17.07.2003, 00:03
Auszug aus der Calgary Sun Kolumne wo Bret ueber HBK und Vince sprach:
Oh no, not that again.
That was my reaction when I heard they were playing clips of the Montreal screw job on Raw last Monday.
I couldn't help but think: Why dredge the whole stinkin' mess up again?
It was 5 1/2 years ago, why can't they get over it?
So I turned on Raw to see Shawn Michaels tell the world he has apologized to
me and we should all just get over it and get on with our lives.
Hey, we were doing that ... until Vince decided to bring the whole thing up
again.
Vince is more at fault here than Shawn because he's the one who scripted it.
But Shawn isn't in the clear, either, because the fact is, I have never
received an apology from him -- public or private -- for his role in the Survivor
Series '97 screw job. In fact, in at least one TV interview, Shawn actually
said he would do it again.
Shawn claiming he apologized is just another step by Vince to rewrite
history.
Yes, Shawn has said in various interviews he's sorry the whole thing
happened. So am I. But at no time has Shawn ever acknowledged what he did was wrong. He rationalizes his actions by saying he just did what his boss -- the
promoter -- told him to do. He seems to be missing the point - so did I!
When I saw Shawn on Off The Record I felt sorry for him when he said God
tells you to respect authority so he had to do what Vince told him. For someone to
talk about an apology that never happened is disappointing.
So I had to ask myself why Vince would script such a segment. The obvious
answer is ratings -- but at what cost?
In the past year, Vince and I have been on speaking terms. It was my
impression we'd come to an understanding not to take pokes at each other anymore.
We've even spoken about the possibility of doing some future business together.
How could Vince think I'd interpret a stunt like this as anything but
(another) slap in the face? So, why pull a stunt like this? Maybe because it's the one stench Vince hasn't been able to wipe off his hands and he can't stand it because he can't control it. Even now, whenever the WWE goes to Montreal, the fans chant: 'You screwed Bret.' In a business where fans often have a short memory, many still feel passionately about what happened
at Survivor Series '97 because it crossed the line into reality, wasn't a work and people were genuinely offended. Twisting and minimizing what happened is disrespectful because many people, besides myself, were affected.
If Montreal hadn't happened, I would have been more than happy to finish out
my career in the then-WWF. If I hadn't been in the WCW, I'd have been at Over The Edge and, I guarantee you, Owen would never have been up in the rafters in the first place -- so my brother wouldn't have died that day.
The Hart family wouldn't have been ripped apart during a lawsuit that never
would have ever happened.
I wouldn't have been in the WCW and sustained a career-ending concussion from
Bill Goldberg. Doctors tell me they can't rule out the possibility the severity and location of that concussion made me prone to the major stroke I suffered last year.
As I lay in the hospital with the entire left side of my body paralysed,
Vince called me. Even with the major heat between us, he still called.
. Shawn could have done the same. He didn't.
Now I feel betrayed by Vince -- again.
I feel as if he's trying to entice me into some sort of a response, maybe
because the WWE is coming to Calgary soon.
This column is my response and, no, I won't be at the show.
My father told me, just after Montreal happened, that if they take your
integrity you have nothing. I won't let him, myself, my family, friends and fans
down.
Be Good, Be kind, be truthful and be free.
Oh no, not that again.
That was my reaction when I heard they were playing clips of the Montreal screw job on Raw last Monday.
I couldn't help but think: Why dredge the whole stinkin' mess up again?
It was 5 1/2 years ago, why can't they get over it?
So I turned on Raw to see Shawn Michaels tell the world he has apologized to
me and we should all just get over it and get on with our lives.
Hey, we were doing that ... until Vince decided to bring the whole thing up
again.
Vince is more at fault here than Shawn because he's the one who scripted it.
But Shawn isn't in the clear, either, because the fact is, I have never
received an apology from him -- public or private -- for his role in the Survivor
Series '97 screw job. In fact, in at least one TV interview, Shawn actually
said he would do it again.
Shawn claiming he apologized is just another step by Vince to rewrite
history.
Yes, Shawn has said in various interviews he's sorry the whole thing
happened. So am I. But at no time has Shawn ever acknowledged what he did was wrong. He rationalizes his actions by saying he just did what his boss -- the
promoter -- told him to do. He seems to be missing the point - so did I!
When I saw Shawn on Off The Record I felt sorry for him when he said God
tells you to respect authority so he had to do what Vince told him. For someone to
talk about an apology that never happened is disappointing.
So I had to ask myself why Vince would script such a segment. The obvious
answer is ratings -- but at what cost?
In the past year, Vince and I have been on speaking terms. It was my
impression we'd come to an understanding not to take pokes at each other anymore.
We've even spoken about the possibility of doing some future business together.
How could Vince think I'd interpret a stunt like this as anything but
(another) slap in the face? So, why pull a stunt like this? Maybe because it's the one stench Vince hasn't been able to wipe off his hands and he can't stand it because he can't control it. Even now, whenever the WWE goes to Montreal, the fans chant: 'You screwed Bret.' In a business where fans often have a short memory, many still feel passionately about what happened
at Survivor Series '97 because it crossed the line into reality, wasn't a work and people were genuinely offended. Twisting and minimizing what happened is disrespectful because many people, besides myself, were affected.
If Montreal hadn't happened, I would have been more than happy to finish out
my career in the then-WWF. If I hadn't been in the WCW, I'd have been at Over The Edge and, I guarantee you, Owen would never have been up in the rafters in the first place -- so my brother wouldn't have died that day.
The Hart family wouldn't have been ripped apart during a lawsuit that never
would have ever happened.
I wouldn't have been in the WCW and sustained a career-ending concussion from
Bill Goldberg. Doctors tell me they can't rule out the possibility the severity and location of that concussion made me prone to the major stroke I suffered last year.
As I lay in the hospital with the entire left side of my body paralysed,
Vince called me. Even with the major heat between us, he still called.
. Shawn could have done the same. He didn't.
Now I feel betrayed by Vince -- again.
I feel as if he's trying to entice me into some sort of a response, maybe
because the WWE is coming to Calgary soon.
This column is my response and, no, I won't be at the show.
My father told me, just after Montreal happened, that if they take your
integrity you have nothing. I won't let him, myself, my family, friends and fans
down.
Be Good, Be kind, be truthful and be free.