How would WWE react in the event of a tragedy?

[MillenniumMan831 0]

I could not imagine being a wrestler on the card having to work around the spot where he fell since it dented in the ring. Also, I'd assume that seeing his blood on the mat would really hit hard for any of the performers.

I don't know if Owen's blood ever stained the ring or not. I think it MAY have been from the hardcore match (Snow/Holly) that happened previous.

[Guest LooneyTune]

I don't think Snow or Holly were bleeding in that match, at least not in the early stage before fighting backstage and in the mississippi river.

[Slickster 0]

I don't remember baseball fans rioting when they cancelled the game after the umpire dead.

Well, yeah, but baseball doesn't work angles. (Even national media like CNN didn't pick up on this story immediately because they thought it might be a work.)

 

And I really don't think the decision to continue the show really hurt Vince in the long run. He brushed off the criticism and still pretends the show never happened (save for the segment on the Benoit DVD).

[Slickster 0]

I don't think Snow or Holly were bleeding in that match, at least not in the early stage before fighting backstage and in the mississippi river.

That match was at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February. At Over the Edge neither man bled (and Owen's blood did indeed stain the canvas).

[bob_barron 0]

Yea but once the fans found out Owen Hart was dead- I'm pretty sure they would stop complaining.

 

The WWF was trying to make it self look better in the media with their popularity exploding and the crass way in which they handled Owen's death certainly didn't help.

[Slickster 0]

In what way were their actions 'crass'?

 

And bob, I think you give wrestling fans too much credit. I've heard reports of marks who didn't believe it (even after the 5/24/99 RAW) and expected him to return as a top heel in the Corporate Ministry.

[Black Lushus 0]

i think if Vince himself woulda came out and made the announcement, they would have believed it...I know KC fans are usually stupid, but not THAT stupid...

[Slickster 0]

I'd have to agree with you, Lushus, especially since Vince was a face at the time. Of course, he probably was busy trying to do damage control in the back.

[bob_barron 0]

In what way were their actions 'crass'?

 

And bob, I think you give wrestling fans too much credit. I've heard reports of marks who didn't believe it (even after the 5/24/99 RAW) and expected him to return as a top heel in the Corporate Ministry.

Continuing a show after a wrestler had died is pretty crass.

 

Showing HHH beating on Rock in the casket angle after Owen had died/about to die- again was crass.

 

I'm sure there were baseball fans upset when they cancelled the game when the ump died- there's always going to be people like that. The right decision would've been to cancel the show.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I know it's comparing apples to oranges, but they don't cancel football games when a player is paralyzed. And when the decision was made to keep going with the PPV, Owen hadn't passed away yet. So, it kind of made sense to keep the show going.

 

/doesn't agree with what I just said, just stating a fact.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

They could have, and should have, cancelled it when they got word Owen was dead. At that point, they only had a couple of matches to go, so it's not like fans there could try and say that hadn't seen much of anything.

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

They could have, and should have, cancelled it when they got word Owen was dead. At that point, they only had a couple of matches to go, so it's not like fans there could try and say that hadn't seen much of anything.

If I remember things correctly, the main event was about to start. That would be a weird time to cancel the show, given that they didn't simply stop it right away.

[Slickster 0]

Well, it had been at least 30-45min after the fall that they announced he was dead, IIRC, so the show had gotten back on track and people were starting to cheer and get into the show again. To cancel it so late after the accident would have pissed people off even more than if they had canceled it right after it happened.

 

And what would be the point of canceling it at that point? So the guys who had already dealt with their grief and were now focusing on putting on a good match could get mired in sadness again? So the fans who had put it out of their minds could think about it all the way home? It would have been a symbolic gesture that would only have pissed more people off, wrestlers included.

 

Showing HHH beating on Rock in the casket angle after Owen had died/about to die- again was crass.

 

Well, it set up that match. They were trying to continue the show as if nothing had happened. Remember, if someone had, say, stepped out for a minute during the Blazer promo and come back 2min later, they would have seen the show go on as planned and wouldn't know about the incident.

 

They are an entertainment company first and foremost; when something goes wrong in a circus act, the other performers will try to distract the audience from the situation. Like the WWE, it's intended to be fun escapist programming and to shut down as soon as something goes wrong would ruin that concept completely.

 

EDIT: "Viewers were told of Hart's death with about 55 minutes

remaining in the show, although an announcement of his condition was never

made to fans in Kemper Arena." (Rocky Mountain News, May 26, 1999)

[Slickster 0]

Someone explained the situation best on 5/24/99:

 

"the case of the MLB umpire that died on the field the MLB, the Reds and the

other team could afford to stop the game as it could be replayed as a double

header later in the season, which they did.

 

In the case of the PPV there are contracts that are signed that are basically pay for play. The WWF, if they had canceled the show would have had to refund a lot of money for the people there and for the people watching at home.

 

The decision to continue the PPV might have been the wrong one by Vince in the minds of many of you but it was a decision made very quickly, in about as long as Ross was talking and the different parts were weighed as best as possible at the time I am sure. Also, I am sure that Vince will be second guessing his choice to

himself for a long time..."

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

It should be pointed out that the fans in attendance were never told Owen had died.

 

As for the 'point' of stopping it when they got word Owen had died, how about showing respect to the guy who just died ?

[Slickster 0]

So you wouldn't tell them Owen had died and just stop the show?

 

Also, HTQ, if you could answer this I'd appreciate it.

From a WON Hotline 5/25/99 report:

"-The finish of the UT-Austin match was apparently changed. Something

contraversial [sic] was supposed to happen, but didn't due to the Owen Hart

situation."

 

Any idea on what was supposed to end Over the Edge?

[Quit Calling My Mama 0]

They could have, and should have, cancelled it when they got word Owen was dead. At that point, they only had a couple of matches to go, so it's not like fans there could try and say that hadn't seen much of anything.

If I remember things correctly, the main event was about to start. That would be a weird time to cancel the show, given that they didn't simply stop it right away.

No. Immediately afterwards was the Jarrett/Debra Vs Venis/Bass match which was the 4th match into a 7 match card.

 

Owen Vs Godfather was due to be match #3.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

So you wouldn't tell them Owen had died and just stop the show?

I would have had the PPV ready to stop the moment Owen was in the back, and the second I'd heard Owen had died, I'd have stopped in right away. Whether I would have had to refund the ticket money or PPV money or not, and I'd have dealt with that with some kind of make good offer, there are times when morality and ethics should be put before monetary loss, and this is one of them.

[Guest LooneyTune]

I don't think Snow or Holly were bleeding in that match, at least not in the early stage before fighting backstage and in the mississippi river.

That match was at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February. At Over the Edge neither man bled (and Owen's blood did indeed stain the canvas).

Whoops, thanks for the correction. I keep confusing the two matches.

[Slickster 0]

They could have, and should have, cancelled it when they got word Owen was dead. At that point, they only had a couple of matches to go, so it's not like fans there could try and say that hadn't seen much of anything.

If I remember things correctly, the main event was about to start. That would be a weird time to cancel the show, given that they didn't simply stop it right away.

No. Immediately afterwards was the Jarrett/Debra Vs Venis/Bass match which was the 4th match into a 7 match card.

 

Owen Vs Godfather was due to be match #3.

No, they announced Owen's accident before the Val/Bass vs. Debra/JJ tag match, but they announced his death later in the broadcast.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I don't think Snow or Holly were bleeding in that match, at least not in the early stage before fighting backstage and in the mississippi river.

The Mississippi River is going through Kansas City now? Better get Rand McNally on the phone

 

Just to throw my two cents in here, if it was Over The Edge '99 instead of Over The Edge '98 that I attended, I wouldn't have wanted to stay for the rest of the show after the accident.

[bob_barron 0]

Well, it had been at least 30-45min after the fall that they announced he was dead, IIRC, so the show had gotten back on track and people were starting to cheer and get into the show again. To cancel it so late after the accident would have pissed people off even more than if they had canceled it right after it happened.

 

And what would be the point of canceling it at that point? So the guys who had already dealt with their grief and were now focusing on putting on a good match could get mired in sadness again? So the fans who had put it out of their minds could think about it all the way home? It would have been a symbolic gesture that would only have pissed more people off, wrestlers included.

 

How do you know it would've pissed off the wrestlers? I'm sure the last thing some of them wanted was to be sent there to try and work the crowd into a match after someone just died.

 

You cancel it out of respect for the tragedy that just occured. And I don't think anyone put Owen's death out of their mind after what they just had seen.

 

 

Well, it set up that match.

 

It was still crass though.

 

They were trying to continue the show as if nothing had happened. Remember, if someone had, say, stepped out for a minute during the Blazer promo and come back 2min later, they would have seen the show go on as planned and wouldn't know about the incident.

 

So the WWF should've booked for the people who went to the bathroom? Continuing the show as if nothing had happened is totally insensitive. A man just died. I think most rational fans would've accepted that if they cancelled the show.

 

They are an entertainment company first and foremost; when something goes wrong in a circus act, the other performers will try to distract the audience from the situation.

 

Most circus acts don't have someone plummeting to their death.

 

Like the WWE, it's intended to be fun escapist programming and to shut down as soon as something goes wrong would ruin that concept completely.

 

You do realise that a man died in this situation right?

[Slickster 0]

In his books, Mick Foley has compared wrestling to a circus. Have you ever heard the old circus maxim phrase "the show must go on?"

 

John Robinson — A signal to cut or shorten an act. If you were headed out to the ring, someone would say "John Robinson," or if you were in the middle of you act and the ringmaster makes a special announcement "Would John Robinson please come to the rear entrance," you knew to go right into your last trick.

 

Such cues are useful when you don't want the audience to know something is amiss. A similar practice: the clowns were always on standby in case something bad happened, like someone falling or the animal trainer getting hurt. "Stars and Stripes Forever" would be played, signaling the clowns to come running out, directing public attention away from the emergency.

http://www.goodmagic.com/carny/

 

Circus bands never play John Philip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever as a part of their regular program...If an animal gets loose, a high wind threatens the tent, or a fire breaks out, the band plays the march as warning signal to every worker on the circus lot that something is wrong.

Source

 

Many people have died during circus performances over the decades; however, it is the policy of the business to never stop the show or let on there's a problem. After all, both the WWE and the circus are escapist entertainment intended to amuse and help the viewer forget about the troubles of the real world.

 

How many times have we seen wrestlers get seriously injured, only to jump to the finish? This keeps the suspension of disbelief in the eyes of the fans. If you stopped the match immediately after every injury, it would take away that suspension of disbelief.

[2GOLD 0]

Wasn't Mick going to quit the company after the way they handled the Owen situation or was that the Hitman situation? I remember one of them pissed Foley off to know end.

 

And Undertaker himself admitted he would have been fine stopping the show because it was just hard for them to go back out to the ring after being told Owen had died.

 

The wrestlers would have been fine with the show stopping because any of them that would have said, "stopping the show? What kind of bull is that?" would have had their asses kicked on the spot.

[BorneAgain 0]

Wasn't Mick going to quit the company after the way they handled the Owen situation or was that the Hitman situation? I remember one of them pissed Foley off to know end.

I believe that was the Hitman screwjob that nearly caused Mick to quit. In Have a Nice day he more or less said he would have done so if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't afford to walk away from a six-figure paying job for second time in 3 years, and thus relectantly stayed with the company. But yes he was one of many that missed Raw and the tapings the next couple of days along with the entire Hart Foundation.

 

The thing I remember about the Owen situation was Mick feeling really sick when he was wrestling later that night in the same area where Owen fell.

[Jericholic82 0]

Wasn't Mick going to quit the company after the way they handled the Owen situation or was that the Hitman situation? I remember one of them pissed Foley off to know end.

 

And Undertaker himself admitted he would have been fine stopping the show because it was just hard for them to go back out to the ring after being told Owen had died.

 

The wrestlers would have been fine with the show stopping because any of them that would have said, "stopping the show? What kind of bull is that?" would have had their asses kicked on the spot.

Mick wanted to quit over Montreal. In his book, he said that you cant say what owen would had wanted and he himself did not want to be there. However he didnt really criticize the continuance. odd site note, Mick was in an office writing have a nice day when owen fell. He saaw the crowd shot on tv but he was watchign a monitro with no audio so he didnt hear a thing. Pat Patterson ran into the room and told him, Mick thought he was joking but he broke into tears. He ran to the hallway where the ring doctor Francois Petit told him that owen was gone (this was before he was pronounced dead)

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Wait, there are still people trying to justify continuing the show?

 

Wow.

 

The financial loss would have been minimal in 1999. They released an IPO and had hundreds of millions in reserve, plus they were constantly selling out shows and making money hand over fist. Whatever cliche you want to use about "the show must go on" is complete and utter bullshit. Anything other than stopping the show is completely disrespectful. There wasn't a choice in this matter, yet somehow Vince still managed to think there was cause he's a fucking scumbag. The cocksucker even put the WWF logo on the wreath given at Owens funeral. Completely shameless and he and all those involved should burn in hell.

 

In terms of the actual subject matter, if Vince died their stock price would plummet and they'd be gone within 5 years.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

If I'm not mistaken, after the Beware of Dog PPV where the power went out, the WWF simply booked another show a few days (maybe a week or two?) later, in the same area, and they honored tickets/PPV purchases for the re-show.

 

Why couldn't they just have done that? I mean, they did it before, didn't they?

[Slickster 0]

If I'm not mistaken, after the Beware of Dog PPV where the power went out, the WWF simply booked another show a few days (maybe a week or two?) later, in the same area, and they honored tickets/PPV purchases for the re-show.

 

Why couldn't they just have done that? I mean, they did it before, didn't they?

Yeah, but it was a MUCH smaller arena (Florence, SC Civic Center held about 7500 compared to the 16000 at Over the Edge) and they held the second part of the show 200 miles up the road in Charleston.

 

I don't believe the Florence fans got refunds because the show went on, albeit not on PPV. That one worked out to Vince's advantage because the larger North Charleston Coliseum paid attendance covered the cost of doing another PPV telecast.

 

However, had Vince chosen to do so he could have possibly held an 'Over the Edge Part 2' on Tuesday 5/25/99 in Moline, IL (where they taped the 5/30 RAW).

 

However, as many have pointed out this was indeed a split-second decision and I'm sure the financial concerns weren't exactly first on Vince's list of priorities.

 

And I find it funny that everyone is upset that 'the show must go on' rings true in wrestling; not everyone is a smark and to see a show like this get cut off because of real life events defeats the purpose (escapist entertainment).

 

If an actor botches a line or misses a cue, the play continues and actors ad-lib.

Would you rather see the house lights come on and the director call for an intermission?

 

Even Harley Race feels this way.

Former wrestling champion Harley Race, a friend of Hart who was at the show, said he agreed with the decision to carry on with the show. "How could they stop it?" Race said. "It's easy for people to say, 'They should've just refunded everyone's money.' But if they tried to do that, they'd be here from now until this

time tomorrow trying to  make all those people happy. Plus, what about all the thousands of people that paid ($30) on pay-per-view? They couldn't have stopped."

 

Source: Kansas City Star, 5/23/99

[Jobber of the Week 0]

If Vince keeled over, I expect about a year of shitty booking before they accept a big buy of stock from someone and they take control. That would either be a large conglomo like Fox or Viacom, or an individual who could afford it like Mark Cuban or something.