Far too many WWE wrestlers have died way too young, but only one died while millions were watching. Certain storylines have absolutely shocked audiences, but how can you compare any angle to a performer falling to his death during a wrestling show? Thousands of fans witnessed Owen Hart's final moments in the Kemper Arena in May of 1999, yet many of them didnt know that what they were seeing was real. After all, Road Warrior Hawk appeared to fall off the Titantron to his death just months earlier. It wasn't out of the question to think the WWF would book something like that again.This was also in the days before fans had the internet on their cellphones, so they couldnt just look it up and see what happened with Owen. WWE didnt tell them either. It wasnt until the show was over did they find out that they all watched a man die. For television viewers, they were made aware before the show was over by a visibly shocked Jim Ross. In a solemn tone, he regretfully informed viewers of Hart's death. Since the fans at the arena weren't informed, they continued to cheer wildly in the background, which made the situation even more bizarre. All of the wrestlers seemed to be going through the motions after that point, with some holding back tears. Vince McMahon is a firm believer in the show going on no matter what, but that doesn't mean the experience won't be a surreal and sad affair for everyone involved.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
