Over The Edge 1999 Over The Edge 1999 was a professional wrestling pay - per - view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , which took place on May 23 , 1999 , at Kemper Arena in Kansas City , Missouri , USA . It was the first event not to be promoted under the " In Your House " series of pay - per - views , which typically occurred in months not occupied by the WWF ' s biggest events ( Royal Rumble , WrestleMania , King of the Ring , SummerSlam , and Survivor Series ) . However , due to the accidental death of wrestler Owen Hart , this show is surrounded by controversy and the event was retired . In the main event , The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin in a singles match ( with Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon as the guest referees ) to win the WWF Championship . Of the six scheduled bouts on the undercard , two received more promotion than the others . The first was a singles match , in which The Rock defeated Triple H . The other was an eight - man elimination tag team match , which featured The Union ' s ( Mankind , Ken Shamrock , Test , and The Big Show ) victory over the Corporate Ministry ( Viscera , The Big Boss Man , and The Acolytes Bradshaw and Faarooq ) . Owen Hart was scheduled to face The Godfather for the WWF Intercontinental Championship during the event . Wrestling under his Blue Blazer gimmick , Hart was to make a superhero - like ring entrance , which would have seen him descend from the arena rafters into the ring . He was , however , released prematurely when the harness line malfunctioned , and fell more than 70 feet into the ring and died . Criticism later arose over the WWF ' s decision to continue the show after Hart ' s accident . In court , the Hart family sued the organization , contending that poor planning of the dangerous stunt caused Owen ' s death . WWF settled the case out of court , paying US $ 18 million to the Hart family . Due to the accident , the show has never been released by the company on any home media or aired again , the event itself was retired . Background . Over the Edge was the culmination of various scripted plots and storylines . Before the event , several WWF professional wrestling matches and stories were played out on WWF programming : " Raw is War " , " SmackDown ! " , and " Sunday Night Heat " . These narratives created feuds between various wrestlers , casting them as villains and heroes . The main narrative for Over the Edge continued the events that unfolded at , WWF ' s previous pay - per - view event , held on April 25 , 1999 . There , The Undertaker abducted Stephanie McMahon , the daughter of chairman Vince McMahon . The Undertaker ' s price for Stephanie ' s return was control over the wrestling organization . His plans were thwarted , however , by the WWF Champion , Steve Austin , who rescued Stephanie and denied The Undertaker his ransom . This plot development set up a feud between the two wrestlers , which would be settled in a standard singles match for the Championship at Over the Edge , in which both Vince and his son Shane , who had aligned himself with The Undertaker , would serve as the guest referee . Originally Shane had named himself the sole referee of the match , but WWF commissioner Shawn Michaels made Vince the co - referee in order to level the playing field . WWF further built up the rivalry between The Undertaker and Austin by having them attack each other on WWF programming , before their showdown . On May 3 , 1999 , The Undertaker threw Austin off the stage , and two weeks later , the WWF Champion handcuffed his title challenger to a crucifix , which was raised above the ring . Another feud created for Over the Edge involved Triple H and The Rock , who would meet each other in a standard singles match at the event . Triple H had interfered in one of The Rock ' s matches , and later threw him off the stage . The script called for The Rock to portray an injury to his arm that required him to wear a plaster cast . Shane , acting his role as co - owner of WWF and ally of Triple H , further aggrieved The Rock by forbidding him to wear the cast for Over the Edge . The pay - per - view event featured the buildup of a rivalry among two stables , groups of at least three wrestlers . The two groups were the Corporate Ministry and the Union . The Corporate Ministry was formed when the Corporation merged with the Ministry of Darkness ; the Corporate Ministry consisted of Viscera , The Big Boss Man , and The Acolytes Bradshaw and Faarooq . Throughout the month of May , the Ministry was involved in matches with Mankind , Ken Shamrock , The Big Show , and Test , and in retaliation , the four wrestlers formed the Union stable . The WWF continued to enhance the feud over several weeks , which included a brawl among all eight wrestlers on May 10 , 1999 . The evolving plot led to the promotion of an eight - man elimination tag team match between both groups at Over the Edge . In this bout , the team that eliminated all of its opponents would win . Other feuds that received less promotion and culminated into matches at Over the Edge include Mr . Ass versus Road Dogg and The Blue Blazer versus WWF Intercontinental Champion The Godfather for the title in standard singles bouts . Mark Henry and D ' Lo Brown versus WWF Tag Team Champions Kane and X - Pac in a tag team match for the titles , Hardcore Holly versus Al Snow in a Hardcore singles match , and a mixed tag team match involving Val Venis and Nicole Bass versus Jeff Jarrett and Debra were also advertised . Event . Before the event began and aired live on pay - per - view , an episode of " Sunday Night Heat " aired live on the USA Network . In a standard match , Meat defeated Brian Christopher , while the Hardy Boyz ( Matt and Jeff ) defeated Goldust and The Blue Meanie in a tag team match . In the final contest , Vince McMahon and Mideon fought in a singles match that ended in " No Contest " , when the Corporate Ministry attacked Vince and broke his ankle in order to prevent him from refereeing the main event match . Preliminary matches . After " Sunday Night Heat " , the pay - per - view began with a tag team match , in which the WWF Tag Team Champions Kane and X - Pac defended against Mark Henry and D ' Lo Brown . During the match , Henry lifted X - Pac and rammed his back against the steel ring post at ringside . Afterward , Brown and Henry simultaneously attacked X - Pac , which led Kane to launch himself from the top turnbuckle onto Brown and Henry . After the competitors reentered the ring , Kane performed a chokeslam on Henry , lifting him by the throat and slamming him down . Kane then pinned Henry to retain the WWF Tag Team Title . Next was the hardcore singles bout — a match allowing no disqualifications or countouts . WWF Hardcore Champion Al Snow defended against Hardcore Holly . Holly and Snow began their bout in the ring but were scripted to move their brawl into the arena stands . From there , they proceeded to the backstage area , and into the concession stands before returning to the ring . The fight was decided when Snow lifted Holly onto his shoulders and threw him through a wooden table . Successfully covering and pinning Holly , Snow retained the WWF Hardcore Title . The next scheduled match was WWF Intercontinental Champion The Godfather versus The Blue Blazer in a standard singles match . As Hart descended into the ring on a safety harness , the equipment gave way , and he fell . Emergency medical technicians ( EMTs ) rushed him to the hospital , but he was pronounced dead on arrival . The show was halted for 15 minutes before it continued with the next match . The fourth scheduled contest was the Mixed tag team match that featured Val Venis and Nicole Bass facing Jeff Jarrett and Debra . At one point , Jarrett gained possession of a guitar and attempted to hit Bass with it , but Venis took the guitar away and lifted Jarrett from behind to drop him onto the mat ; he then pinned Jarrett . In the fourth match of the evening , Mr . Ass defeated his former tag team partner Road Dogg , after hitting him with the time keeper ' s hammer . Main event matches . The fifth match was the eight - man elimination tag - team match between The Union and the Corporate Ministry . Test was eliminated by pinfall after Bradshaw performed a high - impact forearm attack " Clothesline from Hell " on him . Bradshaw was then eliminated by submission as a result of Ken Shamrock ' s ankle lock . Afterwards , Shamrock was eliminated via disqualification as a result of attacking the referee . Then , Farooq was eliminated by pinfall after The Big Show executed a chokeslam on him . Only one member of each team remained after Viscera and The Big Show failed to return to the ring within ten seconds , and were counted out as a result . The Union won the match after Mankind forced Boss Man to submit with the Mandible claw . The final match on the undercard was a standard match that featured Triple H and The Rock . Continuing the storyline of The Rock ' s injured arm , Triple H was scripted to target and attack The Rock ' s arm . Towards the final moments of the bout , Triple H asked Chyna , his valet , to retrieve a folding chair . The referee , however , took it away from him , which led to an argument between Triple H and the referee ; the mishap prompted Triple H to push the referee down . The referee disqualified Triple H for this action ; thus , The Rock won the match . After the match , Mankind ran in to save The Rock from Triple H and Chyna . The main event was a singles match in which WWF Champion Steve Austin defended against The Undertaker . Originally , Shane and Vince McMahon were supposed to be the guest referees , but due to storyline purposes , Pat Patterson , an accomplice of Vince McMahon , replaced Vince , who had had his ankle broken earlier in the event , in order to prevent Shane from helping The Undertaker . Patterson , however , was unable to officiate the entire match after The Undertaker executed a chokeslam on him . The Undertaker and Austin wrestled inconclusively until Austin hit The Undertaker on the head with a folding chair . As Austin went to cover The Undertaker , Gerald Brisco , another accomplice of Vince , came down to the ring to replace Patterson and officiated the unsuccessful pinfall attempt by Austin . Like his partner Patterson , Brisco was unable to officiate the entire match after The Undertaker attacked him . Vince then came down to the ring as another referee replacement , but when Austin forcefully pulled The Undertaker ' s head over his shoulders to perform a stunner , Shane prevented him from performing a three count . As Vince and Shane argued , Austin got up and confronted Vince at which point Shane shoved Vince into Austin , who fell into a roll - up by The Undertaker and then performed a fast count to give him the victory and the WWF Title . Death of Owen Hart . When Owen Hart was to challenge The Godfather for the WWF Intercontinental Champion ' s title , he was performing as the Blue Blazer . The character was a superhero gimmick that parodied various wrestlers . At Over the Edge , Hart was to emulate World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) wrestler Sting ' s ( Steve Borden ) ring entrance by descending from the arena rafters into the ring . The entrance was successfully tested on the November 15 , 1998 , episode of " Sunday Night Heat " ; however , during his descent at Over the Edge , a cable disengaged from the safety vest he wore , causing him to fall over 70 feet from the rafters into the ring . As he fell , his chest landed on one of the ring ' s padded turnbuckles . The accident was not viewed by television viewers . A pre - recorded interview video was shown at the start of Hart ' s descent , and when the broadcast returned live , the cameras quickly turned away from the ring to the audience . Soon afterward , Jim Ross , one of the commentators of the event , informed pay - per - view viewers that Hart had fallen from the rafters , that the incident was " not a part of the entertainment " and that it was " a real situation " . EMTs came down to the ring and gave Hart CPR , but he showed no response to the treatment . Bringing Hart out on a gurney , the EMTs boarded the heavily injured wrestler into an ambulance and took him to a nearby hospital in Kansas City . After the incident , the event was halted for fifteen minutes , until Vince McMahon and other WWF Corporate officials made the decision to continue the event . Hart ' s coworkers , professional wrestlers and other miscellaneous workers , appeared somber after Hart ' s fall as they continued to do their jobs . An hour after the event restarted , Ross informed pay - per - view viewers that Hart had died at the age of 34 at a nearby hospital . The fans in attendance were not told any information about what had happened to Hart , and they did not hear the announcement of his death . Aftermath . After the event , in response to Owen Hart ' s death , the WWF canceled the encore presentation of Over the Edge via pay - per - view , and they also canceled four live events in Canada and one in Illinois . Information about Over the Edge from the WWF ( now named the WWE ) is sparse because the event was never released on VHS or DVD due to Hart ' s death . But on Feburary 24 , 2014 Over The Edge was release to the WWE Network but a disclaimer was put on first . However some portions of the event have been edited out of respect to the Hart wrestling family . On May 24 , 1999 , the day following this event , a tribute to Hart was held on " Raw is War " in St . Louis , which the WWF called " Raw is Owen " . For this show , all storylines and rivalries were stopped , and wrestlers were given the option to wrestle or not . The show also featured interviews and testimonies from his coworkers and highlights of his professional wrestling career . Hart ' s funeral service was held on May 31 , 1999 , in Calgary , Alberta , Canada , and it was attended by family members , friends , and over 300 wrestlers who were acquainted with him . Following the funeral , Hart was buried in Calgary ' s Queens Park Cemetery later that day . Three weeks after the event , the Hart family sued the WWF for causing Owen ' s death with a poorly planned stunt ; they claimed that the harness system was defective . After the court case had extended one - and - a - half years , a settlement was reached on November 2 , 2000 , when the WWF agreed to pay the Hart family US $ 18 million . The manufacturer of the harness system had also been named as a defendant in the case but was dismissed from the case after the settlement was reached . After Over the Edge , The Rock was scripted into a feud with The Undertaker over his WWF Championship . The evolving feud culminated into a standard match at King of the Ring , the WWF ' s June pay - per - view event , after The Rock defeated The Undertaker and Triple H in a standard match involving three wrestlers ( also called a triple threat match ) , to earn a WWF Championship match against The Undertaker . At King of the Ring , The Undertaker defeated The Rock to retain his title . After Steve Austin lost his WWF Title , he engaged in a rivalry with Vince and Shane McMahon in retaliation for their interference during his match at Over the Edge . Intending to humiliate Austin , Vince and Shane scheduled Austin in a standard match against The Undertaker for his title on June 28 , however , Austin won the match and the title . Eventually , the WWF developed a feud with Austin , Mankind , and Triple H over the WWF title , which led to a match at SummerSlam , the WWF ' s August pay - per - view event . Reactions . Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation received strong criticism for designing the stunt and allowing the event to continue after Owen Hart ' s fall . In his weekly column for the " Calgary Sun " — a major newspaper in Hart ' s hometown — on May 31 , 1999 , Bret Hart blamed McMahon for his brother ' s death . He " questioned if this was really necessary " and said , " Shame on you , Vince McMahon . " He also claimed that the tribute show " reeked of disrespect , " stating , " Yes , the so - called tribute where afterward wrestlers point to their crotches and say : ' Suck it ! ' It makes me nauseous . " Other members of the Hart family also blamed McMahon for Owen ' s death , claiming that the accident was the inevitable outcome of " an obsession for ratings and revenues . " While in Calgary for Owen ' s funeral , wrestler Hulk Hogan stated , " Hopefully something good will happen . Wrestling ' s gotten . . . way too over the top " . In reference to McMahon , he added , " I hope he learns a lesson from this horrible accident " . Ralph Klein , Alberta ' s premier at the time , expressed a hope that Hart ' s death would lead to changes in wrestling , stating , " Maybe the various federations will rethink the gimmickry . " " Calgary Sun " columnist Eric Francis called McMahon ' s decision to continue the event " sick , disrespectful and wrong . But what else would you expect from the WWF ? " He added , " if there ' s any justice in this world , McMahon will pay dearly for what his organization has done to further pain the Harts " . Some fans were also upset with the decision to carry on with the show . One man , who left the event with his children upon hearing that Hart had died , claimed , " It was disgusting . . . For kids to see that , for this to be so - called family entertainment , for them to just carry on as if nothing had happened , is just sad . " Martha Hart , Owen ' s wife , refused to criticize McMahon publicly in the immediate aftermath of her husband ' s death . She said that McMahon " absolutely should be there " at the funeral . She also stated , " I ' m a very forgiving person and I ' m not bitter or angry , but there will be a day of reckoning " . Commenting on the WWF ' s decision to continue the show after her husband ' s death , Martha stated , " After he lost his fight for life they just scooped him up and ordered the next match out . Where ' s the humanity ? Would he have wanted the show to go on ? Absolutely not . " The WWF received some support from people who felt that the company did the right thing by continuing the event . Vince Russo , a WWF script writer at the time , pointed to the fact that Brian Pillman , a family friend of the Harts and a member of The Hart Foundation died shortly before the pay - per - view on which he was scheduled to perform in 1997 . After learning of Pillman ' s death , Hart went ahead with his match on the show . Russo claimed that this showed that " the night he passed away I ' m sure Owen would have wanted the same thing . " Vince McMahon refused to comment on Hart ' s death until he felt sufficient time had passed . When asked if he felt responsible for the accident , he replied , " I have a lot to say and I will say it . I promise you that . But this is not the time to do it . . . Give me a few days . Give me to the end of the week . Then we ' ll talk . " The day after Over the Edge , the WWF published a message in the " Calgary Sun " , stating , " We do not have much information as to how it happened and will not know until an investigation is completed . We are all shaken , and to say Owen will be missed is to fall short of a way to fully explain what he meant to us . " Although the WWF had no information , they reported that " Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Hart family . We have to be strong for Owen ; he was an extraordinary human being and consummate performer and knows that the highest tribute that we can pay is to go on entertaining the fans he loved so much . "