Owen Hart, Still Missed by Wrestling Community

On May 23, 1999, Owen Hart, dressed in his Blue Blazer costume, prepared high a top the Kemper Arena for a match. The event was the WWF’s "Over The Edge" pay-per-view originating in Kansas City, Missouri. As the youngest member of the Hart family was being lowered from the rafters, something went tragically wrong, and Hart fell to his premature death.

This week marks the first anniversary of the death of Owen Hart. The ramifications of Hart’s death are still being felt in the aftermath.

The next night on "Raw," several WWF stars shared their memories of Hart. Many observers noted that at least of the stories seemed totally fabricated. Steve Austin, a man that never forgave Hart for accidentally injuring his neck at the 1997 Summerslam, ended the program by delivering a crass salute, with a beer in hand, as he observed a photograph of Hart.

The WWF did not allow their top two stars, Austin and The Rock, to break character as several wrestlers openly did for the show, and the Undertaker was not used.

As a direct result of Hart’s fatal fall, the Nationa1Basketball Association banned all entertainment acts from dropping from the rafters. The ban has yet to be lifted.

On the October 4th edition of "Nitro," Bret Hart and Chris Beniot competed in one of the best technical wrestling matches ever televised. The match was arranged in memory of Owen, and was held at the same Kemper Arena. Hart won the contest with his sharpshooter. After the match, they embraced and Hart looked up thinking of his beloved brother.

WCW made the decision not to allow Sting, who had done the stunt several times, to lower himself to the ring. However, a New Year and millennium changed the mindset of management, and Sting returned to attempting the stunt.

WCW’s Slamboree took place at the Kemper Arena. The date of the event was May 7, which would have been Owen’s 35th birthday. A three-tier cage match for the WCW title, involving David Arquette, Diamond Dallas Page, and Owen’s former tag team partner Jeff Jarrett highlighted the show. During the main event, a camera hanging from the ceiling showed the action. I could not avoid having a discomforting feeling watching the contest.

Mike Awesome and Chris Kanyon joined the action for a post match angle. Awesome threw Kanyon off the second level of the cage, crashing him on the entrance ramp. Many fans were left with a bad taste in their mouths watching the extracurricular activities.

Earlier in the contest, Jarrett teased that he would throw Page “over the edge,” or off the cage to the arena floor. The Kansas City crowd fortunately did not pop for the teased move.

Bret was contacted the day before the pay-per-view, even though he was not booked for the show. Vince Russo had wanted Hart to do an angle from the rafters of the arena. Luckily for all parties, Hart was not present the day of the event.

Despite a wrongful death suit pending against the World Wrestling Federation, members of the Hart family attempted to arrange a memorial show in Owen’s memory combined with a birthday celebration for the legendary Stu Hart. Many of the WWF superstars were asked and agreed to work the show, however, the event could not be organized.

Speaking of the lawsuit against the WWF, Bret is slated to give a deposition in late June.

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