Reminder, Martha Hart Is Still a Grieving Widow

His memory isn't yours Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE is releasing an Owen Hart career retrospective DVD soon. It's notable in that it's one of the first pieces of Hart memorabilia that the company has released since his tragic death at the Over the Edge pay-per-view event on May 23, 1999 in Kansas City, MO. He was set to rappel from the ceiling as The Blue Blazer for a match against the Godfather for the Intercontinental Championship. However, the stunt was poorly designed, and Hart fell to his death. His wife, Martha, has blamed WWE for his death for the now 16 years since it has happened, and I for one cannot in turn blame her for holding such a grudge, which now includes opposition to the DVD set.

Of course, wrestling fans like to hurl epithets at Hart for denying them Owen's induction into the Hall of Fame or any capitalization on his image with the company. I used to be one of them, regrettably. It's not exactly something I'm proud of, but sometimes, people are dumb. Hart had her husband taken from her in a poorly-planned, patently unsafe attempt at a stunt, and people think they should be entitled to merchandise or to see Owen "honored" by the WWE Hall of Fame, which again is something that should only be taken seriously by people who are inducted into it? I don't buy it at all. The saddest thing is that even members of Owen's family, including Bret, have come out against Martha, pressuring her to succumb to the pressures from Vince McMahon on the desire to profit off Owen's image and likeness.

WWE has come laughably short of even coming close to giving Martha Hart any kind of reparation for the stunt. Yeah, her family was awarded $18M in damages, but does money bring back a dead husband in an event that could have been avoided if the proper safety measures were taken? Even so, the grievances between Hart and McMahon are theirs and theirs alone, and the burden is on McMahon and WWE to make things right, if that's at all possible. If Martha Hart does not want WWE profiting off her late husband's image, then WWE should not attempt to profit off her late husband's image. It's as simple as that.

It's not the best answer for millions of fans who want more Owen Hart in their lives, but sometimes, you have to take your medicine no matter how bitter it might taste. In this case, not having Owen Hart in the Hall of Fame tastes like a ripe strawberry compared to the pain that Martha Hart goes through every day. Think about that before you start bitching and moaning that Owen isn't plastered all over your fucking television during WWE's 24/7 nostalgia trip.