WWE Survivor Series 2017: Montreal Screwjob and Most Controversial Moments Ever

Survivor Series may be a pay-per-view steeped in tradition, but it is also one built on controversy.

The annual November event has built its reputation on buzz-worthy moments that create debates about what occurred and how it will shape the future of the industry

Over the course of its 30 years, the show has grown into one of the most anticipated events of the WWE calendar, primarily because of the wild, unpredictable and notorious moments it has produced.

In preparation for this year's event, featuring wars of attrition between Raw and SmackDown Live, revisit these most controversial moments in Survivor Series history.

7. Hulk Hogan Eliminated (1987)

The 1987 Survivor Series pay-per-view was created to capitalize on the business Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were doing at the box office. Earlier in the year, that program drew 93,173 fans to the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III. And while Survivor Series would be a much smaller event, WWE was banking on it to draw a big pay-per-view number.

Hogan and Andre were the two biggest attractions in North America, and a main event pitting two teams captained by those Superstars drew considerable interest.

All signs pointed to Hogan and Andre squaring off to decide the Survivor Series victor, hence the astonishment when Hogan was eliminated from the match early, leaving Bam Bam Bigelow to carry the mantle for the babyfaces.

The shocking outcome allowed Andre to get one over on The Hulkster and propel their story forward rather than Hogan rolling to another predictable victory.

Controversial, yes, but it was also effective.

6. Bob Backlund Wins the WWE Championship (1994)

Bob Backlund made an improbable run to WWE Championship contention in 1994 on the heels of a strong heel turn, and he found himself challenging Bret Hart for the title in a special Submission match at that year's Survivor Series.

The outcome of the match would not revolve around Backlund, or even the champion. Instead, it would involve the champion's jealous and manipulative little brother, Owen Hart.

With Bret trapped in the clutches of Backlund's Crossface Chicken Wing, Owen begged, pleaded and cried to his mother, Helen, at ringside. He urged his mother to throw in the towel on behalf of The Hitman, and she did, leading to a controversial conclusion to Bret's second title reign.

The finish was both creative and made sense within the context of the yearlong story of the Hart family's dysfunction.

5. Hulk Hogan's Gravest Challenge (1991)

The main event of the 1991 Survivor Series saw Hulk Hogan defend the WWE Championship against relative newcomer The Undertaker, who was completing his first year with the company.

The first hint the match was going to be different than other Hogan title defenses came when the fans in Detroit were not quite as vocal in their support of the champion, with some expressing their support for the darker and cooler challenger.

Then there was Ric Flair's appearance at ringside.

The self-proclaimed Real World Champion interfered in the bout, sliding a steel chair into the ring, just in time for Undertaker to deliver a Tombstone Piledriver on to it. A three-count later, and WWE had an improbable new champion.

The circumstances surrounding the conclusion of the match resulted in a rematch the following Tuesday at the experimental This Tuesday in Texas pay-per-view, where Hogan would thwart more interference from Flair and regain his title.

4. Paul Heyman Screws Brock Lesnar (2002)

Brock Lesnar was an unstoppable and undefeated monster of a Superstar when he arrived in Madison Square Garden for a WWE Championship defense against The Big Show in 2002. Led by Paul Heyman, Lesnar was nursing a rib injury but was still the heavy favorite.

That is until SmackDown's creative team made a decision straight out of 1996.

Heyman betrayed Lesnar, apparently tired of his advice going unheard, and assisted the giant in winning his second world title.

The fans in New York booed the decision, as much for the idiotic booking as for the betrayal itself.

After all, Big Show had suddenly and inexplicably graduated from losing to Bubba Ray Dudley in Raw house show openers to becoming the first Superstar to beat Lesnar.

It was a decision that made little sense at the time and still, some 15 years later, lacks logic.

3. Vehicular Assault (1999)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was desperately in need of neck surgery in November 1999, so the decision was made to write him off television via a vehicular assault that led to a yearlong whodunnit that would captivate fans and create intrigue upon Austin's return.

The Texas Rattlesnake chased Triple H into the parking lot of the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Then, when The Game disappeared, he was mowed down by an unknown assailant.

For minutes, medical personnel and WWE CEO Vince McMahon himself checked on the health of Austin, who was put on a stretcher and then driven to the hospital in an ambulance.

It was a shocking moment that altered the night's main event.

Originally scheduled to feature Austin and The Rock challenging for the WWE Championship against Triple H, the match would instead see Big Show replace Austin and win the title to cap off an emotional storyline for The World's Largest Athlete.

2. It's a Deadly Game (1998)

The Rock defeated Mankind in the final of the WWE Championship tournament at Survivor Series in 1998, revealing he had been tapped by Vince and Shane McMahon as the so-called Corporate Champion. In the process, he betrayed the legions of fans who had only just begun to support him.

It was a strong twist that began earlier in the show when Shane, who had been at odds with his father, revealed his true colors by screwing Steve Austin out of a victory in the semifinals.

Over the course of the event, The Rock conveniently had his path to the WWE Championship cleared, thanks in large part to The Big Boss Man. First, he beat the future Hall of Famer in three seconds. Then he intercepted the former corrections officer's nightstick and blasted Ken Shamrock.

In the semifinals, he defeated The Undertaker thanks to interference from Kane, who got his brother disqualified.

Everything lined up perfectly for Rock to advance to the final, fairly unscathed, to face a Mankind, who had been manipulated by the McMahon clan.

The controversial nature of the night gave way to Rock's first title reign and effectively established the third-generation Superstar as the main event talent WWE hoped he would develop into when he arrived on the scene two years earlier.

1. The Montreal Screwjob (1997)

The most controversial finish in the history of professional wrestling occurred on November 9, 1997, when Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon and referee Earl Hebner colluded to screw Bret Hart out of the WWE Championship in a moment that blurred the lines between fiction and reality.

Hart, who had recently signed a contract to join the rival World Championship Wrestling, had refused to drop the WWE title to Michaels. As fans would later find out in the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows and Hart's autobiography Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, he had made numerous offers to drop the title to other Superstars or under different circumstances.

He would not, though, lose to Michaels in Canada.

Feeling as though there were no other options available, McMahon conspired with Michaels and Hebner to perpetrate a screwjob of massive proportions that is still mimicked and talked about some 20 years later.

Hart would become a hero in the wake of the infamous incident, while McMahon would turn the hatred fans had for him following the event into one of the vilest and most ruthless villains in WWE history.

From a long-term creative standpoint, it was beneficial. The Mr. McMahon character would be a central figure in the Attitude Era, the perfect foil for Steve Austin's anti-authority rebel. WWE rode the intensity of that rivalry to the top of the industry, overcoming WCW in the Monday Night War and experiencing its hottest and most beloved period ever.