“There’s no question about it,” Vince McMahon opens up about decision to continue PPV after Owen Hart’s unfortunate demise inside the ring
Vince McMahon defends his decision to continue the Over the Edge 1999 PPV after Owen Hart fell to his death.
Follow Us
Vince McMahon on Owen Hart's demise (via Netflix/AP)
At Over the Edge 1999, tragedy struck the wrestling industry. Owen Hart fell to his death while attempting to arrive to ring from the rafters. To the shock of everyone at the time, Vince McMahon continued the event as advertised in front of the live audience. Speaking about the incident, the former WWE chairman backed his decision to keep the show going.
During the recently released ‘Mr. McMahon’ Netflix documentary, Vince justified his actions by stating that the audience hadn’t seen what transpired. Therefore, he took a ‘business’ decision to carry on with the show. Moreover, the fans in attendance were not notified about Owen’s demise. According to McMahon, they had bought tickets to enjoy the show, not watch a wrestler fall to his death.
Bret Hart, Owen’s brother, initially felt that this was Vince and WWE’s way of getting back at him. Moreover, The Hitman questioned whether the former owner would’ve continued the show if it was Shane McMahon instead of any other wrestler. In response, the 79-year-old claimed that if it were him, let alone his own son, he would’ve definitely wanted the PPV to continue.
The decision that basically I had to make (after finding out Owen had been pronounced dead) was whether or not the show goes on. The live audience didn’t really see what happened. Had they seen, there’s no question about it, you have to shut the show down.
Vince McMahon via Mr. McMahon Netflix docuseries [H/T: WrestleTalk]
Owen Hart‘s wife, Martha Hart, filed a lawsuit against the company, which was later settled out of court. Vince revealed that it wasn’t their fault, as the manufacturer knowingly sent them a defective apparatus. WWE then ended up suing the manufacturing company.
To this day, Martha has not forgiven Vince McMahon and WWE for their actions on that fateful day. In fact, she has refused their request to induct her late husband into the Hall of Fame multiple times.
Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon had different reactions to the latter’s nixed pregnancy storyline
One thing that Vince McMahon made clear during his Netflix documentary was that he had no regrets in his life. Hence, when asked about a disturbing storyline involving his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, the father-daughter had strikingly different reactions.
Stephanie confirmed that Vince suggested that he be revealed as the on-screen father of her child while she was pregnant. The Billion Dollar Princess looked uncomfortable while recounting the story.
However, her father unsurprisingly let out an unfazed laugh. Vince recalled the creative team shooting down the idea at the time. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first or last time that the billionaire proposed running such disgusting storylines on WWE television.
Stay Updated!
Vansh Shah
(1107 Articles Published)