Thousands of wrestling enthusiasts witnessed a tragic incident when Owen Hart, a Canadian American wrestler, fell to his death at Kemper Arena. The athlete plunged 78 feet in Kansas City, Missouri, while being suspended from the rafters during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. Although the fall was not broadcasted, the arena was dark at the time of the accident.
Owen, who was portraying his superhero parody persona, the Blue Blazer, met his demise on May 23, 1999. He was set to make a grand entrance for an intercontinental title match against The Godfather, where he was supposed to humorously entangle himself in a safety harness and fall flat on his face to entertain the audience.
The tragic stunt, similar to a previous one by the Blue Blazer, required a quick-release mechanism. Owen’s widow, Martha, later suggested that his inadvertent movement triggered an early release, leading to the fatal fall. Medical professionals rushed to aid Owen, but the extent of the tragedy was only revealed to the crowd when the lights came on.
WWF announcer Jim Ross clarified to viewers that the incident was not scripted and Owen was severely injured. Despite being rushed to Truman Medical Centre in Kansas City, Owen succumbed to internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma that severed his aorta.
Following Owen’s death, the WWF, later known as WWE, faced criticism for proceeding with the pay-per-view event despite the tragic circumstances. The event was not released commercially but became available on the WWE Network 15 years later, with all footage of Owen removed.
In a tribute to Owen, his brother Bret faced Chris Benoit on WCW Monday Nitro five months after the incident. A settlement was reached in a lawsuit, with WWF paying Owen’s estate $18 million. The manufacturer of the harness system was initially a defendant but was later dismissed after the settlement.
Martha utilized part of the settlement to establish the Owen Hart Foundation. WWE later sued the British firm Lewmar, the manufacturer of the harness involved in Owen’s death, reaching a $9 million settlement in 2003 to acknowledge the company’s role in the defective equipment that led to the fatal accident.
