In 1997, Triple H began his rise to prominence, having transitioned away from his blue blood Hunter Hearst Helmsley character in order to become ‘The Game’. Part of this transition was the formation of D-Generation X. Aligning himself with Shawn Michaels, Chyna, and Rick Rude, the group was formed, later joined by X-Pac, The New Age Outlaws, and others.
Per a new report, it appears Triple H may have been involved in the Montreal Screwjob. Writing in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer divulged details of a conversation he’d had with Bret Hart ahead of the Wrestling With Shadows re-release, during which it’s alleged Triple H was made aware of the plans for the screwjob.
Triple H Told Shawn Michaels Not To Put Bret Hart Over
Discussing who knew about the situation, Dave Meltzer wrote that Triple H had reportedly told Shawn Michaels to not put over Bret Hart, as had originally been the decision due to the event taking place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The real-life Paul Levesque was allegedly against Michaels putting over ‘The Hitman’ due to his decision to depart for WCW.
Earl Hebner was also aware of the plans, due to him being the match’s official. The Hall of Fame official allegedly told the K&S Wrestlefest team that he, too, had been surprised by the incident. Bret Hart has since refuted these claims, claiming that Hebner should “know better”:
“That’s not true. He should know better about that. I was well under the understanding that they were going to try and screw me that day somehow. I was just determined not to let it happen.
Earl is a victim of being a coward. I told Earl the night before. I said, ‘They’re going to ask you to screw me tomorrow’.”
The Montreal Screwjob has been repeated on a handful of occasions, including one year after it first happened when The Rock defeated Mankind at the 1998 Survivor Series.