The wrestling world was forever scarred by the tragedy of Over The Edge 1999the night Owen Hart fell to his death in a horrific accident during a live WWE pay-per-view. On the Something To Wrestle podcast, JBL opened up about what happened backstage that night and painted a devastating picture of Vince McMahons reaction to the tragedy.
JBL, who was in the arena when the unthinkable happened, shared his firsthand experience. I was there, he said. I had the option of wrestling and had the option of not. They were wonderful about that. They didnt make anybody do anything. They gave us the option.
But it was McMahons emotional state that struck JBL the hardest. I saw Vince with tears in his eyes. He was heartbroken over it, JBL revealed. He couldnt even talk. He loved Owen. He was absolutely heartbroken. The shock and grief left McMahon, a man often seen as the unflinching leader of WWE, completely shaken.
JBL described how Gerald Brisco stepped in to manage the chaos backstage while Vince struggled to process the magnitude of the situation. Gerald Brisco was one of the ones that kind of took over and did a lot of the stuff backstage, he explained. Vince made the ultimate decision, but he gave the power to Jerry to do it.
The decision to continue the event has been criticized for decades, but JBL defended the move, emphasizing the lack of preparation for such a tragedy. People that are arguing this werent backstage and saw what happened, he said. Theres no template for this stuff. Theres no, Heres what you do in case something tragic happens. Now there may be, but there wasnt then.
Its been over two decades since that fateful night, but the emotional scars left behind are still raw for those who lived through it. Vince McMahon, known for his unshakable demeanor, was reduced to tears, showing just how deeply the tragedy of Owen Hart affected everyone involved.
The debate over whether the show should have continued may never truly be settled, but the heartbreak behind the scenes paints a picture of a moment no one in WWE will ever forget. Whats your take on this tragic moment in wrestling history? Let us know in the comments below!
