JBL Says Recalls Leaving Survivor Series ’97 Before Montreal Screwjob, Regrets Not Being There

On the latest episode of Something To Wrestle With, JBL talked about the Montreal Screwjob, where Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of the WWF Title against Shawn Michaels in the main event of Survivor Series 1997 as Hart was leaving for WCW and refused to lose to Shawn at the event. You can check out some highlights below:

On where he was during the Montreal Screwjob: “One of the dumbest things I ever did — you know, we used to always leave before the main event was over. And it was just kind of standard, because we worked on the road 300 days a year, we had to get down the road. You know, I get that. The guys that were on the main event would have the parameter of coming to the shows a little bit later. And so it kind of all worked out. Barry Windham and I — Barry had arranged for us to go to Japan for the All Japan Tag Team Tournament with Stan and Doc and Bobby Duncan and Albright and Laurinaitis all those guys. Kobashi and Misawa and all those guys. So we were about to fly to Japan either the next day or the following day, I can’t remember. It was like a day or two later, but we were flying out of Toronto or Ottawa or somewhere. We weren’t flying out of Montreal; we were flying out of a different city. So we had a four or five-week trip to Japan coming up.

“So I was in the dressing room. And I want to make this perfectly clear. Anybody who says — and now listen, I can’t read minds, but I know from where I was in the dressing room. Anybody who says, ‘People thought something was up,’ they weren’t there. Nobody thought something was up. So we thought something could happen. Tim White was there in the dressing room. I said, ‘Hey, Tim, is anything gonna happen tonight?’ He goes, ‘No, I don’t think so, kid.’ No one thought anything of it. No one thought this screw job was coming that Briscoe had arranged with Sean. Right before the match, Dave Hebner comes in and grabs him and Earl’s bags. This is the only time that somebody said something about it. I said something to Dave. I said, ‘Hey, Dave, what’s going on?’ And just kind of ribbing, you know, I didn’t think anything of it, really. And he said, ‘Oh, just going to get our bags so we get out of here quicker.’ I didn’t realize in hindsight, Dave had just been told by Earl — you know, Jerry Briscoe waited right up until almost the music was playing to tell Earl what was going to happen. And he said, ‘Get Dave, and get your car and get it set.’ Dave comes to the dressing room. I’m in the dressing room when this happens in front of all the boys. And I say, ‘Hey Dave, something going to happen?’ Because he’s putting the bags together in quite a hurry. And he said, ‘No, no, we’re just getting our stuff together so we get out of the building.’ In hindsight, I realized David had just been smartened up that something big was going to happen, and that’s why he was putting his bags in the car.”

On leaving before the Screwjob: “So the match gets in the ring, it looks like it’s a normal match. Man, I regret this to this day. Me and Windham get in the car and leave and miss the entire Montreal Screwjob. So I was there all day, saw all of it, saw Dave put the stuff in the car. And we leave literally right before it happened. I’m still, I’m so pissed off to this day that I wasn’t there.”

On not having Undertaker in the match: “Yeah, and Undertaker was there that night in Montreal. You know, he was there in case — he was there a few times for things, in case something had happened. It’s like having an alternate for a UFC fight, somebody there n case something happens, in case whatever. You know, you had to have a backup plan. And you know, he’s the ultimate ‘break glass.’ He’s the guy you always called anytime something happened in WWE, Undertaker was a guy you always called.”

On his take on the Screwjob: “There’s so much to unravel with this. You know, people — I believe Bret Hart. And Bret Hart’s a man of his word, and if Bret Hart said he wasn’t going to take that on WCW television, I 100% believe Bret Hart. Bret Hart is a man of his word and stop, full stop. That’s it. I believe Bret. I don’t believe Eric Bischoff. Because Eric didn’t give his word, you know? They’d already done the stuff with Madusa, with the belt and trash can, which I think had a big influence on this by the way. You’d already done this stuff with Flair in the early ’90s, with the NWA Title with WWE. I mean, there’s historical precedent for this. You can go back to the beginning of time — at the beginning of time in wrestling — and see what has gone on with championship belts going to different federations. We’re getting our ass kicked by WCW, we’re getting beat. They’re trying to put us completely out of business. I mean, I’m looking at going to Japan and trying to get a jobm because I don’t think they’re going to re-sign me and I have no idea what’s going to happen. We’re in dire straits. We can’t risk that title being on WCW television.

“And again, let me reiterate: I believe Bret Hart. If Bret had said he wouldn’t have done it, Bret would not have done it. Bret is a man of integrity, he’s a man of his word, But Bischoff didn’t give his word, and neither did anybody in WCW, and I don’t blame them. This is competition, this is a zero-sum game. Somebody’s going out of business here. And whoever goes out of business, we’re going to lose our mortgages. We’re going to lose our savings. I mean, we’re at war with each other. And so whatever they’re going to try to do, they’re going to try to do. Don’t blame them. We would have done the same exact thing, I don’t think under any circumstances that you could have let that title get down to WCW. As far as it being Shawn or Taker? No, it’s Vince’s belt. He should be able to put it on whoever he wants. And I get it, maybe it’s easier to do it that way. But at some point, I think — you know, Vince has a backbone too. You know, he has an ego too. And at some point you say, ‘Hey, you can’t do that. Do something else.’ At some point, whether it’s good business or bad business, egos bow up and go, ‘You know what? I have an ego, too. And you want to back me into a corner. I’ll back you in a corner.’ Is that childish? Is that good business? Don’t know, but it’s human nature, and I think that’s what happened.”

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