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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
The screw job worked out very well for Vince. I don’t pretend to know the truth, but I don’t think wrestling angles are the most well thought out things in the world. It could have been a way for both parties to save face and nothing more than that. The reasons why this hasn’t totally rung true to me:
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That was more fortunate then planning. At the time, the WWE was getting pummeled and in real danger of going under. Paychecks were bouncing on a Canadian tour. Vince stumbled into the attitude era that only worked because he became the biggest heel in the company after the Bret screwed Bret speech. After he made that his advisors pushed him into a huge on screen role.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Why didn’t Bret just let Shawn go over? He knew he was leaving and he lost to him before. Yes it was in Canada but I think Bret knew wresting was fake and that it was simply accepted in wrestling to leave a promotion on your back. He seriously thought his employer would be good with him just handing over the belt, leaving the promotion as a champion? Bret is smarter than that, isn’t he?
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This goes back to a meeting between Bret and Shawn, where Bret had a meeting with Vince and Shawn before Vince tried to get out of his contract and stated that he was willing to do what's best for the company and put Shawn over if it was called for. This was after a backstage feud with Shawn with the infamous Sunny days promo that lead to Bret punching Shawn out backstage and Shawn going off to find his smile garbage. When Bret tried to make peace, Shawn informed him and Vince that he had no intention of paying that back or letting any other performer go over him. This was at both the height of Shawn's backstage power, and also Shawn was at the height of being a back stage destructive influence on the company. Bret was very traditional. But at that point Bret and Shawn were so fractured that Bret when it came time for Montreal absolutely refused to let Shawn go over him, instead Bret offered to let Austin or Mankind go over him for the belt. He even offered to drop the belt the next night on Raw.
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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
His reaction seemed overblown. Destroying the monitors etc?
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He saw Vince as a father figure and absolutely trusted him to do the right thing, they had agreed earlier that day for the match to be a DQ and for Bret to hand over the belt the next night. Instead Vince came out and screwed over Bret and what's worse Earl Hebner who had swore up and down to Bret that he wouldn't let anything happen to Bret was part of the conspiracy. Basically his reaction was a blow up over the war with Shawn, Vince betraying him. It was a pretty muted reaction compared to what it could have been because Bret was really respected as a legitimate well trained shooter. Also the reaction from the undertaker and Mankind boycotting Raw the next night which was costly to ratings.
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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
The unparalleled access of the documentary on Bret. And the incredibly lucky timing.
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Remember that the documentary was being shot long before Vince tried to get out of his contract with Bret.
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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
The great camerawork capturing the whole thing.
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WWE camera work has always been amazing though.
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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
To me the greatest argument suggesting it was real is both sides sticking to their story for so long.
Work or shoot, doesn’t really change much for me with how I think about it.
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There was legitimate heat between Vince and Bret, remember that after the death of Owen, Vince completely buried Bret after the funeral. It wasn't until Bret had his stroke and one of the first people to check on him was Vince that the ice was broken.
I have my doubts that this was a work, I think it was pretty legit. Like I said the biggest thing for me is that if WCW had known what to do with Bret when he got there, WWE would probably be dead now. They had the hottest commodity in Wrestling with a naturally built storyline. Instead Eric let Nash and Hogan flat out kill Bret's heat.