Dr. Martha Hart has released a statement responding to Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries, condemning the inaccuracies in how Owen Hart’s death was portrayed.
Owen Hart died when he fell more than eight stories while being lowered into the ring during a wrestling match. The death is discussed in episode four of the docuseries, which documents the controversial career of former WWE CEO and owner, Vince McMahon, who is currently facing allegations of sex assault and trafficking.
“Netflix’s Mr. McMahon documentary series portrays the death of my husband, Owen Hart, as a mere accident. It also allows the disgraced former owner and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Vince McMahon, to claim that Owen’s death ‘wasn’t our fault.’ Nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.
“The real truth is that on May 23rd, 1999, out of a desire to cut costs and achieve a ‘quick release’ effect that a rigging expert specifically warned against, WWE hired unqualified riggers to arrange a stunt in which Owen was to rappel from the rafters during a wrestling event.”
In her statement, Martha said the equipment Owen used that ultimately ended his life was never meant for a rappelling stunt, but instead meant for a dragging people behind cars on movie shoots and was used with a specific clip meant to release on load with only six pounds of pressure.
She said the WWE’s unqualified riggers and disregard of protocol resulted in using the wrong equipment, sending her husband rappelling to his death.
“It was pure negligence that killed my husband.”
McMahon claimed the apparatus Owen used was defective, placing blame on the manufacturer and eventually settling a lawsuit.
What the documentary failed to include, she said, is that the WWE sued Martha for “breach of contract in retaliation for my wrongful death lawsuit” adding that the professional wrestling organization continued to sell Owen Hart merchandise for many years without paying Owen’s estate.
She said there was no effort to contact her during the making of the documentary, or to obtain an accurate perspective.
“I continue to hold WWE and its then-management responsible for Owen’s death. I refuse to let Vince McMahon or anyone else rewrite that history.”