Martha Hart on WWE Continuing Over The Edge After Owen’s Death, Says She’s Forgiven Everyone

Martha Hart spoke with CBS Sports for a new interview ahead of this week’s Dark Side of the Ring episode about the passing of Owen Hart, discussing the night in question as well as her lawsuit against WWE after the fact. Below are some highlights:

Martha Hart on the Owen Hart stunt that went wrong: “First of all, the stunt itself was so negligent. They hired hackers they knew would do anything they wanted when they knew that proper riggers they had hired in the past had told them, ‘We won’t do this kind of stunt, it’s not safe.’ Everything about that stunt was done wrong. The entire set-up was wrong. The equipment was wrong — the harness, for example, was meant for dragging people behind a car. It was a stunt harness, but it wasn’t meant to suspend someone 80 feet above the ground. What was happening to Owen when he was sitting in that harness is, his circulation was getting cut off and he couldn’t breathe. Then, the snap shackle that they used, that snap shackle is not meant for rigging humans. It’s meant for the sole use of rigging sailboats. It’s a sailboat clip that, by design, is meant to open on load. By the very design of the stunt, it was meant to fail, because the weight of Owen on that clip actually made it more likely it would open spontaneously.”

Martha Hart on holding WWE responsible for the tragedy: “Proper riggers have a few things they would never do. First, they would never do a stunt without redundancy. That didn’t happen; there was no redundancy. Second, they never, ever, let the talent have any control into the stunt. These guys were telling Owen, ‘This cord taped here, don’t pull it until you get to the ground.’ That would never happen; proper riggers don’t rig things this way. The other thing is, WWE is a billion-dollar company. Owen never questioned his safety. He thought for sure they were hiring people that knew what they were doing. He was putting his life in their hands, and they didn’t care. They didn’t have any regard for Owen’s life whatsoever. They went outside of qualified riggers that had good experience.”

On the show continuing despite Owen’s death: “When Owen died, they scooped him out like a piece of garbage and they paraded wrestlers out to wrestle in a ring that had Owen’s blood, where the boards were broken from Owen’s fall and where the guys could feel the dip in the ring from where he fell. Just that disrespect and lack of respect for a human life that had just been lost. The fact that they didn’t stop the show is just appalling. Vince McMahon was a poor leader, and he failed because that talent was looking for leadership and he failed them.”

On her lawsuit against the company: “Vince was manipulating Owen’s family, which resulted in some of the family members working against me. The Hart family overall didn’t support the lawsuit, but some worked against me. They stole my legal documents and were faxing them to the defense. It was like they had our whole playbook. They were just muddying the waters because they knew they didn’t have the case. They just muddied the waters and made everything a mess. There was just this nonstop disrespect.”

On letting her anger over the Owen Hart situation go: “At the end of it all, I’ve forgiven all of them, really. The Hart family, Vince McMahon, I don’t hold any grudges. I hope life has been kind to all of them. My life hasn’t been easy, and I certainly wouldn’t wish harm on anyone. I don’t have a relationship with [the rest of the Hart] family. That said, if I see them on the street or at an event, I’m always polite. I tell my kids to be polite and respectful. But the problem is with once you break the trust in a relationship. I’m really sad they couldn’t find the strength to support me. It’s unfortunate that they put their own self-interests above the welfare of me and my kids and getting justice for Owen.

“That’s unfortunate, but it can’t be changed and is what it is. Some damage in life is irreparable. You can’t fix it. It’s done. Again, you can forgive people, but it doesn’t mean you have to befriend them and be associated with them. At the same time, I don’t wish them any harm, and I hope their lives turned out well. That’s the casualties of war. They made their choices and have to live with them. Part of that is not having a relationship with me or Owen’s children. That was their choice, not mine.”