Vince McMahon explains shocking reason WWE did NOT stop the show when Owen Hart died following a tragic fall live on air in 1999 as new details emerge
- Wrestler Owen Hart fell to his death during a WWE pay-per-view event in 1999
- Vince McMahon then made the controversial decision not to stop the show
On May 23, 1999, one of the most tragic incidents in professional wrestling history occurred at a WWE pay-per-view in Kansas City, Missouri.
That evening, Owen Hart, a member of the famed Hart family dynasty, would appear as the Blue Blazer in an Intercontinental Title match against the Godfather.
Hart’s entrance as the comic superhero character that night would see him plummet from the rafters before a harness malfunction caused him to fall more than 75 feet into the ring.
While commentator Jim Ross later informed fans watching on PPV of Hart’s tragic passing, the live audience received no update on Hart’s condition.
The incident is one of the most infamous in WWE history, with then-owner Vince McMahon controversially choosing to continue with the show.
New details have emerged more than 25 years after the tragic death of Owen Hart at a WWE event
Speaking as part of the Netflix documentary Mr McMahon, which chronicles his life in wrestling, the 79-year-old outlined why he decided the show would go ahead.
“The decision I had to make was whether the show was going to go on or not,” McMahon said.
‘The live audience didn’t really see what was happening. If they had, I would have had to end the show.
“These people came to see a show. They didn’t come to see anyone die. And for me as a businessman, it’s, “Okay, let’s move on. Let’s keep the show going.”
McMahon added that he would have wanted the show to go on if it had been him who suffered the fatal fall.
“I would like the show to go on,” he continued. “Get me out of there and let the show begin.”
The incident led to numerous lawsuits to determine who was to blame for the tragic accident.
Subsequently, WWE chief Vince McMahon defended his decision to continue with the show following Hart’s death
Hart’s widow, Martha Hart, sued WWE, with a settlement reached the following year with the company paying his estate $18 million.
WWE sued Lewmar LTD, the stunt company responsible for producing the defective armor that led to Hart’s death, and reached a $9 million settlement in 2003, with the company admitting there was no wrongdoing in the case.