The Wrestling Booking Sheet online newsletter

Issue # 259

Date: Monday May 24th, 1999 9:40 pm

The Wrestling Booking Sheet

The entire wrestling world is still shocked by Sunday's tragedy; there are very
few new facts, and the whole incident is still under investigation. For those
of you interested in sending your condolences to the loved ones of Owen, there
are several options. If you'd like to send cards to the family here is the
address:
The Hart Family
435 Patina Place SW
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
T2P2H5

The Hart Family has requested that in lieu of flowers or offerings, donations be
made directly to:
The Alberta Children’s Hospital
1820 Richmond Road S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
T2T 5C7
(This is a charity which Owen supported)

WWF.Com posted the following message Monday regarding the death of Owen Hart:

"Last night a tragic accident took the life of Owen Hart, he was 34.

There are no words that can express the profound sorrow felt today by so many of
us who knew and loved this very special human being.

Fans throughout the world shared a small portion of Owen's life through his
various ring personas. But to know Owen Hart the human being was pure joy. Owen
loved this business and lived to entertain both in, and out of the ring. He was
a consummate performer and a legendary prankster. In the extended family of
professional wrestlers respect does not come easily and is not taken lightly.
Owen Hart had that respect. He was more than just one of the boys...he was a
friend and a brother to all. Our locker room and our lives will never be the
same.

A loving son, brother, uncle, husband and father, Owen is survived by his wife
Martha, his son Oje and his daughter Athena. Our prayers go out to them and the
entire Hart family. With heavy hearts and the deepest of sympathies for his
family we say good-bye. If the legacy of a man's life is measured by the lives
he touched and how much he is loved....then a big piece of Owen Hart will live
on - in all of us."
===========================================
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===========================================
ROUNDING THE SQUARED CIRCLE
RAW - MAY 24,1999 - ST. LOUIS
BY SAMJERRY
Visit my Home Page: http://members.aol.com/samjerry

This Edition of my RAW TV Report is dedicated to the memory of Owen Hart, "The
King Of Harts," who was so tragically taken from us last night at Over-The-Edge.
Our prayers are with Owen and his family. Owen was truly one of the greats of
the sport and will be sorely missed by all.

Tonight's program was the day after Owen's tragic accident at Over-The-Edge and
was dedicated to his memory. It was a touching two hour tribute celebrating
Owen's life. The mood in the arena was subdued.

The show opened with all the WWF wrestlers, officials, bookers, and the entire
McMahon family lined up on the ramp and stage. Everyone was wearing a black
armband with the initials "OH" on it. Many were openly crying. Ring Announcer
Howard Finkel asked the crowd to rise for the traditional Tolling of Ten Bells.
A moving video tribute to Owen was shown on the TitanTron, with Vince McMahon
narrating it.

JR and The King were at the announcers desk. JR said the program would be a two
hour celebration of Owen Hart's life. There would be ten matches, mixed with
words from WWF employees. I planned to write what each had to say, but I found
there was a common theme among all of them. That was that Owen was universally
loved, was a fun person to be around, had the ability to make your day no matter
how bad it was, was a great family man who loved his wife and two children and
he will be missed. Therefore I am just going to list those who spoke at the
point in the show that they did.

I found it very hard to concentrate throughout the entire two hours. I am going
to refrain from my usual style of writing because of this and because of my deep
feelings for Owen and the loss I personally feel.

Mick Foley - Tribute Mick said his kids loved Owen and called him "Nugget"
because they thought that it was a term of endearment.

Bradshaw - Tribute

The first match pitted JJ, accompanied by Debra, v. Test of The Union. Prior to
the match JJ took the mic and said "Owen was never a 'Nugget." The crowd
erupted. Test hit a power bomb and looked like he could have won the match,
however, Debra got up on the apron and removed her jacket. Test went over for a
closer view and Debra smacked him in the face. This allowed JJ to roll him into
a Sharpshooter and win the match via submission.

Winner - JJ

JR said that Owen family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be
made in Owen name to his favorite charity:

Alberta Children's Hospital
1820 Richmond Rd. SW
Alberta, Canada T2T 5C7

Mark Henry - Tribute in tears

Droz - Tribute

The next match was for the WWF Tag Team Championship, pitting Kane and
X-Pac (C) v. The Brood, Gangrel and Edge, accompanied by Christian. Kane and
X-Pac got nice pops. The Brood came in thru the Ring Of Fire and Gangrel did his
spew bit. Kane manhandled all three Brood members and X-Pac did the Bronco
Buster on Edge. The end came when Kane Chokeslammed Gangrel and then dropped
X-Pac on him for the pin.

Winners - Kane and X-Pac - Retain the Tag Team Championship

Chyna and Triple H - Tribute Triple H was in tears

Referee Dave Hebner - Tribute

The next match was a tag team match pitting The Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff,
accompanied by Michael P.S. Hayes v. Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki. The match
featured aerial moves by both teams. Matt Hardy pinned Funaki to win an evenly
fought match, that saw Taka hit The Michinoku Driver but not go for a cover.

Winners - The Hardy Boyz

Bruce Prichard - WWF official - Tribute

Dustin Runnels - Tribute

The next match was Hardcore Holly v. Nutso of The Union. It was short and sweet,
with Nutso applying his ankle submission for the victory.

Winner - Nutso

Farooq - Tribute

Test - Tribute

The next match was Bad @$$ v. Mankind. Bad @$$ said "If you aren't down with
Owen, then I have two words for you, Suck it!" The match was high impact and
when Bad @$$ when out and got a chair, Mankind put Mr. Socko on and applied the
Mandible Claw as Bad @$$ got up on the apron. After the match Mankind gave a big
"Whoo" for Owen.

Winner - Mankind

JJ - - Tribute In tears and promised Owen and himself that he will let Owen's
children know what kind of a man he was.

Edge - Tribute Wrestled against Owen in what would prove to be Owen's last
match.

The next match was a tag team match pitting D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry,
accompanied by Ivory, v. The Acolytes, Bradshaw and Farooq, of The Corporate
Ministry. A very high impact match with both teams scoring major blow. Bradshaw
kick Farooq by mistake when D-Lo ducked. D-Lo then pinned him.

Winners - D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry

Pat Patterson - Tribute

Hardcore Holly - Tribute

The next match was Road Dogg v. The Godfather, accompanied by four primo Ho's.
Doggie got a big pop and did his intro bit for Owen. The Godfather also got a
big pop. The Godfather offered to party with Doggie and The Ho's rather than
fight. Doggie proved he is a pure bred as he agree and off they went. The crowd
roared their approval.

Match need took place - They went partying

Paul Bearer - Tribute

X-Pac - Tribute

The next match was Al Snow, accompanied by Head, v. Triple H, accompanied by Chyna.
Snow had "OWEN" spelled backwards on his head, instead of "HELP ME"
An excellent match won by Triple H with The Pedigree.

Winner - Triple H

RoadDogg - Tribute In tears

Jerry Briscoe - Tribute Compared Owen to himself as both have older brothers
who were superstars.

The next match was The Big Show v. Goldust, accompanied by The Blue Meanie.
Goldust shoved The Meanie out to fight so the match became a Handicap Match.
While The Show was occupied with The Meanie, Goldie hit him with a low blow from
behind. Bad move. Double Clotheslines and Double Showstoppers.

Winner - The Big Show

Debra - Tribute Crying quite hard

Shane McMahon - Tribute The McMahon and Hart families go back a long way

The next match was the Main Event pitting Val Venis v. The Rock. Val did his
"Hello Ladies" bit for Owen and after a big pop, The Rock dedicated The People's
Elbow to Owen. The match was short and sweet, with The Rock hitting Rock Bottom
and The People's Elbow to win.

Winner - The Rock

JR and The King said some last words in honor of Owen. The King said he was in
the ring right after Owen fell and held his head in his arms. The King was in
tears.

Stone Cold Steve Austin came to the ring to a thunderous pop and paid the final
tribute to Owe He popped a Steveweiser and drank it as Owen's picture appeared
on The TitanTron.

A very moving program.
===========================================
SHOULD THE PPV HAVE BEEN STOPPED?
Written by reader: LaserboyX
Regarding Owen. I must say that were this some sick publicity stunt, I would
have
given up on wrestling entirely. Though I think I would prefer that than to have

witnessed such a thing happening. This was absolutely horrible. The thing that
sickened me the most is that they did not stop the ppv. I may yet give up on
wrestling. I must say I'm thoroughly disgusted with the lack of respect the WWF
has shown tonight. But I'm even more disheartened that someone so young lost
his life entertaining the world.
~Z
===========================================
TOO MANY FALLEN
Written by reader: FELIPEAPD
Although, I don't recall the numbers, I believe the Owen Hart death would be
the 5th death of a pro wrestling during his match (in this case, right before
it), within the last century. This is a bad and horrible tragic accident which
will bring more attention to an already sick promotion. I'm watching NY1's
Sports on 1 and every phone call is about the incident. Ths host is pretty
clueless on wrestling and the accident.
Felipe
===========================================
THE EMOTION
Written by reader: Amy L. Collins (Metalheadg)
I was shocked,saddened, and overwhelmed with grief when I heard about Owen
Hart dying at Over the Edge on the news tonight at about 11 o clock. I was just
balling for 10 minutes. More than anything, I was in shock, and I am hoping that
his family (both his real and his WWF "family") can get through this tragedy. I
know what is it like to lose someone that is close to you. I can't even begin to
describe the pain I felt and I can't even imagine the pain both families are
feeling right now.

The WWF has not only lost the Blue Blazer and Owen Hart, but one of the most
talented wrestlers to ever exist in the WWF. I don't think anyone will ever
forget his enzenguri kick. Absolutely amazing and it must've taken years to
master.

My heart and deepest condolences go out to his family, his friends, and anyone
who knew him well. My heart also goes out to all his fans around the world.
Owen, you'll be greatly missed...
Amy L. Collins
===========================================
THE HERO
Written by reader: SlicedHam
First of all, my heart and prayers go out to the Hart family. Since virtually
witnessing the death of a legend in the sport I love, live on TV, I found myself
in a situation where I felt that I need to express my emotions, and this is the
only way that I could think of. I guess I'll start by saying that ever since I
was about 4 years old (I'm 16 now), my dream was to revive BRET Hart's pink
shades. Bret Hart was always my favorite wrestler. Now I found myself watching
a WWF PPV where everything is different. There are no heroes like Bret Hart,
Hulk Hogan, or Ultimate Warrior. In order to get support from fans today, the
wrestlers say "Hell" alot, make sexual
innuendos, and beat up the boss, instead of beating up the BAD GUY and reaching
out for the support of the Hulkamaniacs or Little Warriors.

Now the Blue Blazer was a gimmick to poke fun of the concept of a hero, and
everyone was making fun of Owen, probably right up to the moment of his tragic
death. I was barely paying attention when it happened, because I was wrestling
at
the time with a friend, but just then, I got a phone call from a companion that
knows that I am a big fan of the Hart family legacy. At first I was in utter
disbelief, then I thought, " I hope to God that this is just an angle. Maybe
he'll be reborn as a Zombie in the Ministry of Darkness!"

Finally it hit me... Owen is Dead. I told my mother, and she didn't seem to
care. I
went off on her, saying that should be ashamed. And that this is more tragic
than Columbine High or Kosovo, which are both stories that she's always mourning
about, because Owen was somebody that I felt I knew, I grew up with.

Even though I never met him, he was like a friend that was always there on
Mondays, Sundays, and on almost every WWF tape I own. You know, I ordered
the replay of the event and when I watched again, long after my friends had gone
home, I just started crying. I started to go deep into thought about things I
normally wouldn't have noticed. For example, when they took Owen on a
stretcher, only about 10% of the people actually were chanting "Owen! Owen!".
Through my sobs I was enraged at the fans that didn't show respect for the man.

Then as I watched the Road Dog vs. Billy Gunn match, I noticed a huge blood
stain on the edge at the mat that I had thought, during the JJ & Debra vs Val &
Bass, was remnants from Heat's Brood Blood Bath. It wasn't until I watched the
the ex-NAO match on the replay, that I recalled the Raw/Heat I went to in
Sunrise, FL in which they got rid of the"blood" with push brooms. IT DIDN'T
stain the mat! I realized that the blood stain had to have been Owen's.

I am still so depressed about the loss of Owen. I am positive that any
"off-color" comment at school will just make me snap, and the person who said it
better hope they have some pepcid AC, 'cuz MY can of whoop ass is extra SPICEY!!
When I think of the series of of upsets that the Hart family have gone through,
it makes me sick: Close friend Brian Pillman's unexpected death shocks the
wrestling world; Bret Hart gets "screwed" by Vince, only to be under-pushed,
neglected, and mid-carded in WCW; Davey Boy Smith is tragically injured and put
in a full bodycast;
British Bulldog is later fired by Bishchoff due to his "inabilty to continue
working" WHAT A CLASS ACT THAT ERIC BISCHOFF IS!!; and now Owen has fallen to
his death. My condolences, again, go out to the friends and family of Owen.
SlicedHam
Frank S.
===========================================
THE KING OF HEARTS
Written by reader: NYPaisan57
Heres to the King of Harts...

I sit here fighting back the tears as they well into my eyes. Owen Hart is
gone. The world has lost another one. His children are without a father, his
wife without a husband, and his fans without a hero. To say Owen had class was
an understatement, and to say that he was skilled does insult to one of the most
extraordinary workers I have ever had the pleasure of watching wrestle. I won't
pretend I knew the man, but I have known his kind and they are a breed the world
could use more of. He wasn't controversial, he had no strange gimmick, he was
just a wrestler who did his job very very well.

Stu and Helen Hart, your son was taken far to quickly from this world, but know
that he was well loved and you can be proud of everything that he did. I wish I
could write more, Owen deserves more than this, he deserves so much more than
any one fan can give, but at this point grief has overtaken me and I am merely a
fan, so I can not imagine what his family and those who knew him personally are
going through. I have read a line today in TBR that stuck, "Heaven needed a
superhero, and God called the Blazer." Lord knows he belongs up there, and to
quote the Rock, "Owen, The Fans Love you." Always have, always will.
===========================================
OWEN CLOSE UP
Written by reader: Maddux4401
I would like to wish my deepest condolences to the Hart family on the tragic
passing of their son, Owen. I have had the honor of meeting Owen in person
after a live Raw is War on December 29, 1997 from the Nassau Coliseum in
Uniondale Long Island.

He was involved in the main event that night, where he took on The Heartbreak
Kid Shawn Michaels for the World Wrestling Championship. Owen was a class act
that night when I met him, and the took time to sign my program and talk to me
for a good 5-10 minutes. He was a great performer. He played the heel role as
good as anyone. He spent most of his career as a heel and he won many
championships: he won 4 tag titles, 2 Intercontinental titles, a European title
and was the King of the Ring. He never got the big one but he deserved it, he
was a hard working great athlete.

This is a big loss to the world of professional wrestling. I just felt that of
all of the recent deaths among pro wrestlers (Rick Rude, JYD, Brian Pillman)
this one has to be the most tragic one of all only because 18,000 plus had to
witness it and from what I heard, it wasn't a pretty sight. Owen will be missed
by all and I could tell that Over The Edge wasn't the same after this accident
and I think it is a class act that the WWF will dedicate the whole broadcast of
RAW to Owen in tribute to him. I wish his family and friends all condolences
and I hope that further accidents like this one can be avoided.
===========================================
THE SHOW SHOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED
Written by reader: StumpyHill
How tasteless can the WWF get? Although I was never really bothered by what
everyone else is bothered about with the WWF, this is an all time low. One of
the greatest, underrated wrestlers dies, live in the ring, with thousands in
attendance and millions watching around the world, and the show continues.

There has to be a point where you have to say, "It doesn't matter if it screws
with the storyline, or makes us lose money, one of our most faithful employees
just died due to our mistake." Doesn't everyone remember when Bret Hart got
screwed and left the WWF, followed by the duo of Jim Niedhart and Davey Boy
Smith. Owen stayed in the WWF and continued wrestling. And you can't even stop
the show to pay respects. How tastless.
===========================================
The staff of The Wrestling Booking Sheet
Editor: Steve Appy
Columnist:Mark George
Columnist: SamJerry
Columnist: Fritz Capp
Columnist: Rick Phelps
Columnist: Cindy Barnes
Columnist: Josh Hewitt
Columnist: Swami
Columnist: Tom Misnik
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