Over The Edge 1999 on PPV

[Deleted]

A friend of mine, Chris, attended the event (we both live right outside Kansas City where the event took place). We met up about a year ago and I asked him about it (he was 12 when it happened). He told me the crowd actually wasn't that silent or loud either way. The crowd had freaked out about it equal to the type of reaction a wicked hardcore spot gets (despite popular (i.e. uneducated) belief Owen did not smash into the turnbuckle). It seemed so certain that it was setup/fake. Owen had even tried to get up after the fall and was able to sit up before lying back down again, so the crowd thought if it wasn't kayfabe then he was at least gonna be okay. There was definite shock when the news came out he had died, and still some belief that it was kayfabe (like I said, he had tried to get up after the fall). Chris (keep in mind he's 12 years old at this time) didn't think he was really dead. The whole arena was just clouded with a big questionmark as to whether he was actually dead or if Vince was actually going that far, with the crowd in Chris's section suggesting the latter.

Another thing to keep in mind in all of this was nobody knew far enough in advance as Friday at school if they we're ordering the PPV, and Jim's speech about it not being a wrestling angle and this was 100% real was not made clear to the crowd.

I actually found out when I got up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. My dad was still up and reading some news online and he pulled it up and asked if I heard "some wrestler" died. I thought maybe it was just someone who died of old age and didn't think nothing of it. I asked who it was and he said "Some guy named Owen". I then walked over to the screen to see and kept thinking "NO WAY he's talking about Owen Hart. There must be some other famous Owen wrestler i'm not thinking of. Hell, Owen was supposed to compete tonight in KC". But that's exactly who it was. I was in a state of semi-stun, mostly because it was 2 in the morning and I was piss tired. Chris found out on the morning news himself (his house didn't have internet access and the news was off by the time he got home).

And of course it was the big news around my pocket of friends around school. Damn near everyone knew Chris had went (he was bragging about the fact his dad won the tickets on the radio and was gonna be in one of the lower sections and maybe on TV (I also haven't seen much of the show myself)), but he denied having ever went, we found out later he did go and just didn't want to discuss what went down.

[Dave at the Movies]

I was about 11 years old and was at the PPV with my dad and brother. When it happened it was like the only intermission type of time they had and me and my dad were in the bathroom. I'm guessing that close to half the arena of people there hadn't even seen it because of this. My brother was still out in the arena but he was looking at other stuff and didn't see a thing that had happened. He just looked back in the ring and saw all these people in the ring all of a sudden not sure what happened.

When me and my dad got back I knew something was wrong. Nobody around us seemed like they knew what happened but there were rumors going on everywhere because they didn't announce one thing on the PA saying what was actually happening. I knew sometnhing was wrong though because they took the blue blazer mask off of Owen(which was the center of the storyline) and one of the EMTs rode on top of Owen giving him CPR as they rolled him up the entrance ramp.

I also noticed The Godfather(who Owen was suppose to face for teh IC title i believe) came out at the top of the entrance with his hands up in the air like he didn't know what was going on or what was happening.

I figured that he had made a regular entrance and done his regular blue blazer back flip in the ring and just slipped and landed wrong.

He died during the show but no one in the arena knew this at all that I'm aware of. They didn't announce anything to the people at the show as far as I can remember.





As for just the show it was a very good show for the most part. It was my first and since only time seeing the Undertaker so that was really cool. I remember this was the PPV where they had the big match between Billy Gunn and Road Dogg and though it was awesome because the last show I had gone to was RAW in October of 97(coincidentally the Brian Pillman memorial RAW) at the same arena where they actually had joined up and Gunn hit Honky Tonk Man over the head with the guitar.

I'm not sure if they should have ended it. Nothing like it had ever happened or has happened since. It was a freak accident and everyone still isn't sure about what went wrong with the cable he was suppose to come down on.

Now that I think of it they probably should have had the decency to tell the people in the arena what really happened and that he died. They didn't announce anything at all about it. Me, my dad, and my brother didn't hear about what happened until we were driving home and heard it on the radio.

[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]

It is very easy in hindsight to say they simply should have stopped the show, but it isn't that simple. I know I have always given Vince and Co. a pass becuase it was live TV with emotions runng high and making a decision on the fly had to be hard. Also, you don't know how the crowd is gonna react if you suddenly say that the show is over. For that same reason, it probably was a good idea not to tell the crowd when Owen died either. Both those decsions risk an unruly crowd if you go the opposite of what WWE did and that can make a terrible situation worse.

[Clarence "Showstealer" Mason]

I don't remember a lot about the show to be honest, I did order it and I do remember at least staying after the incident to see the Jarrett interview and JR announcing he was gone but the rest of the show I think I've blocked from my memory, ditto Raw is Owen, again I can only remember Jarrett and Foley and Austin toasting Owen's image on the titantron.

[Lord Bendtner]

I think the WWE did the right thing in continuing the show, as selfish as it sounds, people paid their hard-earned money to see a PPV, and to end the show would piss off the fans in the building and those watching at home. They would have had to refund lots of people and lose even more money. I understand that human life is a LOT more important than money, but it was obviously a business decision to continue on. The press conference with Vince after the show at least to me showed that he probably did not choose to continue on with a confident mind, it must have been difficult.

[slickster]

When disaster strikes the WWE, they will tend to continue with the show. I think it's because the McMahons and the rest of the WWE crew know wrestling best. They feel like they can deal with any emotional stuff by framing it in the context of a wrestling event. They're pro wrestling promoters, not grief counselors.

[Deleted]

I personally just hate the argument that if it was HHH or something like that they'd stop it. I'm not saying Vince is completely heartless, but I think he would continue the show in that case too, with the same argument of "that's what Paul/Hunter would have wanted".

I remember reading that Russo said Owen was given a choice to perform or sit out the night when it was discovered Pillman died, and Owen decided to go out there and perform. Supposedly that instance played a role in keeping the show going. Dunno the legitimacy of that argument, and of course finding out someone died at home and having what happened at Kemper Arena go down are completely different. I personally would have stopped the show. I don't think the crowd would have been absolutely unruly about it, which I hear was also a big fear that kept them from stopping the show.

[DiBiase is Good]

I watched the show live on PPV (and still have my copy).

As for the whole "should the show have gone on" argument. I can see both sides of the argument. Vince was in a "Damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation and he made the decision to continue. I'm pretty sure it was one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to (or ever have to) make but he did what he thought was right.
I see why people would be pissed off and think it was in poor taste to carry on but I also see why people would be pissed off if they spent good money on a PPV only to have it cancelled (even if they were part refunded the cost).

[Trent Valentine]

I was in my Sophomore Year of High School when Over the Edge came on. I remember the PPV perfectly. When I heard the words from JR...Owen Hart is dead, my heart just..dropped to the floor. I didn't even watch the rest of the PPV. The next night on Raw is Owen..I ended up crying. Because not only a great wrestler..but from what all the guys said, a beautiful human being is no longer with us to make us laugh, make us cry, make us want to strangle him with our bare hands because he was such a convincing heel. But the next day..I was strangely at peace with myself. I guess part of me wanted to believe wherever Owen was, he was happy, and wouldn't want us feeling sad about him. Or probably ribbing us from heaven, laughing it up like he always seems to do whenever something happened. Sometimes..I still wonder what could have been if Owen was still around.

[Mac]

I remember i was in college a couple weeks after finals. I had quit my job but gave them the two weeks so I was on campus. I came back from a date and was in my room with my new girlfriend and a guy from down the hall came by and told me what happened. I really couldn't believe it. Sadly all I could think about was going on-line to share my greif with everyone (sad I know)

[kingbuxton]

Im probably going to get flamed by fanboys for this but here goes nothing.

I am a massive Bret Hart mark and believed alot in Owen as a wrestler. Had he stuck around he would have been an asset to the company in some way or another. His death was a true wrestling tradgedy, if not THE wrestling tragedy.

Saying that...

Some people on here need to get over themselves. WWE didnt let the show go on for money, or for spite, it was just what they thought was the best decision at the time.

The way some people are going on, as if they lost a family member of their own, is just...well strange. They didnt know Owen, one iota. Owens death was no more of a tradgedy than say my aunt dying from cancer at a young age an leaving her family behind.

Not meant any disrespect to Owen AT ALL but honestly, some of the comment on this thread are weird

[thesingularity]

I saw it on PPV in the UK as Sky still gave every PPV away for free if you had the Sports package.

I remember the airing of the a promo and the JR saying something about problems and you could hear his voice had changed.

Then that they kept showing the crowd and the cutting back to just JR who I though handled the situation really well considering everything that was going on, even going to far as to talk about wrestling stories and angles.

When King got back and said 'it doesn't look good' that really did strike a nerve.

I remember Jarrett and Deborah and I especially remember Road Dogg's promo.

Then the news came.

Other than that I just remember the very, vey flat end to the Taker/Austin match.

My only problem surrounding this incident (Owen's death aside, obviously) is that is lead to JR's 'Owen Voice' to kayfabe an injury angle or something else trivial in the grand scheme of things.

That does urinate on my chips.

[gbo86]

Apr 12, 2010 0:01:41 GMT -5 FailedGimmick said:

That's actually the one thing I've been morbidly curious about:

Did they consider changing the ending of the match so Austin retained to send the crowd home happy? Undertaker could have easily won the title once storylines resumed the week after the event when the Higher Power was revealed.

From what I remember, they did indeed consider changing the finish of the main event to have Austin win. Obviously, they decided against it, but it was an option.

[randomranter]

First, I do not for one second blame Vince at all for the decisions he made. The man had some very crucial decisions to make, virtually no reliable/complete information to work with, no time to consult with his advisors, and only seconds to make decisions that could have numerous consequences both immediately and later on. There was really no "good" decision he could have made, and I think he handled the situation to the best of his ability.

I don't think greed, or spite, or money were his motivators. I sincerely believe that he had the best interests of the fans in attendance, the fans at home, and the wrestlers in mind. And I do believe if he thought that the best thing to do would have been to cancel the show, he would have done so without hesitation.

I do feel bad for the wrestlers who had to continue the show, though. From what I understand, they were all given the option of whether or not to perform. However, the accident left giant blood spots in the middle of the ring, and it's creepy for me to watch those matches and see those giant blood spots. I cannot imagine what the wrestlers -- his coworkers, his friends, people who actually knew him -- were thinking.

The only thing that annoys me about the whole situation is the way that people talk about him these days. Yes, I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but people tend to put him on a pedestal. We've all heard the stories about how he was suddenly supposed to win the IC belt that night, and get a run with the world belt down the road. But given everything else we know, that's all they were -- stories, told by friends of his to make us all (and probably each other) feel good.

The guy was a midcarder who was being punished for not wanting to do angles involving adultery. All accounts show that he was not going to renew his contract and quietly retire to spend time with his family. Vince did not -- and to this day does not -- give midcarders (especially ones that are being 'punished') a run with the title on their way out the door. It was much, much, much more likely that Owen would have spent the rest of his contract putting over new talent before leaving. At best, I could see him winning the IC belt and put on a quality IC title match with someone new on his way out. But a run with the heavyweight belt? Not a chance.

I'm bringing it up now not because anyone's brought it up in this thread (though it has come up in others), but because i think it's a better to remember Owen for the quality matches he really did have, rather than remember a "what could have been" that had little to no chance of becoming reality.

[Enrico Palazzo]

I think for all his percieved flaws, Vince Mc Mahon knows how to handle a tragedy. I think the show should have went on, just because the panic and unrest in the live crowd could have been potentially dangerous. I remember somebody on this site referencing a concert where tragedy struck and an unruly crowd created havoc.

I don't for one minute envy Vince's position or the choice he had to make that fateful night. I like to believe he done what he felt was the best option from a business perspective, yet more importantly a personal perspective.

[Brian Suntan]

Yeah, I don't think anyone is in a position to say Vince should've called off the show or told the audience. It was an impossible situation and I don't think doing either would've helped the situation

Incidentally, it's times like these I wish Vince would write his autobiography.

I heard the next day IIRC, from GMTV. The PPV itself I've still got somewhere. I don't remember being unduly upset about it, it was just a "Oh, shit" moment that comes when celebrities die.

[agent817]

Oh man, do I remember that day or what? I was 12, almost 13, at the time. I used to watch and record PPVs back in 1999 via usage of a "magic box" (Don't look at me like that, you know you've used something like that before). Anyway, that was the one of two events that I didn't get a chance to watch at all because I was with my parents out and about and we made stop over at my paternal grandmother's house (My uncle was still living with her, so they had a "magic box" as well, even though I watched at my maternal grandmother's house who had one as well). I watched the countdown show and right when the show started, we went home. I was bored, so I went on Wrestlezone to see the results and then it hit me. There was a bulletin that said "Owen Hart in accident at OTE?". I quickly clicked on it to see what was up. When I read that it said "accident", I thought it meant like either a car accident from the hotel or something backstage, but then it was talking about a fall. I was confused. So I just went through the whole day/night just waiting for the final results. I even watched Sunday Night Heat. I went to bed and was watching Independence Day on FOX, as well as The Jesse Ventura Story on NBC (It aired that same night) and then my mom came into my room and told me that Owen Hart died. I was in complete shock about it. I didn't know what to think at that moment.

The next day, however, I had a lot of questions from friends, classmates, and acquaintances if I heard about what happened. I was known to be a wrestling fan, so I got a lot of questions about it.

[héad.casé]

I remember earlier in the day downloading a clip of an Owen Hart match from Stampede, and I just had this weird vibe all day that something wasn't right. I had my school exams the next day so I went to bed early and asked my Mum to wake me so I could watch the show live. I still couldn't shake off this weird vibe that something wasn't right, and then it happened. J.R saying that Owen was meant to do a big entrance and he fell from the ceiling, and that it's not an angle or part of the show, I didn't know what to think. When I saw the crowd stand and chant "OWEN, OWEN, OWEN", I thought he was gonna be ok, but I couldn't concentrate on the rest of the show because my thoughts were on Owen.

When I heard J.R say "I have the unfortunate responsibility to tell you that Owen Hart has died". I got chills. I remember reading in Mick Foley's first book about how upset and angry he was that the crowd were cheering and having a good time when he was standing feet away from his friend's blood stains. He thought that crowd was so heartless, but he also said he didn't know the live crowd were never told Owen died.

I remember the next day I was readying myself to sit my first exam, and out of all the friends I spoke wrestling with, I seemed to be the only one upset about it. One of them even said "I guess the nugget's finally been flushed". I don't think he meant that to come off as offensive as it did and that he was just trying to lighten the mood, but I just shook my head and walked off.

I also remember my Mum waking me for school, and the first thing I said to her was "Owen Hart died", and she said "I know they've been talking about it on the news". So I went downstairs and saw clips of the press conference with Vince, I even kept the newspaper clippings about it too.

[fuzzywarble, squat cobbler]

It's been 11 years since I"ve seen it, but here is what I remember:

-The Godfather getting ready to defend his IC belt against the Blue Blazer
-At the very end, Austin looking like he wanted to cry

Everything else I remember was Owen-related.

[The King of Memphis Tennessee]

I didn't order the show, but back then there was an AM radio wrestling talk show that would come on Sunday nights. Jimbo from Mempho or something like that. So i'm listening to the show while half-watching The Jesse Ventura Story on NBC, and I hear that Owen has fallen. They halfway mention it because people were calling in, and i'm sure they didn't have the whole story, so I got the impression that he fell from the apron or something. I figured for some reason they'd announce that he'd broken his arm or leg, but I got the shock of my life when they said he died. I didn't have internet at my house then, so I hate to wait till the next day to hear full reports from friends and classmates.