Vince McMahon explains shocking reason WWE did NOT stop the show when Owen Hart died following a tragic fall live on air in 1999 as new details emerge

On May 23, 1999 one of the most tragic incidents in the history of professional wrestling occurred during a WWE pay-per-view in Kansas City, Missouri.

That night, Owen Hart, a member of the famed Hart family dynasty, was scheduled to perform as the Blue Blazer in an intercontinental title match against the Godfather.

Hart’s entrance as the comedic superhero character that night was set to see him descend from the rafters before a harness malfunction saw him fall more than 78 feet to his death inside the ring.

While commentator Jim Ross later informed fans watching on PPV of Hart’s tragic passing, the live crowd in attendance were not provided an update regarding Hart’s condition. 

The incident is one of the most infamous in WWE history, with then-owner Vince McMahon controversially electing to continue with the show.

Speaking on as part of the Netflix documentary Mr McMahon chronicling his life in wrestling, the 79-year-old outlined why he decided that the show would continue.

‘The decision I had to make was whether the show would continue or not,’ McMahon said. 

‘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.”‘

McMahon added that he would have wanted the show to continue if it was him that had suffered the fatal fall.

‘I would want the show to go on,’ he continued. ‘Get me out of there and get the show on.’

The incident spawned numerous lawsuits to determine who was at fault for the tragic accident.

Then WWE chief Vince McMahon defended his decision to go on with the show after Hart’s death

Hart’s widow, Martha Hart sued WWE, with a settlement reached the following year that saw the company pay his estate $18million.

WWE sued Lewmar LTD, the stunt company responsible for manufacturing the defective harness that led to Hart’s death, and reached a $9million settlement in 2003 with the company acknowledging no wrongdoing in the case.