Jim Ross Reflects on Owen Hart Tragedy

In this emotional Not Sam Wrestling video, legendary WWE commentator Jim Ross reflects on the tragic death of Owen Hart, who passed away live on the Over the Edge PPV in May of 1999. Jim shares his personal memories of Owen, what it was like ringside that night including having to tell he world the horrible new and the impact Owen Hart had on the wrestling industry and the lives of those who knew him. Also, Jim discussed the aftermath of the event leading into the Owen Hart Tribute on Monday Night Raw the next night.
Watch the full Jim Ross / Sam Roberts conversation on the @NotsamWrestling podcast here - • Sam Roberts & Jim Ross...
Learn more about @notsam here - linktr.ee/notsam
#jimross #owenhart #wwe #mondaynightraw #overtheedge #memories #wrestling #podcast #wrestlingpodcast #conversation #notsam #wrestlinginterview

[@jesuscage]

I find it crazy that the ppv was called "Over the Edge"

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

Yeah I always found that very odd

[@RejectedSpiritX]

Over the Edge debuted the year before and had a car theme to it.

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

@@RejectedSpiritX it’s still crazy that it happened at Over The Edge.

[@RejectedSpiritX]

@@pinnacleproductions6275 the irony certainly is obvious.

[@RejectedSpiritX]

@@KBlade1 How so?

[@RejectedSpiritX]

King knew Owen was dead. He placed his hand above Owen’s mouth and felt no breath whatsoever. He knew. I know King had a flare for the dramatics, but you can tell in his face and tone that he wasn’t in character whatsoever. That was a man truly horrified.

[@litodat233]

Yeah his face was stone cold white

[@DBonaldi89]

I think traumatised is the most suitable term. And how could anyone not be? Heartbreaking for everyone involved.

[@melissawright1979]

He was white in the ring. But when they were wheeling him out his face and chest was blue and purple. There was a doctor sat straddling him working on him.

[@RejectedSpiritX]

@@melissawright1979 sadly, he had bled out while in the ring.

[@mikemacdonald2032]

The one time when the guys should have stuck together and boycott the show. That one moment would have humbled vince alot

[@user-do2ev2hr7h]

It's easy to say that in hindsight, but you have to consider that in the moment, it was chaos. Nobody knew what was going on, much less thinking clearly. Considering that the wrestling mentality, especially back then, was always "the show must go on" I understand why people fell back on that, even if it wasn't right when you have time to think about it more cooly.

[@richardgray7159]

I agree but also know I've been through horrible tragity but if don't keep going you get stuck mentally bad as it was if they wouldn't done show might been slow death of company so all wrestler loose jobs got push through moments or never make it

[@jjohnson4013]

The godfather and a few wesrstiles dident know what to do either they were looking for answer too

[@southsudani983]

a lot of ppl knew , they just ddnt wanna lose their jobs

[@mattw7623]

Truth is 99 percent of crowd had no clue he died. I was there and i had no clue till we got back to hotel and saw on news. But i knew something was wrong cuz jeff jarret and Debra were crying during interview before there match go watch it. Jarret said owen im praying for ya buddy.

[@rtmachine2019]

I still can’t believe they continued the show

[@pauldavis5665]

$$$

[@rtmachine2019]

@@pauldavis5665 still it’s disgusting they should of postponed it

[@dragondude9637]

If I were Vince, I would have went down to the ring and announce to the crowd what happened and that because of it the show will have to stop for now with everyone receiving a full refund.

[@pauldavis5665]

@@dragondude9637 A full refund, plus an extra 50 or 100 bucks for their trouble in having to take the time to travel there would probably be needed to prevent a riot. lol

[@dragondude9637]

@@pauldavis5665 indeed. Then I'd ask for silence and have all the wrestlers and staff come out for a ten bell salute.

[@nick56677]

If hell is real, Kevin Dunn and Vinny Mac have VIP tickets waiting for them

[@tobznoobs]

specially now vince adding reasons why he should be thrown in the pit. show going on was already criminal, interview with pillman's wife was just trash. now he's a sex offender.

[@tyshunrussell4837]

@@tobznoobsidgaf

[@michaelwilson7061]

Hell is real. Only Jesus Christ can save you.

[@nick56677]

@@tobznoobs I'm waiting for ppl to come out against Kevin Dunn, I've been waiting for that brown noser to get his. He mysteriously "resigned" a month before the Grant case broke. He is in on it

[@nick56677]

@tobznoobs This latest news doesn't shock me at all. I knew years ago that it's just a matter of time. Dunn resigned a few weeks before the story broke. He is next hopefully.

[@iyziejane]

I watched this PPV live. Right away it seemed like a probably real accident, but JR's announcing was critical to getting us to accept it as real, and then to help us process it as the show went on. He treated Owen's death with respect but also enough stoicism to not break down, and the audience followed him on that. Kind of like a military death, where you honor people who pass but don't grind to an immediate halt emotionally. It probably would have been more traumatizing for the fans if the broadcast had just abruptly ended.

[@morris619]

that's really well put btw, I also watched it live just 12 years old at the time on a school night at 2am uk time and that moment in time will forever haunt me unfortunately :(

[@tonyhill554]

Well articulated

[@HisVirusness]

Same. I remember only hearing JR taking this very seriously and trying to convey that what was going on is not a work; The King was nowhere to be found because he was at the ring. As soon as Lawler came back, straight-faced, regular voice, there was no doubt. And as soon as JR announced Owen's passing later on, I wanted to be in denial. Someone I grew up watching passed in a freak accident that never should have happened; I didn't get a lot of sleep that night.

[@matlash9424]

You’re lying because it wasn’t a PPV.

[@iyziejane]

@@matlash9424 Yeah it was a PPV, I was watching on a blackbox at a relative's house. From Owen's wikipedia article, "The equipment that was lowering him to the ring malfunctioned and he fell to his death in front of a live audience and live on Pay Per View during WWF's Over the Edge event."

[@THADAVEVISION]

This is why I have so much respect for Jim Ross

[@MorsOktober]

Good ol' Jim Ross!

[@nickh3698]

I couldn't afford to buy the ppv back then, so I had the ppv channel on with a scrambled feed with just the audio. I didn't know what was going on when all of a sudden I hear JR announcing Owen's death. One of the most shocking, surreal and sad moments I've ever witnessed.

[@colin-campbell]

I’ve seen the footage - it’s horrific.

[@dxrocks06]

I had the same thing and did the same thing. It was listening to a radio program.

[@Robert-nu4vc]

​@colin-campbell there is no footage of Owen falling

[@purple_dragon4895]

​@Robert-nu4vc there is but they say it's in the vaults

[@__jleo]

I have the exact same memory brother

[@americansmark]

I never understood how dunn thought it was ok to tell the entire world before the family was notified.

[@RejectedSpiritX]

The family was notified. Owen was pronounced dead within 35 minutes (the combined length of the events of the fall, paramedics attempting to revive him, being rushed to the ER, and the doctors attempting to revive him. The three subsequent matches were about another 33 minutes long, with some other video packages going another 5-10 minutes. It was after the elimination tag match ended that JR announced Owen’s death. Owen died very soon after the impact of his fall.

[@quadryjohnson2099]

I was in the crowd that night. As a 6 year old kid with his dad and 2 brothers in the 10th row. I'll never forget that fall. I had a handheld tv in my hand thinking I could get a channel so I could hear the commentary(I now know it would have never worked) I hear people gasping and I looked up. I saw him about halfway down. He hit the ringpost and then the mat with the loudest thud I've ever heard to this day. As the EMTs got in the ring to help him my dad said it was all apart of the show.(He's a doctor so he knew he was dead already). It wasnt until Raw the next night when we realized he died. I still get chills on May 23rd. I still wonder why that stunt had to be done? There was no reason for him to come from the rafters at all.

[@Gunn27]

I’ve heard numerous accounts say Owen hit the ropes and not the turnbuckle? One of those was from the referee of the match.

[@quadryjohnson2099]

@@Gunn27 I don't doubt it at all. It was such a surreal moment that I've come to realize that some people said the ropes or the turnbuckle. I'll always believe Jimmy Korderas because he was legit right there and felt Owen brush against him on the way down.

[@dexterwooten7839]

The DSotR episode said that they wanted him to descend from the ceiling because were trying to show up WCW because Sting had been coming out of the rafters at that time. Very unfortunate that you had to witness that...

[@quadryjohnson2099]

@@dexterwooten7839 while I understand what they wanted to do it still doesn't justify switching the companies before the show. They had the same company as Sting apparently but switched to another to save money I've heard. That's why I have always wonder why the stunt had to he done. Could have been prevented but no.

[@Beltzer0072]

​@@quadryjohnson2099Have you ever watched Wrestlelamia's video Behind the Titantron about the fall? After Bret left for WCW, the WWF kept presenting storylines for Owen which he and his wife disapproved of. After awhile, they had him go back to the Blue Blazer gimmick and it was Vince Russo who came up with the idea for the ill fated stunt. He wanted a quick release harness mechanism so Owen would "fall flat on his face" in a funny way and of course that's not at all what happened. I'm so sorry you had to see that. I've read so many accounts of that night and it's so horrifying what everyone saw. Did you know footage of the fall supposedly still exists?

[@frankhoward6645]

Owen Hart should still be here plus the fact that they went on with the show was ridiculous

[@YubelMalevolent]

Kevin Dunn just doesn't have a soul. Imagine just going "Owen is dead. And 10, 9, 8..." You've just delivered devastating news and you're expecting Jim to tell the world the news he hasn't even had time to deal with? "Your friend and colleague has died, now get back to work"

[@kazallroberts]

I always heard that Kevin Dunn was a dick.

[@mattempyre]

I’m no fan of Kevin Dunn either, but it’s part of his job to count the on air talent down to when they are back on air.

[@exitwound3931]

Vince made the decision that everyone had to keep doing their jobs and Kevin did his. It's not on Kevin at all.

[@ryana40]

RIP Owen. 25 years ago today.

[@MorsOktober]

RIP OWEN!

[@rickmather7062]

The professionalism during that broadcast under those crazy circumstances was admirably to say the least

[@cnote2458]

I like how he said he assumed jerry was just being dramatic. It literally tells us his whole mindset of the incident. Like he actually believed he couldnt die as no one dies in the wwe by an accident. I cant believe he kept it together for the fans. I dont think i could be that calm around anyone dying. But being someone you would consider a friend and worked with for many years mjst of felt like an impossible task. Just show what a complete professional JR.

[@thesimpsons17]

Cant imagine what that was like for JR and King being told their friend was dead with 10 seconds to process then go live and deliver the news. Heartbreaking

[@justinswan5406]

Had no enemies . Stone cold hated him for breaking his neck .

[@TarnishedtheGOAT]

I watched this ppv live but went to the bathroom as the incident took place. For the longest time I thought they showed the death live on tv and I missed it.(due to said bathroom break) Jerry the King was white as a ghost. Still can’t believe it even all these years later.

[@suf-star7866]

If it was Shane the show would've stopped

[@paulz4667]

Yep

[@filmbuff2777]

Shane did those crazy stunts like at Summerslam 2000, but they made sure it was safe for him.

[@MM-ig1iv]

No I doubt it. He cares more about his money than anything. He might have left the building.. but I bet it still would've continued.

[@SlimReapeer]

@@filmbuff2777cap king of the ring 01 wasn’t safe for Shane

[@L4-295]

Duh.

[@Maniac536]

I watched the night it happened (we didn’t see the fall). JR was admirable for how he handled the situation. I also think The King is a stand up guy for what he did

[@crveech]

I remember watching this live. I was only 12 years old. I didn't know what was going on when it happened. When JR announced Owen had died, I was just shocked.

[@Spider-Nalgas]

It’s very easy to call out the continuation of the show and hey, I think it’s justified. They at least were able to keep it professional in front of the fans there, give the people who paid for the show and made time for it, to be able to still have that escapism that wrestling brought. For that, I think they deserve some credit. They still continued and managed to keep it professionals for the fans there. Paul Bearer’s account of working after this incident, is a very good watch too.

[@dylanstreibig9234]

The outrage over the show going on wasn't nearly as loud back when it actually happened as it is now. It was there no doubt, but not as much as it is now. It is really easy to look back now and go "how dare they?" But it was 1999, there was no instant news via social media either.

[@paulz4667]

@@dylanstreibig9234 in today's context is different exactly. Vince would've received larger backlash and it would've exploded on Facebook, Twitter and ig

[@macdaddymario]

Context is key, and is why I stand on the hill that you never judge something from yesterday, with the eyes of today. They are different worlds with different rules and different ideals. It's easy for *everyone* to armchair quarterback a situation after they've seen it play out and have the benefit of hindsight. Be it a day later, or 100 years later. Unless you were there, in that moment, understanding the thought process of the individual in question, you've got no arguments to make that'll be worth a damn.

[@mattbrown5921]

I remember when JR announced his passing and how white his and Lawyers face was.. shouldn't have been announced, should have been a press release after the show.. his family didnt even know yet

[@therealmohammad]

there was a press release

[@mattbrown5921]

@@therealmohammadread my comment again but slowly.

[@macdaddymario]

​@@mattbrown5921 meanwhile the family did know. Between his fall and the announcement there was more than 30 minutes. Owen was gone in far less time than that, and his family was notified.

[@mattbrown5921]

@macdaddymario there has been many docs and his wife has said multiple times they didn't find out until after it was announced on air.. and it wasn't no 30 minutes neither

[@jj204]

Stu was told much earlier. There are multiple interviews with Tyson Kidd who said they were all at stus half watching and stu got a call from Vince. Stus first reaction was he felt bad for Vince.

[@dragondude9637]

It was a very good thing cellphones didn't exist back then. Can you imagine having millions of insulting vids spoofing the fall? People can be so evil that they'd turn it into something "amusing" even though nobody would like it.

[@TysonD916]

Not many people from back them would do any of that. It’s this newer generation that would. The 90s was the last true times in life

[@codpro627]

they did exist in 1999, but not the cameraphones.

[@Robert-nu4vc]

Cell phones certainly did exist back then and long before that.

[@RejectedSpiritX]

Camera phones didn’t exist and video cameras weren’t slim enough.

[@filmbuff2777]

If Martha Hart wasn't so strongly against WWE trying to profit off of Owen, they most certainly would have done "Owen Hart in hell" storylines once the media frenzy died down. Just like they did with Eddie Guerrero. The McMahons (they are all bad people), & Jerry McDevitt (the monster that helped them get away with it), have zero empathy, & only care about making money at the expense of the people whose lives they've ruined.

[@hollywoodhiggins1576]

If Vince goes to jail for anything it should be for continuing that show that night

[@alex75000]

« And you’re back in 10…9 » Going on with the show was the most insane decision ever made…

[@Skarrz72]

After that tragic moment, the PPV should have been cancelled. People hated Vince for having the show continue. On Raw the next night some wrestlers left the building. I think Road Dog was one of them.

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

I know that tape is locked away, and I have only seen snippets of it, but I wonder what the matches and commentary was like after JR gives that announcement. How do you wrestle or commentate after that?

[@chiefzackery6651]

Over the Edge 99 is on WWE network. The video itself is not

[@Matt92Machine]

The whole PPV was uploaded on KZbin years ago. It's somewhere.

[@alfamike]

There are other sites online where Over The Edge is uploaded without the edits.

[@nevillecharlton8260]

​@@alfamike so they show Owen's fall??

[@powderedtoastman1858]

​@@nevillecharlton8260no

[@quarf53206]

to me that night JR was the pro wrestling equivalent of Walter Cronkite when JFK was assassinated

[@Wickedpissah138]

JR, King, Fink, (was Chioda the ref?) all those guys had a front row seat and saw it happen. I can’t imagine being one of them. My heart goes out to them for witnessing one of their friends die right in front of their eyes. We lost one of the greats that night 😞

[@Gators1216]

I think it was jimmy cordea that was the ref

[@Floyd_Black3612]

I’m on that Over the edge event on peacock right now. Sad to hear JR finishing the event. You can tell he’s shook.

[@alex75000]

It’s on Peacock? Please tell me they removed that whole thing from the show…

[@vasili1207]

​@@alex75000no you see his brains😮

[@macdaddymario]

​​@@stanhooper59 they also edited out things said by people during the event. Such as JR'S call of "Oh my God! We got problems out here!" While the promo was going, just as the fall happened. And then I believe they also edited out Double J and Deborah's promo where he was basically in tears trying to hold it together while talking about his friend. Basically a handful of edits through the whole program to try and remove any of the more "traumatic" stuff that happened within the initial 20 minutes or so of the fall. But yeah, the fall itself, while recorded somewhere because those cameras are always rolling... was never shown, even during the live event due to the timing of the video package that was being played. If memory serves, Owen in the ring at all wasn't shown. Then there is also the "the blood on the ring was Owens!" I'm sure some of it was, but the "Sunday Night Heat" event they did live before the PPV was where that noticeable stain comes from.

[@alex75000]

@@stanhooper59 I meant the whole situation.

[@ttgmog7040]

I ususally only purchased two pay per views a year as I was a teen and didn't have much money, so this paticular event was thankfully scrambled for me, even still, I can recall hearing the emotion in J.R.'s voice when he broke the news. Still sticks with me all these years.

[@MorsOktober]

RIP OWEN 😭

[@iamthewordsmith6232]

Could you imagine being JR and being told something like that and only having 10 seconds to process it and tell people what happened? That's crazy.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

I do think Austin may have had a somewhat bad opinion of Owen, which I cannot really blame him for. No-one is loved by 'everybody'. But regardless, he WAS definitely very much loved and it was such a tragedy. It must have been shock that prevented Jim from instantly realizing Owen was gone. That 'And you're back in ten...'-story gave me so many chills when I first heard it. He should have 'known', just having a small understanding of physics and gravity. No chance he could have survived that.

[@tekkamanviper2783]

he said that he wouldnt wrestle with Owen anymore because of the botched Piledriver

[@henrikschmidt3964]

@@tekkamanviper2783 And yet they faced off again at the next major PPV. People say a lot of things. But I sure don't blame Austin for being sore at Owen.

[@morris619]

agree and Austin also didn't attend owens funeral a week later

[@jseedoubleu]

He was also upset Owen never called him to apologize about the broken neck

[@paulz4667]

​@@morris619 it's featured in his documentary

[@user-ti2gc9nb6m]

I remember that night man

[@MentalChappie]

The sad reality is that the Hart family has done their best to elevate and make the wrestling industry undoubtedly better and they never got the chunk of the pie they truly did deserve. You can't just put wrestling families in a HOF and call it a day. The Hart family deserves justice and it's about f*king time the WWE steps up regardless of what umbrella it is under.

[@robear2024]

The family of Owen is why the hall won't be adding him. His wife said no because of this

[@Grimmreefer34]

I've grown up watching wrestling. I've gone to numerous live big arena matches. Thank God I didn't watch something so horrifying and heartbreaking 😢❤

[@corycg9624]

I was at that event unfortunately all I remember was seeing a person dropping from the rafters I didn’t even know that it was Owen at first because I thought he was just going to do a normal entrance walking to the ring but whenever I seen the person dropping to the floor from that high up I knew it wasn’t part of the script that’s when I said ok this is real and not apart of the show it was really a crazy night

[@Grimmreefer34]

@@corycg9624 I'm sure it's something you and anyone that witnessed it will never forget.

[@MrStuDubb]

Should have been a crime scene. But nope, let’s just continue wrestling. Sickening…

[@zacharyradford5552]

It was a crime scene with an investigation. Ignorant.

[@FunkSwaggMusiK]

That shit was called Over The Edge 😢

[@KBlade1]

That was, Final Destination level, irony.

[@elbeantako8411]

I get they're saying here that Owen Hart was well liked but wasnt he actually very reckless wrestling that he injured people? Or am I thinking of someone else. May he RIP....oh and how the heck does Ross speak while hardly moving any part of his mouth or lips??

[@reneacosta2939]

for the show to go on is an insult to owen and his family vince is low life but this is a new level

[@oldironsides4107]

Owen was garbage. I was at a Celtics game and Reggie Lewis dropped dead. Reggie was great Owen shit

[@Jose951Sanchez]

Fact that JR Ross and King covered it up and said wasn't part of the script "ON Air" not part of the show Over the Edge?? Then, later, interview JR admitted he saw Owen Hart free fall... That part, the rest of the guys like Trip H, Mr McMahon, WWF, are showing at Harts funeral meeting up with WCW Hogan for business sake they all respected each other. Sinister about that whole thing, safety harness coming undone.. he looks stiffly free, falling without his arms moving

[@jusdria4132]

WWE is so fuxked up when you watch all the shoots and dark side of the rings you really see how really fucked and ruthless that company and let’s talk about the fact there is still footage…why wasn’t it destroyed?

[@treyperkins2667]

Legal reasons

[@mikeaveling5802]

It's so disgusting that that show continued after such a tragic accident, but money talks right mr. McMahon

[@wolfgaming2734]

Business is business am I right?

[@AuroraeHesperus]

However sad the matter may have been, "the show must go on". Especially Jim Ross was very professional that night.

[@deerocker4113]

Vince knew damn well he should’ve stopped the show ? What he was scared to lose money not even a fraction of what he was worth back then or now

[@thatfunk]

I was a 13 year old on vacation at Disneyland and had no idea what happened till we got back to the hotel and saw it on the news. It was a total shock.

[@johndoe-dl6qo]

Jim ross and Jerry Lawler probably still have nightmares about that tragic evening😢

[@Hummel5006]

So what did Owen exactly hit? The turnbuckle or the actual metal ring post? And I believe it was chest first?

[@Yogutz-ks2yq]

Vince McMahon really made Owen pay for breaking stone cold Steve Austin neck ruthless Vince.

[@undertakerfanz628]

To this day I believe it's more to that incident than meets the eye

[@fearless1024]

You're far from the only one.

[@MarkindVGA]

Watch the Dark Side of the Ring , they talk about

[@undertakerfanz628]

@@MarkindVGA I saw dark side of the Ring before they aired it on television I don't know what you're talkin about

[@wardy4294]

Dark side of the ring lost all credibility with me because of that episode. They had an agenda to make the WWF look bad. They didn’t even interview Owens Brothers. One sided to say the least.

[@jackhughes7637]

@@wardy4294 They probably didn't want to be interviewed. Then again, if that's the case it shouldn't have been aired without a full perspective.

[@jayceegenocide4402]

BOTH JR & Sam aged 3 Decades in 1.

[@billybattsisafunnyguy2337]

I wish Owen was on 2K24 Shout out to Jerry the 👑

[@MartinMaxiepada]

When this happen, my nerdy friend said this was wwf firing him for Austin and this never happen. We woke up for school and heard it on the news, he still didn’t believe it. Until the 6 o clock news he’s like “ohhhh maybe he really did die”

[@agr7879]

Quite incredible to think that the show carried on after one of their employees had just died. Disgusting

[@rtmachine2019]

Yeah they should’ve post pone it

[@IHateNicolasCage]

"If that was Shane that fell, the show would have stopped" - Bret Hart

[@treyperkins2667]

I've worked at more than 1 place where a coworker died and the wheels kept going. More than one. Society is just different now. Also, you can't just provoke an audience that large into riot without serious repercussions

[@rickylopez2011]

my heart hurts for jr... he had 10 seconds to not even grieve but get weight of having to deliver horrendous news

[@nexusjwf9859]

i play devils advocate, i fully understand people saying that the show should have stopped...but at the same time......would you want the last thing all those people, KIDS included , to see was a man fall to his death? they tried to continue and send the crowd home with better memories than that

[@grant1739]

I'm glad the show went on, ppv wasn't cheap then and thousands would have been disappointed, Owen sucked anyways

[@MrMctuck]

Wrestling Bios is almost at this point in his Reliving the War series, it's going to be a tough watch 😔.

[@Nianna_W]

I’ll never forget how hard we laughed watching Owen bounce off the ring on the live feed all those years ago. Man I wish WWE didn’t bury that footage. I’d pay to see it again.

[@Brownwall]

@@Nianna_Wno one else might but God loves you.

[@oldironsides4107]

Owen was a bum nobody hated liked or cared. Out Crowd chanted nugget. Was his high point. Throwing garbage and batteries at his corpse. And a standing ovation when they carried on with the show. Nobody ever gave a shit about Owen. The crowd laughed pelted his corpse with battery and garbage. And you will never hear a better crowd reaction. Than whe. Owen died. And got him out so they can resume the next match

[@allencollins5666]

​@@oldironsides4107Satanism.

[@oldironsides4107]

@@allencollins5666 Owen was a devout satanist.

[@FunkSwaggMusiK]

To be honest I don't blame them

[@Undertaker_Bass_Ride]

Once again, its Vincent's fault.... They rehearsed with a real harness, but the buckle took to long to undo, so he wanted Owen to do a quick release, but there wasnt any time to rehearse the new buckle, and the only time he got to use it is at the main event, which it released him half way and sending him 70 feet high to the ring, if it wasnt for Vincent's idea, Owen would still be here today

[@dacechasinghawk3910]

Back in the day? This hurted me. Recently? Bray Wyatt hurts.

[@MichelleMartinez-ru7ki]

Thats bullsh*T if i was jr i wouldn't have continued the show and sued vince if he tried to fire me. How the hell could vince be so cold hearted and continue the show.

[@damaged2810]

Imagine saving money to buy tickets for a pay per view, hotel, and gas to get there. Someone loses their life and the whole show gets cancelled. Now imagine that happening to thousands of people. What would you have done?

[@yeabih5607]

A fxxxking life was lost . Motherfxxk your money

[@wfsfghthkh866]

They announced Owen's death on TV before the family was told..WWF was shit..Vince is an ASS

[@KBlade1]

They weren't a family company back then. There's a reason they made all the changes they made in the 2000s. 😔

[@yeabih5607]

I’m sure Vince MADE a lot of money from owens death . Almost as if he did it on purpose because HE KNEW OWEN basically cut stone colds career short like 15-20 years .

[@SteveDave211]

Ross didnt answer if the show sshould go on.

[@LongLiveMetal-pw3fz]

I believe they should have stopped the show and come back to the town later just to show respect for the family and fans. if I was in charge of it that's what I would've done. 😢😢

[@salmanjaffri2539]

In this life, Vince lives like he is in heaven. In the next life, he’ll be in hell

[@grant1739]

Say hi to him for me then

[@harrymothowl8923]

I hate that they even had Owen Hart playing that character

[@CosmicValentine]

People who say the show should have ended just really don't understand the situation fully. They didn't immediately understand the situation and they had a pay per view to follow which if the broadcast ended early they would have lost a TON of money for not fulfilling the obilgations of the PPV Contract and a lot of promotions and Ad revenue from the show would have been lost due to the abrupt ending of the show. Also consider what the end of the card looked like The Undertaker beat stone cold steve austin for the title, If they ended the show and then the undertaker won the title after Owen died on another night that could be seen as poor taste considering the undertaker gimmick (which is a partial reason why he wasn't on the Tribute raw for Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero. Undertaker also flew to canada to be with the hart family to help emotionally support them and be with them through this terrible tragedy.) There were a lot of circumstances that night that made it impossible to End the show early. Now they totally could have skipped too the Rock match and the main event and ended the show early but no one was thinking of doing that because this was extremely sudden this was and if You were able to watch the live broadcast you could see how on the fly and hectic that show was and how bad that situation was, that was a all around Lose-Lose situation given the circumstances.

[@3Brandon11]

They were justified in continuing right up until they were alerted about his death. At that point the show needed to be shut down for the purposes of an investigation. The KCPD dropped the ball on that I think. They needed to investigate whether there was foul play, a suicide, gross negligence, etc. PR image and money be damned. At that point it's a legal matter. Whenever a death occurs that isn't natural, the scene needs to be processed. Allowing the show to continue just gave Bobby Talbert and his crew time to manipulate evidence. I'm not saying they did that, but it would have given them time to. From my understanding, KCPD didn't get up to the catwalk for processing until about 30 minutes after the show ended. I don't think they acquired hardcam footage either. The whole thing was just a giant mess and Talbert, Steve Taylor, and Vince McMahon are to blame.

[@AuroraeHesperus]

I mean no disrespect to either Eddie Guerrero or Owen Hart, on the contrary, I'm sorrowfully dejected thinking what happened that 1999 Over The Edge night. But when I read the part of your comment where you say that Undertaker didn't attend the commemorations because people might interpret the undertaker gimmick as poor taste, I laughed. At least I found a "funny" side into a sad event, which helps to exorcise.

[@HarryHafsak]

No enemies accept stone colds neck lol

[@outlawedbeast]

I work in that arena to this day,. I am the last one in the building most nights, it is a very eerie feeling know what happened there. I’ve stood exactly where he fell from, I’ve seen the true angle from which he fell and understand why/how he made the fatal mistake that he did. I don’t know to explain this next sentence but he did ultimately make the decision that killed him, it was his fault, subconscious or not. The arena is very different now as you know if you are from the KC AREA but I have stood in the exact spot where Owen fell from and have looked down, how terrifying of a fall it must of been. RIP.

[@ministrydrummer]

How was it his fault??

[@Yogutz-ks2yq]

Vince McMahon is a real killer sending Owen down the 💩🕳️ 💩

[@brishawn8571]

Wwf/e is full of it. I only like less than 15 wrestlers tbh

[@charliewise1971]

The card should've been canceled

[@ronniemacdonald2768]

JR was head of Talent Relations (as he so often boasts) and yet he didn't speak up for his talent against doing this stupid spot. The mark of the guy.

[@zacharyradford5552]

It was Owen did the sport her he went to work at a hardware store.

[@robertreams1231]

Spot had been done before. It was Owen’s decision.

[@ronniemacdonald2768]

@@robertreams1231 It was well known he didn't want to do it but was being a team player in JR'S regime.

[@MM-ig1iv]

Well,there was no easy way to say it of course when someone unexpectedly shockingly dies. I thought you handled it very well. And better that you spoke instead of Jerry.. because he was in speechless shock! It's sucks!

[@PunchPerfectPlayer]

it was a stupid gimmick that got him killed

[@bigglilwayne7050]

They shouldve showed the other half of JRs face😂😂

[@chickypooh73]

I ‘m not a Jim Ross fan , it would be different if he had brothers and sisters 👯

[@grant1739]

Owen tried to paralyze Stone Cold and Dan Severn, no pity for the fallen nugget

[@Worrier316]

Karma for breaking Stone Colds neck.

[@paulz4667]

Steve never forgave him completely

[@Worrier316]

@@paulz4667 Yeah because Owen never apologized.

[@zacharyradford5552]

Except he did and Steve admitted in an interview. “Owen called once while I was in the hospital to apologize, if it was me I’d have called a guy 25 times to apologize”. Which is funny because Steve ruined a Japanese wrestler career 5 years before that by breaking his neck with the same move, but don’t EVER say a fucking word about it.

[@filmbuff2777]

@@zacharyradford5552 These fans really piss me off when they don't bother to mention when Austin did that to the Japanese wrestler. They only care about WWE crap, so of course they don't have a problem when some wrestler they've never heard of had his neck broken by a guy they blow.

[@crowthorthebarbarianking8540]

Contemplating writing a book on a man's death and profiting from it? I just lost all respect for Jim Ross.

[@treyperkins2667]

That's not what he said, at all. In fact, he said if he writes a memoir he would watch the ppv to do him justice. If your 'point' had any merit, there would be no war memoirs, no true crime memoirs, etc. That's just disingenuous

[@hereticlife2546]

How the hell is he going to watch it?

[@Ayeitskash1]

They have it in a vault it still can be accessed and him still having connections to wwe and being well respected he could possibly be able to watch that happen

[@pengyzin8668]

You don't wanna watch it you're better off watching the ring

[@morris619]

I think he means watch the show back not the incident, that's locked away in wwe hq and Kansas city pd

[@alfamike]

​@@morris619 He definitely means the incident. He needs to know exactly how it happened. KCPD doesn't have the tape anymore. They gave the footage back to WWF after closing the investigation.

[@therealmohammad]

@@alfamike I think watching the payperview alone is enough to get automatic flashbacks