Opinion
Over the Edge 1999: The Show Must Go On?
Over the Edge 1999 is a notorious PPV in wrestling history, not because of the matches, but because Owen Hart tragically fell to his death in a horrific accident before the PPV went on the air. WWE decided to go on with the PPV, citing that Owen would’ve wanted the show to go on. WWE was HEAVILY criticized for this decision in 1999 and is still criticized today. The tragic events of Over the Edge left such a lasting scar on WWE that the PPV name was retired and the PPV itself was never released on video, it wasn’t available for viewing until WWE Network launched in 2014.
So the debate has been raging for almost twenty years: Should WWE have continued with the PPV after Owen’s accident or should they have stopped the show. For a very long time, I thought the Intercontinental match that Owen was supposed to be competing in was the first match and was surprised to discover that Owen’s match was higher up on the card, which makes the decision less clear cut. The show had already started and was two matches in (five if you count Sunday Night Heat, which served as a pre-show back in the day).
The reasons to stop the show and either give people refunds or reschedule the show are pretty obvious: Someone just fell to their death, even if the fans in the arena were unaware that Owen had died. The wrestlers in the back had just seen someone they liked and respected have a horrific accident and sending them out to continue like nothing had happened seems cruel. It just seems like stopping the PPV and giving people refunds is the common sense thing to do, even for just the optics of showing that the wrestlers’ lives have some value.
Except that it wasn’t that easy. WWE was in the midst of the Monday Night Wars with WCW and though WWE was starting to turn the tide, the fight was nowhere near over. Cancelling the PPV and giving refunds could mean that Superstars would miss out on a night’s work and a night’s pay. Even though I would like to give the fans the benefit of a doubt, there is a good chance that some fans would not have understood why WWE felt the need to cancel the show over an accident.
The reasons to go on with the show are a little less clear cut. Bottom line, the show had already started and was about two hours in, if we count Sunday Night Heat. Sure, they probably could’ve rescheduled the remaining matches for RAW the next day, but considering that they were criticized for doing RAW, even though it was dedicated to Owen, I really don’t see how basically using RAW as the unofficial PPV was going to be seen any better.
A lot of wrestlers then and now have said that they wouldn’t have gone out there and performed, but it stands that everyone went out there and worked and the show did go on.
So, should WWE have gone on with the show after the accident or cancelled? Now, as then, it’s really up for debate. I spoke to a person who watched the PPV live and he said that while he fully supported WWE’s decision to continue with the show back then and still does, he would’ve understood if they’d cancelled. Me personally, I wouldn’t have, but I can see why the decision was made in the heat of the moment to keep going with the show. What Owen would’ve done or wanted in this situation is impossible to say, though many people, including his own family, have claimed to know, but only Owen can say what he would’ve done or wanted, and he can’t tell us, so let’s not try to put words in his mouth.
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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