Owen/Austin tombstone piledriver

[Guest evilhomer]

Martha Hart was on Live Audio Wrestling last night talking about her new book Broken Harts. The Life and Death of Owen Hart. It was a better interview than I was expecting, but one point she brought up really caught my attention. She was talking about that Summerslam match and the bad feeling that Owen had about it. Austin was insistent that they go for the piledriver spot even though Owen was uncomfortable with it. Owen told her that he was worried that Austin was trying to pull something. The basic implication was that Austin had a nagging neck injury that he needed work on, but wouldn't get paid if he just took the time off, it had to look like he was legitimately injured in the ring. She implied that Austin wasn't actually injured from the piledriver spot, that he was faking the temporary paralysis. She said Austin was using Owen as a fallguy because of some previous unexplained anamosity that was between them.

 

 

I have a hard time believing this story. The footage clearly shows Austin landing squarely on his head. The drop itself may not have been the sole reason, more likely it was a combination of the impact and a nagging problem from years in the ring, but I really believe Austin was hurt legitimately. The point she brings up about Austin setting Owen up for the blame is interesting though. Austin's insistence to put the spot in the match sure makes it look like that, but then you'd have to believe that he wasn't really injured.

[The Dames 0]

I read the book and while its an EXTREMELY good, interesting read, she tries to play it off as if Owen was a saint 100%. She doesn't want to believe that he hurt someone...can you blame her?

 

Dames

[Guest BAR]

I didn't really 'study' your post evilhomer so you might have already mentioned it. I think it may have been planned but not to the extent of Austin hurting himself that way, obviously.

[Guest HartFan86]

Bottom line (as Austin would say) is that Austin's neck WAS broken from Owendriver 97, no if and or buts. Watch the clip in slow motion in decent enough quality....you can see Austin's whole back buckle. Sick.

 

I dunno...that's intresting that Austin kept telling him to do it. Then again, that spot is really fucking cool if done properly...so I don't blame him.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I heard Austin complaining about Owen several times, I also heard Austin ended Steamboat's career. What match(W/ date) was the Austin /Steamboat incident and was Austin at fault?

 

After neglecting NA prowres in favor of puro tapes I've starting getting late 80's early 90's NWA/WCW which I missed growing up due to no local stations carrying them and I'm looking for info into the background of certain incidents.

[Guest Dace59]

I always say Austin was hurt for real due to this reason.

Inprevious matches against Brey, Owen has used the Tombstone Piledriver ala Undertaker.

 

And in that match he went to to it against Austin. Only Owen for some reason changed him mind in mid air and did an Sitout Tombstone (Inverted Piledriver) Which needs a different possistioning of the opp. So Austin's head was too low, and he ended up with a compressed neck.

 

If you look at the move, you'll see how Owen shifts. And he'd never used the Inverted Piledriver before, but he'd used the tombstone.

[Guest TheHulkster]

Austin himself didn't injured Steamboat's back, but it was during an Austin-Steamboat match that Steamboat's career ended. He clipped his back pretty bad when he did a "skin the cat" over the ropes, which was what did him in.

[Guest CED Ordonez]

I've never seen said match, so could somebody explain "skinning the cat" for me?

[Guest Jubuki]

Going over the top rope but grabbing it on the way out and pulling yourself back into the ring.

[Guest Ace309]

Steamboat's signature spot where he'd grab the top rope as he was on his way out and then pull himself back in.

[Guest Tod deKindes]

I'll go with the family and say that it's where you grab the top rope and pull yourself back in.

[Guest J*ingus]

However, in his RFVideo shoot interview, Steamboat gave a completely different story about what caused his injury. He said that he went up to superplex Austin off the top rope, slipped off the top, and landed hard on his ass, jamming his spine and ending his career.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Either way, that's not Austin's fault. I would've figured it from banging his back on the skin the cat, considering Michaels fucked his spine up in much the same way in the casket match with Taker, nicking the corner of the thing in just the right manner.

[Guest I Fear Hogans Air Guitair]

Does Anyone know if there is a place on the net where i can Read the book.

[Guest HartFan86]

However, in his RFVideo shoot interview, Steamboat gave a completely different story about what caused his injury. He said that he went up to superplex Austin off the top rope, slipped off the top, and landed hard on his ass, jamming his spine and ending his career.

I'd rather say that then saying you "skinned the cat" the wrong way.

[Guest dreamer420]

That was 100% real. Austin even went on the Canadian show Off The Record and spoke very candidly about Owen Hart and he he didn't like Owen because he felt Owen was reckless. He blamed Owen for that accident.

[Guest treble charged]

I'm in the process of reading the book right now, and it's making me want to punch Martha Hart in the face.

[The Dames 0]

Why the hostility towards Martha Hart? After reading the book, I felt nothing but compassion for her. The only gripe I had with the book was her comments about Austin.

 

Dames

[Guest papacita]

And in that match he went to to it against Austin. Only Owen for some reason changed him mind in mid air and did an Sitout Tombstone (Inverted Piledriver) Which needs a different possistioning of the opp. So Austin's head was too low, and he ended up with a compressed neck.

I'd seen Owen do the sitout version prior to SummerSlam so it's not like he was being unusually reckless. It was just a freak accident.

 

With that being said, I think Austin's wrong to hold a grudge against Owen for that. Sure, the spot did a lot of damage, but it's not like Owen went out there and did it on purpose. It was a mistake and accidents do happen. It's bad enough that Owen had to go through the rest of his life with an injury of that magnitude on his hands without having Austin blame him for it.

[Guest treble charged]

Why the hostility towards Martha Hart?  After reading the book, I felt nothing but compassion for her.  The only gripe I had with the book was her comments about Austin.  

 

Dames

Some of her comments towards wrestling fans tend to piss me off. Also, she seems to have Owen tremendously pussy-whipped, that it's not even funny. It seems that her opinions become Owen's opinons, in her mind. I really don't but that Owen hated wrestlng as much as she said he did, because if he *really* didn't want to be in the WWF, he would have quit, plain and simple.

 

EDIT: Another thing I just want to add. I do feel sorry for Martha, having her husband die in such a tragic and public way, but she is not the only person to have had a spouse die. Also (and not to spoil the book for anyone who hasn't read it), she invited basically the entire town to her house before she told her children that their father was dead. I'm sure this would be a difficult thing to do, but I think the children are the first people who should find out, and not all of your other friends.

 

EDIT #2: And that creepy family photo with Owen's disembodied head! CREEPY!

[Guest Dace59]

It's not the fact Owen was reckless, it was the fact he changed his mind about the move in mid air. So Austin's head was in the wrong place so Austin got hurt.

[Guest The Son of Sting]

Austin always thought Owen did it on purpose. He refused to work with him again after that.

[Guest FeArHaVoC]

Many people in the Business have said Austin was paranoid.

 

Accident or not, I'd be pissed if someone almost broke my neck, almost ending my career, and costing me a Ton of money, while I was getting a Major Main Event Push.

 

Besides, I don't think Austin ever spoke out about Owen after the Death. So what's the big deal if he liked Owen or not?

[Guest DragonflyKid]

Okay, since Austin didn't injure Steamboat can some one explain if he injured Chono or not as I have heard stuff regarding that also?

[Guest Dace59]

I've heard he injuired Chono's neck with a piledirver.

Didnt Chono have his neck seriously hurt from a Giant Press at one point?

[Guest Jericholic82]

I doubt Austin had a bad neck before ss 97. look at the great ring work he was pulling out prior to that match, after he got hurt he was never the same (throughout the entire mcmahon-austin war from 98-99, which neccesitated the change of match style for him which actually put in place the current wwe main event style of brawling), until he had neck surgery and came back with a vengeance in late 2000

 

that move was pretty sick though. I wonder if austin really felt alot of anger towards owen, cuz it seems like they had been friends before that (well according to foleys book). I would think that owen apologized for the accident, but what do I know.

 

 

Martha seems insane, but then again, having your husbands entire family feuding with each other can not be good for a wife trying to cope with a loss of her husband

 

 

we miss you owen

[Guest cynicalprofit]

If guys get dropped on their heads all the time in Japan, how come all their necks arent broken.

 

I still find it a tad strange on the Owen Raw that Austin did come out, I mean I rememebred thinking, isnt this the guy who Austin blamed fro breaking his neck.

 

I still think it was an accident, I mean why would you legit break a guys neck? If Owen did it on purpose, wouldn't he have been fired and blacklisted? And Austin would have probably been able to sue him if he did it on purpose, providing he can find proof of it. The bump was pretty damn sick and you could see Austin hitting hsi head, I think Martha is just trying to make Owen look perfetc, and while she has been hurt by the loss of her husband, its no reason to lie to make him look better, or hurt anyone else.

[Guest Banky]

I doubt Austin had a bad neck before ss 97. look at the great ring work he was pulling out prior to that match, after he got hurt he was never the same (throughout the entire mcmahon-austin war from 98-99, which neccesitated the change of match style for him which actually put in place the current wwe main event style of brawling), until he had neck surgery and came back with a vengeance in late 2000

 

that move was pretty sick though. I wonder if austin really felt alot of anger towards owen, cuz it seems like they had been friends before that (well according to foleys book). I would think that owen apologized for the accident, but what do I know.

 

 

Martha seems insane, but then again, having your husbands entire family feuding with each other can not be good for a wife trying to cope with a loss of her husband

 

 

we miss you owen

It was a known fact back in 97 that Austin was suffering from a sore neck/back before SS97. It wasn't just a fabricated story by Owen.

 

Owen was reckless with the move, no question. but Austin can't hold a grudge because he understands the nature of the business. People get hurt. He is in a high risk, high contact sport.

[Guest Ace309]

If guys get dropped on their heads all the time in Japan, how come all their necks arent broken.

 

Channelling Dace, most "head bumps" are brainbuster-style flat back bumps that are laid out to look like a head bump.

 

Alternatively, there are bumps where a guy lands on his head or neck. They're prepared to take the bump (Austin wasn't), they land properly (Austin didn't) and they spend extra time conditioning their necks much like amateur wrestlers do (Austin didn't).

[Guest Dr. Wrestlingphysics]

Whilst not saying that Austin was faking injury, as he was obviously seriously hurt, I still don't understand how Austin was able to run-in the next night on Raw and put off surgury for 3 years if his neck was so badyl damaged.