AS I SEE IT 5/23/2001
May 23rd, 2001 will be the second anniversary of what has been described as
"the darkest day in wrestling history".
Owen Hart died front of a international TV audience and the live crowd at the Kemper Arena
in Kansas City as the result of a stunt gone horribly wrong, falling an estimated 50 feet
into a turnbuckle.
Mick Foley's two books have spoken volumes about the kind of person Owen Hart was, and the
loss that his friends and family suffer to this day. Far from being the bumbling
"Blue Blazer" or the "Blackheart" characters he portrayed, all who did
know him describe him as a decent and moral man who loved his wife and children. He was
also a legendary practical joker within the WWF, with an ability to keep those he worked
with in a good mood, even on their worst days.
As we approach that anniversary, let's look back to the column I wrote on May 30, 1999 in
Owen Hart's memory...
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OWEN HART: 1963-1999
Real men do cry.
If there were any doubts of that fact before, there were none after May 23rd, a night
which will be remembered for one of the worst tragedies in the history of the wrestling
business.
Along with millions, I watched the Over the Edge pay-per-view that night at home. It was a
pay-per-view starting out pretty much like many WWF pay-per-views, with Jim Ross and Jerry
Lawler trading their usual entertaining banter.
Then, as a video package promoting the match between "The Godfather" and Owen
Hart for the Intercontinental Title began, I could hear Jim Ross say "something's
gone wrong...". When the video package finished, the camera was showing a crowd shot.
At first, I didn't understand what had happened. Then the faces and the words of Jerry
Lawler and Jim Ross made it clear that something had gone horribly, tragically wrong.
Ross, stunned, said over and over again that what had happened was "not part of the
storyline" and not "a wrestling angle"; trying to communicate to the
world-wide PPV audience what had just happened: Owen Hart, while attempting a ring
entrance in his "Blue Blazer" character descending on a wire from the ceiling,
had fallen approximately 50 feet to the ring, hitting his head on a turnbuckle, breaking
his neck.
Hart was given CPR in the ring in front of the live audience at Kemper Arena and then
taken to Truman Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Shortly afterwards, Jim Ross
made the announcement of Hart's death to the PPV audience.
On Tuesday, there were reports from a local Kansas City radio station and the Kansas City
Police Department stating that the apparent cause of the fatal accident was that Owen Hart
was reaching up to grab onto the harness; but instead accidentally hit the release,
causing his fall.
In the "show must go on" spirit that wrestling has, taken from the carnys that
wrestling's roots are born in, the Over The Edge PPV continued until its conclusion. But
the toll on the people who had to perform for the remainder of the evening had to be
beyond measure, and was very obvious to the viewing audience, which saw Jeff Jarrett,
Debra McMichael, Brian (Jesse James Armstrong) James, and Duane (Rocky Maivia) Johnson
barely keeping their composure through scheduled promos during the PPV.
I have to say I felt numb for most of Monday. I noticed that Dave Scherer of
1wrestling.com described much the same feeling. I'm sure we weren't the only people who
felt that way.
Because on May 23rd, a man known for tremendous talent... for a sense of humor legendary
within the wrestling business... and known for his great love for his wife Martha and his
children Oje and Athena... was taken from this world far, far too soon. I think I had this
feeling so strongly because I've had the privilege of seeing the human side of the
business and writing about it. These are very real people that work as professional
wrestlers. They aren't just characters to me.
I've been blessed to have built acquaintances and friendships with many within WCW, ECW,
and the WWF through introductions by NWA office staffperson (and former PWBTS columnist)
Kathy Fitzpatrick. From those, there have come other friendships, all of which have been a
source of great joy. I've gotten to know how much these performers give to entertain
people all over the world, both physically and emotionally.
That's what made it so strangely personal a loss, even though I never got to meet Owen
Hart.
Indeed, real men do cry.
On May 24th, many of them did.
That night, the staff and workers of the World Wrestling Federation dedicated their two
hour Monday Night RAW to their fallen friend and co-worker in a moving tribute at the Kiel
Center in St. Louis. The irony of the location had to be painful for the entire Titan
crew, as only 18 months previously, Brian Pillman was mourned by the WWF and the fans
after his death earlier that day alone in a hotel room hundreds of miles away in
Minneapolis.
The ten bell count was sounded as the entire Titan staff came out under a picture of Owen
Hart on the Titantron. Many of those there were openly weeping for Hart, most notably
Brian (Road Dog) James, Mark Henry, and Paul (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) Levesque.
Monday Night RAW had numerous segments, with wrestlers and office personnel expressing
their feelings about Owen....many of which were humorous, telling of Hart's legendary
"ribs" in the locker room and on the road. Other reminiscences were deeply felt,
by friends like Paul Levesque, Jeff Jarrett, Debra McMichael, and Brian James, repeatedly
breaking down while sharing their feelings with the TV and live audiences.
In between these segments were matches dedicated to Owen Hart, devoid of existing
storylines, so that as many wrestlers as possible could work matches to pay tribute to
their friend. Special mentions of Hart were done all night by the boys, using special
forms of all the traditional tag lines of most of the wrestlers.
The RAW tribute ended with Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross saying their last goodbyes, finally
being able to let go after keeping it together for a pay-per-view and international
TV/cable broadcast over a 24 hour period. Ross said, sobbing, that "...he hoped he
could be as good a man as Owen had been, so he could see him again (in Heaven) some
day."
But the remark that got me crying was Jerry Lawler...the same Jerry Lawler who in real
life can seem so hard-boiled, ruthless, and old school. He said: "I learned a
valuable lesson from Owen Hart last night. As I got into the ring, and held...lifted up
Owen's head in the ring...if he could have had one more thing...he would have asked for
one more day to tell the people he loved what he thought of them. Never leave home without
letting the people in your life know that."
The show then ended with Steve Austin coming out to the ring, with his house show
tradition of bringing out two beers, often handed to referee Earl Hebner. In a silent
tribute that spoke louder than any words, as a graphic of Owen Hart was shown on the
Titantron...with tears in his eyes, Steve Austin opened up his beer...toasted the picture
of Owen, then quietly laid down a lone beer on the mat.
In a welcome touch, even rival company WCW paid tribute to Owen on WCW's Monday Nitro;
where a brief memorial was done for Hart, with Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan speaking
briefly, having a hard time keeping their composure while doing so. Several workers wore
black armbands, most notably Chris Benoit.
I hope that this tragedy teaches us some lessons.
First, as fans...we need to respect how much these performers give to entertain people all
over the world, both physically and emotionally. Next time you get ready to give a catcall
after a wrestler "blows a spot", stop and think about the price he and she has
paid to entertain you that day or night. Stop and think about the travel, the strain on
their personal relationships, the drugs used to deal with the physical and emotional pain.
Then think again if you need to make that comment.
Second, as human beings...We need to listen to the point that Jerry Lawler made while in
those last moments of Monday night's tribute. In the time we have on this Earth, we need
to tell our friends and loved ones what we feel about them. We need to be there for them
in their times of joy and times of need. For when all is said and done, we are not
promised tomorrow.
Real men do cry...and on the night of May 23rd, 1999, the entire wrestling world cried.
Until next time...
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(If you have comments or questions, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)