During his appearance on the Johnny I Pro Show in Montreal, Bret Hart made one of the most shocking claims of his career while reflecting on the events surrounding the Montreal Screwjob. As he revisited Shawn Michaels’ infamous 1997 promo – where Shawn claimed he needed time away to “find his smile” – Bret said the entire situation felt suspicious even at the time.
He recalled watching the segment backstage, noting how odd the emotions were between Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon. “Shawn was crying in the ring,” Bret said, describing Michaels’ speech. “And I just remember Vince… he had the tear rolled down his cheek.” That moment immediately sparked Bret’s suspicion. “I remember watching it and going, I think there’s more going on here between these two guys honestly.”
Bret then stated – without hesitation and without softening his words – that he now firmly believes Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels were romantically involved during that period. “I suspected, and now I really have serious – I think that Shawn and Vince were sleeping with each other,” he said. He doubled down: “I honestly… I’m very close to the truth here. Shawn and Vince were lovers.”
On his podcast, Jim Ross was asked about Bret’s claims. Here’s what Good Ol’ JR said:
“That’s hilarious. Bret knows how to push the buttons, man. That’s all he’s doing. It’s all he’s doing. And it’s working because we’re talking about it among others.
That’s bullsh*t. Shawn in that era, at that point in that time, he was in a different mindset. He was a different guy. I don’t think he believes what he just said. Bret knows what buttons to push.”
When asked how Vince McMahon would react to this claim, JR said:
“In front of people, they’ll try to blow it off like it means nothing, because it’s just a bitter guy trying to stir the sh*t. And that’s what I would think. But privately, it’ll pi$$ him off a little bit, and he’ll internalize he’ll be angry, but he won’t, I don’t think he’ll publicly show it or say anything about it.”
JR ended up saying that he doesn’t think The Hitman is bitter:
“No, he made a fortune, and he’s healthy again. Last time I saw him, he was healthy as a horse, and he was feeling good. And I can tell you from my own personal experiences – it’s all about your health.
I know it’s not exciting to do a podcast about, but you know, there are times in the last 60 days I didn’t know if I was going to make it. So it’s serious.”
