9. Owen Hart: May 23, 1999
It was at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, where many in North America realized that wrestling can be real after all. Owen was reprising an old gimmick, the Blue Blazer, a character that was a superhero spoof. As a superhero would do, he planned to make a grand entrance, flying in from above. But for some reason the wrestler fell from the rafters, where the secure rope that was supposed to help him down, just snapped. Seventy feet later his head landed on the turnbuckle. CPR could not revive him.
There were 18,000 people at the arena who witnessed this. Not one fan knew what was going on at the time. After all, the wrestler was known for his pranks. Perhaps this was just another one. The match was being broadcast via PPV, but at that moment a promo video was being aired, so no one in TV land saw the fall. The show went on as usual after the death, prompting one fan to tell the local newspaper the following: “I think it’s really messed up that they kept on with the show. They could’ve at least told us what was going on. We worry just like the other people worry.”
Owen himself had the following to say in an interview five months before his death: “When my contract is up, I’m out of wrestling. I’ve made plans. I’ve been smart with my fiscal affairs. Financially, I’ll be set. I really want to devote a lot of time to my family.” Sometimes life has other plans.
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