Bret Hart on Knocking Out Vince McMahon: "I Wouldn't Change a Thing—He Can Rot in Hell"

Bret "The Hitman" Hart recently opened up on the Attitude Era podcast, reflecting on the infamous night in 1997 known as the Montreal Screwjob, where he was controversially denied the WWE World Title by Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. The event remains one of the most talked-about moments in wrestling history.

In his interview, Hart shared vivid details of the confrontation with McMahon that took place backstage after the match. He recounted how he crossed paths with wrestling legend Jimmy Snuka and expressed his pride in having knocked McMahon out.

Hart minced no words when describing the situation: "The Montreal Screwjob and all the lies and things they did to me... I have so much respect for what I did. If you were in my shoes, after everything I did for them, and they did that to me. I always hear this crap like Undertaker saying, ‘they had to do what they were going to do. There was no other option.’ Bullshit. I had another six weeks left on my contract. There were a million things that could have been done. It was a case of liars, cheaters, backstabbers—Shawn, Triple H, Vince McMahon. I wish I knocked them all out. I have no regrets. It was the single greatest thing I ever did."

Hart also recounted a memorable encounter with Jimmy Snuka years later: "Jimmy Snuka came up to me about three years after the Montreal Screwjob. He shook my hand and said, ‘I want to shake the hand of the man that knocked out Vince McMahon. Everybody talked about doing it, but the one guy who did it was you.’ That’s why he shook my hand. It says more about my real personality. I was never a hothead. If you were in my shoes that day, Vince was calling my bluff. He wanted an altercation, something he could use to show he stood his ground. But in those fleeting seconds, I realized, ‘I can’t believe Vince McMahon is actually going to confront me.’ We walked up to each other, locked up like a wrestling match, and then I knocked him out with one punch. It was the greatest punch I ever threw. Absolutely beautiful uppercut. I lifted him about a foot off the ground, broke my hand. It was the sweetest punch I ever threw. I wouldn’t change anything about it. Vince McMahon can rot in hell."

Hart’s reflection on this incident is a stark reminder of the tension and betrayal that characterized that era of professional wrestling. McMahon, who is no longer with WWE or TKO following the Janel Grant lawsuit and remains under federal investigation, was at the center of one of wrestling’s most shocking moments. You can listen to Hart’s full interview below.