WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart Addresses Punching Vince McMahon Over Montreal Screwjob

The Montreal Screwjob, the night Vince McMahon conspired to take the title off of Bret "Hitman" Hart without the usual cooperation for which wrestling is famous for, is one of wrestling's most overanalyzed moments. There's one part of the story that tends to give a certain level of Schadenfreude to many, which is Hart punching McMahon in the locker room following the incident. 

In a new interview with "The Wrestling Classic," Hart explained that the punch was an uppercut.

"It was one punch and it was a good punch. You kinda had to be in my shoes. I was actually being set up by Vince McMahon," Hart said, stating that McMahon was goading Hart into a fight. "I got madder and madder and we kinda confronted each other. He came at me and we tied up like a pro wrestling match, and if you were in the room, there were [multiple] people who were going to jump in and pull us apart just like Vince wanted."

Hart couldn't let McMahon walk away with what would look like a draw and took an opening the second it became available.

"If I'd gone with a right hand, they would've hooked my arm and that would be the end of it," Hart said, saying he opted for a more covert uppercut. "I lifted him about a foot off the ground. Knocked him completely out cold like a starfish."

The aftermath of the incident was captured in the documentary "Wrestling With Shadows," which had been following Hart in the lead-up and aftermath of the infamous event.