 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 , and he fell more than 70 feet ( 21 m ) 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 . 
