Remembering Owen Hart

To say that time flies would be considered an understatement. I open with that statement because it has been twenty years since the wrestling world lost one of its most beloved figures.

Owen James Hart tragically passed away on May 23rd, 1999 due to a stunt that had gone terribly wrong. Owen was set to face The Godfather in a match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at the WWE pay-per-view event, Over the Edge. In storyline, Owen was portrayed as his original WWE alter ego, the masked Blue Blazer, in what was perceived as a comedic heel character dressed in all blue with a white feather boa. Think of him as a comedic, sneaky, underhanded heel dressed to portray himself as a superhero that everyone hated and despised.

Owen was set to make a spectacular entrance by repelling from the ceiling of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, MI. Hart began to descend from the rafters, his cable had either broke or he released the mechanism for the cable too soon. Owen began to free fall at approximately 78 feet and died instantly upon impact inside the squared circle from blunt force trauma. Paramedics and WWE officials, along with colour commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler rushed to Owen’s side.

The audience watching at home did not see the accident occur, as the WWE were airing a pre-taped interview Hart had recorded earlier in the evening. Owen was rushed quickly to the Truman Medical Centre, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The following night on Monday Night RAW. The entire WWE staff, family, friends and wrestling fans from across the globe paid tribute, as we all celebrated the life of Owen Hart. Owen was a very special human being. He was a practical joker and known to be one of the best “pranksters” in the locker room. He was a kind, loving and caring soul whom was loved by everyone he had befriended across the world. Owen had a dream of one day retiring from the wrestling industry and becoming a firefighter, something he had always wanted to do in his life.

I wrote this piece to talk about Owen and the impact he had on my own life as a wrestling fan. Watching his storyline play out during his bitter rivalry with his older brother throughout the early 90’s, during the midst of the jealousy and angst he had with Bret over his older brother’s own success while he was succumbed to living in his big brother’s shadow was something that was compelling for the time. I quickly became a fan of Owen when his in-ring ability truly began to shine and took notice throughout that feud. You could argue that his WrestleMania X match-up with Bret to open up the show is one of the best WrestleMania matches of all-time.

We would then see Owen become the 1994 King of the Ring, along with many other accolades such as a two time Slammy Award Winner, WWE Intercontinental, European and Tag Team Champion, just to name a few of his many accomplishments. Even though he was a heel throughout the majority of his final years in the WWE, I secretly wanted him to become the WWE Champion someday. He was one of the few “bad guys” that I would cheer for. He was so talented and made you believe in his character, that he truly was the “King of Harts”.

Owen’s life may have ended too soon and was a very tragic tale of a WWE Superstar that could’ve gone on to even bigger heights and perhaps one day could’ve ascended past his big brother Bret. Owen was known as the “King of Harts”, a gimmick and nickname that he would carry with him throughout the remainder of his career past 1994. Owen was truly that, as not only did he become the “King of Harts” in the wrestling industry, but also stole and became the king of all the hearts of wrestling fans. His legacy continues to be celebrated, shared and will live on through eternity.