Is Kemper haunted by the ghost of Owen Hart
Is Kemper Arena haunted? By the ghost of Owen Hart, the pro wrestler who fell to his death from a catwalk there on May 23, 1999?
Well, that has been the buzz in ghost hunting forums and on pro wrestling Web sites in recent weeks.
The talk began after a column in a student newspaper in Rhode Island suggested that there have been sightings of the ghost of Hart in Kemper’s rafters.
The column, called “Haunted America,� runs regularly in The Anchor, a student newspaper at Rhode Island College, and discusses various ghost sightings and suspected supernatural activities across the country. We should note that the column discussing the ghost story at Kemper Arena had no attributions.
“Employees (at Kemper Arena) have claimed to have seen (Hart) in the rafters wearing the costume he was wearing for his gimmick,� the newspaper wrote, “as well as the cable before he began the descent. There have also been reports of flickering lights and other power sources that seem to go on and off in some areas of the arena.�
Hart plunged 78 feet to his death at Kemper Arena when the quick-release mechanism on his harness opened as he was lowered from a catwalk.
Mike Young, assistant general manager at Kemper Arena, said he has received some e-mail about the ghost story from outside sources but not from any of his employees.
“I haven’t had any employees here talk to me about it,� Young said. “I can’t speak for all of them, but I haven’t noticed anything unusual going on in the rafters. But who knows?�
Supernatural “experts� suggest that even ghosts need a power supply, which may explain the flickering lights at Kemper. Young has another explanation.
“We get about 300 power spikes a year inside Kemper,� Young said. “And KCPL has them all documented. We’re on the same power grid as downtown Kansas City, so anytime there’s a spike there or an accident or bad weather, we get power surges or spikes, too.�
Is Kemper Arena haunted? By the ghost of Owen Hart, the pro wrestler who fell to his death from a catwalk there on May 23, 1999?
Well, that has been the buzz in ghost hunting forums and on pro wrestling Web sites in recent weeks.
The talk began after a column in a student newspaper in Rhode Island suggested that there have been sightings of the ghost of Hart in Kemper’s rafters.
The column, called “Haunted America,� runs regularly in The Anchor, a student newspaper at Rhode Island College, and discusses various ghost sightings and suspected supernatural activities across the country. We should note that the column discussing the ghost story at Kemper Arena had no attributions.
“Employees (at Kemper Arena) have claimed to have seen (Hart) in the rafters wearing the costume he was wearing for his gimmick,� the newspaper wrote, “as well as the cable before he began the descent. There have also been reports of flickering lights and other power sources that seem to go on and off in some areas of the arena.�
Hart plunged 78 feet to his death at Kemper Arena when the quick-release mechanism on his harness opened as he was lowered from a catwalk.
Mike Young, assistant general manager at Kemper Arena, said he has received some e-mail about the ghost story from outside sources but not from any of his employees.
“I haven’t had any employees here talk to me about it,� Young said. “I can’t speak for all of them, but I haven’t noticed anything unusual going on in the rafters. But who knows?�
Supernatural “experts� suggest that even ghosts need a power supply, which may explain the flickering lights at Kemper. Young has another explanation.
“We get about 300 power spikes a year inside Kemper,� Young said. “And KCPL has them all documented. We’re on the same power grid as downtown Kansas City, so anytime there’s a spike there or an accident or bad weather, we get power surges or spikes, too.�
