragged into the controversy. The Hitman’s younger brother and deceased WWE superstar, Owen, were one of them.

A WWE Hall of Famer has recently revealed the Black Hart’s dilemma following the Montreal Incident.

Road Dogg “speculates” on Owen Hart’s position in WWE after his brother’s departure

Bret Hart left soon after the incident. He was scheduled to leave the company beforehand, which led to the infamous event and its bitter aftertaste. While The Hitman left, his brother had to stay back and continue performing for Vince McMahon’s promotion till his untimely death in 1999.

Speaking on the ‘Oh You Didn’t Know‘ podcast, former WWE superstar Road Dogg said that it was a case of “let’s just try to move on” from the younger Hart.

“I just feel there was a lot more. Look, whether you believe it all or whatever, you think there was a lot of personal stuff involved in a lot of professional stuff,” the five-time WWE Tag Team Champion said. “And so, I think it wasn’t that black and white,” he added. However, the 53-year-old said he is “just speculating.”

He also added that it was a very “tricky” situation for both Owen Hart and the WWE, quickly adding that “saying it’s a tricky situation, it’s not given the right amount of weight that it should carry.”

After his brother’s departure from the company, Hart formed a successful tag team with Jeff Jarrett. The duo also went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. Jarrett and Hart remained tag team partners until his accidental death at WWE’s Over the Edge event.

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Meanwhile, Owen Hart’s wife made a startling revelation about the deceased wrestler a few years ago.

WWE didn’t listen to Owen Hart’s plea after Montreal Screwjob

Owen Hart had won all the major championships except the WWE Championship during his time with Vince McMahon’s promotion. However, the superstar had asked the WWE management to release him from his contract after the Montreal Screwjob.

“He requested he be let go to when everything happened with his brother. They said no. They weren’t going to let him go,” Hart’s wife Martha said during her appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast in 2020. She said that the contract didn’t allow her then-husband to work for other promotions if he chose to not work for the Stamford-based promotion.

Meanwhile, the Screwjob affected Vince McMahon and Bret Hart’s relationship. Hart, one of WWE’s leading stars during his run, reportedly did not talk to McMahon for many years, but later reconciled with McMahon. Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, while his brother is yet to receive this particular honor from WWE.

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