The “Mr. McMahon” documentary on Netflix delves into the time when former WWE Champion Bret Hart left WWE for WCW in 1997.
In the documentary, Hart stated that WWE had embarrassed his late younger brother, Owen Hart, after his departure.
However, Vince McMahon refuted Bret’s claim that they were attempting to humiliate Owen because of The Hitman’s departure, stating that it “only reflects Bret’s ego.”
In May 1999, Owen tragically died after falling from the rafters while attempting to enter with the Blue Blazer persona for his match at Over the Edge.
You can check out some highlights from Episode 4 below:
Vince McMahon on Owen Hart telling him he wanted to stay in WWE: “After the problems I had with Bret, I met with Owen and I said, ‘Do you want to stay with us or do you want to leave with Bret?’ He said, ‘Well, I’d like to stay’.
Bret Hart on WWE humiliating Owen Hart after he left for WCW: “When I went to WCW and Owen stayed, nothing was the same anymore. He thought I was mad at him. If anything, I had great sympathy for Owen and felt badly that he was in the predicament that he was in. Owen had nothing to do with either me or Vince, but you know, he was gonna pay for it. They kind of humiliated his character as often as they could for quite a while to get at me.”
Vince McMahon Bret’s claim that they humiliated Owen due to his leaving WWE: “The hypothesis that we would do something against Owen because Bret left only speaks to Bret’s ego [laughs]. Really, Bret? You know, why would we do that? We don’t care about you, you left. We’re trying to make Owen a star.”
