Flipstar you should watch "wrestling with Shadows" Its an awesome documentary made by Bret Hart on the whole matter. It has live footage of the entire incident before and after the screwjob. You can watchin on youtube just type in "wrestling with shadows".
Vince did try to rationalize with Bret (they show it in the documentary). Bret said if the hitman lost in Canada his character would be finished. Bret refused to do the JOB.
You are right phynix, he did have creative control, but it was worded in a very broad manner "reasonable control over character direction" I think it was. That doesn not necessarily mean he can refuse to give up the belt on the last day of the contract. It wasn't the same type of creative control that Hulk Hogan had/has.
I am sure that you guys can tell that I take Vince's side. Bret didn't want to lose in Canada? He said in the documentary that "For the Hitman losing in Canada would be like blowing the Hitman's brains out". Ok, its not Max Schmelling losing in Germany, it's not the Russian Red army hockey team losing to the US in 1980, its f'n pro wrestling. Wrestlers lose in their home towns all the time: Cena, Flair, HBK.
Why did Bret want to hold on to the belt after his contract was finished? That waves a lot of red flags for me. Its a part of the wrestling business to pass the torch, and Bret didn't want to co-operate.
IMO, Bret is and always was a little crybaby. Losing in Canada, giving up the title the next night on RAW were just excuses because Bret hated Shawn in real life and didn't want to pass the torch to him.
The bottom line why I take Vince's side is because Vince was Bret's boss. Bret wrestled for Vince, Vince tells you if you are going to win or lose. In any line of work, even the wwf, if you don't do what your boss says you get fired. Vince didn't want things to end this way but they did end that way, because Vince had no other choice.