Shawn Michaels said on WWE Confidential today that he knew about the ending to the Montreal screwjob. If I'm not mistaken, he has never admitted that before.
I always speculated that maybe he didn't know because, strictly speaking, he didn't need to. But, realistically, I suppose this is the only thing that makes sense.
The piece wasn't quite a hatchet job on Bret, but it definitely painted him as the bad guy. They specifically claimed that Bret "refused to drop the belt to anyone under any circumstances", and they pretty much presented it as something that had to be done, with Shawn and Vince as the brave people who performed their duty.
With Brisco saying like 5 times "That was a very coragous thing Shawn did that night," as well as "Shawn became a man that night," the bias was obviously there. I still thought it was a good piece on an otherwise boring show though.
Man, that interview was just HARSH and most likely closed the doors on Bret ever returning to the WWF. Shawn laughing when he admitted to knowing, Brisco claiming that "Shawn became a man that night" and Vince claiming that he marched into Bret's dressing room to "let him get his one payback shot" really painted Bret as the bad guy in the situation which is certainly debatable. I am expecting a might scathing column in the Calgary Sun out of Bret this week. The show also ended with Ivory talking about Women with breast implants the size of their heads while showing a ton of old footage of Sable. After the first episode it seems like the show was just derived to continue to prod at old talent who left the federation but at least Mean Gene was funny in a perverse old man sort of way.
Well, then whose up next? They could run a hell of a show about Shawn Michaels if they wanted to. With all the crap he pulled over the years. To bad Vince seems to fear the guy.
I figure they'll do a show slamming Jesse Ventura one day, and Jeff Jarrett.
(edited by Redhawk1810 on 25.5.02 2117)
"From this point on, I will prove that I am the best this bitchness has to offer, and if anybody wanna tempt ... test me, step to me like a man." -- Booker T
"Booker T, I know you don't want me; because it's obvious I beat your ass so bad you forgot where the barbershop was!" -- Scott Steiner
HTSB: If Bret HAD just unconditionally refused to drop the belt to anyone, then he would be the bad guy, since that would be a totally unreasonable thing to do. However, I think it's very clear that that's not what happened. Depending on who you believe, he refused to lose it in Canada; he refused to lose it to Michaels; or he refused to lose it in Canada to Michaels. Whichever it is, what they said on Confidential is in all probability, a total lie.
What it ends up being is not a good guy/bad guy situation. I don't know what they should have done, because I don't know what exactly Bret was asking for, but I know it wasn't what they said.
For those who didn't watch the show, I should explain that Shawn said that he was told about the finish a few minutes before the match, so he was saying it was someone else's idea. Hebner said the same thing. According to the show, Vince and Brisco (not Patterson) were the only management types who knew, and presumably the ones who decided to do it.
I thought Shawn said that Brisco told him the finish the night before. He or Brisco mentioned going to Shawn's hotel room and working out how to do the ending and how to protect himself if Bret went for him afterwards.
I was stunned to see footage from Wrestling With Shadows footage. Until the lines about "Shawn becoming a man" and "not owing Bret anything" I thought this might be Vince's way of trying to mend fences. Coming out with the truth about things, Shawn admitting he knew...but then it all just fell downhill.
"You used it to shove your miserable daughter down our throats week in and week out...not anymore!" - Ric Flair gives me hope, Raw 3/18/02
"I thought it was cool how HHH just tossed Jericho out of the ring and made him vanish, possibly into another dimension, at the end of the match." - Dr. Unlikely says the funniest thing I've ever read on Wienerville
spf: I'm sorry, you're right, HBK did say he was "instructed" to do it the night before. It was probably Hebner who said he was told a few minutes before the match.
I think HBK summed it up very nicely when he said until you have a million dollar company of your own, you can't say you wouldn't do the very same thing.
It also kinda raises questions about Foley's accounting of the incident in Have A Nice Day, where he talks about seeing Shawn throw a fit because there was no way he'd accept the belt under those circumstances. Was Shawn just acting for the good of the other boys in the back? Did Foley make that part up?
Well there is Brets' wrestling with shadows side, there's Vince's Confidentical side, and I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle. I'm actually more on Vince's side, how dumb is Bret to think he was going to just give the title up on Monday and say "well I'm off to Nitro". And to be honest if a major PPV and a feud of a decade ended in a run in I'd be really pissed off.
The RVD tights making segment was cool dude. I'm an RVD mark, stuff like that interest's me... Ivory segment was interesting she pretty much said she had work done (I noticed when she made her 2 week tV comeback she looked much bigger and had work done)I personally think no girl need implants while Ivory said if it makes you feel better do it. But I did agree with her saying that if you make them to big for your body you look like a clown *coughTerricough* and the same time they did show Sable, also showed Chyna and somehow found footage of BB, all fit in that category.
But the highlight of the show Had to be Trish Stratus, and her kick ass house. I've always adored Trish, could be her desire to always get better. Could be her "sof luv" body. Could be her special friendship with travel buddy Lilian Garcia. For whatever reason I *mark* for Trish. But seeing her house put me over the edge in my markitude for her
First off she had a fridge full of MOLSONS!!!... A billard table,a foosball table and a huge table hockey set. She's got these little figures of Leaf players Sundin and Cujo... She's got this kick ass lazy boy style couch, and something you turn the backs down and a drink holder pops up... I want to live at her place, sex would be a bonus, well a major bonus "let me house site for you Trish when you are gone"... You know what's really funny Trish's house is a lot more guyish and fun looking then the Hardyz house that excess visited a few months back.
Another thing I noticed her house is full of wrestling stuff, she's a major fan maybe even a little of a mark (in a good proud of what she's done way NOT in a better then everyone else way)... She's got wrestling videos, wrestling figures, a replica belt signafying her first womens title victory, newspaper clipings, and magazine covers (including Apter mags, PWI and other indy wrestling mags).. I think if she finished first in a slashaward she'd probably printed up and posted (lol)... This really shows Trish as someone who loves what she's doing and not using just as a stepping stone like the majority of the other women that past by, and seeing her as one of the best all round performers right now, it shows it
I don't get it, everyone loves rats, but they don't want to drink the rats milk?
I'm as big a fan of Bret as anybody, but like Davey said right before he died, Bret should've lost the belt when they told him too because that's how the business works.
I'm a Cruiserweight, how do you lik... OH MY GOD I PUT ON WEIGHT!
Originally posted by Jay BowerMan, that interview was just HARSH and most likely closed the doors on Bret ever returning to the WWF. Shawn laughing when he admitted to knowing, Brisco claiming that "Shawn became a man that night" and Vince claiming that he marched into Bret's dressing room to "let him get his one payback shot" really painted Bret as the bad guy in the situation which is certainly debatable...
Wouldn't this be the GREATEST way to book a return for both, though???
It would be a good way for Michaels to get over as a heel, without being reduced to the nWo gimmick, and will be a great progression of his character...
As for Hart, I doubt he would ever return, BUT...
This would be the biggest way for a return. There is a built in long, heated and mostly public history between Vince/Michaels and Bret Hart.
I should just be quiet, though...
because the wave from the Canuck Smarks' collective orgasm that would follow, would surely kill us all.
Bret Hart has said before though that he wouldn't come back like that because it would basically make an angle out of something that was very real, and his years of bitching would be thrown out as nothing.
gee, Shawn Michaels painting Bret as the bad guy -- what a shock!
I'll say one thing about HBK: I've seen him on talk shows as "himself", i.e. break kayfabe, and even when he thinks he's being charming, he comes across as the most unlikeable little prick you'll ever meet.
So for all the years of hard work Bret put into the WWF, I don't blame him for refusing to drop the title in Canada to a disrespectful wiseass.
PS: Stacey Kiebler proves that implants have nothing to do with the audience finding you sexy, and everything to do with Vince's personal taste in women as cartoons.