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♪
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As a fan of Owen Hart,
pioneer of all pioneers...
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You know, one of the best.
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I knew that this guy
was gonna make it.
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You can tell.
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When I grew up, I wanted
to be just like Owen Heart.
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He was really
the chosen one.
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Owen, he just had
a very nice aura.
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He was always just
trying to spread the joy.
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And he was cast in
the role of a lifetime.
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Owen Hart was a
naturally gifted wrestler.
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He was born into a
legendary wrestling dynasty,
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but he put family
above all else.
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Despite his
success in the ring,
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he was always searching
for a way out of it.
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On May 23rd, 1999,
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during a live
Pay Per View event,
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Owen Hart's hopes for a
life after wrestling
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were tragically cut short.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
when you're doing
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live television, a lot of things
can happen and
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sometimes they are not good.
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Is this really real?
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And then I remember hearing
a gasp from the crowd.
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It was shocking. Like, "What
do you mean, Owen fell?"
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He goes, "Owen just fell!"
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It was Owen. He was
like laying in the ring,
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like, face up.
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I just heard them screaming,
"It's not a fake!
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Get a real EMT back here!"
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If he fell,
he's gotta be dead.
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Owen Hart fell from the
ceiling during an event
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in Kansas City.
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Someone doesn't just fall
from the top of an arena.
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Something's wrong here.
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Her husband flew to Kansas City
to go to work and
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never came home again.
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Mere days after
Owen's death,
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his widow Martha vows to
uncover what happened
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that night in Kansas City.
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There will be a day of
reckoning and this is
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my final promise to Owen.
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It was out of
respect for Owen.
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I can't let everything
that our life was
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just be all for nothing.
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♪
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[singing] Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you...
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From the earliest days of
professional wrestling,
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it has been traditionally
a family business.
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We are the greatest
combined force
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in the World Wrestling
Federation!
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Few compare to the impact of
the Hart family in Calgary,
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who has spawned generations
of in-ring icons.
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Despite being the
youngest of 12 siblings,
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Owen Hart was
considered a true prodigy.
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Number 1, baby!
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But with the circumstances
surrounding his death,
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his legacy has
become more complex.
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In this episode, his family
comes together to share
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memories of the husband and
father they lost all too soon.
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I don't think you can talk
about pro wrestling history
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and not incorporate
the Hart's into that
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conversation very early.
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I'm Jim Ross, 2007 member
of the WWE Hall of Fame,
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the NWA Hall of Fame, and
The National Hall of Fame.
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And, one of the athletes
that I worked with very closely
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is the late, great
Owen Hart, one of the best.
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Stu Hart had a dozen kids,
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and all of the boys
became wrestlers,
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and all the girls grew
up to marry wrestlers.
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So, the extended Hart family
was almost 20 people
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involved in the professional
wrestling industry.
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I'm Jim Cornette.
For almost 40 years,
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I've been a promoter,
a matchmaker, announcer,
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manager, historian,
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all things related
to professional wrestling,
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and I also managed
Owen Hart.
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The Hart family was almost a
dynasty in wrestling because
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of the respect that Stu Hart
had as a promoter,
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and the fact that when
the boys got started
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becoming wrestlers,
they were all good.
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And, the Hart family,
over a period of time,
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became one of the royal families
in professional wrestling.
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It was like a nice Sopranos.
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They didn't kill anybody,
but they stuck together and
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they helped each other, and
everybody got a chance to
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pick the brass ring off the
wrestling merry-go-round.
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All of his sons began to want
to follow in his footsteps.
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Bret Hart was, obviously,
the biggest star worldwide.
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Some of the other sons -
Ross and Keith -
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were stars as well.
And, then the son-in-laws,
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Davey Boy Smith
"The British Bulldog",
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Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.
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So many of them got to be
stars that at one point,
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there was a Hart
family member in
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half the territories
in wrestling.
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Owen was the youngest brother
to get involved in wrestling,
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but when he started,
he was a prodigy, instantly.
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Owen Hart, as a rookie,
he was spectacular.
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His acrobatics were amazing.
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He could flip
backwards off the ropes.
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He could land on his
feet from every direction.
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I saw this guy doing all of
these things I'd never
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seen before: back flips
off of a guy's back,
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he had blond hair,
he looked cool.
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He kind of looked like a
bigger version of Johnny
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from The Karate Kid.
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I just thought,
I want to do this.
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I want to do it
with that guy,
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and I used to draw pictures
of me and Owen Hart as
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the tag team
champions, in Stampede.
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I just really was,
was influenced by him.
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You could tell
Owen was a natural.
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You didn't have
to teach him.
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He'd already picked
it up by osmosis.
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I'm thinking, within hours
of his debuting,
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he's as good as
anybody in the territory.
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You can see it.
Just get him in the game...
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he's gonna be a star.
He was.
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Please, Owen.
I'm gonna cut the tape.
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No, hang on.
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Well, why don't you say
something to the camera,
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you egomaniac!
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Hello there.
[laughs]
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I am Martha Hart.
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I am a doctor for the
University of Calgary and
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Alberta Children's Hospital.
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I'm the founder of the
Owen Hart Foundation
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and I'm a mom.
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That's my whole title.
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I started dating
Owen when I was 15.
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For me, he was just
very striking, you know,
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he had this blond hair
and really well built,
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and I thought he was a
bit of a scrapper because,
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well, first of all,
he was an amateur wrestler.
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But then, as it
turned out, you know,
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he was actually quite a
gentle giant underneath.
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He was a really secure,
grounded person.
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Even though he ended up being
a very world famous wrestler,
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he didn't feed off of
that fame.
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He really wanted to have
this very normal life.
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He wanted to have,
you know, a normal job.
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He wanted the
white picket fence.
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- Hi, Owen.
- Hi, Martha.
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What ya doin'?
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I'm just walking
with my boy Oje, here.
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Owen was an amazing father.
He loved being a dad.
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- Hi, Oje.
- Hi.
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My childhood was phenomenal.
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I loved every second.
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I'm Oje Hart, and I
am Owen Hart's son.
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My mom's love for my
father was unexampled.
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They had the love that could
only get stronger with time.
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I love trains. Trains are my
favorite thing on earth,
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especially toy trains.
Every year,
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a train show would
come to Calgary and
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I only wanted to go with dad.
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And, I remember he said
he was going somewhere,
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like a big trip, but I think
what he did was
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he actually rebooked it.
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That was him stiff-arming
the show and saying, you know,
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"Kids come first, and this
weekend I cannot miss.
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And, this one's for my son."
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But, I remember that
when he was there,
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it was us there together,
and mom and Athena.
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Athena, do you like that?
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- Wee.
- Yeah.
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Him taking me to the zoo.
That was, like, our thing.
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And, I don't have
very many memories,
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but that's like the one that's
always stuck and it's just,
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yeah, it makes me
happy 'cause the short time
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that we had together,
that was my favorite.
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I went to school where my
dad went to school and so,
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everyone always knew me as
the wrestler's daughter.
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Hey, daddy wins.
Who did he beat?
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Uncle Bret.
He turned his head!
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Owen loved the
wrestling business.
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He wasn't a lifer like
some of the other guys.
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He wanted to save his money,
devote it to his family,
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and get out at an early age.
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At the age of 23,
Owen signs with the WWF,
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where his older
brother, Bret,
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is quickly rising through
the ranks as an
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up and coming star.
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I remember going to the
Winnipeg Arena to see a
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WWF show and this guy comes to
the ring wearing -
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I knew what Stampede Wrestling
tights looked like,
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they had lightning bolts on
the side and three stars
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on the ass, except
for he had a mask.
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I'm like, wow,
I wonder if--
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that guy looks like a
Stampede Wrestling guy.
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Who is it? And then
he did the bum flip,
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and I was like,
that's Owen Hart.
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Owen had a
great personality,
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but he didn't have an
over-the-top personality
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that translated on
television for the style of
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the WWF at the time.
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By 1993, the Blue Blazer
persona is phased out,
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and Owen enters a story line
portraying Bret's jealous
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little brother,
looking to prove himself.
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Bret Hart, you're nothing
but a selfish person!
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Your ego is too big!
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You only worry
about yourself, Bret!
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Their feud builds towards a
highly anticipated match
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at WrestleMania X.
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There's a lot of great
matches I would watch.
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One of them would
definitely be in the Garden,
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WrestleMania X,
Owen and Bret,
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because here's the deal:
two brothers from Calgary,
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two sizes, too hard,
came into New York city,
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Madison Square Garden,
the world's most famous arena,
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and stole the show.
Bottom line.
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- Oh, wow!
- [match bell]
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I think it was a testament to
Bret that he went along with it
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because it was really
designed to help Owen.
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Owen wasn't over yet.
He was getting there,
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he was getting the route.
Bret was the star.
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Arguably, the biggest
star that we had.
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So, Bret doing this was
really brotherly love.
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He helped his brother
get recognized and
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get the spotlight on him.
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After his win
at WrestleMania,
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Owen Hart comes
into his own,
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achieving accolades beyond
the shadow of his brother.
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But for Owen's family,
his growing success
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means a more rigorous
travel schedule.
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He was gone over
250 days a year,
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and he would go ten days on
and then three days off.
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Just on my way to go wrestle at
the Nashville Municipal party.
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It was just a
revolving door of, you know,
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he was home and then
he was gone, and home and gone.
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It's a rough life,
but one day I'll have,
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hopefully, some money to pay
for all the aches and pains
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that I've done and I can
enjoy myself at home with
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my wife and family.
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[Martha]
Hm, that's nice.
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In 1997, Bret's controversial
departure from the WWF
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00:10:22,747 --> 00:10:27,752
to rival company WCW
shakes up the entire industry.
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In an incident known as
The Montreal Screw Job,
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Bret is stripped of his
championship belt following
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creative differences
with the company.
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Fans witness real life
backstage drama unfold
243
00:10:40,056 --> 00:10:44,185
as Bret is left stunned
on live television.
244
00:10:44,185 --> 00:10:48,398
The Montreal Screw Job was
a double cross on Bret Hart
245
00:10:48,398 --> 00:10:51,442
and Bret was hot.
He was mad.
246
00:10:51,442 --> 00:10:53,945
Even though Owen didn't
share the same sort of
247
00:10:53,945 --> 00:10:56,531
philosophy or view of
wrestling that, you know,
248
00:10:56,531 --> 00:10:59,075
Bret had, he knew it was
important to his brother,
249
00:10:59,075 --> 00:11:00,743
so he knew his brother
was gonna be crushed.
250
00:11:00,743 --> 00:11:03,204
So, soon as that happened,
he went right to the ring
251
00:11:03,204 --> 00:11:05,999
and told Bret, "Don't worry
about it. It doesn't matter.
252
00:11:05,999 --> 00:11:08,543
It's, you know,
it's all garbage anyway."
253
00:11:08,543 --> 00:11:11,379
But for Bret, it was
a stab in the heart.
254
00:11:11,379 --> 00:11:14,173
This thing was taking on a
life of its own and it was
255
00:11:14,173 --> 00:11:17,594
starting to look bad and
reflect poorly on the WWF,
256
00:11:17,594 --> 00:11:20,471
and they wanted to keep
one member of the family.
257
00:11:20,471 --> 00:11:23,474
The fact that we knew Owen
was gonna be a star -
258
00:11:23,474 --> 00:11:26,269
big star, not a star,
he was already a star -
259
00:11:26,269 --> 00:11:30,106
but to get to the next level,
we gave Owen a new contract.
260
00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:31,316
You know, you get a
lot of people say,
261
00:11:31,316 --> 00:11:33,151
"Oh, it had nothing
to do with Montreal."
262
00:11:33,151 --> 00:11:36,070
Bullshit. It had a lot to do
with Montreal, come on.
263
00:11:36,070 --> 00:11:38,615
But that's not bad,
it's just what it is.
264
00:11:38,615 --> 00:11:41,743
We knew what we had, and
he was so motivated from
265
00:11:41,743 --> 00:11:44,871
being Bret's little brother
to being Owen Hart.
266
00:11:44,871 --> 00:11:47,749
And with Bret gone
to another team,
267
00:11:47,749 --> 00:11:50,168
it helped facilitate that.
268
00:11:50,168 --> 00:11:52,170
It has been said that
anything can happen here
269
00:11:52,170 --> 00:11:53,463
in the World
Wrestling Federation,
270
00:11:53,463 --> 00:11:54,839
but now more than ever,
271
00:11:54,839 --> 00:11:56,591
truer words have
never been spoken.
272
00:11:56,591 --> 00:11:59,427
Vince McMahon wanted
wrestlers to start being actors
273
00:11:59,427 --> 00:12:01,429
at this point, and he
couldn't understand why
274
00:12:01,429 --> 00:12:02,805
they didn't want to
go along with it.
275
00:12:02,805 --> 00:12:04,349
Because, the way that
wrestlers had always been
276
00:12:04,349 --> 00:12:06,351
portrayed was, you're
not playing a character.
277
00:12:06,351 --> 00:12:07,477
This is you.
278
00:12:07,477 --> 00:12:10,480
Surely, the era of the
superhero who urged you to
279
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,817
say your prayers and take your
vitamins is definitely passé.
280
00:12:14,817 --> 00:12:17,737
In the new entertainment,
Attitude Era,
281
00:12:17,737 --> 00:12:19,447
they didn't know what to
do with Owen because
282
00:12:19,447 --> 00:12:21,366
he was just a great
professional wrestler.
283
00:12:21,366 --> 00:12:24,285
They kept trying to find
something to plug him into.
284
00:12:24,285 --> 00:12:26,663
Well, let's get him in
an affair with somebody,
285
00:12:26,663 --> 00:12:27,914
Debra McMichael.
286
00:12:27,914 --> 00:12:30,917
Owen was the one guy that
was always pushing back,
287
00:12:30,917 --> 00:12:33,419
you know, "I don't
want to do this angle.
288
00:12:33,419 --> 00:12:37,799
I don't want to look like I'm
cheating on my wife with Debra."
289
00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:41,135
It was that tipping point that
we reached at that time between,
290
00:12:41,135 --> 00:12:43,888
we're not gonna use
great wrestlers just 'cause
291
00:12:43,888 --> 00:12:46,140
they're great athletes and
they're great wrestlers.
292
00:12:46,140 --> 00:12:51,270
They have to be willing to put
on goofy outfits and do skits.
293
00:12:51,270 --> 00:12:53,147
[Commentator] Check this out.
Owen Hart, man,
294
00:12:53,147 --> 00:12:56,109
his, his head is not
in this at all.
295
00:12:56,109 --> 00:12:58,736
So, that's why when they
came to him with a revival
296
00:12:58,736 --> 00:13:02,573
of the Blue Blazer, as a
comedy gimmick, "Okay, sure.
297
00:13:02,573 --> 00:13:04,742
At least that's not gonna
make my family look bad,"
298
00:13:04,742 --> 00:13:06,202
right, it's just stupid.
299
00:13:06,202 --> 00:13:07,829
[Commentator] Here it comes!
It's Owen Hart!
300
00:13:07,829 --> 00:13:10,915
The Blazer is Owen Hart!
301
00:13:10,915 --> 00:13:13,251
You got one of the top four
or five workers in the world
302
00:13:13,251 --> 00:13:14,919
and you want to put him
under a mask,
303
00:13:14,919 --> 00:13:18,214
an unknown mask,
the Blue Blazer.
304
00:13:18,214 --> 00:13:20,633
Didn't work.
Bottom line is really simple:
305
00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:23,761
creative couldn't find a
better idea to utilize one of
306
00:13:23,761 --> 00:13:27,098
the best technical workers
in the entire world,
307
00:13:27,098 --> 00:13:29,100
and I found that
to be embarrassing.
308
00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:32,228
♪
309
00:13:35,565 --> 00:13:38,359
[Narrator] In 1998,
the WWF reprises
310
00:13:38,359 --> 00:13:41,738
the Blue Blazer character,
a campy superhero gimmick
311
00:13:41,738 --> 00:13:44,574
Owen Hart portrayed
a decade earlier.
312
00:13:44,574 --> 00:13:46,951
Take your vitamins,
say your prayers,
313
00:13:46,951 --> 00:13:49,787
and drink your milk.
Woo!
314
00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:53,791
They were also trying
to spoof Sting who was a
315
00:13:53,791 --> 00:13:57,420
wrestler in the WCW and,
he would come down,
316
00:13:57,420 --> 00:13:59,005
descend into the ring.
317
00:13:59,005 --> 00:14:03,051
And so, I think they were
competing with WCW and that
318
00:14:03,051 --> 00:14:06,387
was one way that they could
almost make fun of them, too,
319
00:14:06,387 --> 00:14:07,472
in a sense.
320
00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:10,933
He's stuck. The idiot is
stuck in the harness.
321
00:14:10,933 --> 00:14:14,187
The company that had rigged
Owen was a top rigging company
322
00:14:14,187 --> 00:14:18,066
that had rigged Elton John,
The Rolling Stones.
323
00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:21,944
They also had worked for
Disney and MGM in Las Vegas
324
00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:24,030
so, they, they
were really renowned.
325
00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:27,325
You know, Owen didn't have
control over any of the stunt.
326
00:14:27,325 --> 00:14:30,870
He was locked in with what they
call a locking carabiner,
327
00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:34,874
which they feel is the only
safe apparatus to use
328
00:14:34,874 --> 00:14:37,418
if you're doing
these types of descent.
329
00:14:37,418 --> 00:14:38,711
He can't get out
of the harness!
330
00:14:38,711 --> 00:14:40,338
This is nonsense!
331
00:14:40,338 --> 00:14:43,758
Six months later, the aerial
descent of the Blue Blazer
332
00:14:43,758 --> 00:14:46,511
is revisited for an upcoming
Pay Per View event
333
00:14:46,511 --> 00:14:48,429
called Over the Edge.
334
00:14:48,429 --> 00:14:51,307
Owen was on his way home.
335
00:14:51,307 --> 00:14:54,102
He was just flying in and I
was literally just walking
336
00:14:54,102 --> 00:14:56,687
out the door to go pick him up
from the airport when I got
337
00:14:56,687 --> 00:15:00,566
a call from someone that worked
at the WWF and they said,
338
00:15:00,566 --> 00:15:02,568
"Well, you know, we need to
get his measurements
339
00:15:02,568 --> 00:15:06,697
for a vest because we're
doing this drop-in
340
00:15:06,697 --> 00:15:09,450
this weekend in
Kansas City and,
341
00:15:09,450 --> 00:15:11,702
we need to get his
measurements ASAP."
342
00:15:11,702 --> 00:15:14,956
And, and I remember thinking,
you just had him.
343
00:15:14,956 --> 00:15:16,833
He was just with you guys.
344
00:15:16,833 --> 00:15:18,835
Why didn't you just,
why didn't you get it?
345
00:15:18,835 --> 00:15:21,504
And I asked her that,
and then, she said,
346
00:15:21,504 --> 00:15:23,756
"Well, we just decided.
We just wrote it in."
347
00:15:23,756 --> 00:15:28,094
So, I actually asked on
the phone about, you know,
348
00:15:28,094 --> 00:15:30,805
who'd be rigging him and
the girl on the phone said,
349
00:15:30,805 --> 00:15:32,056
"Oh, you know,
don't worry.
350
00:15:32,056 --> 00:15:35,143
We have the top riggers
from LA coming in,
351
00:15:35,143 --> 00:15:37,812
so don't worry about that.
Yeah, it's totally safe."
352
00:15:37,812 --> 00:15:41,315
He never questioned,
ever, his safety because
353
00:15:41,315 --> 00:15:44,902
he assumed that this
billion-dollar company was
354
00:15:44,902 --> 00:15:47,655
certainly going to make sure
that they hired
355
00:15:47,655 --> 00:15:49,949
the best in the business...
356
00:15:49,949 --> 00:15:52,034
Which they did not.
357
00:15:52,034 --> 00:15:54,537
Life on the road is
never-ending for Owen and
358
00:15:54,537 --> 00:15:58,833
his family, and on
May 22nd, 1999,
359
00:15:58,833 --> 00:16:03,754
he travels to Kansas City
for Over the Edge.
360
00:16:03,754 --> 00:16:05,756
It was a Saturday
when he left.
361
00:16:05,756 --> 00:16:08,134
He was rushing out
the door, you know,
362
00:16:08,134 --> 00:16:10,511
just embarking on
another long,
363
00:16:10,511 --> 00:16:13,139
10-day journey away from home.
364
00:16:13,139 --> 00:16:15,808
He decided that he was gonna
take Oje to the airport and
365
00:16:15,808 --> 00:16:17,143
he'd pick up my mom.
366
00:16:17,143 --> 00:16:19,437
She'd drive Oje
back to the house.
367
00:16:19,437 --> 00:16:21,606
It wasn't very common where
I would take dad to the airport,
368
00:16:21,606 --> 00:16:23,482
but this occasion
was different.
369
00:16:23,482 --> 00:16:25,359
And, the last thing
he said to me was, like,
370
00:16:25,359 --> 00:16:26,819
"You look after your mom.
371
00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:29,405
Take care of your mom and
take care of your sister."
372
00:16:29,405 --> 00:16:30,948
And then, he was
walking in with his bag
373
00:16:30,948 --> 00:16:33,576
over his shoulder
into the airport.
374
00:16:33,576 --> 00:16:34,785
I wasn't sure
what that meant.
375
00:16:34,785 --> 00:16:37,163
I honestly didn't
think anything of it.
376
00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:38,289
Just seemed like
something you'd say
377
00:16:38,289 --> 00:16:40,416
when you were saying goodbye.
378
00:16:40,416 --> 00:16:43,252
My name is Jimmy Korderas
and I am a former referee
379
00:16:43,252 --> 00:16:46,505
with the WWF, slash, WWE.
380
00:16:46,505 --> 00:16:48,090
We got there,
we set up the ring.
381
00:16:48,090 --> 00:16:49,383
We got our
match assignments,
382
00:16:49,383 --> 00:16:52,345
which was Blue Blazer,
Owen, versus The Godfather.
383
00:16:52,345 --> 00:16:55,056
They happened to be together
at ringside and I went over
384
00:16:55,056 --> 00:16:57,099
and got with him,
got the finish to the match.
385
00:16:57,099 --> 00:17:01,312
And, that was basically it.
It was business as usual.
386
00:17:01,312 --> 00:17:06,651
I am The Godfather,
WWE Hall of Fame, Godfather.
387
00:17:06,651 --> 00:17:08,819
I remember hanging
out with Owen that day.
388
00:17:08,819 --> 00:17:11,989
We talked about the match,
we talked about the finish.
389
00:17:11,989 --> 00:17:13,699
Just normal stuff,
hanging out.
390
00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:15,952
We were sitting in the arena
and he said that he was
391
00:17:15,952 --> 00:17:18,162
getting ready to
practice one of the things,
392
00:17:18,162 --> 00:17:20,998
and he did that
and I watched him.
393
00:17:20,998 --> 00:17:23,376
I had a feeling that day
that Owen was not his
394
00:17:23,376 --> 00:17:26,796
normal, exuberant,
enthusiastic self about
395
00:17:26,796 --> 00:17:28,506
what he was doing that night.
396
00:17:28,506 --> 00:17:29,882
And I remember
saying something about,
397
00:17:29,882 --> 00:17:32,343
you know, "Better you than me.
I don't like heights."
398
00:17:32,343 --> 00:17:33,552
He said, "I don't either."
399
00:17:33,552 --> 00:17:35,930
I think that he was a
little concerned and, look,
400
00:17:35,930 --> 00:17:37,139
he's the one
that's gotta do it.
401
00:17:37,139 --> 00:17:38,349
There's nobody that
can do it for him
402
00:17:38,349 --> 00:17:39,767
'cause there's no stunt double.
403
00:17:39,767 --> 00:17:41,686
There's a couple
little things he said,
404
00:17:41,686 --> 00:17:44,313
and maybe more
specific what he didn't say,
405
00:17:44,313 --> 00:17:48,734
led me to believe that he's not
totally down with this thing.
406
00:17:48,734 --> 00:17:52,071
♪
407
00:17:55,157 --> 00:17:57,910
On May 23rd, 1999,
408
00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:00,413
Over the Edge takes
place at Kemper Arena
409
00:18:00,413 --> 00:18:02,290
in Kansas City, Missouri.
410
00:18:02,290 --> 00:18:05,710
The event plays to a sold
out crowd and airs live
411
00:18:05,710 --> 00:18:08,129
to hundreds of
thousands at home.
412
00:18:08,129 --> 00:18:10,673
In preparation for
his dramatic entrance,
413
00:18:10,673 --> 00:18:14,593
Owen Hart makes his way
to the top of the arena.
414
00:18:14,593 --> 00:18:17,305
That night, myself and Mark
Henry worked Kane and X-Pac
415
00:18:17,305 --> 00:18:19,432
for the tag titles
in the first match,
416
00:18:19,432 --> 00:18:23,519
and I believe Owen was like
the third or fourth match.
417
00:18:23,519 --> 00:18:26,355
I remember talking
to Kane and X-Pac,
418
00:18:26,355 --> 00:18:29,859
and seeing Owen walk by,
and this was before our match.
419
00:18:29,859 --> 00:18:34,113
From the rafters, Owen changes
into his Blue Blazer costume,
420
00:18:34,113 --> 00:18:38,159
and the rigging crew
readies him for his descent.
421
00:18:38,159 --> 00:18:39,577
We were
clearing out the ring.
422
00:18:39,577 --> 00:18:43,414
I had my left hand on the top
rope and I was kicking debris
423
00:18:43,414 --> 00:18:46,042
out of the ring and I was
moving towards the corner.
424
00:18:46,042 --> 00:18:48,878
At that time, there was a
promo playing on the screen
425
00:18:48,878 --> 00:18:50,421
of the Blue Blazer.
426
00:18:50,421 --> 00:18:53,049
Oh, The Godfather,
just saying his name
427
00:18:53,049 --> 00:18:55,259
makes my blue blood boil!
428
00:18:55,259 --> 00:18:58,637
Hanging in the air,
over 80 feet above the ring,
429
00:18:58,637 --> 00:19:00,556
he waits for his cue.
430
00:19:00,556 --> 00:19:03,059
And then, here comes the
time for the entrances and
431
00:19:03,059 --> 00:19:05,394
I'm looking at my monitor,
looking at my paper...
432
00:19:05,394 --> 00:19:09,357
And all of a sudden,
Lawler gives me the elbow.
433
00:19:09,357 --> 00:19:12,318
I looked up, and I just
caught Owen
434
00:19:12,318 --> 00:19:14,487
come into my line of vision.
435
00:19:14,487 --> 00:19:16,614
A blur, phoof.
436
00:19:16,614 --> 00:19:18,574
♪
437
00:19:18,574 --> 00:19:21,327
And, I just...
438
00:19:21,327 --> 00:19:24,246
I thought I heard screaming.
439
00:19:24,246 --> 00:19:27,333
And then, I felt something
brush against the side of
440
00:19:27,333 --> 00:19:30,878
my head and my shoulder,
and at the same time,
441
00:19:30,878 --> 00:19:33,547
the top rope that I was
holding pulled out of my hand
442
00:19:33,547 --> 00:19:36,675
and came back and, like,
jammed my fingers.
443
00:19:36,675 --> 00:19:40,638
And, I'm thinking in my head,
what the heck was that?
444
00:19:40,638 --> 00:19:43,391
And when I turned
and looked, there was Owen.
445
00:19:43,391 --> 00:19:47,019
He was like laying
in the ring, like, face up and,
446
00:19:47,019 --> 00:19:50,856
I just started
screaming for help.
447
00:19:50,856 --> 00:19:54,568
I thought he hit the
turnbuckle or the ring post...
448
00:19:54,568 --> 00:19:58,948
'cause it really
sounded sick... sick, sick.
449
00:19:58,948 --> 00:20:02,535
That's when, you know,
things kind of went sideways.
450
00:20:02,535 --> 00:20:05,996
Ah, the Blue Blazer as we know
is Owen Hart, was going to
451
00:20:05,996 --> 00:20:09,125
make a very spectacular
superhero-like entrance from
452
00:20:09,125 --> 00:20:12,420
the rafters, and something
went terribly wrong here.
453
00:20:12,420 --> 00:20:14,213
I was watching
the Pay Per View,
454
00:20:14,213 --> 00:20:16,924
as I did at the time, and then
they go to Jim Ross and
455
00:20:16,924 --> 00:20:18,717
Jerry Lawler, said that
Owen Hart has had
456
00:20:18,717 --> 00:20:20,928
a bad fall or
whatever they said.
457
00:20:20,928 --> 00:20:24,557
And, "We'll keep you posted."
I'm like, "What?
458
00:20:24,557 --> 00:20:25,891
What do you mean?"
459
00:20:25,891 --> 00:20:27,435
And they're not
showing the ring.
460
00:20:27,435 --> 00:20:29,770
They're just panning the crowd.
What's going on here?
461
00:20:29,770 --> 00:20:32,606
I said, "Something's wrong."
462
00:20:32,606 --> 00:20:36,318
I was at the gorilla station
behind the curtain and
463
00:20:36,318 --> 00:20:38,612
somebody said, "Owen fell.
Owen just fell."
464
00:20:38,612 --> 00:20:42,825
And I went, "Owen fell? What?"
He goes, "Owen just fell!"
465
00:20:42,825 --> 00:20:45,286
I kept getting these
alerts in my headset,
466
00:20:45,286 --> 00:20:46,662
"We need another update,"
467
00:20:46,662 --> 00:20:49,540
but I'm not getting any
updatable material.
468
00:20:49,540 --> 00:20:53,711
And JR's, you know,
filling time on live television
469
00:20:53,711 --> 00:20:57,256
while a guy's laying
there in the ring, dying.
470
00:20:57,256 --> 00:20:59,049
Well, it's one of the most
shocking things I've ever seen.
471
00:20:59,049 --> 00:21:02,636
This is not a-- your typical
wrestling story line.
472
00:21:02,636 --> 00:21:06,974
This is a real situation.
473
00:21:06,974 --> 00:21:09,268
I said, "----, I've never
seen anything like that...
474
00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:10,686
not on any
wrestling program,
475
00:21:10,686 --> 00:21:12,229
not on any
television program.
476
00:21:12,229 --> 00:21:15,524
It's never happened before."
477
00:21:15,524 --> 00:21:16,984
It was Jerry Lawler
who came back,
478
00:21:16,984 --> 00:21:19,695
he came through the curtain,
and Jerry was,
479
00:21:19,695 --> 00:21:22,698
he was as white as a ghost.
And his exact words were,
480
00:21:22,698 --> 00:21:24,992
"I think he's dead."
And we're like, "Who?"
481
00:21:24,992 --> 00:21:26,494
And he was like, "Owen."
482
00:21:26,494 --> 00:21:28,746
And then it was
just like: [gasp]
483
00:21:28,746 --> 00:21:30,331
Jerry Lawler back
joining me here.
484
00:21:30,331 --> 00:21:32,166
King, I was just
reiterating to the fans
485
00:21:32,166 --> 00:21:34,835
this is not a part of the show.
486
00:21:34,835 --> 00:21:36,337
We're here to
entertain and have fun,
487
00:21:36,337 --> 00:21:38,881
but this is neither.
488
00:21:38,881 --> 00:21:43,177
No, it's...
it doesn't look good at all.
489
00:21:43,177 --> 00:21:44,887
I knew something was
wrong because Lawler,
490
00:21:44,887 --> 00:21:48,182
his face just
became ashen white.
491
00:21:48,182 --> 00:21:52,019
Like he had just seen death.
492
00:21:52,019 --> 00:21:56,023
And, they wheeled Owen past us
to go to the ambulance and...
493
00:21:56,023 --> 00:22:00,945
♪
494
00:22:00,945 --> 00:22:03,364
[sighs]
495
00:22:03,364 --> 00:22:07,326
♪
496
00:22:07,326 --> 00:22:09,161
That's, that's not even an
image I want to even
497
00:22:09,161 --> 00:22:10,621
bring up in my head anymore.
Just, it's...
498
00:22:10,621 --> 00:22:14,792
that was not what
I wanted to see.
499
00:22:14,792 --> 00:22:16,919
When they wheeled him
through the curtain and
500
00:22:16,919 --> 00:22:20,756
they put him in the ambulance,
I remember just being in shock.
501
00:22:20,756 --> 00:22:22,424
When they did
wheel him back,
502
00:22:22,424 --> 00:22:26,178
he was like blue,
and I remember that.
503
00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:28,472
And I remember crying too.
504
00:22:28,472 --> 00:22:30,933
They didn't want to
stop the show so,
505
00:22:30,933 --> 00:22:33,644
Jeff Jarrett, who was
real close with Owen,
506
00:22:33,644 --> 00:22:36,146
did a promo
and he was in tears.
507
00:22:36,146 --> 00:22:39,358
Owen Hart,
I'm praying for you, buddy.
508
00:22:39,358 --> 00:22:41,151
And I am, too.
509
00:22:41,151 --> 00:22:44,238
In the chaos, Kevin Dunn,
Executive Producer,
510
00:22:44,238 --> 00:22:46,407
thought that I
had been told that,
511
00:22:46,407 --> 00:22:47,658
what the deal was.
512
00:22:47,658 --> 00:22:50,160
And, I said, "Kevin,
nobody's told us anything.
513
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:54,582
What is the update?"
And he said...
514
00:22:54,582 --> 00:22:58,294
"He's dead.
And you're back in 10, 9..."
515
00:22:58,294 --> 00:23:00,588
[cheering]
516
00:23:00,588 --> 00:23:03,841
And, I have the...
517
00:23:03,841 --> 00:23:08,762
unfortunate responsibility
of letting everyone know
518
00:23:08,762 --> 00:23:11,432
that Owen Hart has died.
519
00:23:11,432 --> 00:23:15,519
Owen Hart has tragically
died from that accident...
520
00:23:15,519 --> 00:23:17,354
here tonight.
521
00:23:17,354 --> 00:23:19,064
On the camera,
what people saw,
522
00:23:19,064 --> 00:23:22,359
was a result of 10 seconds
of preparation.
523
00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:26,405
Didn't know what to say.
And it wasn't story line.
524
00:23:26,405 --> 00:23:29,033
I got very numb
after that night.
525
00:23:29,033 --> 00:23:31,160
My hands were shaking,
my stomach was hurting.
526
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:36,206
I was just, I was...
damn, man.
527
00:23:36,206 --> 00:23:40,210
And they went on
with the show.
528
00:23:40,210 --> 00:23:43,297
When Owen was-- Shit.
529
00:23:43,297 --> 00:23:46,842
♪
530
00:23:46,842 --> 00:23:50,471
When Owen was falling,
everybody that was there
531
00:23:50,471 --> 00:23:54,808
said the last thing that
he yelled was, "Look out."
532
00:23:54,808 --> 00:23:58,812
A guy's falling from 100 feet,
and he knows he's done,
533
00:23:58,812 --> 00:24:01,190
and the last thing
he's thinking is, "Look out.
534
00:24:01,190 --> 00:24:05,361
I don t want to hurt you."
You know, that's--
535
00:24:05,361 --> 00:24:08,322
It was ----ing foolish,
it was unnecessary.
536
00:24:08,322 --> 00:24:10,157
It didn't need to happen.
537
00:24:10,157 --> 00:24:13,452
♪
538
00:24:16,413 --> 00:24:18,666
[Narrator] During a live
Pay Per View event,
539
00:24:18,666 --> 00:24:21,377
Owen Hart was set to make
a dramatic entrance
540
00:24:21,377 --> 00:24:23,754
from the rafters of
Kemper Arena...
541
00:24:23,754 --> 00:24:26,799
when something would
go terribly wrong.
542
00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:29,718
The phone rang and it said,
"Unknown Caller,"
543
00:24:29,718 --> 00:24:31,887
which was always like
kind of code for, like,
544
00:24:31,887 --> 00:24:33,889
that's Owen on,
on the road.
545
00:24:33,889 --> 00:24:36,975
And so, then I picked it up in
a hurry and I was like, "Hello?"
546
00:24:36,975 --> 00:24:39,978
And then, you know, I heard
this voice, like, "Martha?"
547
00:24:39,978 --> 00:24:43,399
And I said, "Owen!"
And then he said,
548
00:24:43,399 --> 00:24:46,110
"No, this isn't Owen.
This is Vince McMahon."
549
00:24:46,110 --> 00:24:47,611
You know, Owen was
such a prankster,
550
00:24:47,611 --> 00:24:48,904
and I'm like, "Oh, Owen..."
551
00:24:48,904 --> 00:24:51,573
And he's like, "No, it,
it's Vince McMahon."
552
00:24:51,573 --> 00:24:53,742
And then he said,
"I'm calling you because,
553
00:24:53,742 --> 00:24:57,496
you know, I have to tell
you that Owen's had a fall."
554
00:24:57,496 --> 00:24:59,540
"Well, what do you mean?"
Like, "How far did he fall?
555
00:24:59,540 --> 00:25:01,542
What's wrong with him?
Is he conscious?"
556
00:25:01,542 --> 00:25:04,128
Like, and then he was like,
"I don't know. I don't know."
557
00:25:04,128 --> 00:25:05,879
"Well, I need to talk
to somebody
558
00:25:05,879 --> 00:25:09,425
who's got some answers."
And so, then he said,
559
00:25:09,425 --> 00:25:11,927
"Well, someone will be
calling you right away."
560
00:25:11,927 --> 00:25:16,098
Then, the next call that I
got was from the doctor from
561
00:25:16,098 --> 00:25:21,353
the Truman Medical Centre.
So, the doctor, you know...
562
00:25:21,353 --> 00:25:41,999
♪
563
00:25:41,999 --> 00:25:45,669
So, the doctor, he said,
564
00:25:45,669 --> 00:25:48,547
"Are you home alone?"
And I said, "Yes."
565
00:25:48,547 --> 00:25:51,717
And, he said,
"Well, you know...
566
00:25:51,717 --> 00:25:55,179
we should really fly you
down to get this kind of news."
567
00:25:55,179 --> 00:25:57,431
And, you know, he was
kind of going through all of
568
00:25:57,431 --> 00:26:01,894
these details, and then,
I said to him,
569
00:26:01,894 --> 00:26:06,023
"You know, doctor, could you
just get to the end and just
570
00:26:06,023 --> 00:26:08,734
tell me what the
end result is?"
571
00:26:08,734 --> 00:26:12,863
And he said...
572
00:26:12,863 --> 00:26:17,326
"I, I tried. I did everything I
could to save his life,
573
00:26:17,326 --> 00:26:19,328
but I couldn't."
574
00:26:19,328 --> 00:26:23,248
He said, "I'm so sorry,
but your husband has died."
575
00:26:23,248 --> 00:26:26,502
And then, I just, you know,
I just doubled over and
576
00:26:26,502 --> 00:26:30,422
I just screamed, "No, no, no!"
577
00:26:30,422 --> 00:26:33,967
You know, of course all the
"no's" in the world
578
00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:35,969
weren't going to
change anything.
579
00:26:35,969 --> 00:26:38,806
[Owen] Whose belt is that, Oje?
[Oje] Dad's.
580
00:26:38,806 --> 00:26:41,183
[Owen] Dad's. And what is it?
What kind of belt?
581
00:26:41,183 --> 00:26:43,477
[Oje] Champion belt.
[Owen] Champion belt.
582
00:26:43,477 --> 00:26:45,938
World Tag Team Champion.
583
00:26:45,938 --> 00:26:51,819
My memory of May 23rd begins
in my basement of my house.
584
00:26:51,819 --> 00:26:54,321
♪
585
00:26:54,321 --> 00:26:56,073
I was with my one neighbor
and they said
586
00:26:56,073 --> 00:26:58,575
my mom was crying,
and really crying.
587
00:26:58,575 --> 00:27:00,786
And I was like, "Well, what
is my mom crying about?"
588
00:27:00,786 --> 00:27:04,456
And, she said... I don't
know why your mom's crying,
589
00:27:04,456 --> 00:27:07,084
but she's crying a lot.
590
00:27:07,084 --> 00:27:08,877
I went upstairs and I
opened the door and
591
00:27:08,877 --> 00:27:10,963
I walked through the foyer
and into the kitchen,
592
00:27:10,963 --> 00:27:12,673
and there my mom
was screaming,
593
00:27:12,673 --> 00:27:15,926
"What am I going to do?"
594
00:27:15,926 --> 00:27:19,555
And, I really did not have
any conclusions drawn about
595
00:27:19,555 --> 00:27:22,140
why she was so
hysterically sad.
596
00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:24,101
[Martha] And I just remember,
like, it was just such a
597
00:27:24,101 --> 00:27:29,398
moment of truth where, I just,
like, saw so clearly like
598
00:27:29,398 --> 00:27:31,984
there were just two
paths in front of me.
599
00:27:31,984 --> 00:27:36,738
One total destruction and
one of like reconstruction,
600
00:27:36,738 --> 00:27:39,825
you know, and I was like,
I can t let this destroy
601
00:27:39,825 --> 00:27:42,411
everything that
we've worked for and,
602
00:27:42,411 --> 00:27:44,580
and let everything
fall apart.
603
00:27:44,580 --> 00:27:47,374
You know, all I could
think of were Oje and Athena
604
00:27:47,374 --> 00:27:49,501
because I was like,
their whole lives are
605
00:27:49,501 --> 00:27:52,921
gonna be different now and
all they have is me.
606
00:27:52,921 --> 00:27:56,717
That's it. They're three and
seven years old so,
607
00:27:56,717 --> 00:28:01,346
I need to make sure that,
you know, somehow,
608
00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:04,057
I survive for them.
609
00:28:04,057 --> 00:28:09,479
[Oje] Then, mom has to take me
upstairs 'cause it's bedtime.
610
00:28:09,479 --> 00:28:12,858
And, we sit at the
foot of the bed, on the side.
611
00:28:12,858 --> 00:28:16,612
Nobody prepares for this,
but she did it.
612
00:28:16,612 --> 00:28:20,282
And, she said,
"Your dad's dead."
613
00:28:20,282 --> 00:28:22,492
She said, "He's died.
614
00:28:22,492 --> 00:28:27,664
He fell and he died,
but he didn't feel any pain."
615
00:28:27,664 --> 00:28:31,752
[sighs]
616
00:28:31,752 --> 00:28:36,423
That memory has played in
my mind millions of times.
617
00:28:36,423 --> 00:28:39,843
I remember that night,
all three of us slept in
618
00:28:39,843 --> 00:28:43,513
the same bed and I just
looked at the roof.
619
00:28:43,513 --> 00:28:46,016
[sighs]
620
00:28:46,016 --> 00:28:48,435
I just looked at
the roof and
621
00:28:48,435 --> 00:28:51,480
I tried not to hear
my mom sniffling.
622
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:55,067
I don't think either
of us slept that night.
623
00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:58,236
Martha and her family begin
to make final preparations
624
00:28:58,236 --> 00:29:01,615
as Owen's body is
transported to Calgary.
625
00:29:01,615 --> 00:29:03,617
I remember the
funeral director saying,
626
00:29:03,617 --> 00:29:05,494
you know, "Are you ready?
Are you ready?"
627
00:29:05,494 --> 00:29:07,412
And I said,
"Yep, I'm ready."
628
00:29:07,412 --> 00:29:11,291
Soon as he opened the door,
I just remembered being
629
00:29:11,291 --> 00:29:16,046
absolutely horrified by
what Owen looked like.
630
00:29:16,046 --> 00:29:20,175
I screamed so loud and
I tried to run away,
631
00:29:20,175 --> 00:29:24,346
and Bret just bear hugged me
and then we just sort of
632
00:29:24,346 --> 00:29:29,726
did this weird little, like,
inch dance towards the casket.
633
00:29:29,726 --> 00:29:34,314
And then, you know, I just
took it all in and then
634
00:29:34,314 --> 00:29:40,862
I was comforted by his hair
'cause his hair was the same,
635
00:29:40,862 --> 00:29:44,449
and then, I just thought,
"Oh, you know what,
636
00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:48,954
the person that I loved in life,
you know, I loved in death too."
637
00:29:48,954 --> 00:29:51,623
And then I just
wasn't afraid anymore.
638
00:29:51,623 --> 00:29:57,004
On May 31st, 1999,
Owen Hart is laid to rest.
639
00:29:57,004 --> 00:30:00,424
[News] Owen Hart, known as the
Blue Blazer in the ring,
640
00:30:00,424 --> 00:30:03,510
was killed last week when a
stunt went horribly wrong
641
00:30:03,510 --> 00:30:05,470
at a match in Missouri.
642
00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:07,681
Taking part in a tearful
farewell were the
643
00:30:07,681 --> 00:30:12,394
sports' superstars, politicians,
and a huge crowd of fans.
644
00:30:12,394 --> 00:30:14,187
We were riding in the
funeral procession and there
645
00:30:14,187 --> 00:30:17,649
were Canadians pulled off
on the side of the road,
646
00:30:17,649 --> 00:30:20,694
letting us pass,
like Owen was a head of state.
647
00:30:20,694 --> 00:30:24,740
It was amazing to see how
revered he was in that town,
648
00:30:24,740 --> 00:30:28,035
in that country,
and in our business.
649
00:30:28,035 --> 00:30:32,205
There were so many people
that came to the service and
650
00:30:32,205 --> 00:30:34,041
we didn't have room
for everybody inside,
651
00:30:34,041 --> 00:30:37,210
but there were over
1,000 people outside of
652
00:30:37,210 --> 00:30:38,962
the funeral home just to listen.
653
00:30:38,962 --> 00:30:42,674
We, we broadcast it, we piped
it out through speakers.
654
00:30:42,674 --> 00:30:45,218
[Martha at funeral] I am a
very forgiving person,
655
00:30:45,218 --> 00:30:48,722
and I'm not bitter or angry.
[sniffles]
656
00:30:48,722 --> 00:30:51,266
But there will be a
day of reckoning,
657
00:30:51,266 --> 00:30:54,269
and this is my
final promise to Owen.
658
00:30:54,269 --> 00:30:56,521
[Martha] When you live in a
world of make believe and
659
00:30:56,521 --> 00:31:00,525
something so real happens,
you want to hammer that home.
660
00:31:00,525 --> 00:31:03,695
Although I didn't know exactly
what had happened yet,
661
00:31:03,695 --> 00:31:06,406
that I was gonna
get to the bottom of it,
662
00:31:06,406 --> 00:31:09,242
and that I would have
my day of reckoning.
663
00:31:09,242 --> 00:31:11,578
♪
664
00:31:14,498 --> 00:31:17,501
After Owen Hart's funeral,
his widow, Martha,
665
00:31:17,501 --> 00:31:20,295
travels to Kansas City to
try and piece together
666
00:31:20,295 --> 00:31:23,048
the events surrounding
her husband's death.
667
00:31:23,048 --> 00:31:26,093
I saw my mom transform into a
completely different person,
668
00:31:26,093 --> 00:31:27,803
but she became
a fighter.
669
00:31:27,803 --> 00:31:29,846
That means I have to
go to Kansas City,
670
00:31:29,846 --> 00:31:33,141
I have to see the arena
that he plummeted in.
671
00:31:33,141 --> 00:31:37,896
We actually went
up on the catwalk.
672
00:31:37,896 --> 00:31:39,648
[Oje] She needed to
see it firsthand.
673
00:31:39,648 --> 00:31:43,777
She needed to,
as hard as it was, to know.
674
00:31:43,777 --> 00:31:48,573
And she had to go and take us
so that we would never
675
00:31:48,573 --> 00:31:51,409
have to wonder, and that
we would never grow old
676
00:31:51,409 --> 00:31:54,579
or thinking,
"Ah, if only I'd known."
677
00:31:54,579 --> 00:31:58,041
[Martha] I really didn't want to
leave any stone unturned so,
678
00:31:58,041 --> 00:32:02,379
I consciously chose to go on
that catwalk and to walk to
679
00:32:02,379 --> 00:32:04,506
the exact spot
where he fell.
680
00:32:04,506 --> 00:32:07,634
From my understanding,
Owen had to make his way
681
00:32:07,634 --> 00:32:10,303
down that little catwalk
to get to the point
682
00:32:10,303 --> 00:32:13,640
where he needed to be.
We walked right to the spot.
683
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:17,853
You're literally right
at the top of the arena.
684
00:32:17,853 --> 00:32:20,730
[Oje] And when I looked
over that cliff,
685
00:32:20,730 --> 00:32:24,067
into the abyss
down below, I saw...
686
00:32:24,067 --> 00:32:26,862
Distance between where
we were and the ground,
687
00:32:26,862 --> 00:32:29,197
and knowing that
he just, like,
688
00:32:29,197 --> 00:32:30,657
that he went out there.
689
00:32:30,657 --> 00:32:34,327
I can't even imagine the fear
that he would have been
690
00:32:34,327 --> 00:32:36,204
feeling in those
final minutes, like,
691
00:32:36,204 --> 00:32:39,666
those seconds,
but still not forfeiting the
692
00:32:39,666 --> 00:32:43,712
opportunity to bring us
the life that we had.
693
00:32:43,712 --> 00:32:46,882
So, ultimate sacrifice.
694
00:32:46,882 --> 00:32:49,968
[Martha] It was, you know,
very disheartening for me
695
00:32:49,968 --> 00:32:53,180
to know that that's the last
things that he saw,
696
00:32:53,180 --> 00:32:55,891
and how hopeless that
feeling would have been
697
00:32:55,891 --> 00:32:58,435
to know that there's
nothing you could do.
698
00:32:58,435 --> 00:33:00,478
Your life was over
and you knew it.
699
00:33:00,478 --> 00:33:03,356
I have all these nagging
suspicions that, you know,
700
00:33:03,356 --> 00:33:06,193
Owen was the most
cautious person I'd ever known.
701
00:33:06,193 --> 00:33:10,614
He'd never take, you know,
any sort of uncalculated risk
702
00:33:10,614 --> 00:33:12,657
and, how did
this happen?
703
00:33:12,657 --> 00:33:14,576
There must be
negligence, like, you know,
704
00:33:14,576 --> 00:33:18,038
someone doesn't just fall
from the top of an arena
705
00:33:18,038 --> 00:33:20,832
and die and,
something went wrong.
706
00:33:20,832 --> 00:33:23,335
Like,
something's wrong here.
707
00:33:23,335 --> 00:33:27,214
And so, what evidence did the
Kansas City policy show you?
708
00:33:27,214 --> 00:33:30,550
They brought everything in and
they put it all out on a table.
709
00:33:30,550 --> 00:33:33,595
And, then we kind of went
through everything slowly and
710
00:33:33,595 --> 00:33:38,058
that's the first
time that I saw the clip.
711
00:33:38,058 --> 00:33:42,312
This is some of the
legal documents and...
712
00:33:42,312 --> 00:33:47,025
this is actually
the clip that...
713
00:33:47,025 --> 00:33:48,526
held Owen.
714
00:33:48,526 --> 00:33:50,820
This is the actual clip.
715
00:33:50,820 --> 00:33:53,949
It's a clip meant for the
sole use of sail boats.
716
00:33:53,949 --> 00:33:57,202
And, how it's designed is,
it's designed to release
717
00:33:57,202 --> 00:34:01,081
on load so, when you
have a load on it,
718
00:34:01,081 --> 00:34:03,458
and then,
when you just click it,
719
00:34:03,458 --> 00:34:06,628
then it just opens -
[snaps] - it opens immediately
720
00:34:06,628 --> 00:34:11,132
because the design is to let
the mast down on a sailboat.
721
00:34:11,132 --> 00:34:13,260
It's this quick
release right here,
722
00:34:13,260 --> 00:34:17,013
six pounds of pressure
to release it, like that.
723
00:34:17,013 --> 00:34:18,932
That's it. This is what
was holding him,
724
00:34:18,932 --> 00:34:22,560
this little thing right there.
That's it.
725
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:26,398
When I first saw the clip,
the very first time, I gasped.
726
00:34:26,398 --> 00:34:29,734
And, I... was so upset.
727
00:34:29,734 --> 00:34:32,237
It was just appalling.
728
00:34:32,237 --> 00:34:36,032
We looked at statement to
really piece together
729
00:34:36,032 --> 00:34:40,245
what we felt Owen's
last day was like.
730
00:34:40,245 --> 00:34:43,415
Just hours before the Over
the Edge Pay Per View event,
731
00:34:43,415 --> 00:34:47,294
Owen was approached by the
riggers to rehearse the stunt.
732
00:34:47,294 --> 00:34:50,547
They had approached Owen and
asked him to do a rehearsal
733
00:34:50,547 --> 00:34:54,634
and then he said,
"No, it's okay. I, I got it."
734
00:34:54,634 --> 00:34:57,554
Bobby Talbert said, "Well,
but it's a different setup,"
735
00:34:57,554 --> 00:35:00,056
and so, Owen said, "Okay."
736
00:35:00,056 --> 00:35:02,058
To my understanding,
they did it.
737
00:35:02,058 --> 00:35:04,686
I don't know, to this day,
if they did it with the
738
00:35:04,686 --> 00:35:07,939
quick snap shackle or
the locking carabiner.
739
00:35:07,939 --> 00:35:10,483
I have a sense that it was a
locking carabiner because
740
00:35:10,483 --> 00:35:12,444
he didn't release himself.
741
00:35:12,444 --> 00:35:15,280
The way Owen had
been rigged previously,
742
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,450
they felt, was--
looked a bit clumsy,
743
00:35:18,450 --> 00:35:21,828
a bit sloppy and,
what they wanted was this,
744
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:22,996
[snaps]
like, quick release.
745
00:35:22,996 --> 00:35:25,957
Like, soon as you hit the
ground you just unrelease
746
00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:28,877
and you're ready
to go, immediately.
747
00:35:28,877 --> 00:35:30,837
And so,
that's what they wanted.
748
00:35:30,837 --> 00:35:34,466
It was to save, like,
two seconds of the setup.
749
00:35:34,466 --> 00:35:37,010
Bobby Talbert should
have never been
750
00:35:37,010 --> 00:35:41,389
in charge of rigging anybody.
He had no experience.
751
00:35:41,389 --> 00:35:43,350
[Producer] Do you remember
what you came to learn were
752
00:35:43,350 --> 00:35:47,062
the rigger's final
instructions to Owen?
753
00:35:47,062 --> 00:35:50,815
They said, "As long as
you don't pull this cord,
754
00:35:50,815 --> 00:35:52,067
you'll be okay."
755
00:35:52,067 --> 00:35:54,903
And, he never
pulled the cord.
756
00:35:54,903 --> 00:35:58,531
After I'd gathered enough
information about
757
00:35:58,531 --> 00:36:01,242
what had happened, I was so
firm in my belief that
758
00:36:01,242 --> 00:36:04,371
there was absolute
negligence involved,
759
00:36:04,371 --> 00:36:05,872
hand over first.
760
00:36:05,872 --> 00:36:08,458
Everything was
pointing in that direction.
761
00:36:08,458 --> 00:36:12,212
With my full authority,
my legal counsel filed a
762
00:36:12,212 --> 00:36:15,840
wrongful death
lawsuit against WWF,
763
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:18,676
Vince McMahon, and all
others I believe are
764
00:36:18,676 --> 00:36:21,638
responsible for my
husband's death.
765
00:36:21,638 --> 00:36:24,057
I was suing Vince
in Kansas City,
766
00:36:24,057 --> 00:36:27,268
and he wanted the case moved
to Connecticut because
767
00:36:27,268 --> 00:36:31,356
in Connecticut, there are no
punitive damages awarded.
768
00:36:31,356 --> 00:36:34,484
He chose to sue me,
the widow,
769
00:36:34,484 --> 00:36:37,070
which caused a lot of grief.
770
00:36:37,070 --> 00:36:41,574
And on top of it, he was
manipulating Owen's family.
771
00:36:41,574 --> 00:36:44,202
There were some people in
the family that were for it,
772
00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:45,829
and some people
that were against it
773
00:36:45,829 --> 00:36:47,330
when the lawsuit came up.
774
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:50,875
I'm sure a lot of shock and
trepidation amongst the core
775
00:36:50,875 --> 00:36:54,587
Hart family that you can't
sue the most powerful man
776
00:36:54,587 --> 00:36:57,507
in wrestling because
their, their family life had
777
00:36:57,507 --> 00:36:59,509
centered around
professional wrestling.
778
00:36:59,509 --> 00:37:01,845
And, there was still a lot of
other people in the family
779
00:37:01,845 --> 00:37:03,930
that probably thought
that Vince McMahon was gonna
780
00:37:03,930 --> 00:37:05,515
be good to them
in the future.
781
00:37:05,515 --> 00:37:09,978
[Martha] The Hart family,
they were...
782
00:37:09,978 --> 00:37:14,065
not supportive of my
lawsuit against WWF.
783
00:37:14,065 --> 00:37:17,193
Some members were silent.
784
00:37:17,193 --> 00:37:19,821
And then, other ones
actively worked against me,
785
00:37:19,821 --> 00:37:24,117
stealing my legal documents,
giving them to the defense.
786
00:37:24,117 --> 00:37:26,744
So, they basically
had our playbook.
787
00:37:26,744 --> 00:37:29,789
So, that was very
heartbreaking for me,
788
00:37:29,789 --> 00:37:32,125
you know, because
I said to them, you know,
789
00:37:32,125 --> 00:37:33,626
"You don't have
to support me,
790
00:37:33,626 --> 00:37:35,712
but please just
don't work against me."
791
00:37:41,759 --> 00:37:44,179
First of all,
I resent your tone.
792
00:37:48,099 --> 00:37:50,852
No, no, I resent
your tone, lady, okay.
793
00:37:50,852 --> 00:37:52,353
You know, this was
a tragic accident.
794
00:37:52,353 --> 00:37:54,856
Her fight for justice
was an uphill battle,
795
00:37:54,856 --> 00:37:57,567
to say the least, a real
David and Goliath story.
796
00:37:57,567 --> 00:38:01,362
I do think that the measurable
neglect that had to go into
797
00:38:01,362 --> 00:38:03,698
something so catastrophic
cannot be overlooked.
798
00:38:03,698 --> 00:38:06,242
This tragedy is the magnitude
at which it's at because
799
00:38:06,242 --> 00:38:07,911
it was completely preventable.
800
00:38:07,911 --> 00:38:11,247
This was a guy
who was 240 pounds.
801
00:38:11,247 --> 00:38:13,082
There could have been a
rigging team that knew
802
00:38:13,082 --> 00:38:15,084
what they were doing,
and they didn't because
803
00:38:15,084 --> 00:38:17,003
it was more expensive.
804
00:38:17,003 --> 00:38:19,506
♪
805
00:38:21,841 --> 00:38:23,968
[Narrator] After a
year-long legal battle
806
00:38:23,968 --> 00:38:26,930
between Martha Hart and the WWF,
807
00:38:26,930 --> 00:38:31,142
a settlement is reached in
the amount of $18 million.
808
00:38:31,142 --> 00:38:33,311
For me, I didn't
care about the money.
809
00:38:33,311 --> 00:38:35,021
It wasn't about
money for me.
810
00:38:35,021 --> 00:38:37,315
I wanted this
case to go to trial.
811
00:38:37,315 --> 00:38:39,859
That was my biggest,
you know,
812
00:38:39,859 --> 00:38:44,572
thrust from start to finish was
that I didn't want a settlement.
813
00:38:44,572 --> 00:38:46,407
I was looking for justice.
814
00:38:46,407 --> 00:38:48,535
I was looking for
accountability.
815
00:38:48,535 --> 00:38:51,496
All my mom was trying to
do was preserve the dignity
816
00:38:51,496 --> 00:38:53,748
that my dad had,
and give her kids
817
00:38:53,748 --> 00:38:55,875
the best life they could have.
818
00:38:55,875 --> 00:38:58,127
The settlement
provides some closure,
819
00:38:58,127 --> 00:39:01,714
but the WWF's decision to
continue the show after
820
00:39:01,714 --> 00:39:06,177
Owen's fatal fall remains
controversial to this day.
821
00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:09,138
How did this happen?
He didn't commit suicide.
822
00:39:09,138 --> 00:39:11,849
Was their foul play?
Is it an accident?
823
00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:14,185
We don't know so,
leave everything the way it is
824
00:39:14,185 --> 00:39:15,353
'til we figure this out.
825
00:39:15,353 --> 00:39:18,106
No, we'll just go ahead and
have four or five more matches.
826
00:39:18,106 --> 00:39:21,442
That they didn't stop
Kansas City was bullshit.
827
00:39:21,442 --> 00:39:24,779
The fact that Vince just
discarded Owen like he was a
828
00:39:24,779 --> 00:39:28,616
piece of garbage and scraped
his dead body off the mat
829
00:39:28,616 --> 00:39:32,161
and sent wrestlers out to
wrestler on a ring
830
00:39:32,161 --> 00:39:33,746
where Owen's blood was...
831
00:39:33,746 --> 00:39:37,417
And, it even had
broken some of the boards,
832
00:39:37,417 --> 00:39:39,919
Owen's fall, so there
was a dip in the ring,
833
00:39:39,919 --> 00:39:42,422
and they could
feel where he fell.
834
00:39:42,422 --> 00:39:44,757
The police should
have stopped the show,
835
00:39:44,757 --> 00:39:47,051
and they should have
investigated immediately.
836
00:39:47,051 --> 00:39:49,137
This was a
potential crime scene.
837
00:39:49,137 --> 00:39:51,431
There's been a
death here and, you know,
838
00:39:51,431 --> 00:39:54,517
we can't just let
the show go on.
839
00:39:54,517 --> 00:39:56,561
There's nothing that
I've ever experienced that
840
00:39:56,561 --> 00:39:59,731
compares to Owen Hart's
death and having to
841
00:39:59,731 --> 00:40:02,942
live with it every day since.
842
00:40:02,942 --> 00:40:05,528
It was the worst moment
of my wrestling career.
843
00:40:05,528 --> 00:40:07,447
Maybe the worst
moment of my life.
844
00:40:07,447 --> 00:40:11,034
Here's a vibrant guy that
died unnecessarily before
845
00:40:11,034 --> 00:40:12,827
he could ever get to the
thick of his career,
846
00:40:12,827 --> 00:40:14,621
who had a
beautiful family and,
847
00:40:14,621 --> 00:40:17,332
and a wonderful mum and
dad who are so proud of him
848
00:40:17,332 --> 00:40:20,710
because the youngest Hart
had stepped away from the pack
849
00:40:20,710 --> 00:40:22,503
and he had
made his own way,
850
00:40:22,503 --> 00:40:24,922
with his own style,
his own uniqueness,
851
00:40:24,922 --> 00:40:27,050
and they were
all proud of him.
852
00:40:27,050 --> 00:40:28,509
He was popular
everywhere he went,
853
00:40:28,509 --> 00:40:30,470
kind of introduced
this high flying style
854
00:40:30,470 --> 00:40:32,972
all around the world.
He was a pioneer.
855
00:40:32,972 --> 00:40:34,766
He could be serious,
he could be funny.
856
00:40:34,766 --> 00:40:36,225
He could be a
technician in the ring,
857
00:40:36,225 --> 00:40:37,310
he could be a high flyer
in the ring.
858
00:40:37,310 --> 00:40:39,395
He was great at everything.
859
00:40:39,395 --> 00:40:43,316
Had Owen not died in '99,
even though he was getting a
860
00:40:43,316 --> 00:40:45,902
little bit disenfranchised
with the wrestling business,
861
00:40:45,902 --> 00:40:48,071
think about who was coming
into the business and
862
00:40:48,071 --> 00:40:49,614
coming into WWE at that time.
863
00:40:49,614 --> 00:40:52,784
In less than a year,
Guererro was there,
864
00:40:52,784 --> 00:40:56,788
Malenka was there,
Edge, Christian, Kurt Angle.
865
00:40:56,788 --> 00:41:00,416
Owen would have had a huge
career resurgence because
866
00:41:00,416 --> 00:41:02,126
I don't think anybody
could keep up with him
867
00:41:02,126 --> 00:41:06,964
in the WWE in 1999.
868
00:41:06,964 --> 00:41:09,258
We'll never know how great
he could have been
869
00:41:09,258 --> 00:41:13,262
'cause he was just
approaching that place
870
00:41:13,262 --> 00:41:16,933
when he fell from the skies
in Kansas City.
871
00:41:16,933 --> 00:41:19,143
If a guy like me is
in the Hall of Fame,
872
00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:21,896
there's no damn way that
Owen Hart shouldn't be in ten.
873
00:41:21,896 --> 00:41:24,399
Owen Hart should be in every
wrestling Hall of Fame there is
874
00:41:24,399 --> 00:41:27,443
because of his talent and
because he belonged there,
875
00:41:27,443 --> 00:41:30,571
but he's not in the Hall of Fame
because his wife does not
876
00:41:30,571 --> 00:41:33,157
want him celebrated
and glorified by the
877
00:41:33,157 --> 00:41:36,119
same company that took
him away from her.
878
00:41:36,119 --> 00:41:39,914
[Martha] I would never allow for
Owen to be recognized by
879
00:41:39,914 --> 00:41:43,793
a company that actually is
responsible for his death.
880
00:41:43,793 --> 00:41:46,963
[Oje]
I, I would never let the...
881
00:41:46,963 --> 00:41:49,882
WWE put his name on
a piece of silver and
882
00:41:49,882 --> 00:41:52,260
say that they, they got that.
883
00:41:52,260 --> 00:41:56,264
We have built a foundation
that helps put people in homes,
884
00:41:56,264 --> 00:41:58,850
that helps single
moms like my mom was,
885
00:41:58,850 --> 00:42:01,060
that let kids go to school.
886
00:42:01,060 --> 00:42:04,105
This is all done
in his namesake.
887
00:42:04,105 --> 00:42:07,150
This has all got Owen Hart
written all over it.
888
00:42:07,150 --> 00:42:10,695
This is how communities,
this is how people, society,
889
00:42:10,695 --> 00:42:14,115
remembers him, and that's how
we want it to be done.
890
00:42:14,115 --> 00:42:17,160
Yeah, he was a wrestler,
but other than that,
891
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:19,162
he was bigger than that.
892
00:42:19,162 --> 00:42:21,581
That was just
part of what he was.
893
00:42:21,581 --> 00:42:23,499
I want to wish everyone a
Merry Christmas and
894
00:42:23,499 --> 00:42:27,003
we're very grateful that we
are as fortunate as we...
895
00:42:27,003 --> 00:42:29,130
have everything that
we could ever ask for,
896
00:42:29,130 --> 00:42:33,384
and most importantly, our health
and our happiness together.
897
00:42:33,384 --> 00:42:36,345
I feel like if my dad had
never been in wrestling,
898
00:42:36,345 --> 00:42:38,014
he'd still be here.
899
00:42:38,014 --> 00:42:40,558
And so, I've always
blamed, like, wrestling for not,
900
00:42:40,558 --> 00:42:42,143
like, everything
that's happened.
901
00:42:42,143 --> 00:42:43,603
It's just all
wrestling's fault.
902
00:42:43,603 --> 00:42:45,980
If it never would
have caught his eye,
903
00:42:45,980 --> 00:42:48,775
he would have done
something else and then...
904
00:42:48,775 --> 00:42:51,486
we would have
all been together.
905
00:42:51,486 --> 00:42:55,948
And when I think of him,
I just think happy trails.
906
00:42:55,948 --> 00:42:59,327
And, I would have really liked
to have had you around.
907
00:42:59,327 --> 00:43:02,914
- Merry Christmas, Oje.
- Merry Christmas, Dad!
908
00:43:02,914 --> 00:43:04,916
It would have
been a lot of fun.
909
00:43:04,916 --> 00:43:08,753
It was fun.
Thanks for that.
910
00:43:08,753 --> 00:43:12,131
[sighs]
911
00:43:12,131 --> 00:43:14,050
There was one person
that always believed in me,
912
00:43:14,050 --> 00:43:15,426
and that was Owen.
913
00:43:15,426 --> 00:43:18,387
And I think he'd be so thrilled
that Oje is a lawyer and
914
00:43:18,387 --> 00:43:20,515
that he's gonna
pursue human rights law,
915
00:43:20,515 --> 00:43:22,934
and that Athena's a
journalism graduate and
916
00:43:22,934 --> 00:43:25,603
is pursuing that.
917
00:43:25,603 --> 00:43:27,480
When you lose
someone that you love,
918
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:31,359
because you still have
all that love for them,
919
00:43:31,359 --> 00:43:34,028
I took all that love that
I had for Owen and
920
00:43:34,028 --> 00:43:35,947
I created the
Owen Hart Foundation.
921
00:43:35,947 --> 00:43:38,658
Our message is that,
you know, be kind to people.
922
00:43:38,658 --> 00:43:42,662
Life is hard and everything
we do through the foundation
923
00:43:42,662 --> 00:43:45,957
is a reflection of the
type of person that he was,
924
00:43:45,957 --> 00:43:51,212
his generosity of spirit and
the kindness that he exuded.
925
00:43:51,212 --> 00:43:53,464
So, I think...
926
00:43:53,464 --> 00:43:57,343
he would be, you know,
clapping and applauding me,
927
00:43:57,343 --> 00:43:59,512
up there in heaven,
and saying,
928
00:43:59,512 --> 00:44:01,097
"Well done, you."