WWE legend Bret Hart accuses late brother's widow of erasing wrestling legacy

Bret Hart accused the widow of completely separating herself from the company, while the WWE has kept his brother out of its Hall of Fame — and out of its merchandising as well. (AP)

WWE legend Bret Hart appeared on a podcast last week and accused the widow of his late brother, also a wrestler, of trying to erase his legacy.

Hart’s brother, Owen, died during a WWE pay-per-view match in 1999 after falling to his death while he was being lowered into the ring from the rafters of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Owen Hart fell 78 feet to his death.

Martha Hart, Owen’s wife, reportedly was awarded $18 million in a settlement with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

On the podcast, Bret Hart accused the widow of completely separating herself from the company, while the WWE has kept his brother out of its Hall of Fame — and of its merchandising as well.

“I think Martha, Owen's widow, she's a very obtuse, square-headed person. I think she's done more to erase my brother Owen's memory than she ever did to remember him,” Hart said on CBS Sports’ “In This Corner” podcast.

"I think it really bothers me that the fans that loved Owen so much didn't get a chance to remember him. You do these kind of things for people are here, left to remember them," he noted.

“I mean Owen, it would never matter to him if he was in the Hall Of Fame, but I think that you know it would mean a lot to different family members in my family. I know Mark Henry, as an example, gave a strong speech or talk this year about getting Owen into the Hall Of Fame and I totally agree,” Hart said.

Hart also questioned what the WWE Hall of Fame really means, noting that The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith and Demolition weren’t inducted, while Dynamite Kid is.

“You look at some of the people in the Hall Of Fame and some of these celebrities in there (...) there's a lot of people who belong in the Hall Of Fame who are not in it,” Hart said.

“If it turns out that the WWE is going to keep becoming Hall Of Fame that caters to suck-ups and people that are in the company that they owe a favor to who never contributed to the business as wrestlers I question the whole Hall Of Fame itself and I wonder if there will ever be a real Hall Of Fame that caters to just the wrestlers for their contributions.”

Bret Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.