A screwjob in professional wrestling is when the predetermined outcome of a match is changed without the knowledge of one of the wrestlers. The most infamous example of a screwjob occurred on November 9, 1997, at the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) Survivor Series event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when Vince McMahon ordered referee Earl Hebner to end the match between Bret "Hitman" Hart and Shawn Michaels, costing Hart the championship title and making that night Hart's last with the company for several years. Hart would spit in McMahon's face at ringside and later punch McMahon in the face in the locker room as a result of the screwjob.
Nearly 12 years before the Montreal Screwjob, on November 25, 1985, Vince McMahon conducted a similar screwjob to then WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter at Madison Square Garden. Allegedly based on a financial dispute, Richter was not told she would be losing the title that evening, and after losing the title would never wrestle for the WWF again. After nearly 20 years of no contact, Richter was asked to be a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, which she accepted in 2010.
WWF Women's Championship Title Match
Wendi Richter vs The Spider
November 25, 1985
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
Bonus Interview with Vince McMahon
Tuesday Night Titans
Aired July 17, 1984
