10 Things We Learned From Owen Hart’s Final Day: A POST Profile

9. The Quick Release Snap Shackle

Owen Hart Post Profile
WWE.com

An important feature of the legal case that later followed after his passing, the logistics of the harness equipment sourced for the big Blue Blazer stunt are here analysed with a foreboding sense of dread that obviously wasn't identified at the time.

Pollock's context on the history of the kit is exceptional, noting how a prior attempt at the Blazer's descent in November 1998 had featured a locking carabiner - popularised in wrestling by Sting's repeated use following his 'Crow' reinvention in late-1996. The suggestion that WWE's intent was to parody WCW's use of it fits the farcical scene in which Steve Blackman assaults the flailing Hart, but the organisation's need for speed added new danger.

A "Quick Release Snap Shackle" was the functionality the company wanted, despite push-backs from respected reliable rigger (and prior contractor in similar segments featuring Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker) Joe Branam.

It's here that Pollock pulls from Martha Hart's book Broken Harts, quoting her as saying that "on at least three occasions, Branam vehemently refused to lower a human with it." The two sides subsequently separated two weeks before Over The Edge - Branam offered WWE a quote to safely perform a similar stunt with Hart on the May 10th Monday Night Raw, but his $5,000 fee was deemed too high.

They'd petulantly lost interest in the idea entirely by the time he rang back, concerned over safety, to lower his asking price.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett