Owen Hart, Road Warriors Getting ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ Treatment

Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring has been flat-out awesome. From the Montreal Screwjob episode to the two-part Chris Benoit season two premiere, there haven’t been many stories that have failed to deliver. At this point, there have been 14 episodes — 6 in season one, 8 in season two — with two more to go. Not surprisingly, the final two look like they’re gonna slam.

On May 12th, 2020, Vice will document “The Last Ride of the Road Warriors,” followed by “The Final Days of Owen Hart” on May 19th, 2020.

Road Warriors:

The original Road Warriors (or Legion of Doom) had a 20-year run from 1983 until 2003, the year Road Warrior Hawk passed away. The team won PWI Tag Team of the Year four times and is enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame. Hawk dealt with demons late in his career, so much that the WWE threw it into a storyline during its “Attitude Era.”

“Our subjects were very emotional talking about Hawk,” a show producer said on Jim Cornette’s podcast. “Hearing how he touched so many people is amazing.”

“The whole thing is shot in Minnesota,” he added. “It’s the only episode we’ve ever done in one place.”

Interview subjects, per the podcast, include Paul Ellering, the manager of LOD, Road Warrior Animal, Scott Norton, and more.

Owen Hart:

Coming from the famed Hart wrestling family, Owen Hart was the youngest of Stu and Helen Hart’s 11 children. Owen and his brother, Bret Hart, reached the big leagues in the 1980s and experienced massive success. Throughout his career, Owen won WWF Intercontinental belt twice and WWF Tag Team belt four times (twice with Yokozuna, once with Jeff Jarrett, and once with brother-in-law British Bulldog).

Sadly, after Bret had already left for WCW (following the Montreal Screwjob), Owen was involved in a tragic accident during a pay-per-view (Over The Edge) in 1999. Owen was attempting a stunt where he’d propel down from the rafters, only to have his harness release 78 feet above the ring. Off-camera, he landed on the ring ropes, ending up on his back where he’d be treated by medical staff.

Later in the show, commentator Jim Ross got confirmation that Hart had been killed by the fall. He then announced the news to fans: “I have the unfortunate responsibility to let everyone know that Owen Hart has died.”

Official reports, according to Sports Illustrated, said the impact of the fall “severed his aorta, which filled his lungs with blood.”

The following night, he was given a 10-bell salute on Raw.

Owen’s wife, Martha, filed a wrongful death lawsuit, eventually settling for $18 million.

According to a tweet from The Owen Hart Foundation, the episode will feature unseen footage from his final days.