Are you on WWE side or Martha side where Owen Hart is concerned?

[WWEFAN_100]

It appears the recent case brought by Martha Hart (the late widow of Owen Hart) against World Wrestling Entertainment over the company releasing footage of Owen is moving forward. Martha is also seeking royalties on what has already been released. WWE and Martha attempted to settle the case out of court, but efforts were unsuccessful. WWE has filed a motion for January to dismiss the case, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Martha is no longer attempting to stop WWE from using Owen footage in future releases, but is now focused on preventing WWE from using the name Owen Hart on DVD covers or to promote professional wrestling.


This is my view on this whole mess. I don’t understand where people are coming from when they say that Martha is out for money because isn’t WWE doing the same thing with promoting Owen Hart Footage?

Am I to believe WWE does not think to themselves that this is a easy way to make money so let’s do it?

This is why I understand Martha frustration.

Is WWE really doing this for Owen? Or are they doing it to make themselves some money off of him?

and are we playing into WWE game?

Why couldn’t WWE do a fundraiser for Owen? or created a dvd? but all his dvd purchases goes to Owen Hart charity?

I know some are going to say that they do this for all the wrestlers that have passed but this is a little different considering WWE is partially at fault for the death of Owen Hart.

Should WWE use Owen name and footage? Sure but my debate is at what cost?

Is it ok to gain money off of a death that they are partially at fault for?

Also why shouldn't Martha get half of the profit that WWE makes?

Isn't she entitled to it, since it is her husband and regardless of what we feel about her he loved her.


Thoughts?

 

[d_henderson1810]

It appears the recent case brought by Martha Hart (the late widow of Owen Hart) against World Wrestling Entertainment over the company releasing footage of Owen is moving forward. Martha is also seeking royalties on what has already been released. WWE and Martha attempted to settle the case out of court, but efforts were unsuccessful. WWE has filed a motion for January to dismiss the case, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Martha is no longer attempting to stop WWE from using Owen footage in future releases, but is now focused on preventing WWE from using the name Owen Hart on DVD covers or to promote professional wrestling.


This is my view on this whole mess. I don’t understand where people are coming from when they say that Martha is out for money because isn’t WWE doing the same thing with promoting Owen Hart Footage?

Am I to believe WWE does not think to themselves that this is a easy way to make money so let’s do it?

This is why I understand Martha frustration.

Is WWE really doing this for Owen? Or are they doing it to make themselves some money off of him?

and are we playing into WWE game?

Why couldn’t WWE do a fundraiser for Owen? or created a dvd? but all his dvd purchases goes to Owen Hart charity?

I know some are going to say that they do this for all the wrestlers that have passed but this is a little different considering WWE is partially at fault for the death of Owen Hart.

Should WWE use Owen name and footage? Sure but my debate is at what cost?

Is it ok to gain money off of a death that they are partially at fault for?

Also why shouldn't Martha get half of the profit that WWE makes?

Isn't she entitled to it, since it is her husband and regardless of what we feel about her he loved her.


Thoughts?

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A few thoughts:-

1) Bret Hart has now joined WWE's side. I remember hearing that, when Owen died, Bret used it to add another reason for "never working for Vince McMahon again". Yet, years later, Bret did "work for Vince again". If Bret can get over it, and work for those who may have been responsible, maybe Martha can stop holding out too!

2) You don't see Eddie's widow, Vickie Guerrero, holding out on WWE. What did she do for a company which had a lax "Wellness Policy" , which only started AFTER Eddie died? She joined them. I know that she had to work, since Vince refused to pay out Eddie's contract (bastard!) , but she could ahve worked in any number of jobs, and not for WWE. She not only worked for them, but allowed them to put her in situations where she is face-down in mud, and being called nasty names. I don't see Martha Hart going on TV, working for WWE, to feed their family (and I doubt that Vince would have been any more generous about paying out Owen's contract either). Yet, WWE, played their part in Eddie's death (and Benoit's too) by having a joke of a Wellness Policy, where superstars can walk around with huge arm growth in a short space of time (look at tapes of Benoit and Guerrero six months before they became champions, and then when they won. It's amazing what weight-work can do, isn't it?). Maybe Martha needs to appear on WWE TV, act like a "cougar" onscreen, say "Excuse Me!", be called fat, and embarrass herself as well.

 

[WWEFAN_100]

Hi there D_henderson1810

Hope you don’t mind me responding to you. 

1. I don’t think you can ever get over a death, especially if someone is partially responsible for it. WWE should have been more careful and more responsible when dealing with someone else’s life. I also believe Owen never wanted to do this and WWE made him. I also heard that Bret continuously saying that if Bret was still with WWE that Owen death wouldn’t have happened. I also heard that Owen wasn’t happy with WWE at all. So I don’t know if Bret is being totally honest in saying that he forgive WWE or if he even on there side. I think Bret is just trying to move on.

2. Why would Vicki Guererro hold a grudge on WWE for?

I don’t recall WWE being at fault for Eddie Guererro death. Didn’t Eddie Guererro die because he was using drugs? This is different circumstances. I can see why Martha wouldn’t want to work directly for a company that basically forced her husband to do something that he didn’t want to do. Yes WWE was partially at fault for not taking the wellness program seriously but in the end it was a choice both Eddie and Benoit made to take these drugs. So I don’t know how directly involved WWE is in where Eddie and Benoit situation comes in.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

I've always thought this whole squabble with Martha and WWE is stupid.
I see where Martha is coming from. I cannot imagine what it is like to loose a spouse but I can appreciate what she believes.

However. Owen wrestled for the WWF. He tragically ended up loosing his life for the WWF, for the fans and for the other wrestlers. I can totally see why she wouldn't have wanted association in the first years after this.

It's now been 11 years. The thing here is the fans. And while doing a donation/charity thing for Owen is a nice and bright idea that I would certainly be behind, it's unrealistic. The fans want Owen in the Hall of Fame. The fans want Owen merchandise. And sure, that might be giving the WWE extra dollars, but I don't think it's a case of them "making money off" Owen. This kind of thing happens with almost every dead celebrity where in one way or another someone is accused of getting a pretty penny at the deceased's expense.

The fact is that the fans want Owen to be appreciated and that's why Im sure Bret would be behind the WWE doing more Owen-related things.

Like I said, I understand how terrible Martha must feel for loosing her husband, but this is what he did for a living. This is what he gave to us and there's a line between exploiting someone and letting their memory live on through their work - and the work that Owen gave us was some of the best.

For Martha to want to seek out barring this kind of usage of Owen is just mean. It's been 11 years and there's a generation of fans now who are growing up not knowing about Owen Hart - or only knowing him as the guy who died at a PPV. I'm of the opinion that WWE should be allowed to release and promote Owen, the wrestler, to show the future generation of fans that he wasn't just some guy who died in an accident one night, but that he was a talented, hard-working wrestler.

He needs to be acknowledged. Fans will always remember him - sadly, some will only remember him for his death, but there is a lot to Owen that is left to give.

Maybe if they did some kind of limited usage deal, that would be good - like at least allow him to be in the Hall of Fame with Bret for crying out loud. Martha seems give the impression that if she lets WWE use him, they would focus on his death constantly.... Even I don't think the WWE is that tasteless.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

this thread has definitely been discussed before, and it is one that is frustrating to read through. So many people actually have the nerve to defend the WWE in this one when they really have no good argument for it. Not a single person here can say martha should "get over it" because really she doesn't have to get over shit. She will forever be without a husband and her kids a father because of something that happened in the WWE. She may never get over it and rightfully so, another thing that is her right is to not want the WWE to profit any further off her family and the father of her children. She has every right to be upset with the company and people shouldn't say anything otherwise. This is a far different topic from any other wrestling thread on this forum and it's just one I feel like a lot of people should really put themselves in Martha's shoes before they go bashing her and telling her to "get over it"

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

as for letting his legacy go on for the fans, quite frankly, she owes the fans NOTHING!!! Countless interviews with wrestlers all have them saying Owen loved his family more than anything, ANYTHING! so do you really think he would want to be in the hall of fame or have dvds out if it's causing pain to his family? NO and I remember hearing on some dvds or brets book that he was there as a means to an end, to provide for his family a stable living. His original dream wasn't even wrestling, yea he began to love it, but it was his family that he loved more. I'm sure he's up there on Martha's side as well.

 

[P. Nut Butters]

as for letting his legacy go on for the fans, quite frankly, she owes the fans NOTHING!!! Yes, owen was a great performer and people enjoyed him, but let's be honest, if fans really loved him at the time then he would have been much more "over" and never needed to do a stupid stunt like that. Countless interviews with wrestlers all have them saying Owen loved his family more than anything, ANYTHING! so do you really think he would want to be in the hall of fame or have dvds out if it's causing pain to his family? NO and I remember hearing on some dvds or brets book that he was there as a means to an end, to provide for his family a stable living. His original dream wasn't even wrestling, yea he began to love it, but it was his family that he loved more. I'm sure he's up there on Martha's side as well.

We'll never know whether Owen would've wanted to be in the HoF under this circumstance neither will we ever know whose "side" he's on. Sure, Martha doesn't owe the fans anything, you're right - she's not involved in wrestling and so I also find it hard for her to know how much it would mean to the fans to see him in the Hall of Fame.

On the flipside, we fans will never know how much it really hurts for Martha to have lost her husband.

While everything I said was purely my opinion, for one thing I don't think releasing DVDs and putting Owen in the HoF would cause anymore pain to the family. They have a choice whether to watch or not.

Furthermore, your argument that

if fans really loved him at the time then he would have been much more "over" and never needed to do a stupid stunt like that.

Fans did love him. I was one of many. Fans can appreciate someone in mass without them being "over"... fact. But you are right, the stunt was stupid and I dont think they should have even considered it either.

His original dream may not have been in wrestling, but that's what he's remembered for. The point to my argument was really that I think it's sad that he could possibly just become "the guy who died at a show"... which I find a very dishonorable way to go, especially since he was a damn good and hard worker.

Martha never needs to get over this, nor should she. It's devastating to say the very least.

Owen was a family man, but I could argue that a lot of wrestlers are also in that same boat. I see your point though - however as I said, there's a difference between taking advantage of Owen and showing admiration for his work.

There should be no real "side-choosing" in this because there are valid arguments for both. I still hope that there can be some kind of mutual agreement.

 

[doorag]

IMO Martha is bitter, she has every right to be. WWE wants to capitalize on Owen's footage to make money. Us fans are the ones losing because once again, IMO, we want to have Owen Hart merchandise, action figures, best of Owen Hart video... Martha wants WWE to pay for the accidental death. She and her two kids deserve royalties. No argument. Martha is so bitter that she wants to dissociate Owen from the wrestling business completely. She just needs to take a step back and re-evaluate the current situation. It was an accident. Could it have been avoided? Absolutely! Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda... She can't let it go, but she needs to find a compromise. It's not easy on a person to hold a grudge forever. Martha can further honor Owen's memory by keeping it alive, not keeping it in a closet...

 

[Devlin]

From a legal standpoint: I'm on the WWE's side. They own the footage of Owen Hart, there is never any argument when it comes to who owns it. Does Vickie Guerrero own all the footage of Eddie? No, yet Martha is claiming that upon Owen's death, she has ownership of the footage which is ridiculous. Legally, they have every right to use Owen's footage, likeness & name as it is a part of the history of their company which he contractually agreed to give the WWE ownership of when he signed with them. She settled a lawsuit with the WWE over 10 years ago, she received a substantial sum of money and the WWE and Martha Hart came to an agreement to release the WWE of any and all issues surrounding his death then. So raising these issues 10 years later doesn't really make sense when she already agreed to it years ago.

From a fans standpoint: I am once again on the WWE's side, I guess for selfish reasons. I was/am a huge Owen Hart fan. He is one of the all time greats and would have gone so far if his life wasn't tragically cut short. I want to be able to remember him, to watch all of his great matches and to honor his accomplishments with his induction into the HOF.

From a moral standpoint: I guess I am on Martha's side. I can't imagine anyone who would want the company that had a part in a loved ones death wanting them making money off of the person that died. Although he shouldn't have had to do it, it was tested beforehand, even by Vince McMahon himself, as it has been stated time and time again that he wouldn't get someone to do something that he wouldn't do himself. But I'm sure seeing the footage and being questioned by fans about Owen is really hard on her. I can see why she is doing what she is doing. When it comes down to it, Owen's memory belongs to his family first, not the fans or the WWE,

 

[ccotreau1]

Personally, as much as I would love to buy an Owen Hart DVD (because I loved his work), I think that someday down the road that we may see it, when Martha does get over it (if she ever does, and I don't expect her to for some time)...I am happy watching what I can when it involves Owen Hart (from other peoples DVD's like the Owen/Austin match when Owen screwed up Austins neck doing the piledriver, the Royal Rumble matches, etc)

 

[Minnesota Connection]

She is well with-in her right and the WWE is lucky she didn't sue for wrongful death.... And get more money.

He assumes the risks, however, the WWE should make things safe. Even if it was an accident. The WWE should of paid out of their asses for his death. I still believe they should, because that small lump sum was bullshit. They owe more.

I find it sickening that the WWE would do this without giving her the royalties or a charity. This is plain marketing on someones death blood and its blood money. The WWE wants freaking blood money.

Just another reason why the WWE does not care about people/fans. Only money.

 

[OlderFan]

As selfish as I think Vince can be, and oftentimes is, I have to side with WWE on this. As horrific as it was, what happened to Owen was an accident, and not anything that anyone did to him on purpose. Vince's own daughter was suspended from a cross that, while it wasn't as high off the ground as Owen was when he fell, Stephanie was still up in the air and had she fallen off the "Ministry's" cross, she could have been hurt - remember this is Vince's daughter who did this stunt. Then there was "Ryan Shamrock" with a similar "hanging cross" gimmick only this time the "cross" was actually suspended rather high up.


WWE is going to be about profit but when you tell the story of someone's life, you can't remove parts of it and pretend they never existed or never happened however much you may want to. Martha is looking for somebody to blame and, while that may have been a natural "gut wrench" reaction when Owen passed away, it's been 12 years and the grieving process should have moved beyond that initial step by now. Owen was a wrestler, he was part of the WWE family and, however much Martha may wish that wasn't so, it is and always will be. Erasing his name won't erase what he did and the fans he acquired while doing it. Even if she were to succeed in blocking WWE usage of Owen's name, the fans are always going to talk about him - is she going to sue them, too?

I remember reading somewhere that Martha stopped letting her kids see the rest of the Hart familiy which I have to say I find incredibly selfish. Don't deprive the kids of a relationship with their paternal family because you disagree with the opinion of other adults in that family. Those turned out to be the last years of Stu and Helen Hart's lives. They loved Owen, too, and didn't deserve that.

 

[FatGuyIan]

Ok, let's be real here people...

1) Martha doesn't need to get over it, she needs to move past it. Those are too very different things. Getting over it means that you forgive and it doesn't bother you anymore. Moving past it means that it still bothers you, but you need to move forward in your life for your own well being. If someone walked into your house and shot a family member, no one would ask you to "get over it", but you would eventually have to move past it and not dwell in sorrow because there would be so many other productive things you could do with your life, including telling the world how wonderful and amazing your lost family member was.

2) When you take all of the emotion out if it, it's very simple. WWE owns the video library. It is their copywrited material. They can legally do with it what ever they choose. How else would we have had Macho Man and Ultimate Warrior DVDs during times that neither of them would have anything to do with Vince or WWE?

3) Fans are crying out for Owen to get into the HOF. The company likely has some legal obstacles due to the litigation between them and Martha in order for that to happen, but ultimately I feel it will happen. I'm sure that some sort of creative control agreement can be reached where the WWE can do things to honor Owen's legacy and give the fans what they want, while Martha retains control over how it is presented. I'm not foolish enough to think that the WWE doesn't see the financial gains behind it, but I'm hopeful that both sides can come to see the good it can bring.

Owen put his whole life into wrestling and ended up giving his life to wrestling. The tragedy that the WWE perpetrated cannot be understated, but to hamper a wonderful legacy of a great wrestler, brother, father, son and husband is unneccesary.

 

[vampirek]

Sorry to the OP for this first part, but to the idiot who says it was WWE fault for Eddie's death really doesnt have a clue. WWE, and you can go research this suspended Eddie years prior to his death due to his health issues and made him go to rehab. Eddie was clean, to the other idiot who accused him of being on drugs for four years up to his death. Eddie did not report that his body was suffering, it was only after his death that the likes of Chavo mentioned it. It is why wrestlers are very careful now and report anything they see wrong (for a good recent example look at R-Truth). Yes the Wellness Policy would have picked it up, like it did with MVP's heart condition but the thing is there wasn't a need for a policy because nothing like that had happen before. Thats life, you don't put something in place to prevent something unless something happens first. WWE are totally not to blame for Eddie's death, his family don't think so and see at his Eddie's past catching up with him.

Now back to the original topic, Martha really needs to just get other it. The death happened way back in 99 and its not like Vince or WWE are mocking him in any way. If anything they want people to know what sort of man Owen Hart was and to continue his legacy. Martha simply wants to kill his legacy forgetting the Hart family are a wrestling family. You can't mention Bret, Stu etc without mentioning Owen. It was a tragic accident that should never have happened but it did. WWE should have every right to use the footage they own and Martha for her own sake should just move on with her life, she is fighting a pointless fight.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I find it sickening that the WWE would do this without giving her the royalties or a charity. This is plain marketing on someones death blood and its blood money. The WWE wants freaking blood money.

After the accident, Martha sued and settled with WWE for $18 million dollars. Presumably, this was predicated on her signing a general release that freed the company from any more claims by her. To pay her royalties on top of an amount of money that far exceeded what Owen would have earned during the rest of his career seems sufficient. Plus, I don't see how paying her more money is going to soothe her feelings.

I agree with other posters; Martha doesn't have to forgive or forget, but she should move on. Her husband was a celebrity and earned far more money than those of us who aren't famous. I'm sure Martha and family enjoyed the benefits of Owen's fame during his lifetime. Since then, she's used the death benefit money to eliminate any financial problems she would have in raising her family.

The accident was tragic; obviously. It's ironic; before the Blue Blazer program that resulted in his death, Owen was asked to participate in an angle in which he was having an affair with Debra McMichael. He refused to do it and was instead given the Blazer program to run with. Like it or not, he agreed to it. It's not as if he was going to be fired if he refused; as proven by the "affair" program he rejected.

Is WWE trying to make money with an Owen DVD? Of course they are; it's what they do as a business. But I don't see airing Owen's matches and promos as being an objectionable thing. I think the company is honoring him by remembering his fine career.

Ease up already, Martha. Live and be well.

 

[LSN80]

Im ambivalent as to whose side I take on this one, and that's not what this is about. it's hard for me to know the goings on behind the scenes, what was said in court, and how WWE and Martha have been toward one another since this situation occurred.

One of the biggest issues Martha had was with how WWE, and Vince in particular, handled the Brian Pillman death. vince brought Pillman's widow onto Raw the night after to do an interview, getting her thoughts on her husband's passing and the like. Martha had already distanced herself from WWE, and had wanted her husband to do the same as a result. He stayed, and what resulted was the tragic accident that happened in 1999.

But Martha was far from uncompensated for her losses. She filed a wrongful death suit against WWE over how dangerous and poorly planned the stunt was, and that the harness system was defective. They settled in 2000 and she received a payout of over 18 million dollars. To continue to compensate her after receiving such a large sum of money would inusfficient anyway, as its not going to change her feelings towards the WWE, which is really the central issue here.

As many people have stated here, Martha doesnt have to forget what happened, and its her right not to forgive WWE. But the fixation with coming after WWE every time they use a picture or video clip of her late husband is something she needs to move on from. Look, her husband was a celebrity during a great time in wrestling. As such, she most likely reaped a fair share of financial reward that came with the nice contract her husband was receiving.

Bret Hart has been able to forgive WWE, and Vince McMahon, not only for his brother's death, but for "screwing" him over as well. Im not comparing a widow's pain to that of a brother's, but this very much does paint her in a bad light when shes received compensation, and a large amount of it, from his death. Bret chastised the angle and said that he would not have allowed his brother to have participated in it if he had been with WWE at the time, but hes agreed to leave it in the past by reconciling with WWE. Even he has even been outspoken against Martha in this lawsuit, which combined with his return to WWE, has left the two of them estranged.

I would think that Martha would be happy that a company would would to honor Owen for his career by showing footage and putting together his best matches on DVD. the benefit for WWE is obvious, as they're making money as well, but they're also honoring his career, legacy, and impact on the business.

It may sound like Im taking sides here, but Im really not. Im quite ambivalent over the situation. Both likely have their motives, not completely altruistic. But the lengths Martha is going to in order to prevent WWE from compiling a freaking DVD is somewhat absurd. TIme to move on, for both parties.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

How Martha had to go to get the $18million from WWe was wrong, they should have done something to compensate the family of one of their wrestlers. Having said that, she did get $18 (an amount of money the majority of us will never see) - if she was just placing an injunction on Owen DVDs I might have empathy but she is looking an injunction AND royalties. Owen Hart was one of the Top10 guys to ever get into the squared circle, the world deserves to celebrate this (we might not be related but we loved him too). Martha has her compensation, leave us ours!

 

[UltimateHitman]

I agree, nobody can truly know what it's like to have somebody prematurely taken away in that fashion. That being said, it's been pointed out that a lawsuit has already been settled in the past concerning the monetary compensation issue and further litigation. For her to attempt another lawsuit just makes her look bitter and money hungry. Not saying those are her motives, but it really does look like it. I mean, if you can't take 18 million and use it to secure your and your children's future then that, quite frankly, is your own fault.

I think concerning the overall legality of the situation it is absurd. I think this is more of a WWE/McMahon grudge more than anything. I mean, all they've done is handle the situation with delicacy and respect. Not to say that it's all for show so they don't look bad, but they're handling it very respectfully and to say that Owen does not deserve to be memorialized through reflections on his career and his person is just ludicrous. Like it or not, he was in the public eye, and an object of affection to the fans too. Sure they don't have a personal stake in the whole thing like Martha, but to ignore their situation is also short-sighted.

And somebody else said it before, if a brother can move on why can she not? I mean, if you go by the amount of time that Owen was with the two of them, and the obvious closeness of the Hart family, you can logically say that Bret and Owen's family were around a lot longer than Martha was. That was flesh and blood, and anybody that has a tight family knows that is devastating in its own right.

So I do think that it is more of a vengeful act towards WWE more than anything, and hopefully the courts, who already awarded her a settlement and terms that SHE HERSELF agreed to, will do the right thing and respectfully dismiss this case and allow Owen's legacy to live on.

 

[Tougie]

Sucks but Martha's side for sure. Honestly, WWE just needs to make an Owen Hart DVD and give her like 80% of the profits just so his fans can finally. uh have a dvd of his. Hopefully something like that happens, I could care less if they add him to the Hall of Fame, I dont blame Martha's approach to this situation but for the fans, it sucks.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Like a few others have said, I don't believe that Martha Hart will ever forgive or forget about all this. I think it's foolish of anyone to just tell her to get over it, but I do personally think that she needs to try and move past this.

The WWE owns the various footage that they used to comprise the Hart Family DVD, which I happen to own a copy of. It's the property of the WWE and I don't see why the WWE should simply pretend that Owen Hart didn't exist just to make this woman happy. Owen's brothers & sisters don't seem to have any problem regarding this, I have no idea what his children's reaction is, but this just seems a little vindictive to me. Martha Hart received an extremely large sum of money from the WWE and now she wants more because the WWE used copyrighted material to produce a DVD that chronicles some of the history of The Hart Family's wrestling history?

It just seems more like a grudge against Vince McMahon to me than anything else. The wrestling world, that includes the WWE, wrestling fans and other wrestlers, aren't simply going to pretend that Owen Hart never existed just to make Martha Hart happy and nor should they be expected to.

 

[JDX]

It is all about money for everyone involved, Martha (can we really call her that, its a little awkward) has a slightly more altruistic cause but after all this time not by much. My opinion, the Harts should get some kind of settlement money and any money made off DVDs or any other merch should go directly to some charity. Have everyone keep their hands off Owen once and for all.

Quick side note: losing a brother is way down the latter from losing a child.

 

[Mr_Ratings]

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A few thoughts:-

1) Bret Hart has now joined WWE's side. I remember hearing that, when Owen died, Bret used it to add another reason for "never working for Vince McMahon again". Yet, years later, Bret did "work for Vince again". If Bret can get over it, and work for those who may have been responsible, maybe Martha can stop holding out too!

2) You don't see Eddie's widow, Vickie Guerrero, holding out on WWE. What did she do for a company which had a lax "Wellness Policy" , which only started AFTER Eddie died? She joined them. I know that she had to work, since Vince refused to pay out Eddie's contract (bastard!) , but she could ahve worked in any number of jobs, and not for WWE. She not only worked for them, but allowed them to put her in situations where she is face-down in mud, and being called nasty names. I don't see Martha Hart going on TV, working for WWE, to feed their family (and I doubt that Vince would have been any more generous about paying out Owen's contract either). Yet, WWE, played their part in Eddie's death (and Benoit's too) by having a joke of a Wellness Policy, where superstars can walk around with huge arm growth in a short space of time (look at tapes of Benoit and Guerrero six months before they became champions, and then when they won. It's amazing what weight-work can do, isn't it?). Maybe Martha needs to appear on WWE TV, act like a "cougar" onscreen, say "Excuse Me!", be called fat, and embarrass herself as well.

What you just stated, states that WWE has something seriously wrong with them. Instead of paying the widow in mourning the remainder of the WWE contract, they rather make a mockery out of her. This is why I dont root for WWE, cause they pull stupid ass asshole shit like this and Piggy James.

Btw not too many job shell out those six figure contracts..... So I dont blame Vickie for that.

 

[OW of 2010]

It is not WWE's fault for any deaths, Eddie and Chris chose to go onto streoids not the WWE, so don't put the WWE down. As for Owen it was also his fault due to him not wanting a second safety harness on. WWE is not to blame for any of this and Martha it has been 11 years, get over it, Bret and the rest of the Harts have.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Hi there D_henderson1810

Hope you don’t mind me responding to you. 

1. I don’t think you can ever get over a death, especially if someone is partially responsible for it. WWE should have been more careful and more responsible when dealing with someone else’s life. I also believe Owen never wanted to do this and WWE made him. I also heard that Bret continuously saying that if Bret was still with WWE that Owen death wouldn’t have happened. I also heard that Owen wasn’t happy with WWE at all. So I don’t know if Bret is being totally honest in saying that he forgive WWE or if he even on there side. I think Bret is just trying to move on.

2. Why would Vicki Guererro hold a grudge on WWE for?

I don’t recall WWE being at fault for Eddie Guererro death. Didn’t Eddie Guererro die because he was using drugs? This is different circumstances. I can see why Martha wouldn’t want to work directly for a company that basically forced her husband to do something that he didn’t want to do. Yes WWE was partially at fault for not taking the wellness program seriously but in the end it was a choice both Eddie and Benoit made to take these drugs. So I don’t know how directly involved WWE is in where Eddie and Benoit situation comes in.

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In Vickie's situation, her problem should be that Vince refused to pay her the remainder of Eddie's contract. I mean, there is a very good reason that Eddie can't fulfil his contract, and Vince should have done the honorable thing and paid out the widow of a popular and hard-working employee. Since Vince wouldn't pay her out, it forced her to have to work for them (although, I don't see why she couldn't have applied for a number of other jobs instead). Maybe she could have even worked in WWE in a backstage role. But she had to humiliate herself because Vince wouldn't pay out.

Also, it is partly Vince's fault because he has encouraged an enviroment where big guys get preference over hard-working and over guys. If you are a great wrestler, hard-working but small, you will not get a main event unless you are "bigger". Yes Benoit and Guerrero are responsible for what they put into their bodies, but the WWE turned a blind eye, and didn't question why these guys were suddenly a lot more built. It's Vince's company, so the buck stops with him. It is his responsibility to provide all that is necessary to look after his workers. But they don't even get hospital care, to cover injuries done in the ring, earning McMahon money.

So, Vince's lax attitude towards the Wellness Policy, pushing of the big and useless, instead of the not-so-big and proficient, his ignoring of worker's possible drug use, and not paying out contracts of dead wrestlers, falls back on McMahon himself.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Honestly from my point of view if this something Nartha wa sconcerned abotu she should've done it along time ago. Personally eya it does suck that your husband died and she shouldnt have him just shown on DVDs like that but personalyl Im on WWEs side. He deserves a good legacy and show why he was great. I think Owen himself would want to be remembered by the fans. (the people he went to go entertain day in and day out;his second family)