About Wrestling
Shawn's attitude to the Montreal Screwjob is along the lines of "that's the way it works" and Vince is Spontaneous. Inside the ring and along the storyline, this birth of Degeneration X marked a time where Michaels was supposed to antagonize everyone while becoming an anti-hero, thus gaining the majority of support in the US. (Canada, as seen in the fantastic Wrestling with Shadows documentary, saw Bret Hart as the hero... This is probably the saddest commentary on our society going into the New Millennium, and not unfounded.)
About Real Life
These guys fucking hate each other. From accusations of infidelity to locker room brawls, to a complete lack of remorse regarding his role in the Montreal Screwjob, Shawn's hatred of Bret Hart takes precedence over everything here.
About the End of Fun
One of the reasons I wanted to get a take on HBK is that he seems to be part of a small, controlled group of benefactors. He is the face of the Attitude Era, and whether or not he enjoyed it in real life, he was responsible for a persona that carried a breakdown in the real world/kayfabe wall.
Which brings me to my most disturbing conclusion/observation: Michaels sees, even as late as these videos were made, that there was no problem in using what he asserts are real life issues in a wrestling storyline. By asserting that Bret Hart had an affair with Sunny off the cuff, this goes beyond the line that, say, working in a wrestler's real life drug addiction might have. This was a spontaneous inclusion of (what he asserts is) fact, and letting it be part of a story.
And who can blame him? If you listen to the second video, he traces his own footsteps in storytelling how the events leading up to Montreal transpired. Not because he is trying to cover his ass (if we give him the benefit of the doubt), but because the man spitting down the orders, Vince McMahon, changed his mind on a whim. This was something Mick Foley, Bret Hart, and many others have claimed independently. It's just part of the culture. And really, the two instances aren't really all that dissimilar. Even if it's too much to assume someone can get lost in the truth of the matter, someone could certainly get caught forgetting if what they're believing is the right thing, the wrong thing, the real thing, or the bullshit.
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