The Undertaker Reflects on His Mental State in the Ring After Owen Hart’s Tragic Passing

It has been almost 25 years since the tragic incident of Owen Hart falling during his entrance and eventually dying. The late great star was set for a match against the Godfather for the Intercontinental Championship at Over The Edge 1999 where, before the match could start, Hart collapsed and died. 

While his death was a shock to millions around the world, it was a traumatic incident for the wrestlers and crew in and out of the ring. However, the show couldn’t be stopped there. To entertain the fans around the Universe, WWE kept on featuring the show with many superstars having their presence of mind backstage due to Owen Hart’s death. 

Revealing how traumatic it was, The Undertaker commented on the task to go out in the ring and perform, knowing that a dear friend was dead. During a Patreon Q&A session, the Deadman revealed that was one of the toughest days of his life. 

“Wow. Man, [it was] such an interesting time period. We’re all grinding, just trying to do the best that we could but trying to process the information that somebody just passed away due to some, whatever, the rigging accident. A guy that you spent tonnes of time with and seen every day for years and you just losing. One minute he’s there and then the next he’s not. Then you have to go out and put the pieces together and try and perform, it was probably one of the most difficult…definitely, mentally one of the toughest days I think I’ve ever had…”

Advertising

Advertising

The Undertaker also revealed that while walking back, everyone wished that Hart had a miraculous recovery and was brought back to life. However, that wasn’t the case, leaving every star and millions around the world disheartened. 

“Although we’d already been told, it was kind of like you still didn’t believe it. When we came back we were hoping that something miraculous had happened and it wasn’t true. It was such a tough night. Hindsight being 20-20 [we should have stopped the show] but you also have an arena full of people too…”

Even after winning their matches, stars didn’t celebrate their big moments in the ring. Rather, everyone prayed for the late star’s recovery. While Owen Hart lost his life early, his contribution to the wrestling industry has been enormous. 

Do you think it was easy for WWE stars to perform in the ring following Owen Hart’s death? Drop your thoughts down in the comments section below.