WWE Plans to Release Footage of Owen Hart’s Death on New Network

WWE Network will launch on February 24 and to get people to tune in they will air something quite controversial.

If you are not a huge fan of wrestling Owen Hart was a wrestler who died in the ring during a pay per view event back when it was still the WWF. According to Wikipedia on May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event^. Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather.

In keeping with the Blazer's new "buffoonish superhero" character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act "entangled", then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect—this necessitated the use of a quick release mechanism. Hart fell 78 feet into the ring, landing chest-first on the top rope, approximately a foot from the nearest turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring.

Hart had performed the stunt only a few times before. Hart's wife Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. Television viewers did not see the incident. Moments after the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena.

Afterward, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event's broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcer Jim Ross repeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.Hart was transported to Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, where several attempts to revive him were made, until he died from his injuries; some believe he died in the ring.He died 16 days after his 34th birthday. The cause was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt force trauma.

No word on when this will air on the WWE Network, but WWE is getting a lot of bad press about airing this event. Hey, when you are starting a new network, you want to give the people something they have never seen before.