15 Things We Learned From Vince McMahon's Docuseries On Netflix
8. Why Vince Decreed “The Show Must Go On”
Most reading this will know everything there is to know about the circumstances surrounding Owen Hart's tragic death at Over The Edge 1999. To summarise, Owen fell from the rafters when a rigging stunt went wrong, and Vince McMahon took pelters for deciding the pay-per-view should continue even though his roster was traumatised.
During this series, McMahon broached the subject head on and told Netflix why he made the call to proceed with the card. According to Vince, the live audience didn't really see what had happened because lighting was dim. He claims he'd have "shut the show down" had everyone witnessed Owen's fall in full.
Unsurprisingly, all of this comes across as so cold and calculating. Meltzer doesn’t think they should’ve continued the show regardless of who saw what, and it's hard to disagree with that when seeing footage of Jeff Jarrett and Debra trying to cut a promo afterwards. That had to be torture.
For his part, McMahon claims he would’ve wanted the show to go on had he died. Bret Hart then pops up to offer this: “I had plenty of reasons to have issues with Vince, but they were on a professional level and not a personal level”.
This is essential for anybody who has ever wanted to hear McMahon's explanation straight from the horse's mouth about one of WWE's darkest nights.