Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
For the first time I watched the DVD The Life and Death of Owen Hart. It came out in 1999 and was directed by Paul Jay and Sally Blake, the same people that made the documentary Bret Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows. I have seen The Wrestling With Shadows documentary, but never saw The Life and Death of Owen Hart. I remember watching the Wrestling With Shadows program on A&E 12 years ago.
The documentary only lasts 45 minutes, but has great interviews from members of the Hart family, wrestlers, writers, and media footage. The Bret Hart Wrestling with Shadows DVD only covered the events leading up to the Montreal Screw Job. This DVD goes over the brief history of the Hart family and Owen's reluctant rise to fame in the wrestling business.
Owen and his siblings talked about how he didn't want to join the wrestling business. He was concerned with being a normal person. The movie showcases Owen's childhood, work in Stampede Wrestling, brief stint in WWE, and his full time return to wrestling. The viewer gets to see family videos of Owen's family such as his wife and children. Owen wanted to save up enough money to buy his dream house and retire.
There are interviews with wrestlers such as Harley Race, Mick Foley, Bad News Allen, Honky Tonk Man, Brian Nobbs, and Bret Hart.
Stu and Helen Hart along with the Hart sisters and brothers shared their words about Owen. Owen's widow Martha Hart had the most to say about Owen along with Bret. The unexpected death of Owen's young nephew Matthew was brought up, along with the various characters Owen played in WWE. A lot of the wrestlers talked about all the ribs Owen pulled on other wrestlers. Mick Foley said no one got Owen back because it was an honor to be ribbed by one of the greatest ribbers.
As soon as Bret left the WWE, Owen really wanted out of his contract but couldn't get out of it. He talked about the accident in the ring with Steve Austin, and then the Attitude Era. Owen was really uncomfortable working in an angle with Debra and Jeff Jarrett. He rejected numerous angles like Goldust putting his hand down his tights, or having an affair with Debra. He rejected so many that he wound up as the Blue Blazer again. A character that never wins any matches that is a spoof of Hulk Hogan, Sting, and other WCW wrestlers.
Then the DVD briefly covered the tragic accident at Kemper Arena in Kansas City on May 23, 1999, where Owen Hart fell to his death during the WWE Over The Edge PPV. Audience members that attended the show that night were interviewed along with Mick Foley. Footage was shown of the funeral and a WWE press conference where Vince McMahon answered questions about the event.
One thing that struck me about the DVD was during the press conference where a reporter asks Vince about why better safety precautions weren't used at the event. Vince came of very cold, callous, and sarcastic dodging the questions, and slamming the reporter saying "You are the expert, not me". He even tells the reporter "I don't like your tone of voice lady" and, "This is a tragic accident and you want the spotlight for yourself".
This is a pretty good documentary that you can watch on Google for free, or you can own both Wrestling with Shadows and The Life and Death of Owen Hart on one DVD. The special features include a 20 minute interview with Bret Hart, ten years after the film.
The documentary only lasts 45 minutes, but has great interviews from members of the Hart family, wrestlers, writers, and media footage. The Bret Hart Wrestling with Shadows DVD only covered the events leading up to the Montreal Screw Job. This DVD goes over the brief history of the Hart family and Owen's reluctant rise to fame in the wrestling business.
Owen and his siblings talked about how he didn't want to join the wrestling business. He was concerned with being a normal person. The movie showcases Owen's childhood, work in Stampede Wrestling, brief stint in WWE, and his full time return to wrestling. The viewer gets to see family videos of Owen's family such as his wife and children. Owen wanted to save up enough money to buy his dream house and retire.
There are interviews with wrestlers such as Harley Race, Mick Foley, Bad News Allen, Honky Tonk Man, Brian Nobbs, and Bret Hart.
Stu and Helen Hart along with the Hart sisters and brothers shared their words about Owen. Owen's widow Martha Hart had the most to say about Owen along with Bret. The unexpected death of Owen's young nephew Matthew was brought up, along with the various characters Owen played in WWE. A lot of the wrestlers talked about all the ribs Owen pulled on other wrestlers. Mick Foley said no one got Owen back because it was an honor to be ribbed by one of the greatest ribbers.
As soon as Bret left the WWE, Owen really wanted out of his contract but couldn't get out of it. He talked about the accident in the ring with Steve Austin, and then the Attitude Era. Owen was really uncomfortable working in an angle with Debra and Jeff Jarrett. He rejected numerous angles like Goldust putting his hand down his tights, or having an affair with Debra. He rejected so many that he wound up as the Blue Blazer again. A character that never wins any matches that is a spoof of Hulk Hogan, Sting, and other WCW wrestlers.
Then the DVD briefly covered the tragic accident at Kemper Arena in Kansas City on May 23, 1999, where Owen Hart fell to his death during the WWE Over The Edge PPV. Audience members that attended the show that night were interviewed along with Mick Foley. Footage was shown of the funeral and a WWE press conference where Vince McMahon answered questions about the event.
One thing that struck me about the DVD was during the press conference where a reporter asks Vince about why better safety precautions weren't used at the event. Vince came of very cold, callous, and sarcastic dodging the questions, and slamming the reporter saying "You are the expert, not me". He even tells the reporter "I don't like your tone of voice lady" and, "This is a tragic accident and you want the spotlight for yourself".
This is a pretty good documentary that you can watch on Google for free, or you can own both Wrestling with Shadows and The Life and Death of Owen Hart on one DVD. The special features include a 20 minute interview with Bret Hart, ten years after the film.