The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 6

Shawn Michaels (November 9, 1997 - March 29, 1998)

Shawn Michaels puts the sharpshooter on Bret Hart at the infamous Survivor Series 1997

Montreal.

That one word tells a thousand stories. Every wrestling fan is aware of its significance and which match that Canadian city references.

On November 9, 1997, Bret "Hitman" Hart wrestled his final match in WWE for well over a decade. The only problem was, that was not supposed to be his last bout.

After Vince McMahon had advised Hart to seek employment with WCW, the WWE Champion had done so. He was due to start work for Eric Bischoff's company on December 1, 1997.

However, McMahon, at the height of the Monday Night War, became paranoid that Hart could show up in WCW whilst still recognized as his company figurehead.

It was a falsehood of course. Hart was far too loyal of a soldier to show up on WCW television with the WWE Championship. Also, he was legally forbidden from doing so. There was no chance it was going to happen.

However, where Hart went wrong was dictating to McMahon when and where he would lost the title. McMahon wanted Hart to lose in his home country of Canada; Montreal to be specific, versus Shawn Michaels.

Hart wasn't keen on losing in Canada, particularly to Michaels who had repeatedly denigrated him and his home country on televison. Hart believed a loss in Montreal would do irreparable damage to his "Hitman" character.

McMahon didn't care and when Hart refused to play ball (utilizing his creative control clause), the WWE boss took matters into his own hands.

When Michaels locked Hart in the sharpshooter submission hold, McMahon who was stood at ringside, demanded that the time-keeper ring the bell. Michaels was the new champion and Hart had been screwed.

A distraught Hart left for WCW and Michaels became reviled both onscreen and off for the part he had played in the double-cross.

However, Michaels soon had much bigger problems to contend with other than his popularity, when he suffered what was thought to be a career-ending back injury in his title defence versus The Undertaker at the 1998 Royal Rumble.

Michaels was immediately excused from all in-ring duties in the hopes his injury would heal. It didn't and he did not wrestle again until WrestleMania XIV to pass the torch to McMahon's latest attempt to find a company figurehead to reverse his company's declining fortune. That man was Stone Cold Steve Austin.