WWE fans are revisiting one of the biggest scandals in the history of professional wrestling this week, following Tuesday's release of what is said to be the most controversial wrestling tell-all of 2012.
"Inside The Montreal Screw Job: Who Really Got Screwed in the WWE?" is a compelling and completely unauthorized look at what may have actually happened at Survivor Series 1997.
Author Charles Taylor spoke exclusively Wednesday morning with WWE Examiner to talk about his new book, which was "derived from exclusive interviews, extensive investigative research, and a healthy dose of common sense."
"I never believed Montreal was real," Taylor admits, adding that his book is largely based on the suspicion that Bret Hart may have "been in on the finish" at all times.
The Montreal Screwjob refers to a controversial and supposedly real life professional wrestling event in which WWE owner Vince McMahon double-crossed champion Bret Hart during the main event of the 1997 Survivor Series.
The author says Sports Entertainment Publishing is the first to put out a book that explores the possibility of Montreal being a "work."
"This is not something WWE probably wants you to read," Taylor says. "It was not written by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the company in any way. If Montreal was a 'work,' they certainly wouldn't tell me or anyone else. Vine McMahon has done well for himself off of the screwjob."
"Today," Taylor says, "Bret Hart has finally made peace with Shawn Michaels. The same goes for Vince McMahon. And, by most accounts, all parties involved have moved forward in their lives. Hart and Michaels are now retired WWE Hall of Famers. But our collective memories refuse to relinquish images from that night in Montreal. And perhaps there's a reason why. With everyone from Earl Hebner (the referee in Montreal back at the 1997 event) to a growing number of former WWE employees now saying publicly that they think Montreal was a 'work,' what better time than now to really explore that possibility?"
"Inside The Montreal Screw Job: Who Really Got Screwed in the WWE?" is available now through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
