Why did Vince McMahon decide to "screw" Bret Hart at WWE Survivor Series 1997?

Vince McMahon, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels are among those who were heavily involved in the Montreal Screwjob. However, there is a belief that the 1997 incident occurred due to the actions of another Hall of Famer.

Alundra Blayze (aka Madusa) signed with WWE (then WWF) in 1993 and quickly won the WWF Women's Championship. However, she left the company in 1995 despite still being the champion.

In December 1995, Blayze appeared in the former rival company of the Stamford-based promotion, WCW. During her first appearance back in the company, she threw the WWF Women's Championship into a trash can. Two years later, this moment significantly influenced the Montreal Screwjob.

In 1997, it was known that Bret Hart was already on his way to WCW. However, he refused to drop his WWE Championship to Shawn Michaels. Still, Hart agreed with Vince McMahon's plans to end the bout via disqualification, allowing The Hitman to retain while losing to Michaels.

During the match at Survivor Series 1997, plans were changed, and Hart lost his championship to Michaels in front of his home crowd. HBK locked The Hitman in the Sharpshooter, and despite not tapping out, the referee ended the match via submission. This angle meant Michaels became the new champion.

It is believed that McMahon decided to "screw" Bret Hart to avoid an incident like Alundra jumping ship to WCW despite holding a WWE title. Former WWE writer Vince Russo even agreed with this belief and said:

"It was horrible. It was terrible. It was really, really bad. But having been a main part of that, as much as I've had my differences with Vince McMahon over the years, I really believe that Vince was protecting his company. Vince [McMahon] was afraid, keep in mind, the Alundra Blayze thing had just happened with her throwing the title, and Vince was afraid the same thing would happen."

Besides Vince McMahon, is there another person who "screwed" Bret Hart?

While most people believe McMahon was the catalyst behind the 1997 incident, another person who was allegedly behind the screwjob is Triple H.

Dave Meltzer reported that while Vince McMahon was discussing the bout with Michaels, Triple H suggested "screwing" Bret Hart since The Hitman was already on his way out of the company.

"Wednesday before Survivor Series Vince called Hart up and suggested that if Michaels was to put over Hart in Montreal, would he then put over Michaels clean and Hart agreed to it. Vince called Michaels, who was with HHH. In the conversation, HHH told Michaels not to put Hart over because Hart was leaving.''

It was interesting to learn how Alundra's WCW actions possibly influenced the infamous Montreal Screwjob. Still, it looks like Bret Hart may have already forgiven those involved in the 1997 incident.