The “Mr. McMahon” Netflix documentary delves into a keystone historical event in wrestling, namely the 1997 transition of former WWE Champion Bret Hart from WWE to WCW. The documentary features a statement from Hart, wherein he asserts that WWE cast disgrace on Owen Hart, his younger and late sibling post his depart.
However, WWE owner Vince McMahon contested Bret’s allegation, suggesting that their actions were not an attempt to denigrate Owen due to Bret’s leaving. Instead, McMahon pointed out that it was Bret’s inflated self-importance that was casting a shadow on his perception, stating, “only reflects Bret’s ego.”
The documentary highlights an unfortunate incident. It chronicles Owen Hart’s fatal accident where he plummeted from the rafters during his entrance as the Blue Blazer persona in May 1999’s Over the Edge tournament.
Re-live the gripping events of Episode 4 via these highlights
Vince McMahon discussing why Owen Hart chose to remain with 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 sharing his perspective on WWE’s treatment of Owen Hart after he moved to 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’s rebuttal to Bret’s claim that WWE sought to disgrace Owen because of Bret’s departure: “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.”