Episode 490: The Hart Clan: First Family of Wrestling
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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the First Family of Wrestling, the Hart Family. Even if you’re not a fan of the WWE, this one has it all. Shocking in-ring death during a pay per view, a massive corporate screw over at a pay per view, a family of amazing wrestlers for several generations, and training in a horrible place called “The Dungeon.” We focus mostly on Stu, Brett, and Owen Hart out of this crazy legacy of amazing superstars, but we touch on plenty of other wrestlers as well.
The Hart legacy started with Stu Hart. He was born to humble beginnings but soon became a wrestling phenomenon. He performed for various territories until he got tired of bad writing that never saw him going anywhere. Eventually, he got married and took his own wresting territory called Stampede Wrestling, which controlled Western Canada and Montana. Stu Hart made enough money there to buy an infamous mansion. In the basement of the mansion was The Dungeon, one of the most world famous wresting gyms in the world. He trained Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Mark Henry, Chris Benoit, Junkyard Dog, British Bulldog, Roddy Piper, Nikolai Volkov, Gorilla Monsoon, and his own sons and daughters. His training philosophy? Pure pain.
From that upbringing came Brett “The Hitman” Hart. He rose to fame in the WWF and became the biggest superstar in the world of professional wrestling. He was known as the “Best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be.” Most pro-wrestlers put him in the top three best wrestlers of all time due to his skills and ability to work the crowd. At the peak of his fame, however, WWF was being beaten in the ratings, and they could no longer afford his expensive contract. Vince McMahon convinced him to get a better deal at rival WCW, and he did. On his last night with the WWF, he experience the Montreal Screwjob which resulted in Brett Hart losing his title without his knowledge, him wrecking the joint in a rage, and him knocking Vince out in the locker room.
This wasn’t the only horrible thing that happened to a Hart at pay per view. In fact, we’ll get into the tragic story of Owen Hart, Brett’s youngest brother. He had ups and downs in the ring and went through a couple of different territories, but eventually, he found a place in the WWF. When he was flying in on a stunt cable for a pay per view entrance, however, something went horribly wrong. He fell nearly 80 feet and landed in the ring. He was rushed to the hospital and declared dead within a few hours. This was met with lawsuits and controversy.
Why did the stunt rigging fail? Why did WWF hire riggers who wouldn’t follow safety protocols? How much did Owen’s widow sue them for, and was she successful? Why did Vince decide to let the pay per view continue, even though it was technically a crime scene? Listen, laugh, learn.
Visit Our Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret_Hart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stu_Hart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_wrestling_family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hart
https://www.si.com/wrestling/2019/05/23/wwe-owen-hart-death-20th-anniversary
Film: Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
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