Missed that. Did he actually die in the ring?
Is there somewhere I can watch the footage?
2007-07-02 07:46:11 · 15 answers · asked by batmantis1999 4 in Sports ➔ Wrestling
On May 23, 1999 Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Over the Edge 1999 pay-per-view event. He was 34 years old. Owen was in the process of being lowered into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer's new 'buffoonish superhero' character, Hart was to be lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series 1998 where the Blue Blazer had come down from the rafters but was attacked when he was unable to release himself from the harness [33] (which was how the stunt was supposed to go, not a malfunction). Owen 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). Something went wrong with the stunt which triggered the early release mechanism. Owen fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, smashing his chest on a turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring. He died from his injuries (including a severed aorta that filled his lungs with blood) less than an hour later.[34] A short time later, during the show, Jim Ross announced that Owen had died.
Owen had performed a practice stunt earlier in the day to calm him down, and the stunt went forward on the show as scheduled. His wife Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Owen unintentionally triggered an early release. TV viewers at home did not see the incident or its aftermath, as the WWF were transmitting a promotional video package for the match. While Owen was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the cameras showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of this situation.
Owen was transported to the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Owen had actually died while still being tended to in the ring. The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt chest trauma. Jim Ross announced the death of Owen Hart to the home viewers during the PPV, but not to the crowd in the arena. The WWF chose to continue the event, which drew a great deal of criticism over the following weeks, and continues to this day. Pro Wrestling Illustrated even gave it the award for 'Most Distasteful Moment in Wrestling'. However, more recently the decision has been more accepted, thanks in small part to a column defending Vince McMahon's decision written by JP Prag for the 411mania website. While the show did go on, it has never been released commercially by WWF Video and to this date no footage has ever been released of Owen Hart falling.
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[35]. The WWF, however, decided to ban stunts of a similar nature from this point on to avoid a similar event from occurring.
Owen left behind a widow, Martha, and two children, Oje Edward and Athena. Martha Hart settled her wrongful death lawsuit against the WWF for approximately $18 million[36], and used the funds to establish the Owen Hart Foundation[37]. Martha wrote a book about Owen's life in 2002 called “Broken Harts: the life and death of Owen Hart" [1].
In his DVD set The Bret Hart Story, Bret comments that, despite the bad blood between himself and Vince McMahon, he wishes he had been with the WWF the night Owen's accident happened[38].
2007-07-02 07:50:45 · answer #1 · answered by wwefan1324 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
[edit] Death, Controversy and Lawsuit
On May 23, 1999 Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Over the Edge 1999 pay-per-view event. He was 34 years old. Owen was in the process of being lowered into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer's new 'buffoonish superhero' character, Hart was to be lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series 1998 where the Blue Blazer had come down from the rafters but was attacked when he was unable to release himself from the harness [33] (which was how the stunt was supposed to go, not a malfunction). Owen 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). Something went wrong with the stunt which triggered the early release mechanism. Owen fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, smashing his chest on a turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring. He died from his injuries (including a severed aorta that filled his lungs with blood) less than an hour later.[34] A short time later, during the show, Jim Ross announced that Owen had died.
2007-07-02 14:50:37 · answer #2 · answered by HMS88 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Owen Hart fell from the ceiling when he was trying to do an entrance. He was sliding down on a wire from the ceiling when he fell. But I'm not sure if there is any footage of it because I think this happened when he was just practicing the entrance before the show started. I've been watching wrestling all my life so that's how I know.
2007-07-02 14:57:08 · answer #3 · answered by qsb_1118 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yea bat they are right. i remember watching the PPV(we are on the west coast so obviously they delayed footage so we didnt see it) and yea he fell.
but whats worse and more awful is the SHOW WENT ON!?!?!
i mean are you freaking kidding me?! someone in your business...or family as they all like to say dies in that very event and you still go on with the show?
yea yea"owen wanted it that way" dont give me that cra* wrestling fans, they should of cancelled that show, then the monday night raw show, then give a special tribute.
i know its a business but really are we that out of touch with civilization that we think about the $$$ before a person.
im surprised they didnt sell any "we love you owen t-shirts" oh ya they did!
if i were multi million dollar mcmahon those would of been for free or not made at all.
lol sorry you know me, when im on a roll i dont stop =)
2007-07-02 15:24:45 · answer #4 · answered by mannyg2199 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He died at a Pay-preview event he was in the rafters he was suppose to be lowed down to the ring. something went wrong and the cable snapped and he fell catching the corner of the ring. He died of head and chest trauma. Good luck on finding the footage, I will research to find out the name of the event.
2007-07-02 14:52:02 · answer #5 · answered by Ka'De 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Owen Hart, son of Stu Hart, brother to Hitman died during a payperview. The harness he was being lowered into the ring on failed. The fall killed him.
2007-07-02 14:51:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
he was attached to a cable from the rafters of the building swung down and the cable snapped and he fell and was dead on impact i was watching it that night
As to where you could watch the footage I honestly don't know
R.I.P Owen Hart
2007-07-02 14:56:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if this is really it, but I found this on You Tub when I typed in Owen Harts Fall.
2007-07-02 15:01:23 · answer #8 · answered by Jenna 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He was repelling from the ceiling for his entrance, the safety harness failed and he fell on the turnbuckle which killed him. This was for a PPV, but i forget which one.
Why would you want to watch footage of someone dying?
2007-07-02 14:53:25 · answer #9 · answered by Nature Boy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
he die, he was during a stun when the cable broke and he fell at least 100feet
2007-07-02 15:09:40 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋