10 Scariest In-Ring Wrestling Accidents
1. The Owen Hart Incident
May 23rd, 1999 will always be remembered as one of the darkest nights in professional wrestling history. Owen Hart’s fall is the most notable in-ring tragedy that WWE has ever seen, and the fact that it took place at a major event makes it even more startling.
Having recently revived his goofy Blue Blazer superhero gimmick, Owen was set to make a grand entrance at Over The Edge. Vince Russo came up with the idea of him descending from the rafters via zipline, with the twist that he’d pretend to be stuck in the harness on his way down, before falling face-first into the mat (from a safe height, of course).
It was designed as a comedy spot, but something went horribly wrong. The harness system malfunctioned, and Hart fell almost 80ft, landing on the ropes, then bouncing back into the ring. This blunt force trauma caused fatal internal bleeding, and this senseless, unnecessary stunt robbed Owen of his life.
The accident remains as controversial today as it was back then, but PPV viewers were fortunately spared from watching it. The WWF cut if from the feed via seven second delay, but the same can’t be said for the live audience, who saw one of the most gifted performers of his generation pass away before their eyes.