The First Screwjob In WWE History Wasn't Montreal

The Montreal Screwjob was one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history, and even today — despite both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels having moved past it — it's still often brought up as a black mark on the industry. However, as controversial as it was, the Montreal Screwjob wasn't the first time WWE forced a wrestler to lose without prior planning.

WWE's "Golden Era" was led by stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, and The Ultimate Warrior. However, a "Golden Era" icon few talk about today was Wendi Richter, who quickly became one of the most popular women's wrestlers after defeating Fabulous Moolah at The Brawl to End It All, in 1985. RIchter even worked with pop icon Cyndi Lauper on screen multiple times. While the "Dallas Cowgirl" won the Women's Championship on two occasions, her popularity fell off despite being a featured character on the "Hulk Hogan Rock 'n' Wrestling" animated show; she still battled to get paid better according to her workrate and popularity.

Back in 2022, Richter appeared on "Busted Open Radio," where she revealed the stark difference in the pay she made compared to the men on the roster. According to the veteran, she spent all of her money on hotels, rental cars, and food, adding that she made less money than those on the opening match despite being a semi main-event star, earning around a third of what these wrestlers were making, which she eventually took up with Vince McMahon.

The pay dispute with Vince McMahon turned the former WWE head sour against Wendi Richter, leading him to booking her into a feud against Spider Lady at Madison Square Garden, but instead of the women behind the mask, Penny Mitchell, it was Fabulous Moolah again. The match itself was aggressive, which even the commentators noticed, but ultimately the match ended when Moolah rolled Richter up and the referee executed a lightning fast three count that Richter even missed, as she continued to wrestle afterwards, hitting Moolah with a backbreaker and pinning her after unmasking her.

Unfortunately, the loss not only stripped Richter of her title but she'd not wrestle for another few years and never found the same success in the industry. During the same interview with "Busted Open Radio," the Richter recalled the events and noted that she wished she had knocked Moolah's dentures down her throat instead of stopping. Additionally, she opined that Moolah Moolah should simply not have been wrestling in the '80s, and that she ended up making the business look bad. 

Richter has also claimed that she wasn't proud of her matches with Moolah, adding that the late WWE Hall of Famer was simply out to hurt people. Richter's resentment for her former mentor went so far that back in 2010, ahead of her induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, she was asked to take part in a Battle Royal and noted that she didn't want to get paid, but added the condition that Moolah shouldn't be involved, only to find out that she had died years prior.