Bret Hart Did Not Speak To Jim Ross For Years Over WWE Decision

Veteran wrestling announcer Jim Ross was an observer at the infamous 1997 WWE Survivor Series match where Bret Hart lost the WWE Title to Shawn Michaels under circumstances that became known as the Montreal Screwjob. But speaking on his "Grilling JR" podcast, Ross stated that Hart nonetheless was angry with him after the match was over.

"We went for years [and] never spoke because he didn't believe I was not a party to it," Ross said. "The truth was, I was not a party to it. The truth was, I didn't even know the f***ing finish." Ross recalled that he and Jerry Lawler "were whisked away by security" during the tumult at the end of the match where Earl Hebner signaled the timekeeper to call for a submission without Hart actually submitting. Ross was placed in Vince McMahon's office at the Molson Centre and was told by the WWE chief executive not to open the door for anyone but him.

"After the show, I was confused, I was upset — didn't think it could go to that extreme," Ross added. In looking back, Ross belittled the title that Hart lost, referring to it as "a prop, a goddamn prop ... stage attire-type thing. It's a prop for a fictional presentation." While Ross admitted he is tired of hearing about the incident — "I suffered so much about it, because it's ad nauseam," he said — he added there was a warm post-script to the incident when Hart later returned to WWE nearly a decade later. "I'm glad to some degree that the story has a happy ending," he said, observing that it "was emotional for Bret to come back, get a hug and be in a ring and then finally have his meeting with Shawn."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Grilling JR" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.