WWE Owen Hart DVD Not Supported By Martha Hart

In a news story we posted on Thursday, it was announced by WrestlingDVDNews.com that there would be a Owen Hart DVD and documentary released later this year or early next year. In the story, it was confirmed that it had the full backing of Owen's family, which most of us thought meant his wife Martha Hart and their children. Apparently not. The story was updated today with comments from Martha about this project. Here's the official statement provided by Martha Hart, the widow of Owen Hart:

"My children and I were unaware of this project until May 7, when it was brought to our attention by a friend who had read about it online. Contrary to your report, we do not back or support it in any way, nor has WWE requested our backing or support. From what little we know of the project, it seems to be another attempt to exploit Owen€™s memory, and his tragic death, for commercial gain. We have resisted that kind of initiative for almost 16 years. If WWE really wanted to honor Owen€™s legacy, it would just let him rest in peace."

It's easy to understand why Martha and her family would be upset about it. Owen's death was tragic and never should have happened. She was obviously very upset about it with good reason. She has sued WWE several times and has made it difficult for WWE to release anything related to Owen's past. It appears as though WWE is going to go ahead with the project whether Martha wants it to happen or not. From WWE's perspective, it's something that WWE fans want especially for those of us that grew up as fans of the company. He was a great wrestler that went from a jobber to a main event level performer within a few years and had good matches with everybody. For people that don't know much about him it would be an informative piece that would educate them about this great man. Regarding a possible WWE Hall of Fame induction, it now seems unlikely with Martha is against this release although the phrase "never say never" applies in this instance. Owen Hart's death is a difficult subject to discuss for a lot of people and we certainly understand Martha's point of view as well as her children.