1 00:00:05,930 --> 00:00:11,190 As a fan of Owen Hart, pioneer of all pioneers, you know, one of the best. 2 00:00:11,430 --> 00:00:14,850 I knew that this guy was going to make it. You can tell. 3 00:00:15,730 --> 00:00:17,910 When I grew up, I wanted to be just like Owen Hart. 4 00:00:18,590 --> 00:00:19,950 He was really the chosen one. 5 00:00:20,850 --> 00:00:25,770 Owen, he just had a very nice aura. He was always just trying to spread the 6 00:00:26,270 --> 00:00:28,490 And he was cast in the role of a lifetime. 7 00:00:29,310 --> 00:00:31,790 Owen Hart was a naturally gifted wrestler. 8 00:00:32,009 --> 00:00:34,770 He was born into a legendary wrestling dynasty. 9 00:00:35,530 --> 00:00:37,850 but he put family above all else. 10 00:00:38,130 --> 00:00:42,830 Despite his success in the ring, he was always searching for a way out of it. 11 00:00:43,390 --> 00:00:50,230 On May 23, 1999, during a live pay -per -view event, Owen Hart's hopes for a 12 00:00:50,230 --> 00:00:53,070 life after wrestling were tragically cut short. 13 00:00:53,650 --> 00:00:57,230 Ladies and gentlemen, when you're doing live television, a lot of things can 14 00:00:57,230 --> 00:00:59,830 happen, and sometimes they are not good. 15 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:01,450 Is this really real? 16 00:01:01,910 --> 00:01:04,390 Then I remember hearing a gasp from the crowd. 17 00:01:04,970 --> 00:01:08,730 It was shocking. Like, what do you mean Owen fell? He goes, Owen just fell. 18 00:01:08,990 --> 00:01:12,190 There was Owen. He was like laying in the ring, like face up. 19 00:01:12,410 --> 00:01:15,970 I just heard them screaming, saying it's not a fake, get a real EMT back here. 20 00:01:16,270 --> 00:01:17,910 If he fell, he's got to be dead. 21 00:01:18,170 --> 00:01:22,310 Owen Hart fell from the ceiling during an event in Kansas City. Someone doesn't 22 00:01:22,310 --> 00:01:24,670 just fall from the top of an arena. 23 00:01:25,310 --> 00:01:26,510 Something's wrong here. 24 00:01:26,730 --> 00:01:30,410 Her husband flew to Kansas City to go to work and never came home again. 25 00:01:31,050 --> 00:01:33,030 Mere days after Owen's death. 26 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,100 His widow, Martha, vows to uncover what happened that night in Kansas City. 27 00:01:38,340 --> 00:01:42,840 There will be a day of reckoning, and this is my final promise to Owen. 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:49,380 It was out of respect for Owen. I can't let everything that our life was just be 29 00:01:49,380 --> 00:01:50,380 all for nothing. 30 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,420 From the earliest days of professional wrestling, it has been traditionally a 31 00:02:07,420 --> 00:02:08,420 family business. 32 00:02:09,340 --> 00:02:16,340 Few compared to the impact of the Hart family in Calgary, 33 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:18,980 who has spawned generations of in -ring icons. 34 00:02:19,380 --> 00:02:24,060 Despite being the youngest of 12 siblings, Owen Hart was considered a 35 00:02:24,060 --> 00:02:25,060 prodigy. 36 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:32,040 But with the circumstances surrounding his death, his legacy has become more 37 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:37,680 complex. In this episode, his family comes together to share memories of the 38 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,960 husband and father they lost all too soon. 39 00:02:41,660 --> 00:02:46,060 I don't think you can talk about pro wrestling history and not incorporate 40 00:02:46,060 --> 00:02:48,000 heart into that conversation very early. 41 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:53,620 I'm Jim Ross, 2007 member of the WWE Hall of Fame, the NWA Hall of Fame, and 42 00:02:53,620 --> 00:02:58,760 National Hall of Fame. And one of the athletes that I work with very closely 43 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,160 the late, great Owen Hart, one of the best. 44 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,840 Stu Hart had a dozen kids, and all the boys became wrestlers, and all the girls 45 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,880 grew up to marry wrestlers. So the extended Hart family was almost 20 46 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,540 involved in the professional wrestling industry. 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,860 I'm Jim Cornette. For almost 40 years, I've been a promoter, a matchmaker, 48 00:03:18,020 --> 00:03:22,500 announcer, manager, historian, all things related to professional 49 00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:23,840 I also managed Owen Hart. 50 00:03:24,380 --> 00:03:28,440 The Hart family was almost a dynasty in wrestling because of the respect that 51 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,620 Stu Hart had as a promoter and the fact that when the boys got started becoming 52 00:03:32,620 --> 00:03:37,080 wrestlers, they were all good. And the Hart family over a period of time became 53 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,180 one of the royal families of professional wrestling. 54 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:40,960 It was like a nice Sopranos. 55 00:03:42,020 --> 00:03:45,480 They didn't kill anybody, but they stuck together and they helped each other. 56 00:03:45,580 --> 00:03:50,240 And everybody got a chance to pick the brass ring off the wrestling merry -go 57 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,320 -round. All of his sons... 58 00:03:52,620 --> 00:03:54,180 began to want to follow in his footsteps. 59 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,640 Bret Hart was obviously the biggest star worldwide. 60 00:03:58,220 --> 00:04:01,980 Some of the other sons, Ross and Keith, were stars as well. 61 00:04:02,180 --> 00:04:06,300 And then the son -in -laws, Davey Boy Smith, the British Bulldog, Jim the 62 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:10,460 Neidhart. So many of them got to be stars. And at one point, there was a 63 00:04:10,460 --> 00:04:12,800 family member in half the territories of wrestling. 64 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,720 Owen was the youngest brother to get involved in wrestling. 65 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:19,260 But when he started, he was a prodigy instantly. 66 00:04:20,159 --> 00:04:22,620 Owen Hart, as a rookie, he was spectacular. 67 00:04:23,140 --> 00:04:27,420 His acrobatics were amazing. He could flip backwards off the ropes. He could 68 00:04:27,420 --> 00:04:29,080 land on his feet from every direction. 69 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,460 I saw this guy doing all of these things I'd never seen before. 70 00:04:33,140 --> 00:04:36,760 Backflips off of a guy's back. He had blonde hair. It looked cool. It kind of 71 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,400 looked like a bigger version of Johnny from The Karate Kid. I just thought, I 72 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,180 want to do this. I want to do it with that guy. 73 00:04:42,810 --> 00:04:46,650 And I used to draw pictures of me and Owen Hart as the tag team champions in 74 00:04:46,650 --> 00:04:50,050 Stampede. I just really was influenced by him. 75 00:04:50,390 --> 00:04:53,590 You could tell Owen was a natural. You didn't have to teach him. He'd already 76 00:04:53,590 --> 00:04:54,870 picked it up by osmosis. 77 00:04:55,850 --> 00:04:58,870 I'm thinking within hours of him debuting, he's as good as anybody in the 78 00:04:58,870 --> 00:05:00,930 territory. You could see it. Just get him in the game. 79 00:05:01,590 --> 00:05:02,890 He's going to be a star, and he was. 80 00:05:05,370 --> 00:05:07,750 Please, Owen, I'm going to cut the tape. 81 00:05:08,010 --> 00:05:09,010 Hang on. 82 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:15,800 Why don't you say something to the camera, you egomaniac? I am 83 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,780 Martha Hart. I'm a doctor for the University of Calgary and Alberta 84 00:05:20,780 --> 00:05:26,020 Hospital. I'm the founder of the Owen Hart Foundation, and I'm a mom. 85 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:28,380 That's my whole title. 86 00:05:30,020 --> 00:05:32,500 I started dating Owen when I was 15. 87 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,240 For me, he was just very striking. You know, he had this... 88 00:05:37,450 --> 00:05:43,250 blonde hair and really well built and i thought he was a bit of a scrapper um 89 00:05:43,250 --> 00:05:47,230 because well first of all he's an amateur wrestler but then as it turned 90 00:05:47,230 --> 00:05:52,950 know he's actually quite a gentle giant underneath he was a really secure 91 00:05:52,950 --> 00:05:59,470 grounded person even though he ended up being a very world famous wrestler he 92 00:05:59,470 --> 00:06:01,070 didn't feed off of that fame 93 00:06:02,030 --> 00:06:08,750 He really wanted to have this very normal life. He wanted to have, you 94 00:06:08,750 --> 00:06:11,530 normal job. He wanted the white picket fence. 95 00:06:11,910 --> 00:06:12,930 Hi, Owen. 96 00:06:13,330 --> 00:06:14,330 Hi, Marcia. 97 00:06:14,790 --> 00:06:15,870 What you doing? 98 00:06:16,390 --> 00:06:18,730 I just walked with my boy, Oge, here. 99 00:06:19,170 --> 00:06:21,190 Owen was an amazing father. 100 00:06:21,410 --> 00:06:23,050 He loved being a dad. 101 00:06:24,650 --> 00:06:29,470 Hi, Oge. Hi. My childhood was phenomenal. 102 00:06:30,940 --> 00:06:32,320 loved every second. 103 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,480 I'm Ochart and I am Owen Hart's son. 104 00:06:37,620 --> 00:06:40,460 My mom's love for my father was unexampled. 105 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:43,780 They had the love that could only get stronger with time. 106 00:06:45,300 --> 00:06:48,680 I love trains. Trains are my favorite thing on earth, especially toy trains. 107 00:06:49,060 --> 00:06:53,960 Every year a train show would come to Calgary and I only wanted to go with 108 00:06:55,310 --> 00:07:00,390 I remember he said he was going somewhere, like a big trip, but I think 109 00:07:00,390 --> 00:07:02,190 did was he actually rebooked it. 110 00:07:02,870 --> 00:07:06,790 That was him defarming the show and saying, you know, kids come first, and 111 00:07:06,790 --> 00:07:09,250 weekend I cannot miss, and this one's for my son. 112 00:07:09,890 --> 00:07:16,530 But I remember that when he was there, it was us there together, and Mom and 113 00:07:16,530 --> 00:07:17,530 Athena. 114 00:07:17,590 --> 00:07:19,550 Athena, do you like that? 115 00:07:20,690 --> 00:07:21,690 Yeah. 116 00:07:22,170 --> 00:07:23,370 Him taking me to the zoo. 117 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,040 That was like our thing. 118 00:07:25,460 --> 00:07:29,240 And I don't have very many memories, but that's like the one that's always stuck 119 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:30,240 in. 120 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:35,660 Yeah, it makes me happy because the short time that we had together, that 121 00:07:35,660 --> 00:07:36,660 favorite. 122 00:07:36,860 --> 00:07:41,760 I went to school where my dad went to school. And so everyone always knew me 123 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:42,760 like the wrestler's daughter. 124 00:07:45,420 --> 00:07:51,080 Owen loved the wrestling business. 125 00:07:51,690 --> 00:07:54,270 He wasn't a lifer like some of the other guys. 126 00:07:54,470 --> 00:07:58,550 He wanted to save his money, devote it to his family, and get out at an early 127 00:07:58,550 --> 00:08:05,330 age. At the age of 23, Owen signs with the WWF, where his older brother Brett 128 00:08:05,330 --> 00:08:08,530 quickly rising through the ranks as an up -and -coming star. 129 00:08:09,210 --> 00:08:13,330 I remember going to the Winnipeg Arena to see a WWF show, and this guy comes to 130 00:08:13,330 --> 00:08:16,330 the ring wearing, I knew what stampede wrestling tights looked like. They had 131 00:08:16,330 --> 00:08:18,250 lightning bolts to the side and three stars on the ass. 132 00:08:18,710 --> 00:08:19,710 Except for he had a mask. 133 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,680 I'm like, wow, that guy looks like a stampede wrestling guy. Who is it? 134 00:08:23,940 --> 00:08:26,260 And then he did the bum flip, and I was like, that's Owen Hart. 135 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:31,340 Owen had a great personality, but he didn't have an over -the -top 136 00:08:31,340 --> 00:08:35,240 that translated on television for the style of the WWF at the time. 137 00:08:35,580 --> 00:08:41,980 By 1993, the blue blazer persona is phased out, and Owen enters a storyline 138 00:08:41,980 --> 00:08:46,020 portraying Brett's jealous little brother looking to prove himself. 139 00:08:47,850 --> 00:08:52,130 Selfish person. Your ego is too big. You only worry about yourself, Brett. 140 00:08:52,330 --> 00:08:57,150 Their feud builds towards a highly anticipated match at WrestleMania 10. 141 00:08:57,510 --> 00:08:59,450 There's a lot of great matches I would watch. 142 00:08:59,670 --> 00:09:04,410 One of them would definitely be in the Garden, WrestleMania 10, Owen and Brett. 143 00:09:04,590 --> 00:09:08,290 Because here's the deal. The two brothers from Calgary, two sons of Sue 144 00:09:08,490 --> 00:09:11,910 came into New York City, Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena, 145 00:09:12,130 --> 00:09:13,130 and stole the show. 146 00:09:13,170 --> 00:09:14,170 Bottom line. 147 00:09:17,900 --> 00:09:21,800 I think it was a testament to Brett that he went along with it because it was 148 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,380 really designed to help Owen. Owen wasn't over yet. He was getting there. 149 00:09:25,380 --> 00:09:26,219 getting the root. 150 00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:28,960 Brett was a star, arguably the biggest star that we had. 151 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:34,600 So Brett doing this was really brotherly love. He helped his brother get 152 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,740 recognized and get the spotlight on him. 153 00:09:37,540 --> 00:09:42,680 After his win at WrestleMania, Owen Hart comes into his own, achieving accolades 154 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:44,200 beyond the shadow of his brother. 155 00:09:44,830 --> 00:09:48,770 But for Owen's family, his growing success means a more rigorous travel 156 00:09:48,770 --> 00:09:49,770 schedule. 157 00:09:49,970 --> 00:09:56,030 He was gone over 250 days a year, and he would go 10 days on and then three days 158 00:09:56,030 --> 00:10:02,910 off. It was just a revolving door 159 00:10:02,910 --> 00:10:05,790 of, you know, he was home and then he was gone and home and gone. 160 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,860 Hopefully some money to pay for all the aches and pains that I've done. 161 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,720 I can enjoy myself at home with my wife and family. 162 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,720 In 1997, 163 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:26,100 Brett's controversial departure from the WWF to rival company WCW shakes up the 164 00:10:26,100 --> 00:10:27,100 entire industry. 165 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:32,100 In an incident known as the Montreal Screwjob, Brett is stripped of his 166 00:10:32,100 --> 00:10:35,540 championship belt following creative differences with the company. 167 00:10:36,060 --> 00:10:42,860 Fans witness real -life backstage drama unfold as Bret is left stunned on live 168 00:10:42,860 --> 00:10:48,920 television. The Montreal Screwjob was a double -cross on Bret Hart, and Bret was 169 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:50,380 hot. He was mad. 170 00:10:51,340 --> 00:10:55,760 Even though Owen didn't share the same sort of philosophy or view of wrestling 171 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:59,520 that, you know, Brett had, he knew it was important to his brother, so he knew 172 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,540 his brother was going to be crushed. So as soon as that happened, he went right 173 00:11:02,540 --> 00:11:05,820 to the ring and told Brett, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. 174 00:11:06,100 --> 00:11:10,780 You know, it's all garbage anyway. But for Brett, it was a stab in the heart. 175 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:15,640 This thing was taking on a life of its own, and it was starting to look bad and 176 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:20,000 reflect poorly on the WWF, and they wanted to keep one member of the family. 177 00:11:20,620 --> 00:11:25,200 The fact that we knew Owen was going to be a star, big star, not a star. He was 178 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:26,200 already a star. 179 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:29,240 But to get to the next level, we gave Owen a new contract. 180 00:11:29,940 --> 00:11:32,880 You can't lie to people and say, well, it had nothing to do with Montreal. 181 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:35,440 Bullshit. It had a lot to do with Montreal. Come on. 182 00:11:35,860 --> 00:11:36,880 But that's not bad. 183 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,200 It's just what it is. 184 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:42,880 We knew what we had, and he was so motivated from being Brett's little 185 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:44,100 to being Owen Hart. 186 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:46,500 And with Brett gone to another team, 187 00:11:47,460 --> 00:11:49,240 it helps facilitate that. 188 00:11:49,870 --> 00:11:52,790 It has been said that anything can happen here in the World Wrestling 189 00:11:52,790 --> 00:11:56,070 Federation, but now more than ever, truer words have never been spoken. 190 00:11:56,390 --> 00:12:00,650 Vince McMahon wanted wrestlers to start being actors at this point, and he 191 00:12:00,650 --> 00:12:03,370 couldn't understand why they didn't want to go along with it. Because the way 192 00:12:03,370 --> 00:12:06,230 that wrestlers had always been portrayed was, you're not playing a character, 193 00:12:06,350 --> 00:12:11,550 this is you. Surely the era of the superhero who urged you to say your 194 00:12:11,550 --> 00:12:14,070 and take your vitamins is definitely passe. 195 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,960 In the new entertainment attitude era, they didn't know what to do with Owen 196 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,100 because he was just a great professional wrestler. They kept trying to find 197 00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:26,380 something to plug him into. Well, let's get him in an affair with somebody. 198 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:31,640 Debra McMichael. Owen was the one guy that was always pushing back. You know, 199 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:36,560 don't want to do this angle. I don't want to look like I'm cheating on my 200 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:41,500 with Debra. It was that tipping point that we reached at that time between 201 00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:43,080 not going to use great wrestlers. 202 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:46,960 Just because they're great athletes and they're great wrestlers, they have to be 203 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,600 willing to put on goofy outfits and do skits. 204 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:56,480 But check this out. Owen Hart, man, his head is not in this at all. So that's 205 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:01,520 why when they came to him with a revival of the Blue Blazer as a comedy gimmick, 206 00:13:01,660 --> 00:13:05,280 okay, sure, at least that's not going to make my family look bad, right? It's 207 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,540 just stupid. Here it comes. It's Owen Hart. 208 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:11,520 The Blazer is Owen Hart. You got one of the top. 209 00:13:11,870 --> 00:13:15,270 Four or five workers in the world, and you want to put them under a mask, an 210 00:13:15,270 --> 00:13:17,190 unknown mask, the blue blazer. 211 00:13:18,110 --> 00:13:19,029 Couldn't work. 212 00:13:19,030 --> 00:13:20,250 Bottom line, it was really simple. 213 00:13:20,490 --> 00:13:24,750 Creative couldn't find a better idea to utilize one of the best technical 214 00:13:24,750 --> 00:13:28,410 workers in the entire world, and I found that to be embarrassing. 215 00:13:34,990 --> 00:13:39,510 In 1998, the WWF reprises the blue blazer character. 216 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:44,380 A campy superhero gimmick Owen Hart portrayed a decade earlier. 217 00:13:44,660 --> 00:13:48,520 Take your vitamins, say your prayers, and drink your milk. 218 00:13:49,300 --> 00:13:55,300 They were also trying to spoof Sting, who was a wrestler in the WCW. 219 00:13:55,580 --> 00:14:00,300 And he would come down, descend into the ring. And so I think they were 220 00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:05,760 competing with WCW, and that was one way that they could almost make fun of 221 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:06,900 them, too, in a sense. 222 00:14:10,730 --> 00:14:15,810 The company that had rigged Owen was a top rigging company that had rigged 223 00:14:15,810 --> 00:14:21,790 John, the Rolling Stones. They also had worked for Disney and MGM in Las Vegas. 224 00:14:21,850 --> 00:14:23,510 So they were really renowned. 225 00:14:23,850 --> 00:14:28,710 You know, Owen didn't have control over any of the stunt. He was locked in with 226 00:14:28,710 --> 00:14:34,150 what they call a locking carabiner, which they feel is the only safe 227 00:14:34,150 --> 00:14:36,950 to use if you're doing these types of descents. 228 00:14:37,550 --> 00:14:39,330 This is nonsense! 229 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,860 Six months later, the aerial descent of the Blue Blazer is revisited for an 230 00:14:44,860 --> 00:14:47,860 upcoming pay -per -view event called Over the Edge. 231 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:53,570 Owen? was on his way home. He was just flying in, and I was literally just 232 00:14:53,570 --> 00:14:57,330 walking out the door to go pick him up from the airport when I got a call from 233 00:14:57,330 --> 00:15:01,930 someone that worked at the WWF. And they said, well, you know, we need to get 234 00:15:01,930 --> 00:15:07,690 his measurements for a vest because we're doing this drop -in this weekend 235 00:15:07,690 --> 00:15:11,310 Kansas City, and we need to get his measurements ASAP. 236 00:15:11,510 --> 00:15:16,010 And I remember thinking, you just had him. He was just with you guys. 237 00:15:16,490 --> 00:15:21,860 Why didn't you get it? And I asked her that. And then she said, well, we just 238 00:15:21,860 --> 00:15:23,280 decided. We just wrote it in. 239 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:29,860 So I actually asked on the phone about, you know, who'd be rigging him, and the 240 00:15:29,860 --> 00:15:33,720 girl on the phone said, oh, you know, don't worry, we have the top riggers 241 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,960 L .A. coming in, so don't worry about that. Yeah, it's totally safe. He never 242 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,660 questioned, ever, his safety because he assumed that this billion -dollar 243 00:15:43,660 --> 00:15:48,320 company was certainly going to make sure that they hired the best in the 244 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:50,920 business, which they did not. 245 00:15:51,820 --> 00:15:57,800 Life on the road is never ending for Owen and his family. And on May 22, 246 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,800 he travels to Kansas City for Over the Edge. 247 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:08,220 It was Saturday when he left. He was rushing out the door, you know, just 248 00:16:08,220 --> 00:16:14,280 embarking on another long 10 -day journey away from home. He decided that 249 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,040 going to take Oge to the airport and he'd pick up my mom. She'd drive Oge 250 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:19,040 to the house. 251 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,300 It wasn't very common where I would take Dad to the airport, but this occasion 252 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:23,300 was different. 253 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:26,840 And the last thing he said to me was, like, you look after your mom. You take 254 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:28,420 care of your mom. You take care of your sister. 255 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,000 And then he was walking in with his bag over his shoulder into the airport. 256 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,380 I wasn't sure what that meant. I honestly didn't think anything of it. It 257 00:16:37,380 --> 00:16:39,300 seemed like something you'd say when you were saying goodbye. 258 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:45,580 My name is Jimmy Corderas, and I am a former referee with the WWF slash WWE. 259 00:16:46,330 --> 00:16:50,170 We got there, we set up the ring, we got our match assignments, which was Blue 260 00:16:50,170 --> 00:16:54,510 Blazer, Owen versus The Godfather. They happened to be together at ringside, and 261 00:16:54,510 --> 00:16:58,030 I went over and got with them, got the finish to the match. And that was 262 00:16:58,030 --> 00:17:00,670 basically it. It was business as usual. 263 00:17:01,170 --> 00:17:05,490 I am The Godfather, WWE Hall of Fame Godfather. 264 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,400 I remember hanging out with Owen that day. 265 00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:11,839 We talked about the match. We talked about the finish. 266 00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,800 Just normal stuff, hanging out. We were sitting in the arena, and he said that 267 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,060 he was getting ready to practice one of the things, and he did that, and I 268 00:17:19,060 --> 00:17:20,060 watched him. 269 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:25,660 I had a feeling that day that Owen was not his normal, exuberant, enthusiastic 270 00:17:25,660 --> 00:17:27,900 self about what he was doing that night. 271 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,820 And I remember saying something about, you know, better you than me. 272 00:17:31,140 --> 00:17:32,680 I don't like heights. He said, I don't either. 273 00:17:33,100 --> 00:17:35,760 I think that he was a little concerned, and look. 274 00:17:36,090 --> 00:17:38,830 He's the one that's got to do it. There's nobody that can do it for him. 275 00:17:38,830 --> 00:17:39,769 there's no stunt double. 276 00:17:39,770 --> 00:17:43,470 Just a couple little things he said, and maybe more specifically what he didn't 277 00:17:43,470 --> 00:17:48,310 say, led me to believe that he's not totally down on this thing. 278 00:17:54,530 --> 00:17:56,870 On May 23, 1999, 279 00:17:57,670 --> 00:18:01,450 Over the Edge takes place at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. 280 00:18:01,870 --> 00:18:04,190 The event plays to a sold -out crowd. 281 00:18:04,730 --> 00:18:07,250 and airs live to hundreds of thousands at home. 282 00:18:07,690 --> 00:18:13,390 In preparation for his dramatic entrance, Owen Hart makes his way to the 283 00:18:13,390 --> 00:18:14,389 the arena. 284 00:18:14,390 --> 00:18:18,230 That night, myself and Mark Henry were at Kane and X -Pac for the tag titles in 285 00:18:18,230 --> 00:18:21,950 the first match, and I believe Owen was like the third or fourth match. 286 00:18:23,290 --> 00:18:28,330 I remember talking to Kane and X -Pac and seeing Owen walk by, and this was 287 00:18:28,330 --> 00:18:29,330 before our match. 288 00:18:29,570 --> 00:18:33,670 From the rafters, Owen changes into his blue blazer costume. 289 00:18:34,270 --> 00:18:36,770 and the rigging crew readies him for his descent. 290 00:18:38,050 --> 00:18:42,070 We were clearing out the ring. I had my left hand on the top rope, and I was 291 00:18:42,070 --> 00:18:45,630 kicking debris out of the ring, and I was moving towards the corner. 292 00:18:45,890 --> 00:18:50,510 At that time, there was a promo playing on the screen of the Blue Blazer. Ooh, 293 00:18:50,630 --> 00:18:51,630 the Godfather. 294 00:18:51,830 --> 00:18:54,550 Just saying his name makes my blue blood boil. 295 00:18:55,210 --> 00:18:59,710 Hanging in the air over 80 feet above the ring, he waits for his cue. 296 00:19:00,130 --> 00:19:02,150 And in here comes the time for the entrances. 297 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,680 And I'm looking at my monitor, looking at my paper, and all of a sudden Lawler 298 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:07,820 gives me the elbow. 299 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:13,500 I looked up, and I just caught Owen coming into my line of vision. 300 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:15,200 A blur. 301 00:19:15,780 --> 00:19:22,400 And I just... I thought I heard 302 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:28,820 screaming, and then I felt something brush against the side of my head and my 303 00:19:28,820 --> 00:19:32,980 shoulder, and at the same time... The top rope that I was holding pulled out 304 00:19:32,980 --> 00:19:36,100 my hand and came back and, like, jammed my fingers. 305 00:19:36,340 --> 00:19:39,260 And I'm thinking in my head, what the heck was that? 306 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:44,960 And when I turned and looked, there was Owen. He was, like, laying in the ring, 307 00:19:44,980 --> 00:19:45,980 like, face up. 308 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,620 And I just started screaming for help. 309 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:56,020 I thought I hit the turnbuckle or the ring post because it really sounded 310 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:57,200 sick, sick. 311 00:19:58,620 --> 00:19:59,620 That's when... 312 00:19:59,870 --> 00:20:01,430 You know, things kind of went sideways. 313 00:20:02,550 --> 00:20:06,910 The Blue Blazer, as we know, is Owen Hart, was going to make a very 314 00:20:06,910 --> 00:20:11,730 superhero -like entrance from the rafters, and something went terribly 315 00:20:11,730 --> 00:20:15,430 here. I was watching the pay -per -view, as they did at the time, and then they 316 00:20:15,430 --> 00:20:19,610 go to Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler saying that Owen Hart has had a bad fall, or 317 00:20:19,610 --> 00:20:23,430 whatever they said, and we'll keep you posted. I'm like, what? 318 00:20:24,410 --> 00:20:25,410 What do you mean? 319 00:20:25,590 --> 00:20:28,970 And they're not showing the ring. They're just panning the crowd. What's 320 00:20:28,970 --> 00:20:31,110 on here? I said, something's wrong. 321 00:20:32,090 --> 00:20:37,710 I was at the guerrilla station behind the curtain, and somebody said, Owen 322 00:20:37,890 --> 00:20:41,370 Owen just fell. And I went, Owen fell? What? He goes, Owen just fell. 323 00:20:42,530 --> 00:20:47,010 I kept getting these alerts in my headset, we need another update. But I'm 324 00:20:47,010 --> 00:20:48,290 getting any updatable material. 325 00:20:49,430 --> 00:20:54,490 And JR's, you know, filling time on live television while a guy's laying there 326 00:20:54,490 --> 00:20:55,199 in the ring. 327 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:56,200 Dying? 328 00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:59,920 Well, it's one of the most shocking things I've ever seen. This is not your 329 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,340 typical wrestling storyline. 330 00:21:02,580 --> 00:21:05,200 This is a real situation. 331 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:08,340 I said, I've never seen anything like that. 332 00:21:09,180 --> 00:21:12,060 Not on any wrestling program, not on any television program. 333 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:13,460 It's never happened before. 334 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,860 It was Jerry Lawler who came back. He came through the curtain. And Jerry was 335 00:21:19,860 --> 00:21:21,080 white as a ghost. 336 00:21:21,340 --> 00:21:23,560 And his words were, I think he's dead. 337 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:25,600 And we're like, who? And he was like, Owen. 338 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:27,560 And then it was just like, ah. 339 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,800 Jerry Lawler, back joining me here. King, I was reiterating to the fans, 340 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:33,800 not part of the show. 341 00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:37,660 We're here to entertain and have fun, but this is neither. 342 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,740 No, it doesn't look good at all. 343 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,540 I knew something was wrong because Lawler, his face just became ashen 344 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:50,220 Like he'd just seen death. 345 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:54,760 And they wheeled Owen past us to go to the ambulance. 346 00:21:55,340 --> 00:21:55,700 And... 347 00:21:55,700 --> 00:22:07,760 That's 348 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,500 not even an image I want to even bring up in my head anymore. That was not what 349 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:12,500 I wanted to see. 350 00:22:14,700 --> 00:22:17,980 When they wheeled him through the curtain and they put him in the 351 00:22:17,980 --> 00:22:19,260 remember being in shock. 352 00:22:20,810 --> 00:22:23,090 When they did Will and Becky, it was like blue. 353 00:22:23,650 --> 00:22:24,870 And I remember that. 354 00:22:25,870 --> 00:22:27,330 And I remember crying, too. 355 00:22:28,170 --> 00:22:33,090 They didn't want to stop the show, so Jeff Jarrett, who was real close with 356 00:22:33,090 --> 00:22:35,550 Owen, did a promo, and he was in tears. 357 00:22:35,990 --> 00:22:38,690 Owen Hart, I'm praying for you, buddy. 358 00:22:39,350 --> 00:22:40,350 I am, too. 359 00:22:40,650 --> 00:22:45,450 In the chaos, Kevin Dunn, the executive producer, thought that I had been told 360 00:22:45,450 --> 00:22:47,250 what the deal was. 361 00:22:47,490 --> 00:22:49,170 I said, Kevin, nobody's told us anything. 362 00:22:49,900 --> 00:22:50,900 What is the update? 363 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,020 And he said, he's dead. 364 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:57,800 And you're back at 10, 9. 365 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:07,020 And I have the unfortunate responsibility to 366 00:23:07,020 --> 00:23:09,940 let everyone know that Owen Hart has died. 367 00:23:11,220 --> 00:23:15,840 Owen Hart has tragically died from that accident here tonight. 368 00:23:17,060 --> 00:23:20,700 On camera, what people saw was the result of 10 seconds of preparation. 369 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:23,120 Didn't know what to say. 370 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,180 And it wasn't a storyline. 371 00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:28,380 I got very numb after that night. 372 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:33,200 My hands were shaking. My stomach was hurting. I was just, I was damned, man. 373 00:23:36,260 --> 00:23:37,680 And they went on with the show. 374 00:23:40,100 --> 00:23:41,900 When Owen was fought shit. 375 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:51,880 When Owen was falling, everybody that was there said the last thing that he 376 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:57,980 yelled was, look out, a guy's fallen from 100 feet and he knows he's done. 377 00:23:58,340 --> 00:24:02,720 And the last thing he's thinking is, look out, I don't want to hurt you. You 378 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:07,640 know, that's, it was foolish. It was unnecessary. 379 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:09,400 It didn't need to happen. 380 00:24:16,060 --> 00:24:20,640 During a live pay -per -view event, Owen Hart was set to make a dramatic 381 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:25,500 entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena when something would go terribly 382 00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:30,940 wrong. The phone rang and it said unknown caller, which was always like 383 00:24:30,940 --> 00:24:33,220 code for like that's Owen on the road. 384 00:24:33,500 --> 00:24:37,760 And so then I picked it up in a hurry and I was like, hello. And then, you 385 00:24:37,780 --> 00:24:40,400 I heard this voice like Martha and I said. 386 00:24:40,700 --> 00:24:46,680 Owen and then he said no this isn't Owen this is Vince McMahon you know Owen is 387 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:51,820 such a prankster and I'm like oh Owen and he's like no it's Vince McMahon and 388 00:24:51,820 --> 00:24:56,620 then he said I'm calling you because you know, I have to tell you that Owens had 389 00:24:56,620 --> 00:25:00,300 a fall. Well, what do you mean? Like, how far did he fall? What's wrong with 390 00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:04,000 him? Is he conscious? Like, and then he was like, I don't know. I don't know. 391 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:07,280 Well, I need to talk to somebody who's got some answers. 392 00:25:07,660 --> 00:25:11,300 And so then he said, well, someone will be calling you right away. 393 00:25:11,740 --> 00:25:17,200 Then the next call that I got was from the doctor from the Truman Medical 394 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:18,200 Center. 395 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,140 So the doctor, you know, 396 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:46,260 So the doctor, he said, are you home alone? 397 00:25:46,660 --> 00:25:47,920 And I said, yes. 398 00:25:48,300 --> 00:25:54,700 And he said, well, you know, we should really fly you down to get this kind of 399 00:25:54,700 --> 00:25:58,980 news. And, you know, he's kind of going through all of these details. 400 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:01,320 And then I said to him, 401 00:26:02,020 --> 00:26:07,460 you know, doctor, could you just get to the end and just tell me what the end 402 00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:08,379 result is? 403 00:26:08,380 --> 00:26:09,440 And he said. 404 00:26:13,370 --> 00:26:14,370 I tried. 405 00:26:14,530 --> 00:26:18,230 I did everything I could to save his life, but I couldn't. 406 00:26:18,790 --> 00:26:22,410 And he said, I'm so sorry, but your husband has died. 407 00:26:22,730 --> 00:26:29,590 And then I just, you know, I just doubled over and I just screamed, no, 408 00:26:29,970 --> 00:26:35,130 But, you know, of course, all the no's in the world weren't going to change 409 00:26:35,130 --> 00:26:37,270 anything. Whose belt is that, Osh? 410 00:26:37,730 --> 00:26:40,270 That. Yes, and what is it? What kind of belt? 411 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,520 champion belt, world tag team champion. 412 00:26:45,780 --> 00:26:51,480 My memory of May 23rd begins in my basement of my house. 413 00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:58,360 I was with my one neighbor and it said my mom was crying, really crying. 414 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,240 And I was like, well, what is my mom crying about? 415 00:27:00,660 --> 00:27:05,380 And she said, I don't know why your mom's crying, but she's crying a lot. 416 00:27:06,830 --> 00:27:10,170 I went upstairs and I opened the door and I walked through the foyer into the 417 00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:13,950 kitchen and there my mom was screaming, what am I going to do? 418 00:27:15,770 --> 00:27:20,350 And I really did not have any conclusions drawn about why she was so 419 00:27:20,350 --> 00:27:21,350 hysterically sad. 420 00:27:21,830 --> 00:27:26,850 And I just remembered, like, it was just such a moment of truth where I just, 421 00:27:26,950 --> 00:27:33,020 like... saw so clearly like there were just two paths in front of me one total 422 00:27:33,020 --> 00:27:38,760 destruction and one of like reconstruction you know and i was like i 423 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:44,820 this destroy everything that we worked for and and let everything fall apart 424 00:27:44,820 --> 00:27:49,160 know all i could think of were oj and athena because i was like their whole 425 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:54,230 lives are going to be different now And all they have is me. That's it. They're 426 00:27:54,230 --> 00:28:01,050 three and seven years old. So I need to make sure that, you know, somehow 427 00:28:01,050 --> 00:28:02,590 I survive for them. 428 00:28:03,830 --> 00:28:08,870 Then mom has to take me upstairs because it's bedtime. 429 00:28:09,190 --> 00:28:11,730 And we sit at the foot of the bed on the side. 430 00:28:12,870 --> 00:28:14,350 Nobody prepares for this. 431 00:28:14,910 --> 00:28:19,510 But she did it. And she said, your dad's dead. 432 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:21,220 She said, he's died. 433 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,920 He fell, and he died, but he didn't feel any pain. 434 00:28:29,100 --> 00:28:34,980 That memory has played in my mind millions of times. 435 00:28:36,300 --> 00:28:42,580 I remember that night, all three of us slept in the same bed, and I just looked 436 00:28:42,580 --> 00:28:43,580 at the roof. 437 00:28:45,340 --> 00:28:49,560 I just looked at the roof, and I tried not to hear my mom. 438 00:28:50,780 --> 00:28:53,180 Sniffling. I don't think either of us slept that night. 439 00:28:54,740 --> 00:28:59,520 Martha and her family begin to make final preparations as Owen's body is 440 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:00,900 transported to Calgary. 441 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:05,380 I remember the funeral director saying, you know, are you ready? Are you ready? 442 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:06,840 And I said, yep, I'm ready. 443 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:14,200 Soon as he opened the door, I just remembered being absolutely horrified 444 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:21,000 101 looked like. I screamed so loud and I tried to run away and Brett just 445 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:27,040 bear hugged me and then we just sort of did this weird little like inch dance 446 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:33,820 towards the casket and then you know I just took it all in and then 447 00:29:33,820 --> 00:29:40,550 I was comforted by his hair because his hair was the same 448 00:29:40,550 --> 00:29:46,210 and then i just thought oh you know what like the person that i loved in life 449 00:29:46,210 --> 00:29:52,910 you know i loved in death too and then i just wasn't afraid anymore on may 31st 450 00:29:52,910 --> 00:29:59,830 1999 owen hart is laid to rest owen hart known as the blue blazer in 451 00:29:59,830 --> 00:30:04,490 the ring was killed last week when a stunt went horribly wrong at a match in 452 00:30:04,490 --> 00:30:09,000 missouri Taking part in a tearful farewell were the sports superstars, 453 00:30:09,020 --> 00:30:11,620 politicians, and a huge crowd of fans. 454 00:30:12,020 --> 00:30:16,360 We were riding in the funeral procession, and there were Canadians 455 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,080 the side of the road, letting us pass like Owen was the head of state. 456 00:30:20,340 --> 00:30:26,040 It was amazing to see how revered he was in that town, in that country, and in 457 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:27,040 our business. 458 00:30:28,010 --> 00:30:33,250 There were so many people that came to the service, and we didn't have room for 459 00:30:33,250 --> 00:30:38,070 everybody inside, but there were over 1 ,000 people outside of the funeral home 460 00:30:38,070 --> 00:30:42,250 just to listen. We broadcast it. We piped it out through speakers. 461 00:30:42,530 --> 00:30:49,410 I'm a very forgiving person, and I'm not bitter or angry, but there 462 00:30:49,410 --> 00:30:53,330 will be a day of reckoning, and this is my final promise to Owen. 463 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,820 When you live in a world of make -believe and something so real happens, 464 00:30:58,820 --> 00:30:59,980 want to hammer that home. 465 00:31:00,500 --> 00:31:05,160 Although I didn't know exactly what had happened yet, that I was going to get to 466 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,780 the bottom of it and that I would have my day of reckoning. 467 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:19,460 After Owen Hart's funeral, his widow Martha travels to Kansas City to try and 468 00:31:19,460 --> 00:31:22,640 piece together the events surrounding her husband's death. 469 00:31:23,210 --> 00:31:26,610 I saw my mom transform into a completely different person. But she became a 470 00:31:26,610 --> 00:31:31,810 fighter. That means I have to go to Kansas City. I have to see the arena 471 00:31:31,810 --> 00:31:32,749 plummeted in. 472 00:31:32,750 --> 00:31:36,190 We actually went up on the catwalk. 473 00:31:37,610 --> 00:31:39,270 She needed to see it firsthand. 474 00:31:39,470 --> 00:31:43,350 She needed to, as hard as it was, to know. 475 00:31:43,670 --> 00:31:50,410 And she had to go and take us so that we would never have to wonder and that we 476 00:31:50,410 --> 00:31:53,520 would never grow older thinking, F only had known. 477 00:31:54,060 --> 00:32:00,040 I really didn't want to leave any stone unturned, so I consciously chose to go 478 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,780 on that catwalk and to walk to the exact spot where he fell. 479 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:09,700 From my understanding, Owen had to make his way down that little catwalk to get 480 00:32:09,700 --> 00:32:13,680 to the point where he needed to be. We walked right to the spot. We were 481 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:15,600 literally right at the top of the arena. 482 00:32:17,340 --> 00:32:19,580 And when I looked over that... 483 00:32:19,790 --> 00:32:26,090 cliff well into the abyss down below i saw distance between where we were and 484 00:32:26,090 --> 00:32:31,310 the ground and knowing that he just like that he went out there i can't even 485 00:32:31,310 --> 00:32:36,110 imagine the fear that he would have been feeling in those final minutes like 486 00:32:36,110 --> 00:32:42,910 those seconds but still not forfeiting the opportunity to bring us the life 487 00:32:42,910 --> 00:32:45,110 we had so ultimate sacrifice 488 00:32:46,570 --> 00:32:52,190 It was, you know, very disheartening for me to know that that's the last things 489 00:32:52,190 --> 00:32:57,230 that he saw and how hopeless that feeling would have been to know that 490 00:32:57,230 --> 00:33:01,110 nothing you could do. Your life was over and you knew it. I have all these 491 00:33:01,110 --> 00:33:05,730 nagging suspicions that, you know, Owen was the most cautious person I'd ever 492 00:33:05,730 --> 00:33:06,850 known. He'd never... 493 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,500 take, you know, any sort of uncalculated risk. 494 00:33:10,820 --> 00:33:14,820 And how did this happen? There must be negligence. Like, you know, if someone 495 00:33:14,820 --> 00:33:20,680 doesn't just fall from the top of an arena and die and something went wrong, 496 00:33:20,780 --> 00:33:22,500 like something's wrong here. 497 00:33:23,100 --> 00:33:27,840 And so what evidence did the Kansas City police show you? They brought 498 00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:32,340 everything in and they put it all out on a table. And then we kind of went 499 00:33:32,340 --> 00:33:36,720 through everything slowly. And that's the first time that I saw the clip. 500 00:33:37,740 --> 00:33:39,820 This is some of the legal documents. 501 00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:45,780 And this is actually the clip that 502 00:33:45,780 --> 00:33:47,840 held on. 503 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:54,320 This is the actual clip. It's a clip meant for the sole use of sailboats. And 504 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:59,720 how it's designed is it's designed to release on load. So when you have a load 505 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:04,820 on it, and then when you just click it, then it just opens. 506 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:10,780 It opens immediately because the design is to let the mast down on a sailboat. 507 00:34:11,139 --> 00:34:16,060 It's this quick release right here, six pounds of pressure to release it like 508 00:34:16,060 --> 00:34:20,659 that. That's it. This is what was holding him, this little thing right 509 00:34:21,100 --> 00:34:22,058 That's it. 510 00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:28,760 When I first saw the clip, the very first time, I gasped, and I was so 511 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:31,480 upset. It was just appalling. 512 00:34:31,699 --> 00:34:33,920 We looked at statements. 513 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:39,480 to really piece together what we felt Owen's last day was like. 514 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,440 Just hours before the over -the -edge pay -per -view event, Owen was 515 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,460 by the riggers to rehearse the stunt. 516 00:34:46,940 --> 00:34:52,179 They had approached Owen and asked him to do a rehearsal, and then he said, no, 517 00:34:52,260 --> 00:34:57,040 it's okay, I got it. Bobby Talbert said, well, but it's a different setup. 518 00:34:57,420 --> 00:35:01,640 And so Owen said, okay. To my understanding, they did it. 519 00:35:02,190 --> 00:35:06,690 I don't know to this day if they did it with the quick snap shackle or the 520 00:35:06,690 --> 00:35:10,830 locking carabiner. I have a sense that it was the locking carabiner because he 521 00:35:10,830 --> 00:35:11,890 didn't release himself. 522 00:35:12,130 --> 00:35:18,730 The way Owen had been rigged previously, they felt looked a bit clumsy, a bit 523 00:35:18,730 --> 00:35:22,790 sloppy, and what they wanted was this quick release. 524 00:35:23,030 --> 00:35:27,630 As soon as you hit the ground, you just unrelease and you're ready to go 525 00:35:27,630 --> 00:35:30,350 immediately. And so that's what they wanted. 526 00:35:30,910 --> 00:35:34,010 It was to save, like, two seconds of the setup. 527 00:35:34,350 --> 00:35:38,390 Bobby Talbert should have never been in charge of rigging anybody. 528 00:35:38,630 --> 00:35:40,790 He had no experience. 529 00:35:41,310 --> 00:35:44,850 Do you remember what you came to learn were the rigger's final instructions to 530 00:35:44,850 --> 00:35:45,850 Owen? 531 00:35:46,650 --> 00:35:51,390 They said, as long as you don't pull this cord, you'll be okay. 532 00:35:51,950 --> 00:35:53,630 And he never pulled the cord. 533 00:35:55,020 --> 00:36:00,700 After I gathered enough information about what had happened, I was so firm 534 00:36:00,700 --> 00:36:05,460 belief that there was absolute negligence involved, hand over fist. 535 00:36:05,700 --> 00:36:07,840 Everything was pointing in that direction. 536 00:36:08,180 --> 00:36:14,460 With my full authority, my legal counsel filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 537 00:36:14,460 --> 00:36:20,660 WWF, Vince McMahon, and all others I believe are responsible for my husband's 538 00:36:20,660 --> 00:36:26,010 death. I was suing Vince in Kansas City, and he wanted the case moved to 539 00:36:26,010 --> 00:36:30,830 Connecticut because in Connecticut, there are no punitive damages awarded. 540 00:36:31,050 --> 00:36:37,790 He chose to sue me, the widow, which caused a lot of grief. And on top of it, 541 00:36:37,870 --> 00:36:41,110 he was manipulating Owen's family. 542 00:36:41,370 --> 00:36:45,130 There were some people in the family that were for it and some people that 543 00:36:45,130 --> 00:36:46,970 against it when the lawsuit came up. 544 00:36:47,340 --> 00:36:51,860 I'm sure a lot of shock and trepidation amongst the core Hart family that you 545 00:36:51,860 --> 00:36:57,540 can't sue the most powerful man in wrestling because their family life had 546 00:36:57,540 --> 00:36:59,060 centered around professional wrestling. 547 00:36:59,260 --> 00:37:02,940 And there were still a lot of other people in the family that probably 548 00:37:02,940 --> 00:37:05,140 that Vince McMahon was going to be good to them in the future. 549 00:37:05,340 --> 00:37:12,160 The Hart family, they were not supportive of my lawsuit 550 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,540 against WWF. Some members were silent. 551 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:21,360 And then other ones actively worked against me, stealing my legal documents, 552 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:26,100 giving them to the defense. So they basically had our playbook. 553 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:31,980 So that was very heartbreaking for me, you know, because I said to them, you 554 00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:35,560 know, you don't have to support me, but please just don't work against me. 555 00:37:36,140 --> 00:37:43,020 First of all, I resent 556 00:37:43,020 --> 00:37:44,020 your tone. 557 00:37:46,050 --> 00:37:49,930 I resent your tone, lady, okay? 558 00:37:50,190 --> 00:37:51,930 This was a tragic accident. 559 00:37:52,350 --> 00:37:56,510 Her fight for justice was an uphill battle, to say the least, a real David 560 00:37:56,510 --> 00:38:01,130 Goliath story. I do think that the measurable neglect that had to go into 561 00:38:01,130 --> 00:38:03,170 something so catastrophic cannot be overlooked. 562 00:38:03,470 --> 00:38:06,710 This tragedy is the magnitude at which it's at because it was completely 563 00:38:06,710 --> 00:38:09,870 preventable. This was a guy who was 200 and... 564 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:13,680 40 pounds. There could have been a rigging team that knew what they were 565 00:38:13,780 --> 00:38:15,980 and they didn't because it was more expensive. 566 00:38:21,620 --> 00:38:27,900 After a year -long legal battle between Martha Hart and the WWF, a settlement is 567 00:38:27,900 --> 00:38:30,040 reached in the amount of $18 million. 568 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:33,220 For me, I didn't care about the money. 569 00:38:33,420 --> 00:38:36,940 It wasn't about money for me. I wanted this case to go to trial. 570 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:44,000 That was my biggest... thrust from start to finish was that I didn't want a 571 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,140 settlement. I was looking for justice. 572 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:47,540 I was looking for accountability. 573 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:53,120 All my mom was trying to do was preserve the dignity that my dad had and give 574 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:55,280 her kids the best life they could have. 575 00:38:55,580 --> 00:39:01,020 The settlement provides some closure, but the WWF's decision to continue the 576 00:39:01,020 --> 00:39:05,480 show after Owen's fatal fall remains controversial to this day. 577 00:39:05,940 --> 00:39:08,260 How did this happen? He didn't commit suicide. 578 00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:10,320 Was there foul play? 579 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:14,480 Was it an accident? We don't know, so leave everything the way it is until we 580 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:17,220 figure this out. No, we'll just go ahead and have four or five more matches. 581 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,940 That they didn't stop Kansas City was bullshit. 582 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:26,080 The fact that Vince just discarded Owen like he was a piece of garbage and 583 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:27,240 scraped his... 584 00:39:27,470 --> 00:39:32,850 dead body off the mat and sent wrestlers out to wrestle on a ring where owen's 585 00:39:32,850 --> 00:39:38,890 blood was and it even had broken some of the boards owen's fall so there was a 586 00:39:38,890 --> 00:39:44,050 dip in the ring and they could feel where he fell the police should have 587 00:39:44,050 --> 00:39:47,950 the show and they should have investigated immediately this was a 588 00:39:47,950 --> 00:39:53,390 crime scene there's been a death here and you know we can't just let the show 589 00:39:53,390 --> 00:39:54,390 on 590 00:39:54,450 --> 00:39:59,370 There's nothing that I've ever experienced compares to Owen Hart's 591 00:39:59,370 --> 00:40:02,330 having to live with it every day since. 592 00:40:02,750 --> 00:40:04,710 It was the worst moment of my wrestling career. 593 00:40:05,490 --> 00:40:07,150 Maybe the worst moment of my life. 594 00:40:07,390 --> 00:40:11,790 He was a vibrant guy that died unnecessarily before he could ever get 595 00:40:11,790 --> 00:40:12,669 peak of his career. 596 00:40:12,670 --> 00:40:17,170 We had a beautiful family and a wonderful mom and dad who were so proud 597 00:40:17,170 --> 00:40:21,830 because the youngest Hart had stepped away from the pack and he made his own 598 00:40:21,830 --> 00:40:25,940 way. with his own style, his own uniqueness, and they were all proud of 599 00:40:26,700 --> 00:40:30,880 He was popular everywhere he went, kind of introduced his high -flying style all 600 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:32,640 around the world. He was a pioneer. 601 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:36,340 He could be serious, he could be funny, he could be a technician in the ring, he 602 00:40:36,340 --> 00:40:38,480 could be a high -flyer in the ring. He was great at everything. 603 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:44,740 Had Owen not died in 99, even though he was getting a little bit disenfranchised 604 00:40:44,740 --> 00:40:48,360 with the rest of us, think about who was coming into the business and coming 605 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,940 into WWE at that time. In less than a year, 606 00:40:51,900 --> 00:40:53,780 Guerrero was there. Malenko was there. 607 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,640 Edge, Christian, Kurt Angle. 608 00:40:56,860 --> 00:41:01,500 Owen would have had a huge career resurgence because I don't think anybody 609 00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:03,980 keep up with him in the WWE in 1999. 610 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:11,360 We'll never know how great he could have been because he's just approaching that 611 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:15,340 place when he fell from the skies in Kansas City. 612 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,340 If a guy like me is in the Hall of Fame, there's no damn way that Owen Hart 613 00:41:20,340 --> 00:41:21,340 should be in 10. 614 00:41:21,650 --> 00:41:25,270 Owen Hart should be in every wrestling hall of fame there is because of his 615 00:41:25,270 --> 00:41:29,170 talent and because he belonged there. But he's not in the hall of fame because 616 00:41:29,170 --> 00:41:34,270 his wife does not want him celebrated and glorified by the same company that 617 00:41:34,270 --> 00:41:35,330 took him away from her. 618 00:41:35,850 --> 00:41:41,290 I would never allow for Owen to be recognized by a company that actually is 619 00:41:41,290 --> 00:41:42,810 responsible for his death. 620 00:41:43,650 --> 00:41:48,970 I would never let WWE put his name on a piece of silver. 621 00:41:49,850 --> 00:41:55,710 say that they they got that we have built a foundation that helps put people 622 00:41:55,710 --> 00:42:01,310 homes that helps single moms like my mom was that let kids go to school this is 623 00:42:01,310 --> 00:42:07,830 all done in his namesake this is all got owen hart written all over it this is 624 00:42:07,830 --> 00:42:13,250 how communities this is how people society remembers him and that's how we 625 00:42:13,250 --> 00:42:18,460 it to be done yeah he was a wrestler but other than that he was Bigger than 626 00:42:18,460 --> 00:42:21,020 that. That was just part of what he was. 627 00:42:21,240 --> 00:42:25,220 I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and we're very grateful that we are as 628 00:42:25,220 --> 00:42:29,720 fortunate as we have everything that we could ever ask for, and most 629 00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:31,720 importantly, our health and our happiness together. 630 00:42:33,060 --> 00:42:38,140 I feel like if my dad had never been in wrestling, he'd still be here, since 631 00:42:38,140 --> 00:42:40,400 I've always blamed, like, wrestling for not. 632 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:44,100 Like, everything that's happened is just, like, all Bethany's fault. If it 633 00:42:44,100 --> 00:42:48,940 would have, like, caught his eye, he would have done something else, and then 634 00:42:48,940 --> 00:42:49,940 would have all been together. 635 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,220 And when I think of him, I just think happy trails. 636 00:42:55,820 --> 00:42:58,300 And I would have really liked to have had you around. 637 00:42:59,340 --> 00:43:00,700 Merry Christmas, Doge. 638 00:43:00,980 --> 00:43:02,280 Merry Christmas, Doge. 639 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:04,080 It would have been a lot of fun. 640 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:05,600 It was fun. 641 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:07,520 Thanks for that. 642 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,580 There was one person that always believed in me, and that was Owen. And I 643 00:43:15,580 --> 00:43:19,660 he'd be so thrilled that Oge is a lawyer and that he's going to pursue human 644 00:43:19,660 --> 00:43:24,320 rights law and that Athena is a journalism graduate and is pursuing 645 00:43:25,420 --> 00:43:27,980 When you lose someone that you love because... 646 00:43:28,860 --> 00:43:33,680 you still have all that love for them. I took all that love that I had for Owen 647 00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:37,940 and I created the Owen Hart Foundation. Our message is that, you know, be kind 648 00:43:37,940 --> 00:43:43,040 to people. Life is hard and everything we do through the foundation is a 649 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:49,040 reflection of the type of person that he was. His generosity of spirit and the 650 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:50,840 kindness that he exuded. 651 00:43:51,140 --> 00:43:52,460 So I think... 652 00:43:53,310 --> 00:43:59,430 he would be, you know, clapping and applauding me up there in heaven and 653 00:43:59,490 --> 00:44:00,490 well done you.