The Montreal Screwjob essentially gave birth to the evil “Mr. McMahon” character and paved the way for WWE’s Attitude Era — one of the most successful periods in the promotion’s history. Because of this, some people believe that the Montreal Screwjob was staged, designed to stir controversy and generate headlines. In fact, the scheme was kept so close to the vest that some of Vince McMahon’s closest confidants, including his long-time right-hand man Bruce Prichard, weren’t in on it. As such, you can understand why some people are skeptical about its validity.

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During the documentary, Prichard revealed that was told the match would have a “schmozz finish.” This is industry lingo for a bout ending with a giant brawl, and this is also the outcome Bret Hart agreed to heading into WWE Survivor Series 1997. That said, “The Hitman” was suspicious of shady behavior going into the bout, as he remembered when McMahon screwed Wendy Richter out of the title in a similar fashion.

Regardless of the finish, the subjects who were interviewed for “Mr. McMahon” insist that it wasn’t a work. Furthermore, it seems that only a select few people knew about the controversial incident before it happened, as they clearly didn’t want word getting back to “The Hitman.”