The docuseries captured the life and career of the former WWE Chairman. During the series, Owen Hart’s tragic death at WWE Over The Edge 1999 was discussed. Hart’s rappel malfunctioned and he fell 78 ft. He landed chest-first on the top rope and passed away. Vince McMahon had infamously continued the show despite the tragic accident which drew massive flak. During the documentary, Vince defended his decision to continue the show, saying “people came to see a show.”
Owen’s widow Martha Hart spoke to Daily Hive and criticized Vince’s comments on Owen’s death. She further revealed that she was not contacted for the documentary. She said:
“Netflix’s Mr. McMahon documentary series portrays the death of my husband, Owen Hart, as a mere accident. It also allows the disgraced former owner and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Vince McMahon, to claim that Owen’s death ‘wasn’t our fault.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.
To be clear, no one involved in the making of this documentary attempted to contact me for comment or to obtain an accurate perspective. I continue to hold WWE and its then-management responsible for Owen’s death. I refuse to let Vince McMahon or anyone else rewrite that history. Instead, I remain focused on honouring Owen’s legacy through the charitable good work of the Owen Hart Foundation and via the AEW Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.”
Martha has bashed WWE for being negligent in the tragic incident but McMahon has blamed an equipment malfunction. Owen Hart’s widow stated that WWE’s negligence and hiring of unqualified riggers led to Owen’s death.
“What the documentary fails to mention is that the equipment used was never meant for a rappelling stunt,” she said. “Instead, a harness meant for dragging stunt people behind cars on movie shoots was used with a sailboat clip meant to release on load with only six pounds of pressure. Had the WWE hired qualified riggers who followed proper protocol that included redundancy, as is typical practice, and used the correct equipment, Owen would not have died that night.”
Martha Hart runs The Owen Hart Foundation which is a Calgary-based charity that provides university/college scholarships for needy children as well as housing for low-income families. In 2021, AEW started the Owen Hart Cup tournament , honoring the legacy of Owen Hart in collaboration with The Owen Hart Foundation. Martha Hart, the founder and director of the charity, has also made a handful of appearances in the promotion.
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