5 WWE Matches with the Most Controversial Finishes

#1 The Montreal Screwjob

There may no more controversial moment in wrestling history than the Montreal Screwjob.

While most of the matches discussed in this article were a result of careful planning—for better or worse—that everyone involved understood in their way to the ring, the Montreal Screwjob represents a different dynamic.

Bret Hart was leaving WWE and had refused to drop the WWE Championship to real life rival Shawn Michaels on his way out the door. So, we got a conspiratorial finish of The Hitman legitimately thinking he was working toward a draw in the Survivor Series main event, whereas Vince McMahon had planned to ring the bell to suggest Hart had submitted in front of his Canadian fans, just as soon as Michaels applied a familiar submission hold.

The chaotic scene to follow, including Hart spitting on McMahon at ringside and decking him backstage, before leaving for WCW, made this one of the most widely talked about, historically interesting controversial finishes wrestling had ever seen. Even to this day, questions linger as to who was “in on” the scheme, or if it’s possible it wasn’t a screwjob at all and Hart himself was part of the plan so as to maximize his hear on his way to his next job.