20 Years Gone

Miss you, Owen
Photo via Last Word on Pro Wrestling

Twenty years ago today at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MO, Owen Hart fell to his death at the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. He was to enter the ring from the rafters via a harness in his Blue Blazer gimmick for an Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. However, the harness was defective, and the backup safety latches were not connected. The circumstances from Hart's death eventually resulted in a large cash settlement awarded to his widow, Martha, whose lingering (and rightful) bitterness at WWE for the loss of her husband has kept his image and likeness from being used in WWE parlance.

In keeping with the "Vince Don't Care" theme of this week, the root cause of Hart's death can be traced directly back to the apathy of Vince McMahon. It all starts with the abuse of the independent contractor label, as a company that hires independent contractors does not have to abide by OSHA regulations. Had Hart been an employee, WWE could have been cited for both willful and serious violations. The spectre of those penalties that come with hefty fines might have caused McMahon and the people actually working to get Hart strapped up in his harness to ensure that all safety measures had been taken. Regardless, the threat of monetary loss should not be the only factor in making sure all your workers go home the same way they came into work. Wrestling is a dangerous enough business without the risk of falling from height with no means to break the fall.

I'm not sure why someone had to come down from the rafters anyway. Sure, Shawn Michaels, Sting, and even Hart himself had done it before without incident, but when I think wrestling, I don't think about guys jumping from the rafters just because they could. I mean, Jeff Hardy jumping from height do to an insane highspot is one thing, but he's always got something to break his fall, which is the point. Hart was as much a victim of the excess and mindless follower mentality of the Attitude Era as he was a defective latch. I can't think of any reason why he shouldn't still be alive today, and yet, he's been gone for 20 years.

It's why I will always side with Martha Hart in her struggle to make sure WWE cannot profit off her husband's image and likeness. For absolutely no good reason whatsoever, she was robbed a husband. Their two children were robbed a father. Yeah, Bret Hart and other siblings may have forgiven McMahon and WWE, but rarely does the bond between brothers become as galvanized as the one between husband and wife. Martha is probably not a carny either. I don't want to make generalizations, but it feels like carnies forgive each other more easily in most cases.

So remember the next time you wonder why Owen Hart isn't in the WWE Hall of Fame or why he's not mentioned much at all on WWE television, that the reasons are valid, and that you probably won't see any of it until his widow passes. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay. The world, not just the wrestling world, lost an incredible talent and from all accounts a better person. Rest in peace and power, Owen Hart.