5 Events that brought WWE to the brink of collapse

#4 Owen Hart's death in a WWE ring

The youngest Hart died at a WWE event in 1999 at Over the Edge

Owen Hart was the youngest son of Stu Hart, and alongside Bret was one of the few members of the Hart family that made a career in wrestling for WWE. Owen wrestled for a variety of promotions around the world, such as New Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW, WWF, and his father's Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling Promotion.

Hart is probably best remembered for his fantastic feud against his brother which saw him challenge Bret for the WWE Title. Owen challenged his brother for the title on the European tour in 1994 following WrestleMania X but was never able to win the title. Their feud continued until SummerSlam of the same year where Bret once against defeated his brother, this time inside a Steel Cage. Owen would later cost his brother the title at Survivor Series after he convinced his mother to throw in the towel on Bret's behalf.

Following the Montreal Screwjob, Owen was the last remaining member of the Hart family left in WWE. Owen would later align himself with the Nation of Domination and then teamed with Jeff Jarrett and returned as the Blue Blazer gimmick. At Over the Edge 1999, Owen as the Blue Blazer was set to take on the Godfather for the Intercontinental title. However, as Owen was being lowered into the ring, Owen unintentionally triggered a quick-release mechanism causing him to fall 24 meters to his death. The following night on RAW is War, the WWE held a tribute episode to Owen Hart with several wrestlers talking about Owen Hart out of character.

The WWE decided at the time to continue the show despite the tragic event, a move that was later criticized by members of the Hart family. In the weeks after the Hart family launched a lawsuit against WWE over the death. The case was eventually settled with WWE paying the Hart family $18 Million as a payout. Owen's widow Martha would later sue the promotion for unpaid royalties, and that case was also settled for an undisclosed amount.