JBL Says the Montreal Screwjob Was the Biggest Victory in Wrestling History

John “Bradshaw” Layfield believes WWF came out ahead in the Montreal Screwjob because it led to the creation of the Mr. McMahon character. On the latest episode of Something to Wrestle, Conrad Thompson looked back at Bret Hart announcing his 20-year deal with WWF in 1996 and asked how things might have changed if Hart had stayed. JBL said fans were robbed of the matches Hart could have had in the late ’90s, but that the evil Mr. McMahon never would have existed without Montreal, and that Vince had to be talked into playing the character because he wanted to stay behind the scenes. You can check out his comments below:

On what was lost when Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were gone:

“I think a lot changes. We got robbed of so much. Think about how you’re giving your expectations and your forecasts for the next year, the next two years, the next five years. Vince loved doing that, looking out in a very long-term way. You look at it and go, ‘Okay, who’s our main star going to be? All right, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels.’ They’re the two guys that are gone, and so everything that we thought at that moment didn’t happen. Now, if Shawn hadn’t gotten hurt, think about the matches he and Bret could have had, the matches that Bret could have had with all those guys you mentioned. Does his legacy change? Oh my God, he’s already considered one of the all-time greats as it is. But the matches he could have had in the late ’90s and early 2000s, oh my God, he would have been in heaven, and so would the fans watching it.

“Now, it’d be interesting, because you wouldn’t have evil Mr. McMahon. We were already starting to win, catching up in the ratings at that time. So I think we still probably win the war, especially with what’s going on in WCW with the AOL merger. I think that pretty much solidified Bischoff’s demise, unfortunately, after he had turned the company around in such an unbelievable fashion. All of a sudden, the corporate structure is not going to work with him. So I think we still win the war, but I think it looks completely different.”

On the Montreal Screwjob creating the Mr. McMahon character:

“Yeah, 100%. You look at the Montreal Screwjob. We won that hands down. That’s the biggest victory in wrestling history. They got Bret Hart, who unfortunately had been a little diminished as far as the character. He lost the title, and they didn’t put him on TV right away for whatever reasons. But we got Mr. McMahon out of this, one of the greatest heels, maybe the greatest heel of all time, and you had that incredible feud with Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold. That Montreal Screwjob was the best thing that could happen to us because of that Mr. McMahon character.

“But Vince had to be talked into that. That was not something he wanted to do. He wanted to be the behind-the-scenes guy. He wanted to go out there only as needed. Vince was a pretty good commentator, and Vince took himself off the commentary booth because he wanted to produce things backstage. Vince did not necessarily want to be in front of the camera. So I don’t think you ever would have had that Mr. McMahon character if not for the Montreal Screwjob and Bret leaving.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Something to Wrestle with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.