10 WWE Moments That Shocked The Wrestling World
6. Owen Hart's Death
23 May 1999 is a date that will live forever in wrestling infamy. During the broadcast of WWE's Over the Edge pay-per-view, Owen Hart tragically plunged 70-feet from the rafters of the Kemper Arena chest-first into the ring post. He was pronounced dead an hour later.
Hart, dressed up in the mask and cape of alter-ego The Blue Blazer, had been performing a stunt during which he'd rappel to the ring as a vague parody of WCW superstar Sting. The skit had been successfully performed the previous November, but on the night of Over the Edge, Hart's safety harness malfunctioned, disengaging at the start of his descent. A video package aired as Owen fell to the ring. When the live broadcast returned, a shaken Jim Ross informed viewers of the accident, noting it was a "real situation."
Given the graveness of the circumstances, few would have complained had the event promptly been cancelled. Instead, old-school mentalities took over, and against better judgement, WWE forged ahead with the show - even after announcing Hart's death. The PPV concluded with The Undertaker standing tall, as inappropriate an ending as possibly imaginable.
Few events in wrestling history have shook the firmaments of the industry quite like Owen's untimely passing. The following night's Raw was given over entirely to a tribute show, with all ongoing angles suspended, as the popular Hart's colleagues delivered emotional eulogies to their friend. The wrestling world had came to a standstill.