Owen Hart died in 1999, which was a big loss for the world of professional wrestling. His death shocked WWE because it was another member of the Hart Family who died too soon. Since then, the question “What happened at the Over The Edge pay-per-view?” has been asked a million times. How did Owen Hart pass away?
What Was Owen Hart Doing at the Time in WWE?
WWE brought back Owen Hart’s old superhero character, The Blue Blazer. He played a character that was a spoof of a normal superhero. Jim Cornette says Owen Hart didn’t like the gimmick, but that didn’t stop him from taking it, since he had turned down other gimmicks before:
It wasn’t comfortable for Owen, but he had already turned down a few things that weren’t comfortable for him. He didn’t want to be known as Negative Nancy and the guy who always said “no,” so he went along with it, but things didn’t go well.
Part of his job was to talk to WCW leaders, who told Sting to attack other wrestlers by rappelling down from the ceiling. As a test, they had Owen Hart parachute down from the ceiling to see what they could do in WWE.
How Did Owen Hart Die?
Owen Hart died at the 1999 Over The Edge pay-per-view in front of a live audience. The company never showed the real video of his death. Instead, they showed a shot of Jim Ross, who told the viewers at home what happened.
Hart had done the trick before, but the harness didn’t let go quickly enough when he came down. Because of this, they used a nautical clip to help him get out of the strap quickly at night.
Hart was getting used to the strap while he was being lowered, which was not a good thing. After accidentally setting off an early release, he fell 78 feet from the rafters and landed chest-first on the ropes. When this happened, the venue went dark and a short scene showed up on the screen. Because it was dark, neither people watching on TV nor people in the crowd could see it clearly.
Owen Hart died from the injuries he got in the fall, even though people tried to bring him back to life. He passed away when he was only 34 years old. Because of the blunt force injuries of his fall, he died from bleeding inside.
What Happened When Owen Hart Died?
When Owen Hart died, there was complete chaos. Even though there was a tragedy, Vince McMahon decided that the pay-per-view would still happen. When talking about it, Vince McMahon said he thought Owen Hart would have wanted the show to go on:
“I think Owen would have wanted the show to go on because he was such a good performer.” It wasn’t clear to me if it was the right choice. I thought Owen would want it.
Not long after the event, Triple H and The Rock agreed to fight. They found out about Owen Hart’s death right before they went into the ring.
The pay-per-view went on in the end, but Owen Hart’s death hung over the rest of the night. Even behind the scenes, the other fighters liked him and knew he could pull jokes and pranks. His death is still one of the worst tragedies in the history of professional wrestling.
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In Conclusion
Owen Hart’s sad death in 1999 left the world of professional wrestling with a big hole. Many people were curious and worried about what happened when he died at the Over The Edge pay-per-view. Hart took on the superhero spoof character Blue Blazer against his will, which led to the disastrous stunt.
The loss of a liked and respected man in the wrestling world was very sad, even though the event went on after he died. Owen Hart’s sudden death is one of the saddest events in the history of professional wrestling.