Fans have labelled Vince McMahon ‘disgusting’
Vince McMahon has shared the shocking reason why he refused to halt WWE show when one of the stars died whilst performing.
Over 25 years ago, one of the most tragic incidents in WWE happened in front of a live audience at home and in person in Kansas City, Missouri.
On 23 May 1999, wrestler Owen Hart fell to his death upon entry as the Blue Blazer in what was scheduled to be the intercontinental title match against the Godfather.
Hart was supposed to enter as a superhero, being lowered from the ceiling of the arena, however, due to a technical hitch, this system failed and the wrestler fell 78 feet (24 metres) to his death, landing inside the ring.
Despite commentator Jim Ross later informing fans watching on TV of Hart’s death, the live crowd were given no update on his condition.
The incident sparked major controversy in the WWE with the owner at the time, Vince McMahon, deciding to continue the show.
The controversial figure revealed in a Netflix documentary about his life why he decided not to stop the fight.
The 79-year-old said: “The decision I had to make was whether the show would continue or not.
“The live audience didn’t really see what happened. If they had, I would have had to end the show.
“These people came to see a show. They didn’t come to see someone die. And for me as a businessman, it’s, ‘Okay, let’s move on. Let’s keep the show going.'”
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McMahon then proceeded to say that he would have wanted the show to go on if he was the one who had suffered the fall.
“Get me out of there and get the show on,” he said.
However, many fans have been incensed by McMahon’s unsympathetic words, taking to social media to express their distain.
One person said: “Vince ain’t getting into Heaven for many reasons, but this whole situation may be at the top of the list.”
Another commenter wrote: “He could have gone into the ring, told the fans that the show can no longer continue due to the unfortunate event. I’m sure 99% of the crowd would understand.
“Vince didn’t want to refund the gate money. I feel so bad for the wrestlers who were forced to work that night.”
Meanwhile one user put: “So disrespectful towards Owen and the rest of the Hart’s family.”
Following the tragic incident, a number of lawsuits arose to get to the bottom of who was at fault for the accident.
Martha Hart, Owen’s widow, sued WWE, eventually reaching a settlement the year after which was worth $18million (£12m).
Meanwhile stunt company LTD was sued by WWE who claimed they were responsible for the defective harness that ultimately led to Hart’s death reaching a $9million (£5.5m) settlement in 2003, although the company admitted no wrongdoing in the case.
The six-part documentary, released in September, sheds light on some of the darker stories from McMahon’s past.
The project’s executive producer Bill Simmons and consulting producer David Shoemaker said in a recent podcast that there had been enough material recorded to fill ten episodes rather than the six which have been released.
Simmons said on his podcast: “We had four hours [of McMahon interview footage] on the cutting room floor.
“I think this easily could have been ten parts, but we didn’t want to do it that way.”
The series also addresses the death of Chris Benoit and the damning sexual assault allegations he’s presently battling.
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