Earl Hebner, the referee infamous for his role in the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997, returned to Montreal at TNA Slammiversary 2024.
At Survivor Series, Hebner, aware of Vince McMahon’s plan, called for the bell while Shawn Michaels had Bret Hart in the sharpshooter, despite Hart not submitting, costing him the WWE Championship. However, at Slammiversary, Hebner refused to participate in a similar scenario, declining to help Mustafa Ali screw Mike Bailey. On Reffin It Up, Hebner recounted the conversation with Tommy Dreamer that led to his return to Montreal.
“When they called me and asked me, I wouldn’t give them an answer. I said, ‘I don’t know. I could get killed over there going back.’ It had been so long since I had been there. They called me back again and said, ‘What’s the deal?’ I said, ‘I don’t know Tommy.’ He said, ‘Do it for me. I need you to do it for me.’ I said, ‘I need security. I could get killed quickly. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there. Those people aren’t going to be happy to see me.’ I’m thinking someone is going to stooge the shit off. Some people who knew I was going to do it were there, and some didn’t know. When I came out, I got the biggest boos in my life. Bigger than [Hulk] Hogan (at Netflix premiere). I was walking to the ring and people were going nuts. I said, ‘I’m going to milk them.’ I started giving them shit and when we got down to the finish, after the finish, 80% of them loved me. I walked back and I got a lot of cheers. It made me feel good,” said Hebner.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription. Thanks for checking out this article. Make sure to follow Jeff Jarrett and all things GFE on Facebook.
