LG
04-04-2013, 05:00 AM
JR Announces the Death of Owen Hart at Over the Edge PPV May 23rd 1999
1l0P2EsUsJk
News Clips Announcing his Death
20EUurZti_Y
Tribute to Owen Hart on Raw the next night after the accident
BvDVJcg_xZ4
On May 23rd 1999 at the Over the Edge pay-per-view, it was the one of the most tragic things to happen in a WWE arena.
Owen Hartwas being lowered into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a scheduled WWF Intercontinental Championship win over The Godfather.
In keeping with the Blazer's new 'buffoonish superhero' character, Owen was to be lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would release himself from the safety harness and then comically fall flat on his face. He had performed the stunt only a few times before, and was worried about performing the stunt at Kemper Arena due to the height involved (Owen had a fear of heights).
Owen performed a practice stunt earlier in the day, and the stunt went forward on the show as scheduled. His wife Martha suggests that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Owen unintentionally triggered an early release and fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, smashing his chest on a padded, but still tough, ring turnbuckle.
TV viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath, as the WWF was transmitting a promotional video package for the match, and only showed the audience while Owen was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring while WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly.
Owen was transported to the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was pronounced dead on arrival (he actually died about six minutes after the fall, while still lying in the ring). The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt chest trauma. He was 34 years old. The WWF chose to continue the event, which drew a great deal of criticism over the following weeks, especially as the main event of the evening involved The Undertaker (also known as the "Deadman") winning the WWF Title.
The next night on Monday Night Raw in St. Louis, Missouri, a two-hour televised tribute was broadcast (see RAW is Owen), in which WWF wrestlers and officials paid tribute to Hart. The Over the Edge event name was retired.
In the weeks that followed, much attention focused on the harness Owen used that night, especially on the "quick release" trigger and safety latches. When someone is lowered from the rafters in a harness, there are backup latches that must be latched for safety purposes. These backups may take some time to unlatch, which would have made Owen's stunt difficult to perform smoothly. Therefore, it was apparently decided that it was more important not to have the safety backups, because it would be easier for Owen to unlatch himself.
In addition to not having safety backups, the harness Owen used was designed for sailboats and required only six pounds of weight to trigger the quick release mechanism; Owen weighed about 225 pounds. An out-of-court settlement between Owen Hart's family and the WWF has prevented the release of any information about the harness. The WWF, however, decided to ban stunts of a similar nature from this point on to avoid a similar event from occurring.
Owen left a widow, Martha, and two children, Oje Edward and Athena. Martha Hart settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the WWF for approximately $18 million, and used the funds to establish the Owen Hart Foundation. Martha wrote a book about Owen's life in 2002 called Broken Harts.
Owen's last match was on May 22, 1999, in Chicago, Illinois. He and Jarrett won a tag team match against Edge and Christian.
On the October 4, 1999 edition of WCW Nitro, Owen's brother Bret Hart wrestled Chris Benoit in an Owen Hart tribute match at Kemper Arena.
czkduWgwl1o
1l0P2EsUsJk
News Clips Announcing his Death
20EUurZti_Y
Tribute to Owen Hart on Raw the next night after the accident
BvDVJcg_xZ4
On May 23rd 1999 at the Over the Edge pay-per-view, it was the one of the most tragic things to happen in a WWE arena.
Owen Hartwas being lowered into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a scheduled WWF Intercontinental Championship win over The Godfather.
In keeping with the Blazer's new 'buffoonish superhero' character, Owen was to be lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would release himself from the safety harness and then comically fall flat on his face. He had performed the stunt only a few times before, and was worried about performing the stunt at Kemper Arena due to the height involved (Owen had a fear of heights).
Owen performed a practice stunt earlier in the day, and the stunt went forward on the show as scheduled. His wife Martha suggests that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Owen unintentionally triggered an early release and fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, smashing his chest on a padded, but still tough, ring turnbuckle.
TV viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath, as the WWF was transmitting a promotional video package for the match, and only showed the audience while Owen was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring while WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly.
Owen was transported to the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was pronounced dead on arrival (he actually died about six minutes after the fall, while still lying in the ring). The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt chest trauma. He was 34 years old. The WWF chose to continue the event, which drew a great deal of criticism over the following weeks, especially as the main event of the evening involved The Undertaker (also known as the "Deadman") winning the WWF Title.
The next night on Monday Night Raw in St. Louis, Missouri, a two-hour televised tribute was broadcast (see RAW is Owen), in which WWF wrestlers and officials paid tribute to Hart. The Over the Edge event name was retired.
In the weeks that followed, much attention focused on the harness Owen used that night, especially on the "quick release" trigger and safety latches. When someone is lowered from the rafters in a harness, there are backup latches that must be latched for safety purposes. These backups may take some time to unlatch, which would have made Owen's stunt difficult to perform smoothly. Therefore, it was apparently decided that it was more important not to have the safety backups, because it would be easier for Owen to unlatch himself.
In addition to not having safety backups, the harness Owen used was designed for sailboats and required only six pounds of weight to trigger the quick release mechanism; Owen weighed about 225 pounds. An out-of-court settlement between Owen Hart's family and the WWF has prevented the release of any information about the harness. The WWF, however, decided to ban stunts of a similar nature from this point on to avoid a similar event from occurring.
Owen left a widow, Martha, and two children, Oje Edward and Athena. Martha Hart settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the WWF for approximately $18 million, and used the funds to establish the Owen Hart Foundation. Martha wrote a book about Owen's life in 2002 called Broken Harts.
Owen's last match was on May 22, 1999, in Chicago, Illinois. He and Jarrett won a tag team match against Edge and Christian.
On the October 4, 1999 edition of WCW Nitro, Owen's brother Bret Hart wrestled Chris Benoit in an Owen Hart tribute match at Kemper Arena.
czkduWgwl1o