The Article That Bret Hart Wrote in the Calgary Sun About Last Monday's Raw

[Perfection]

Bret Hart’s Calgary Sun Column for July 12, 2003


  Oh no, not that again.
 That was my reaction when I heard they were playing clips of the Montreal screw job on Raw last Monday.
I couldn't help but think: Why dredge the whole stinkin' mess up again?
It was 5 1/2 years ago, why can't they get over it?
So I turned on Raw to see Shawn Michaels tell the world he has apologized to
me and we should all just get over it and get on with our lives.
Hey, we were doing that ... until Vince decided to bring the whole thing up
again.
Vince is more at fault here than Shawn because he's the one who scripted it.
But Shawn isn't in the clear, either, because the fact is, I have never
received an apology from him -- public or private -- for his role in the Survivor
Series '97 screw job. In fact, in at least one TV interview, Shawn actually
said he would do it again.
Shawn claiming he apologized is just another step by Vince to rewrite
history.
Yes, Shawn has said in various interviews he's sorry the whole thing
happened. So am I. But at no time has Shawn ever acknowledged what he did was wrong. He rationalizes his actions by saying he just did what his boss -- the
promoter -- told him to do. He seems to be missing the point  - so did I!
When I saw Shawn on Off The Record I felt sorry for him when he said God
tells you to respect authority so he had to do what Vince told him. For someone to
talk about an apology that never happened is disappointing.
So I had to ask myself why Vince would script such a segment. The obvious
answer is ratings -- but at what cost?
In the past year, Vince and I have been on speaking terms. It was my
impression we'd come to an understanding not to take pokes at each other anymore.
We've even spoken about the possibility of doing some future business together.
How could Vince think I'd interpret a stunt like this as anything but
(another) slap in the face? So, why pull a stunt like this? Maybe because it's the one stench Vince hasn't been able to wipe off his hands and he can't stand it because he can't control it. Even now, whenever the WWE goes to Montreal, the fans chant: 'You screwed Bret.' In a business where fans often have a short memory, many still feel passionately about what happened
at Survivor Series '97 because it  crossed the line into reality, wasn't a work and people were genuinely offended. Twisting and minimizing what happened is disrespectful because many people, besides myself, were affected.
If Montreal hadn't happened, I would have been more than happy to finish out
my career in the then-WWF. If I hadn't been in the WCW, I'd have been at Over The Edge and, I guarantee you, Owen would never have been up in the rafters in the first place -- so my brother wouldn't have died that day.
The Hart family wouldn't have been ripped apart during a lawsuit that never
would have ever happened.
I wouldn't have been in the WCW and sustained a career-ending concussion from
Bill Goldberg. Doctors tell me they can't rule out the possibility the severity and location of that concussion made me prone to the major stroke I suffered last year.
As I lay in the hospital with the entire left side of my body paralysed,
Vince called me. Even with the major heat between us, he still called.
. Shawn could have done the same. He didn't.
Now I feel betrayed by Vince -- again.
I feel as if he's trying to entice me into some sort of a response, maybe
because the WWE is coming to Calgary soon.
This column is my response and, no, I won't be at the show.
My father told me, just after Montreal happened, that if they take your
integrity you have nothing. I won't let him, myself, my family, friends and fans
down.
      Be Good, Be kind, be truthful and be free.  (Hothouse Flowers)

____________________________________________________________
 

[Don Jacob]

well i guess bret didn't wear pink all them year for nothin' ...lol what a lil girl

[Perfection]

well i guess bret didn't wear pink all them year for nothin' ...lol what a lil girl

Don't bad mouth a legend like Bret Hart

[Trauma-san]

I agree, what a queer.  He acts like he's over it, but you can practically smell the hate brimming under his comments.  

[js83]

damn some of ya just don't get it do u?...ya claiming that bret is still mad bout that shit...the reason he's talkin bout that is cuz fucking vince decided to bring that shit back up on last week's raw...seems like some of ya are too dumb to realize that. remember, its not bret, but WWE thats not letting this go...they will always bring this shit up somehow.

[Trauma-san]

^ And he can't let it slide, can he?  They're bringing it up for ratings, as an angle.  He's bringing it up because he can't let it go.  Any other time they do this to ANYBODY else, they don't get their panties all twisted.

[js83]

He's bringing it up because he can't let it go.  

u should be askin the same question bout vince...

[E. J. Rizo]

what happen at survivor series in 97?

[pappy]

what happen at survivor series in 97?

U DONT KNOW

IGHT I'LL break it down for u.  it was 1997 an wcw was killing the wwf raitings rise,  the wwf was running very low on established big names stars.  at the time all they had left were shawn michaels,  the undertaker,  an bret hart.  Bret's contract was about to run out so in a act of desperation vince signed bret to a 20 year contract b/c wcw was goin hard for bret to jump ship.  bret decided to stay with wwf out of loyalty.  but after a few months of the contract signing vince had to back out of the contract an let bret go.  well when this happened,  bret was still champion.  an there was no1 for bret to drop the belt 2 except HBK an the undertaker.  but taker was about to get involved in a fued with Kane when he debuted.  So the only person to drop the belt to was HBK.  Well bret an hbk had some serious heat in real life that even involved a real fight back stage in which HBK walked out of the wwf for few weeks.  On top of having a real life beef with HBK bret also did not want to drop the belt to shawn b/c survivor serious was takin place in montreal canada.  so the wwf came to this conclusion.  at survivor series HBK would put the sharp shooter on Bret an bret would break out of it an than DX would run in an the hart foundation an it would be a double DQ.  an the next night on raw bret would just give up the belt an i guess they would of had some sought of tourney to win the belt.  well the big night came an during the match shawn got bret in the sharp shooter.  Vince who was at ring side during the match along with every other wwf official vince yelled out ring the bell as bret was reversing the sharp shooter.  Bell rings an HBK wins.  bret had no clue what so ever about what just transpired

[Bigg AG]

man Bret Hart is a legend so was his bropther his brother was tha best villian ever... im out!!!

[PLANT]

I agree, what a queer.  He acts like he's over it, but you can practically smell the hate brimming under his comments.  

most definatly

[Jay ay Beee]

The question you need to ask yourselves is who brought the incident back up?

Bret Hart or Vince?

[Jay ay Beee]

what happen at survivor series in 97?

U DONT KNOW

IGHT I'LL break it down for u.  it was 1997 an wcw was killing the wwf raitings rise,  the wwf was running very low on established big names stars.  at the time all they had left were shawn michaels,  the undertaker,  an bret hart.  Bret's contract was about to run out so in a act of desperation vince signed bret to a 20 year contract b/c wcw was goin hard for bret to jump ship.  bret decided to stay with wwf out of loyalty.  but after a few months of the contract signing vince had to back out of the contract an let bret go.  well when this happened,  bret was still champion.  an there was no1 for bret to drop the belt 2 except HBK an the undertaker.  but taker was about to get involved in a fued with Kane when he debuted.  So the only person to drop the belt to was HBK.  Well bret an hbk had some serious heat in real life that even involved a real fight back stage in which HBK walked out of the wwf for few weeks.  On top of having a real life beef with HBK bret also did not want to drop the belt to shawn b/c survivor serious was takin place in montreal canada.  so the wwf came to this conclusion.  at survivor series HBK would put the sharp shooter on Bret an bret would break out of it an than DX would run in an the hart foundation an it would be a double DQ.  an the next night on raw bret would just give up the belt an i guess they would of had some sought of tourney to win the belt.  well the big night came an during the match shawn got bret in the sharp shooter.  Vince who was at ring side during the match along with every other wwf official vince yelled out ring the bell as bret was reversing the sharp shooter.  Bell rings an HBK wins.  bret had no clue what so ever about what just transpired

Plus he knocked Vince out backstage after the show

[Perfection]

The question you need to ask yourselves is who brought the incident back up?

Bret Hart or Vince?

Vince is the one who keeps on bringing it back up. 1st it was the Confidental show where they talked about it with HBK, the ref, Vince and Brisco. Then Vince did a "montreal srcew job 2" with Hogan and The Rock at No Way Out. Now this, so it means that this will be brought up everytime the WWE is in Montreal or even Calgary because that's where Bret is from.

Stop bad mouthing Bret.

[js83]

The question you need to ask yourselves is who brought the incident back up?

Bret Hart or Vince?

umm....it was vince that brought that shit back up...i mean isn't it pretty obvious by now? bret just let that shit go long time ago...but what happen last week? some of ya are talkin bout how bret is a crybaby and a bitch for not letting that go or whatever...when ya don't even know wtf ya talkin bout in the first place...