There was a time in the mid-1990s when Earl Hebner and Vince McMahon were co-conspirators in what many consider to be one of the biggest scandals in WWE history, the Montreal Screwjob.
Seemingly breaking all of the rules of Kayfabe in one fell swoop, Hebner, at the command of McMahon, called for the bell while Bret Hart was locked in his own finisher by Shawn Michaels in front of a Canadian Survivor Series crowd, leading to a title change with no tap and a moment that would change professional wrestling forever.
Since that fateful day in 1997, Hebner has said a lot about Hart, McMahon, and Michaels, but now, in 2023, he used some time in an appearance for K&S WrestleFest to discuss a series of events that will turn the Screwjob into nothing more than a footnote in WWE history by comparison: the allegations against Vince McMahon.
“The only thing I can say is, I hope justice is served. Between Vince and John, they are in a heap of trouble. I think Johnny is trying to jump ship on Vince now. They're both in this thing together. Vince knows what he was doing, Johnny knew about what he was doing, or Johnny knew what he was doing. That's all I can say. I can say more and really bury them, but I'm just going to wait and let justice be served,” Early Hebner said via 411 Mania.
“My next book, I'm going to bring everything to that. You're thinking the next book is going to be a jury book. I'm going to let it all out. [Allegations] go back as far as 88 (1988) because that's when I worked there. The BS was going on then, and it's still going on now, probably.”
Asked if he believed that Vince McMahon thought he'd gotten away with it, Hebner said yes, before noting that no matter how much money you earn, you can't cover things like this up.
“He thought he was getting over, but he's not getting over,” Hebner noted. “No matter how much money he's got. He's been getting over, but now, he's going over this time, but it ain't what he's been going over with. He's going under.”
Would it be more noble for Habner to speak on everything he knows now, adding more legitimate fuel to the fire against McMahon? Sure, but even in this limited capacity, Hebner becomes another former McMahon employee willing to condemn their former boss on the record and hope that justice will be served, which does not speak well for his claims of innocence.
Earl Hebner comments on his WWE Hall of Fame chances.
Elsewhere on his recent media tour, this time in an interview with Steve Fall, Earl Hebner reflected on his Hall of Fame chances and the presence of non-wrestlers already inducted. While Hebner is happy to see folks like Tim White in the Hall, he doesn't know if he's necessarily a lock to join him.
“I should [be in the WWE Hall of Fame], but I don't know. [There were] a few problems when I left with me and Vince so I don't know,” Earl Hebner said via SE Scoops.
“They should have put Tim White in the Hall of Fame way way before he passed away. I think the Hall of Fame means nothing if you're not alive. You don't get any benefits out of it. It's just you know, what good does it do you? What would it do me if I was dead and they put me in the Hall of Fame. What does it mean? Nothing. I don't know it. Timmy didn't know it. What the h*ll? He's not the only one. Vader, Macho Man. What good does it do you know? Timmy deserved it way, way long before they gave it to him. Before he passed. He deserved it probably 10 years before that, the way he took care of Andre and kept Andre going and everything. But, you know, there were a lot of other referees that need to be in the Hall of Fame, but I don't know if they're gonna put any referees in. No big deal to me either way.”
Despite his own uncertain position, Hebner is definitively out on inducting celebrities into the Hall, as he feels as though folks like Kid Rock have no place in the same record books as Bret Hart or HBK.
“All the people in the Hall of Fame that's not wrestlers, they don't belong in the Hall of Fame,” Hebner noted. “Would any of those people go into the Baseball Hall of Fame or the NFL Hall of Fame? H*ll no, they wouldn't. So you get all these jabroni's to come in? It's a joke.”
Would Kid Rock be in the NFL Hall of Fame? Nope. Should he be in the WWE Hall of Fame? In Hebner's opinion, the answer is the same.
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