Best/Worst Screwjobs In WWE History

Clash at the Castle included one of the more divisive endings in WWE history. As Drew McIntyre was on the cusp of winning the World Heavyweight Championship, CM Punk ran to the ring.

Punk, pretending to be a referee, feigned a count, thus distracting McIntyre and allowing Damian Priest to retain. It was a bold move, by WWE, to end the match with a classic screw job.

It drew the ire of everyone in attendance, but it was also a great way to add more fuel to the already white-hot feud between the two men. The screw job ending also got the wheels spinning.

As effective as the most recent example was, there is a 50/50 history of screw jobs in WWE. Some were fantastic and some were awful. Let’s look at this below.

Best: Bret Screws Bret (Montreal, 1997)

There is no denying the impact that the Montreal Screw Job had on WWE. Bret Hart was on his way out of the company, with the WWE Championship still in his possession.

Vince McMahon felt he had no choice but to fix the main event to ensure that the strap would stay with WWE. The Montreal Screw Job became instantly infamous.

Never in the past had the company’s reality come to the forefront. There was no hiding what was going on and kayfabe was broken.

It was also an event that benefitted every party involved. For WWE, it helped to usher in a new era of wrestling whilst simultaneously creating an iconic heel character in Mr. McMahon. The company started on a road to the top that night.

Also, WCW made out pretty well in the situation as well. Hart was the hottest star in the world coming out of the screw job and his debut was met with a huge reaction. Sure, they fumbled everything after that point but that’s for another day.

Worst: CM Punk Escapes The Undertaker (Montreal, 2009)

CM Punk had an all-time great rivalry opposite Jeff Hardy that took over the summer of 2009. When Punk went over Hardy, to finish their program at SummerSlam, The Undertaker returned to become the next challenger to Punk.

It should have been a career-defining moment for the champion, but it was a program that hurt him more than anything. The biggest misstep during this feud was the abysmal submission match that took place at Breaking Point.

Punk and The Undertaker were given a mere 8 minutes for their main event, hardly enough time to put together a compelling submission match. What was worse was the finish, where referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell when it was clear The Undertaker didn’t submit.

Being in Montreal, WWE thought it a good idea to recreate a moment that couldn’t be. They failed miserably as the crowd groaned, the people at home groaned and Punk’s main event run was dashed.

Best: The Corporate Champion is Born (St. Louis, 1998)

Only a year after the original screw job WWE tried another kick at the can. This time, it was more scripted than in 1997, but it still managed to be an effective finish that benefitted all parties involved.

The Rock was getting some great reactions from the crowd and was slowly becoming one of the biggest stars in the company. He was one of the favourites going into the Deadly Games Tournament to take home his first world championship.

He did just that but not in a way that anyone expected. The People’s Champion had been at odds with the Corporation for months but in an evil twist of fate, it was the same Corporation that helped him win the championship with the same finish of the Montreal Screw Job.

It produced a huge reaction from the crowd, threw tons of heat on the McMahon family, and made The Rock into a mega heel. Oh, and it helped to create a massive babyface in Mick Foley. This was a move that helped everyone involved in it.

Worst: The Peoples Champ Screws Hulkamania (Montreal, 2003)

The Rock and Hulk Hogan put on a show at WrestleMania 18. Their match will forever have been etched in the annals of wrestling and should have been their only encounter.

Unfortunately, WWE tried to capture this magic again and failed. Hulk Hogan and The Rock should have been another great match, but it took place in Montreal.

For some reason, WWE was fixated on 1997 and had to pull out the screw job every time they went to The City of Saints. It was a tired ploy that no one in the audience was interested in seeing again.

The Rock having Sylvain Grenier as the referee in his back pocket was a sneaky heel move that was beneath The Rock. He had been an established star for years and this was not a move that he needed to make.

Sure, it was a move trying to get The Rock over as a heel, but there were other ways to do it. He had already beaten Hogan cleanly and didn’t need help to do it.

Neither The Rock nor Hulk Hogan looked great coming out of this main event. The match wasn’t great, and the finish was overdone. Not a good look for No Way Out.

Best: CM Punk Brings Down The Castle (Glasgow, 2024)

CM Punk and Drew McIntyre’s feud has been the best thing on television this year. Since January, they have been interlocked with one another.

Yes, both have branched off and faced other men, but they have always gravitated back to one another. McIntyre and Punk’s disdain for each other is evident in every promo.

McIntyre was never happy to see Punk return to WWE and wasn’t shy about letting everyone know. Knowing this drove him mad, Punk took every opportunity to stick it to McIntyre.

Whether it be costing him the World Championship at WrestleMania or Clash at the Castle, Punk has been a thorn in McIntyre’s side. The Clash at the Castle “fake referee” angle was one of the better screw jobs in recent memory.

Mostly everyone knew there was going to be some kind of screwy finish, but it worked better than anyone could imagine. The smart smirk that covered Punk’s face as he stopped at a two-count was brilliant.

It conveyed just how much Punk enjoyed what he was doing whilst enraging an already enraged Scottish Psychopath. It also adds more fuel to this molten hot feud. Great job all around.

Worst: The Montreal Screwjob Makes Its Way To Chicago (Chicago, 2016)

The feud between Natalya and Charlotte Flair was one born from their families. After winning the newly minted WWE Women’s Championship, Charlotte became insufferable.

She claimed that her family was the best in wrestling, which naturally set up Natalya as her next challenger. Their matches were good and had some solid wrestling to them but only one stood out and for none of the right reasons.

Their match at Payback ended in very dubious fashion when Charlotte used Natalya’s sharpshooter, prompting referee Charles Robinson to call for the bell. Natalya had not submitted to the move that was pioneers by her uncle.

It was a clear rip-off of the Montreal Screw Job and one that fell flat for everyone. It felt like an unnecessary jab at the Hart Family. The finish was there to get some cheap heat, but it got nothing.

The crowd didn’t care about the ending, and it made creative look lazy. The audible groan, from the audience, told us everything we needed to know about a poorly booked main event.

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