Earl Hebner Says He’s ‘Not Going To Lie Anymore’ About The Montreal Screwjob

Viceland‘s Dark Side of the Ring series has been digging into underbelly of the wrestling business, with episodes already released about the relationship between Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, the death of Bruiser Brody, and the Montreal Screwjob.

The Montreal Screwjob has occupied the minds of wrestling fans, especially those who are also conspiracy enthusiasts, since it occurred at Survivor Series 1997 and has already been explored from just about every angle by many people on a variety of platforms. But in an interview with Bully Ray on Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio, referee Earl Hebner provides a new perspective.

Hebner first tells Ray that he thinks Hart knew “before the match” that Shawn Michaels was going to put him in the Sharpshooter. When asked if he thinks Hart was in on the work, Hebner says, “Yeah, I really do. I’m not going to lie about it anymore. I’ve been trying to protect Bret, but I bet you one hundred percent, one hundred and ten percent that Shawn Michaels knew what was going on.”

The second half of that answer sounds much less definitive than the first, and Hebner continues to get less specific about his opinion of the reality of the Screwjob. Hebner says, “I have different feelings about he did know and he didn’t know, to be honest with you. Like I said, just hearing rumors for the past eighteen, nineteen years, it’s almost been questionable, in some sense, that both of them knew.”

The Viceland documentary features a variety of viewpoints on the Screwjob, with the perspectives of Bruce Pritchard, Jim Cornette, Bret Hart, Scott Hall, and more. Hart maintains the position on the incident he’s held for years, Cornette says the screwing aspect of the match was legitimate, and Hall claims the whole thing was a work. You can watch it and the other episodes of Dark Side of the Ring here.