People of a certain generation will know where they were when JFK was assassinated. Many of us know where we were when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11. As a wrestling fan, I know exactly where I was on the night Owen Hart tragically died. I was sat at home, watching the WWF 'Over The Edge' PPV live in my house just outside of Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the event, Owen tragically fell almost 80 feet into the ring and died. Fortunately, the fall did not air live as a pre-taped interview was taking place. Jim Ross had the sad task of informing the viewers that Owen had died. It's an image I will never forget. Owen's widow Martha will never forget the incident either. Nor will his family, especially Bret who wrestled with him for years in the WWF. Martha and the Hart family sued the WWF and the makers of the harness Owen was wearing when he fell. The WWF paid them around $18million dollars, not that any amount would ever truly help her to get over the death of her husband. Martha subsequently sued the WWE at the beginning of this decade, as they had used his likeness without her permission, amongst other things, This was settled in early 2013, although the amount was undisclosed. Many of the decisions that Vince made in the days and hours after Owen's death were questioned by many people. But at the end of the day, this was one lawsuit that he never wanted to happen. Vince, for all his flaws, would never wish this on anyone.
I am a teacher, but also write about all things wrestling. I have been writing/interviewing wrestling personalities for over 7 years for both the Wrestling Observer site, as well as The History Of WWE site.
