Kevin Nash Explains Why the Montreal Screwjob Wouldn’t Have Changed If He Was Still in WWE

By the time WWE’s Survivor Series ’97 and the infamous Montreal Screwjob took place, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had already been with WCW for a year. This left their fellow “Kliq” members Shawn Michaels and Triple H to deal with the fallout from Vince McMahon’s controversial decision to take the WWE Championship off Bret Hart in a way that shocked the wrestling world. On his Kliq This podcast, Nash was asked whether he thought things would have played out differently if he and Hall were still in WWE at the time.

Nash didn’t hesitate in his response. “No. Our alliance would’ve been with Shawn,” he admitted. He went on to explain that, despite not being in WWE during the Screwjob, they still faced backlash from Hart’s family. “We got the heat from Bret’s wife anyway. She basically said, ‘F*** you. Even though you’re not there, we know you were.’ And she had every reason to say that, because even though we weren’t there, we were.”

The Montreal Screwjob has been debated extensively over the years. The crux of the incident involved Hart refusing to lose the WWE Championship to Michaels, especially in his home country of Canada, due to personal issues with Michaels. Hart had reportedly offered several alternative ways to drop the title, but none satisfied McMahon. Fearing Hart might take the belt to WCW, McMahon orchestrated a controversial finish, ensuring Michaels left as champion without Hart’s knowledge.

While Nash respects Hart, he acknowledged that his loyalty would have been to Michaels if he’d been involved. Watching the event unfold, Nash said he immediately suspected Michaels and Triple H were aware of the plan, even though they initially denied it. Triple H later admitted in Netflix’s Mr. McMahon series that the idea for the Screwjob was his.

Despite not being in WWE during the event, Nash believes the outcome would have been the same, aligning himself with his longtime friend and Kliq member, Michaels.