LONG LIVE THE KING OF HARTS – THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF OWEN HART

LONG LIVE THE KING OF HARTS – THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF OWEN HART

“Walkin along one day and do nothing wrong and play by the rules, be a good person and do everything right, and it doesn’t guarantee anything.” –Owen’s words about his nephew Matt dying young echo louder considering his own fate.

“My first proclamation as King, is to be known from this day forward, as the King of Harts! The King of Harts! And I want you people to remember it, with respect, for the King of Harts!”

If anyone in the wrestling business has the unanimous respect from the fans, it is The King of Harts Owen Hart. I’m sure when new fans hear people talk about Owen Hart they must think he is too good to be true and would assume we are exaggerating his good qualities but he is everything that everyone says he is. His greatness as a wrestler is only overshadowed by his greatness as a person. Nobody is perfect and Owen had his faults just like everyone but you couldn’t ask for a better role model as a person, wrestler, Father, Husband, Brother, etc.. We desperately need more people like Owen in this world which makes his death even more tragic. But we will talk about his death later in this, I want to focus mostly on the life he lived bc it was worth so much more than his death. I don’t know what it is but in Canada, there really is a family like bond between Canadians so when someone succeeds on a high level, we see it as one of our own making it and support them like they were family. And family is how most Canadians see the Harts having grown up with them for generations from Stampede to the WWF and cheered hard as they dominated the biggest stages. Owen was a heel for most of his career but I didn’t dislike him like I did other heels, I always wanted to see him “turn good” lol i think that is part of the reason the 1997 Hart Foundation is so special, we were all finally on the same side with Owen.

I want to start with a story about what kind of a great guy Owen was and the little moment that he gave me. It was sometime in 1994/1995, I was 10 or 11 and there was an autograph signing really close to my house at Casablanca Video in Calgary featuring Owen and The British Bulldog who were both heels at the time. I don’t remember why but none of my parents or my friends were available to go with me so if I wanted to go I had to go by myself which wasn’t a big deal except bc they were heels, I was sure they were gonna be mean to me and wanted someone to be there with me. But with nobody available, it was either miss it or go alone so I worked up the courage and decided to go. I was a shy kid anyways so I got closer to the front I got really nervous and prepared as best I could for whatever was coming. My turn came, Owen looked at me and with a big smile said, “Hey buddy, what’s your name?” I just froze bc I was stunned at how nice he was and didn’t say anything. He laughed and asked again for my name. I don’t remember saying anything but I must have bc when I got the picture back it said, “To Jason, Best Wishes! Your friend, Owen Hart” I do remember slowly walking home just staring at the picture thinking, “Your friend? Owen Hart thinks I’m his friend?” Def meant a lot to know that my favourite wrestlers might think more of me than just a mark and he gained a fan for life that day. Could have easily just signed his name quick but he decided to give me my little moment and make sure I got an autograph that I would remember.

People that knew Owen personally would say they never saw him in a bad mood and he was always laughing or making people laugh. You could write a novel about his practical jokes but some of the more famous ones are stuff like collapsing on the floor at the gym so strangers would give him free water(LMAO), take over production and play random superstars music during entrances/matches, having comically bad matches on purpose, putting on a clown nose, putting stink bombs or sardines in the turnbuckles and holding his opponents face there(LOL) ah man these are hysterical but harmless which is important. But even with all his humour, Owen knew when to be serious and was always there for support and lifting spirits when the time called for it. It is absolutely true to say that there wasn’t anyone who didn’t like him. Unfortunately Owen passed away long before I started writing these pieces to honour my favourite wrestlers so it is def long overdue and one that I have had on my to do list for a long time bc he was a legend as a wrestler but more importantly as a person and deserves all of the spotlight. Happy to finally get started on it and appreciate the legend that is Owen Hart even more. I used the Hart of Gold WWE documentary and the Owen documentary on the Wrestling With Shadows DVD as well as Bret Hart’s book for some of the information in this and I highly recommend checking out all 3. So let’s get started, hope everyone enjoys this look at the life and legacy of the King of Harts.

Owen Hart was born May 7, 1965 and was the youngest of the 12 Hart kids so he got all the attention from 11 brothers and sisters. As Owen got older, his talent for making people laugh started to blossom as he would have matches between his stuffed monkey and the cat to entertain the family. He was a smart kid, the first few years in his life he stuck to his sisters and stayed in their rooms and knowing they would protect him would get into all kinds of mischief haha but eventually he got too old to live in the girls rooms and looked like he saw a ghost the night Stu told him he was moving in with the boys and there might be some payback waiting. But a fight broke out between 2 of his brothers and sisters and when Stu came storming in wanting to know who started it, Owen showed his cunning and blamed his sister for starting the fight instead of his brother. This instantly won over the boys and gave Owen a clean slate to start his new living arrangements. Owen was very close with Stu who made him breakfast, lunch and took him to school on days that Bret wasn’t taking him and had a lot of love and respect for Helen as he watched his Mom work very hard.

Despite the close relationship Owen was still intimidated of his Dad but held a deep rooted respect for him. Owen would watch Stu “train” guys and I think that is why wrestling was down on the list of his career choices lol Stu never drank, smoked or womanized and Owen was the same way throughout his entire life. All bad behaviour and beliefs are learned depending on what type of role model you have and thankfully Owen had a great one so he could provide strong leadership for generations of wrestling fans. Owen felt the family’s reputation was that they were invincible, if any trouble started they would always back each other up and win the day.
Owen went in to amateur wrestling but hated it, hated dieting, hated being ‘Stu Hart’s kid’ but wanted to please his Dad so he grinded it out. Just like his Dad and older brother, he had great talent and won some city and national championships but it was at a amateur wrestling match that his life changed forever, he met and immediately fell in love with Martha. Owen knew right from day 1 that she was the one and that he would marry her one day. Funny story about taking his socks off at Martha’s but he has weird toes so she jokingly asked him to keep his socks on and thought it was funny but kept his socks on lol

Owen wanted to have a structured family life instead of the chaos he grew up in and you can’t blame him considering he shared the house with 11 siblings and wrestlers and cousins and friends and whoever haha he actually wanted to be a Phys-Ed teacher but had a scholarship for wrestling which took precedent over the Phys-Ed education. Owen felt like he was stuck with the ‘curse of wrestling’ that pulled him back in when all he wanted was to be a teacher. The inevitable came when a few years later, Bruce called him saying they need another Hart in Stampede wrestling and he didn’t want to at first, he was set on being a Teacher or Fireman, but eventually relented and agreed to wrestle. He wrestled his first matches in the business under a mask for Stampede but his 1st match was at Royal Albert Hall as ‘Bronco’ Owen Hart haha he was great immediately and everyone that watched him knew he was too good not to wrestle. Martha thought it was real and was ready to throw her shoe at Bad News when he was beating up Owen lol as Stampede’s new meal ticket, Owen never lost when he first started wrestling and that pissed off veteran Bad News Allen lol WWF needed an extra guy one night, Chief Jay asked Bret if Stu had any guys, Bret suggested Owen who was 6 months in and he had a great match vs Bret.

Owen was so far ahead of his time as he could do flips, backflips, jump off guys backs and flip back and lots of athletic moves that nobody else was doing. Stampede couldn’t compete with the WWF so Owen had to go other places to wrestle like Japan where he established himself as a great worker. In some cool trivia, Owen was one of the few who worked with the legendary Jushin Liger before and after he created the gimmick. If there was any doubt how good Owen was, the fact that he became 1st non-Japanese wrestler to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title should end all doubt bc they don’t just make anyone champion. You have to earn their respect and Owen absolutely did. Following the footsteps of his brother Bret and brother in law’s Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith, Owen signed with the WWF as the Blue Blazer and was incredible but lost every match which ate away at him although he did really enjoy getting to travel the country with Bret. The Blue Blazer would face Mr Perfect at WrestleMania V, a big moment but they weren’t given any time to have a great match and wasn’t the quality you would expect from 2 of the best ever. Eventually Owen told Vince he didn’t come there to lose every match so Vince told him he could finish up. Just crazy to me that Vince didn’t see more potential in Owen than as a job guy.

The WWF experience made Owen sour on wrestling so he quit the WWF and went back to Calgary while still wrestling occasionally all around the world. Soon after he married Martha at the Hart House on July 1st, 1989 in what was a joyous affair despite the tensions between the 2 families and the fact that Bruce was Owen’s Best Man and Dynamite had broken his jaw 2 days earlier so it was awkward to say the least with both there and Owen was pissed at Dynamite. But it’s not true love without some adversity. It was around this time that Owen applied to the fire department, looking for some stability to take care of his family far away from a wrestling ring. Owen would be a prominent part of the German/Independent wrestling scene but it left much to be desired compared to the well oiled WWF machine. It was Japan where he really thrived having 2 incredible matches vs Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger and The Pegasus Kid who was Chris Benoit under the mask. Pretty cool to know that both Bret and Owen had great matches with Benoit. Owen had to support his family and being in Japan for lengthy tours was not an option so he had no choice but to go back to the WWF. Before he did, Owen would lose the Blue Blazer mask after being defeated by El Canek in a mask vs mask match, It was time to be Owen Hart in the ring and add to the Hart family greatness. Owen actually had a few matches in WCW but they were almost all vs job guys with 1 tag match feat Ricky Morton as his tag partner. But WCW had no plans for Owen and Bret’s status was skyrocketing within the WWF so it only made sense to join him there. Owen returned to the WWF but this time Bret was being groomed to be the Champion so Owen was able to have a better run.

He would form The New Foundation with Jim Neidhart and they looked to have Championship potential after a ***** match vs The Orient Express at Royal Rumble 1992. But unfortunately Jim’s demons had caught up to him and he was released. On March 5, 1992 Owen became a Father when his son, Oje was born. Oje was a nickname that Owen had as a kid so it’s cool that he passed it on to his son. With a growing family, Owen decided to try his hand as a singles wrestler and at WrestleMania 8, The Rocket Owen Hart defeated Skinner in a short but good match. It starts with Skinner spitting his tobacco juice or whatever right in Owen’s face after he moonsaults into the ring and it was a great shot as it covers him so it looks like Owen is in big trouble. Skinner hits his Gatorbreaker (greatname) finisher and this looks like a squash but Owen kicks out. He quickly gets the win after a belly to back roll up and has to give a pissed off Skinner a dropkick after the match to get him out of the ring. Huge to not only be on WrestleMania but to also get a win but unfortunately it didn’t lead to any kind of singles push so a new team, High Energy w Koko B Ware was formed but the potential seemed much lower than the New Foundation. They were a fun team to watch as both guys could go in the ring and their bright, colourful gear with the baggy pants made them stand out. Their run was very short with only 1 PPV Tag Match losing to The Headshrinkers at Survivor Series 1992 in a good match.

Owen entered the 1993 Royal Rumble #28 and lasted 5 and a half minutes before being tossed out by Yokozuna but the landing was nasty and it looked like Owen had blown his knee out. Thankfully he was OK after the match but a few weeks later on the European tour we would see that the knee was more injured than originally thought when he tried to flip back off Bam Bam Bigelow and his knee gave out requiring months out of action. On Feb 18, 1993, Kerry Von Erich took his own life and this was a tough loss for Owen who liked Kerry and could relate to him having grown up in famous wrestling families. Owen and Bret attended Kerry’s funeral to pay their final respects. Owen rehabbed his knee and was back on the road by the summer usually riding with Bret and he confided in him that he was ready to go home and call it quits in wrestling. Bret was about to gain more leverage with Vince so he told Owen to just hang on until after SummerSlam 1993 and Bret was sure he could get Owen into a better position. Heading into SummerSlam 1993, Bret’s opponent was Jerry Lawler who ran his own independent promotion in Memphis and it was struggling so Vince asked Owen and Bret to work some Tag matches there. They were resistant at first bc Vince had stopped allowing them to Stu and Stampede Wrestling but eventually agreed bc I think they knew how much fun it was going to be. And that they did working the crowd into a frenzy mocking them for being hillbillies and then greatly exaggerating their punches and kicks in the ring to mock the Memphis style of wrestling. Lawler was very happy bc hot crowds = money and the Hart brothers did great business in Memphis working Tag matches vs Lawler and Jeff Jarrett. The payoff was a big Tag Team cage match the day before SummerSlam 1993.

Lawler spent the lead up to SummerSlam trashing the Hart family, specifically Stu and Helen even to their faces on 1 show so Owen and Bruce were in the front row lookin like Cowboys ready to fight. Owen’s heart wasn’t in it tho bc he had just learned he had been rejected by the fire department and this detail of his life never made any sense to me. I wanted to be fire fighter at one point so I know what it takes to apply, you do a physical test and a written test. I can’t see any chance of him failing either so I can’t think of a reason they would reject him. He hadn’t yet become a star in wrestling so being too famous wouldn’t have been an issue although in Calgary that would not be the case. Maybe they thought he was too talented in the ring to quit but I doubt that factored into their decision. Obviously there is no way to know for sure but man that will eat at me for life lol Doink The Clown was part of the Lawler match wrestling on his on his behalf and came out carrying 2 pails that were part of a rib to be played on the Hart brothers. 1 pail had confetti that Doink threw on the crowd but the other had water and he was gonna soak Owen and Bruce. But Owen found out about the rib a few days earlier and warned Matt Borne, who wrestled as Doink, that if so much as a drop of water landed on him that he would rib Matt for the rest of his days and Owen was already a legendary ribber at this point. Doink might have been a clown but he was no fool and only Bruce got soaked with the water lol

After Bret successfully played his hand and gained more leverage with Vince, he was approached by Vince with an idea fora brother vs brother feud that was meant for Bruce but Bret insisted it be Owen and Vince agreed. Owen was 100% on board but they knew that it meant the end of their days riding together and hanging out bc if they were going to be fierce rivals than they couldn’t risk the fans seeing them together and kill the heat for the feud. This brings us to the Hart Brothers(Bret, Owen, Bruce, Keith) vs Shawn Michaels who was replacing Jerry Lawler and the 3 Knights at Survivor Series 1992. Owen shined in the match, eliminating 2 Knights and wowing the crowd with his athleticism.The plan was executed perfectly as Owen accidentally knocked a dazed Bret off the apron into the guardrail and when he leaned over the ropes to check on him, Michaels rolled up Owen from behind to eliminate him. The Hart Brothers were victorious but as they celebrated, Owen came out from the back livid that he was the only Hart eliminated and blamed Bret, ripping him off the turnbuckle and shoving him while angrily yelling in his face. Shocking to see the Hart family fighting like that but esp Bret and Owen. This was a great moment for the Hart Family as the boys exceeded expectations and stole the show with Stu and Helen proudly watching at ringside but it really meant a lot to Stu and they all celebrated together after the match.

Leading up to Royal Rumble 1994, Owen and Bret cut promos together saying they had patched up their differences and were on the same page working towards a shared goal of becoming the WWF Tag Team champions. There was a show in Hawaii that ended up being a great memory for the 2 brothers as they met up with 2 of Bret’s friends and hiked up to a fresh water pond that had a branch you could swing out into the water off but Owen refused saying he wasn’t going to risk getting hurt. Good call bc the opportunity he had been working for his whole life was much more important than a moment of fun. Later they hiked up to a salt water pool and Owen was again refusing to go in but this was much safe so Bret was able to get him to come in and they had a great conversation as the salt water waves washed over them. Bret’s friends had brought a cooler of beer and a bucket of KFC so the brothers decided to hell with their diets and enjoyed the rest of their day drinking ice cold beer and eating delicious fried chicken. As a brother, I know how special that moment must have been for Owen and Bret esp with the busy life of a pro wrestler making them few and far between. Owen and Bret enjoyed their last rides together before their story really kicked off at Royal Rumble 1993 and had a hidden gem of a match vs The Steiner Brothers that would end up on the WrestleFest 94 Coliseum Video.

At the Rumble, Owen and Bret took on the WWF Tag Champs The Quebecers Jacques and Pierre who isolated Bret during the match and badly hurt his knee. Owen and the fans were begging Bret to make the tag but the Quebecers cut it off every time. Bret finally fought back and could have made it to Owen but instead he put the Sharpshooter on Pierre but his knee quickly gave out and Bret was screaming in pain so the ref stopped the match giving the Quebecers the win. Owen was furious screaming at Bret,” WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST TAG ME!?” and as Bret finally got to his feet, Owen smoked his knee with a kick sending Bret to the mat and turning all the cheers from the crowd into boos. Owen continued screaming at Bret and finally went to the back. After several minutes, Bret was being helped to the back as an interview with Owen played and he was crushing it but right as he was about to end it he said, “And that’s why I kicked your knee outta your knee” flubbing his big promo. Such a crushing shame bc it just gave the ‘He isn’t ready or isn’t main event material’ critics all the ammo they needed. 1 stupid line. Forget that he hit nothing but home runs after this both in the ring and on the mic…* I actually agreed with Owen that Bret absolutely should have tagged him but didn’t like the reaction to it obviously. Most great villains have what they feel is a justified reason for their actions so this was a perfect launching pad for Owen’s heel run. Despite that one moment, the feud was off and running just getting hotter with each passing week as Owen played the jealous, nasty little brother perfectly while Bret tried to be adamant that he would never fight his own brother.

Eventually Bret would relent and agree to the match with WrestleMania X being the kickoff-point for what would be 1 of hottest stories in wrestling. Originally Owen had Bret had designed the match to feature all of Owen’s athleticism but Bret realized that a match like that would have the crowd cheering Owen which is the exact opposite of what they wanted. So 3 days before the match, Owen and Bret sat down in the Hart Dungeon and completely changed the match to highlight Owen as a heel instead so there would be less athletic high flying moves and more impact moves with dirty tactics. The match would open the show at WrestleMania X as Owen entered first wearing Bret’s signature wrap around shades before ripping them up on the turnbuckle as the crowd loudly booed him. The match was incredible and legitimately 1 of the greatest matches of all time. The match was physical and hard hitting that only 2 brothers could have with Owen using low blows and hair pulling to gain the advantage. I chuckle at some of the stiff shows knowing me and my brother would have done the same with the funniest spot being Owen locking in a deep camel clutch while pulling Bret’s hair and screaming at him lol fn little brothers, man. Late in the match Owen got the Sharpshooter on Bret but Bret reversed it tho only for a few seconds as Owen was close to the ropes. Owen charged Bret in the corner and Bret got a foot up, climbed up on Owen’s shoulders and tried to roll forward for a victory roll but Owen stopped it midway and dropped his kness onto Bret’s shoulders for the shocking 3 count. I was fcking stunned watching it live and stressed about Bret’s chances in the main event for the rest of the show haha

What a great moment as Owen proved to a lot of people that he was more than main event ready and shouldn’t be denied. Owen walks up to Bret who is sitting, stunned on the mat and gives him the finger and then shoots it up in the air LOL still do that to my brother this day. In the main event Bret became the WWF Champion and during the celebration, a disgusted Owen comes halfway down the aisle but refuses offers from Randy Savage to join them and says “What a bum” lol with the feud heating up, there was no ore fellowship and to keep kayfabe, they rode in different cars, ate at different places and would arrive/leave hotels at different times. Owen was a master at ribs bc they didn’t cause harm to anyone, he just used ribs to make life on the road easier and make people, especially himself, laugh. Gonna list a few examples of great ribs:

• Owen pretends to be Reg Park and starts talking trash to Stu and saying he wants to fight Stu, who gets riled up until he hangs up and thinks for a second and then says, “that damn Owen got me again.”
• He loved to prank call early in the morning and pretend to be hotel staff to talk about breakfast or pizza they didnt order, he would say it’s free and really push it and keep calling. From Bret’s HOF speech- “I remember being on the road getting a call from somebody telling me that someone from delivery service was giving me a free pizza. I think I already eaten, but they would sell me on it. It was free and bringing it up and it’s on the house. And I was like OK. And the next thing you know I would be arguing with the guy about how he wanted me to pick my toppings — what kind of toppings I wanted. And it was like OK. So I started going through the toppings and then he starts pushing more toppings on you. Then finally he tells you after all that he’s going to charge you for the toppings. And you go through this charade, anyway, that was Owen.” fcking LOL

• Owen would call power spots for Lex Luger in matches and sandbag him making him look weak while going up light for Davey and making him look strong.

• When the WWF did the hog pen match, Owen led all the hogs into Vince’s office
• Owen was great at voice imitations, one day Owen called Stu as Bad News to hold him up for money and Stu was furious. Stu hung up and Bad News walked into the kitchen and Stu gave him shit lol

• He would go into a gym in Germany on a hot day and crank the heat or somewhere it was freezing and he would put the air on LOL

• Another from Bret’s speech – “We were all standing around the front desk signing in. Duggan phoned down and asked the guy at the front desk, “Where’s the gym?” The guy puts his hand over the phone and he goes, “Anyone know where the gym is?” And Owen goes, you know, “Give it to me.” So he hands the phone over to Owen and Owen gets on the phone and of course, Jim, Hacksaw just thinks it’s somebody at the front desk. Anyway, Owen tells Hacksaw, “Why don’t you look it up yourself, YOU LAZY BASTARD.” So Hacksaw got all worked up and Owen tells him, “If you wanna do something about it, come down here and I’ll kick your ass.” Hacksaw couldn’t believe it. So then Hacksaw, you know, he’s getting dressed to come down to the lobby to straighten out this front desk guy. And I remember Owen just hands the phone back to him and the guy goes, “Don’t do this to me!“ Owen goes, “Don’t worry, just tell him it’s me, Jim Powers.” Hacksaw comes down to the lobby and the guy goes, “Hey, it wasn’t me! It was Jim Powers.” I remember that night in the dressing room, Hacksaw came up to Jim Powers and, well, that was funny anyway.”

Too funny. There was another show in Hawaii and while Owen and Bret wanted to keep kayfabe, Bret’s buddies in Hawaii couldn’t have cared less so they just decided to hang out together and enjoy. Owen, Bret and Bret’s 3 buddies hopped in a rubber dinghy and coasted out off shore to enjoy the waves while drinking beer and the guys decided they wanted to show Owen and Bret the barrier reef where the ocean floor drops down so they took the boat out there. The brothers enjoyed seeing the water go from blue to almost black where it starts to get really deep but when it was time to go back, the motor cut out and they realized they ran out of gas. One of the guys thought he could swim to shore but was nervous bc of shark attacks in the area recently but they had no food, no water, no communication devices and where drifting further out to sea. Owen thought it was a rib but after about 30 min he realized they were serious and started to get worried. Their only hope was for the coast guard to come by and see them until one of the guys decided waiting wasn’t the option and dove in to swim to shore and get help. Bret tried to make jokes but Owen wasn’t having it at first tho Bret finally got him to smile saying when they were rescued they would keep kayfabe acting like stayed away from eachother in the small boat. Soon they saw their friend cruising towards them on another boat with a gas can. Sun burnt and famished the brothers headed straight for the saltwater pool to gorge themselves on fried chicken and cold beer. They went back to keeping kayfabe after but later that night the big groups of babyfaces and heels ran into each other so they decided to just have a big party and Owen usually wouldn’t be there but he had just turned 29 so they talked him into coming out and he had an absolute blast. As the night ended, a drunk and sun burnt but happy Owen told Bret it was a day he would never forget and Bret agreed.

Next up was another big chance for Owen to elevate his status within the WWF, King of the Ring 1994. Bret had won the first KotR tournament last year so it made sense that Owen would want to win it but esp after beating Bret at WM X since that would give him even more bragging rights. Owen qualified for the tournament by defeating Doink The Clown would open the tournament by defeating Tatanka in the 1st round. Next up was a match vs the 123 Kid and man it was awesome for only being 3:37 long, such a shame we didn’t get a longer match bc it would have stolen the show for sure. They would have a rematch in August but a bad finish ruined it so they never really got to have one they could knock out of the park. 123 Kid was attacked by Jeff Jarrett after their 1st round match so this was pretty easy pickings for Owen who just fn destroys Kid with a baseball slide lol the lights are still out from the entrance so it looks awesome. Owen wins quickly with a Sharpshooter. The finals saw Owen face Razor Ramon and the match was good but not the best these guys could have done for sure. This just wasn’t about Owen having 3 great matches like Bret did, this was about establishing Owen as a nasty heel and it def did that. The final part of Owen’s plan was revealed when Jim Neidhart, who returned earlier in the night to help Bret vs Diesel, showed up and attacked Razor to help Owen win the King of the Ring. Neidhart only helped Bret so Owen could take the title off him and now would be at Owen’s side when Owen gets his shot at SummerSlam. Owen proclaims himself the King of Harts after the match and is def the #1 heel in the business.

Owen loved being a bad guy, it meant he could display more of his personality and have tons of fun trying to rile up his opponents and the fans and damn was he good at it. He was also good at saving money and would make friends with fans in different cities all over the country so he could get rides and stay with them at their house when they had a show there lol too funny. The biggest match of Owen’s career would be in a Cage Match for the WWF Title at SummerSlam 1994 against his brother Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart and this was everything Stu dreamed of, 2 of his sons at the top of the pro wrestling industry wrestling for the biggest prize in the world. Owen and Bret delivered an absolute classic * match that arguably stands as the greatest Cage match of all time that does not feature blood. They both knew they couldn’t have this match be a bloody mess like most cage matches are considering they are brothers so they designed it around trying to win the match and the escapes and it worked perfectly. Bret narrowly escaped first to get the win but Owen had solidified himself as a main event player with his performance. The British Bulldog returned to the WWF to help Bret and was part of the crew that eventually chased off Owen and Neidhart who were beating down Bret after the match. At Survivor Series 1994, Owen was part of the Teamsters with Diesel, SHawn Michaels, Jim Neidhart, Jeff Jarrett losing to The Bad Guys with Razor Ramon, British Bulldog, Fatu, Sione, 123 Kid after their entire team was counted out when Diesel went after Shawn Michaels who accidentally superkicked him.

Owen’s biggest role at the show was in the Bret vs Bob Backlund WWF Title Submission match to be holding the towel in Bob Backlund’s corner while the Bulldog had the towel in Bret’s corner and the loser would have their corner throw in the towel. Everyone knew Bulldog would not throw the towel no matter what so Owen riled him up and he started chasing Owen but tripped into the steel steps getting knocked out. Then Owen put on an Oscar worthy performance tearfully begging his mother Helen to throw in the towel as Bret had been trapped in the cross face chicken wing for minutes and she finally does as Stu tries to stop her making Backlund the new champion. As soon as she does, Owen turns the tears into a huge smile and celebrates as he runs down the aisle to the back. Masterful performance by Owen but it just sucks that it never really led to anything significant like another big match with Bret or a WWF Title run. I don’t know why they gave this spot to Backlund and not Owen, I mean I’m sure at the time Owen would’ve been crushed to only have a 3 day reign but just being the WWF Champion would have meant so much to his legacy that it would have been worth it and I think would have appreciated it months/years later. At Royal Rumble 1995, Owen was one of many that attacked Bret in his WWF Title match vs Diesel eventually causing it to be declared a no contest so Bret returned the favour attacking Owen as he entered the Rumble and when Owen finally got in the ring he was eliminated in 3 seconds by the Bulldog lol funny but he deserved better after his great run in 94.

It wasn’t the WWF Title but things got back on track for Owen at WrestleMania 11 when he revealed his mystery partner to be Yokozuna and they defeated the Smoking Gunns to become the WWF Tag Team Champions. Owen and Yoko defeated the Smoking Gunns in rematch at the 1st In Your House PPV but neither were on the King of the Ring 1995 PPV after Owen failed to qualify wrestling the Bulldog to a 15 min time limit draw. AT In Your House 2, Owen and Yoko defeated the Allied Powers the Bristish Bulldog and Lex Luger in a good match. A year after putting on a 5 star classic, Owen is not on SummerSlam 1995 lol explain that one, I guess something wasn’t KLIQing with Owen…. Wrestling definitely frustrated Owen but it couldn’t steal his joy bc more than anything, Owen loved being a Dad and was great at it. He was an amazing girl Dad when he had his daughter Athena on September 23, 1995 always being excited to participate in her activities. Owen gave his kids and Martha the absolute best of himself and they deserved so much more time together. At In Your House 3, Owen and Yoko would lose the titles to Diesel and Shawn Michaels but there was controversy since it was announced Owen wouldn’t be there due to the birth of his daughter the day before so the Bulldog filled in. Owen ended up I interfering was the one pinned in the match but since he was not technically legal in the match, the belts were given back to Owen and Yoko the next night on RAW. No time to enjoy as they ended up losing the Titles to the Smoking Gunns later that night. Always thought that was a cool story twist having Owen be replaced and then show up and pinned. In Your House 4 was the first PPV I ever saw live in person and while Owen wasn’t on the PPV, I got to see him and Yoko defeat Savio Vega and Bam Bam Bigelow in a dark match. At Survivor Series 1996, Owen was featured in a Wild Card Match that saw Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, British Bulldog, and Sycho Sid versus Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon, and Dean Douglas after the teams were randomly selected. Owen was eliminated 3rd and his team ended up losing.

On RAW in November, Owen had a match with Shawn Michaels where Shawn collapsed after receiving an enziguri kick to the back of the head. This was a storyline to draw up sympathy for Shawn’s big run at the Royal Rumble. In response, Owen had a match at In Your House 5 vs Diesel that was basically a squash but Owen’s great selling made Diesel look like the dominant big man the WWF wanted so he did his job. Owen entered the 1996 Royal Rumble #17 lasting over 20min, eliminating Hakushi and Barry Horowitz before being eliminated by Diesel and Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels won the Rumble but Owen believed since he had put Michaels out of action that he deserved the shot instead so they had a match with the WrestleMania title shot on the line at In Your House 6. Owen would deliver one of the best matches of his career and gave Shawn Michaels bigtime credibility as he headed into his big moment in the main event of WrestleMania vs Bret. The British Bulldog turned heel in the second half of 1995 to join Camp Cornette which featured Owen and Vader after they turned on Yokozuna and they had a good match at WrestleMania 12 in a 6 man tag defeating Yokozuna, Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson. There was 5 min with Cornette on the line for the baby faces so I was shocked when they lost. The night before was the first Slammy Awards since the 80’s and Owen intercepted an award for the Squared Circle Shocker won by Shawn Michaels collapse claiming he deserved it and calling himself ‘Slammy Award Winning’ Owen Hart from then on lol and that was all him, there was no plan he just saw an opportunity and ran with it. The Slammys were a huge part of Owen’s character so it’s def a significant night. In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies saw Owen team with the Bulldog for the first time on PPV and started their great run together as they defeated Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts.

At In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, Owen was in the corner as The Bulldog took on Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title but the show is famous for being ruined by a power outage. At King of the Ring 1996, only the Quarter finals were on the PPV and Owen lost to Marc Mero in the semis after defeating Yokozuna in the opening round so he was not on the show wrestling but did commentary and was Bobby Heenan levels of great as a heel commentator. So funny how he would justify the actions of the heels and call out the baby faces, don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he may have found a second career in wrestling as a commentator when he retired. Owen wrestled the Ultimate Warrior the night after KotR on RAW and would end up being the Ultimate Warrior’s last opponent in the WWF. It was around this time that Owen started wearing a cast on his arm, not sure if it started with a legit injury and he rolled with it or if it was kayfabe from the start but he was a menace with that cast helping himself and others win matches with it lol at In Your House 9: International Incident from Vancouver, Owen, Bulldog and Vader defeated Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson and SID in the main event after Vader pinned Shawn Michaels in a really good match. The celebration was bittersweet as Owen’s nephew Matt had just passed away from a flesh eating disease that broke down his body with terrifying speed and killed him in just 12 days. Matt was a healthy, happy kid that had potential to be the best Hart wrestler but just like that, his life was cut cruelly short. The death of Matt really hurt Owen, he had talked to Matt a few days before he died and the kid just wanted to talk about wrestling. Owen flew Matthew’s best friend TJ Wilson(Tyson Kidd) and Matthew’s brother Teddy out to a PPV after Matthew died to help them cope. Owen speaking about Matt, “walkin along one day and do nothing wrong and play by the rules, be a good person and do everything right, and it doesn’t guarantee anything” no doubt man and it just breaks my heart that they now apply to Owen as well. I wrote earlier that Owen felt his family had an invincibility to them growing up but now, he felt that his family had lost that invincibility power after Matt died. Such a terrible tragedy, Godspeed to Matt.

Next up was SummerSlam 1996 which saw Owen open the show vs Savio Vega and defeat him after putting the cast behind Savio’s head on a back suplex and then quickly won with the Sharpshooter. Good match but man Owen had so much more potential than this and it’s easy to see why he was becoming increasingly down on wrestling. After SummerSlam, Owen and the Bulldog started teaming together regularly and headed into In Your House 10: Mind Games as the #1 contenders for the Tag Team Titles and defeated the Smoking Gunns to a huge pop in front of a pro-heel Philly crowd to become the new champs.There would be a rematch between Owen/Bulldog and the Smoking Gunns at In Your House 11: Buried Alive that would see Owen and The Bulldog retain. The matches between the 2 teams were always good but they never tore the house down which surprises me bc on paper they seem to match up well. At Survivor Series 1996, Doug Furnas, Henry O. Godwinn, Phil Lafon and Phineas I. Godwinn defeated The British Bulldog, Leif Cassidy, Marty Jannetty and Owen Hart after a great match when Furnas and Lafon pinned the Bulldog and Owen back to back. Despite the impressive performance, Furnas and Lafon wouldn’t get the next shot as Owen/Bulldog successfully defended their Titles against the Fake Razor and Fake Diesel at In Your House 12: It’s Time but before the match Steve Austin attacked them and clipped Bulldog’s knee so it was in doubt. In the main event, Owen and the Bulldog returned the favour and came out to help Bret when Austin came to ringside and attacked him. The seeds for the 1997 Hart Foundation were planted at this show. Owen and the Bulldog both were in the 1997 Royal Rumble with Owen entering at #13 and lasting just over 8 min before being eliminated by Steve Austin. He only eliminated 2 people, Goldust and the British Bulldog LOL seeing him protest when there was clear visual evidence is just gold.

The night after the Royal Rumble, Owen and the Bulldog took on Furnas and Lafon in an awesome non-title match that the champs won after Owen hit Lafon with his Slammy and then Bulldog hit the Running Powerslam. 2 weeks later the Titles would be on the line at Royal Rumble RAW in front of 25k+ in Skydome and Lafon actually gets a 3 count but Owen got his foot on the ropes so the match continues. Owen is thrown to the outside and fakes a knee injury staying on the outside for the 10 count so Furnas and Lafon win but Owen and The Bulldog keep the titles. So funny to watch Owen jog up the aisle and then collapse to put on a show for Bulldog and then jog to the back after him lol what a brilliant performer. They had 1 of their best matches in a rematch at In Your House 13: Final Four where Furnas and Lafon once again defeated the Champions but this time they won by DQ after Owen hit Lafon with his Slammy so the Titles did not change hands. Owen caused the DQ when it Bulldog had Lafon on his shoulders for the Running Powerslam so his interference cost them a legit victory which pissed Bulldog off so he slammed Owen’s Slammy down causing it to break and Owen to lose it on Davey and how he didn’t break out laughing is beyond me haha Seemed like everything was building to a No Countout/No DQ match for the Tag Titles between Owen/Bulldog and Furnas/Lafon where they would tear the house down and deliver the big pop fans had been wanting for the Title change. Instead they had another really good match at MSG in March that seemingly ended the feud as Owen/Bulldog faced Mankind/Vader at WrestleMania 13 while Furnas and Lafon lost a Fatal 4 Way. Such a shame, would have been kind of poetic to see Owen steal the show only for Bret to overshadow it a few matches later. The night before WrestleMania 13, Owen “won” another Slammy making him the 2 Time Slammy Award Winning Owen Hart and of course he carried both around lol

The WWF would head out for a European Tour after the PPV and Owen would have one of the best matches of his career. With business in the US stagnant, Vince had legit international draws in Bret and the Bulldog so they were doing a lot of European tours and to promote further interest, the WWF announced they would hold a tournament to crown the New WWF European Champion and it ended up that Owen and the Bulldog were in the finals. On RAW from Germany, the Bulldog defeated Owen in a * classic to become the first WWF European Champion that is one of the best matches in both mens career. Bulldog pinned Owen the same way Owen pinned Bret at WM X so it all comes back around. WrestleMania 13 saw Owen and the Bulldog retain their Titles by countout defeating Mankind and Vader and they were building to a great match but it was ruined by the lame finish. The night after on RAW, there was a miscommunication between Owen and the Bulldog that finally caused things to boil over and they started fighting with Owen demanding a European Title shot the next week which Bulldog happily obliged. The next week the match quickly started to turn ugly as Owen grabbed a steel chair when all of a sudden Bret gets in the ring and he has a lot to say:

“BRET HART: Can’t you see! Can’t you see that this is what all of these people want. Family values…that’s what they want they’ve had us fighting for years. All of these people right here that have had all of us fighting. What are you fighting for!? For what!? To satisfy a bunch of people that don’t know the first thing about family values. Listen to me, I’m asking you, I need ya, I need ya…Yeah USA, you’re talkin about a country that’s based it’s entire history on brother against brother. They’ve got talk shows all over this country with families airing out their family problems bc they all hate each other. That’s what they’ve done, they’ve taken our family and turned us into a bunch of haters. They turned you(Bulldog) against me, we fought, we fought like 2 men in Wembley Stadium and after you won I hugged ya. We came back to America, they turned us against each other. Listen to you and me, look what they’ve done to you(Owen) and me! I was the one that brought you into the World Wrestling Federation. Yeah you(fans) laugh…they push you and they push ya and they push ya. They pushed me, they pushed us against each other. They’ve driven this wedge in between the whole family. You(Bulldog) know, what did they do to Diana. Owen, I’ve known you since you were a baby, I dressed you for school, I dressed you for school everyday, I was the one that made sure you made the school bus. How many times, how many times did I take you, remember that school St Michaels and that teacher, that teacher was pickin on you. I was only 13 years old, I went to that school and I set the teacher straight.

Who was there for you (Owen) more times than I was? Who was the one that even taught you to become a wrestler. Only 2 people in the entire family that really excelled in wrestling and it was you and me and they turned us against each other. They turned me against my own sister Diana. Because Americans don’t understand family! They don’t give a damn about family! Owen, Davey, I’m asking you for your help bc I need ya. Owen, Owen look me in the eye, nobody was there for you more times than I was. I want you to hear me, I want you to hear me loud and clear, I don’t care about these people! Not anymore! Owen, I love ya. I love ya.” group hug Oh man what a masterful performance from Owen who really turned on the waterworks lol 1 of my fav moments in wrestling bc it led to 1 of my fav time periods in wrestling, 1997 Hart Foundation vs USA. For so long I wished Owen would turn good so I could cheer him and now I finally got my wish so I was always excited for RAW every week. At In Your House 14: Revenge of the Taker, Owen and the Bulldog lost by DQ to the Legion of Doom Hawk and Animal who had recently returned to the WWF so they still kept the titles. All these DQ/countout finishes were frustrating for fans that wanted to see them lose the titles which is the goal so sometimes you sacrifice match quality to get over as heels. In the main event, Owen and the Bulldog made their presence felt by attacking Steve Austin causing him to win by DQ but it was not the victory Austin wanted so he continued to attack Bret until Owen and the Bulldog could get him out of there so they could retreat to the back.

The next night on RAW, Bret fought Austin in a Street Fight that quickly turned into an all out brawl with interference from both sides but Bret was injured both kayfabe and for real by Austin destroying his knees with a chair so they stretchered him to the back. They load Bret into the ambulance as Owen is pleading, “Watch his knee! Get him to a hospital!” LOL but it is revealed that Austin is driving the ambulance and he viciously attacks Bret until Owen and the Bulldog can get to him. Absolute gold. Owen and the Bulldog beat down Austin at the end of RAW and as Austin was trying to get up, Brian Pillman returned and beat the hell out of Austin before being ran off by Shawn Michaels. Pillman officially joined the 1997 Hart Foundation a week later by setting a trap to open RAW trying to draw Austin to the ring with Owen and the Bulldog ready to jump him from behind but Austin saw it coming and bailed. Pillman then led Bulldog and Owen in a prayer where Owen pleaded with the fans to pray for Bret and Steve Austin after they are done with him lol later that night, Owen defeated Rocky Maivia to become the new Intercontinental Champion and this made him a double champion for the first time as he was still 1 half of the Tag Team Champions. Man I was so pumped when Owen won and the finish where he hooks his feet under his opponents armpits and rolls him up was fn sweet. At the end if the night, Jim Neidhart returned to protect Bret from Steve Austin and the 1997 Hart Foundation was now complete and firing on all cylinders.

The next PPV was In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell but Owen and the Bulldog were not on the actual show only losing a dark match by DQ to the LOD but they did interfere in the main event by attacking both the Undertaker and Steve Austin. After 246 days their Tag Team Title run would come to an end in epic fashion as they put on a * classic losing to Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, a match that set the standard for RAW that has arguably never been surpassed. Incredible action with a hot crowd and exciting finish that many fans had been frustratingly waiting for. At King of the Ring 1997, Owen, Bulldog and Neidhart defeated SID and the LOD when SID grabbed Bulldog for a powerbomb but Owen was the legal man and came off the top for a sunset flip that got the 3 count. Fn awesome finish. It was at this PPV that Bret challenged any 5 American wrestlers to face the Hart Foundation in a 10 man Tag at In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede. The dynamic each week between crowds in the US that hated the Hart Foundation with a passion and crowds in Canada that went absolutely nuts for them was just incredible, man what a time to be a wrestling fan. Every RAW was filled with great promos and matches, attacks on Austin and others by the Hart Foundation and vice versa. So thankful I got to grow up with this happening live. Austin accepted the match first but couldn’t get on the same page with any other guys thanks to the Hart Foundation until Goldust suggested that himself, Austin, Shamrock and the LOD team up to accept the challenge and Austin agreed so the match was on.

In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede is a great show top to bottom but the main event elevates it to legendary status; Bret Hart, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and the Legion of Doom Hawk and Animal in front of 19k+ ready to jump the barricades and fight right along side the Hart Foundation at a moments notice. That crowd wasn’t just hot, they were fully invested and ready to go to war lol no joke. It’s a special moment as a wrestling fan but I can’t imagine how it feels for the Harts. Entire family at ringside, 5 Stampede boys on top of the wrestling world making history and money, Stu and Helen right there, thousands of rabid fans in the arena, millions watching on PPV, man it doesn’t get much better than that. Each Hart Foundation member entered 1 at a time with the pops getting louder and louder as Owen entered second last to a deafening roar before Bret almost brought the house down coming out last. Really emotional considering 4 of 5 are no longer with us. Could almost stop time right there as the 5 of them stood at the top of the ramp to soak it all in for one more second before they marched to the ring for battle. Bret got things started and the building literally starts to shake when he starts stomping a mud hole into Austin. Owen eventually gets in there to a huge pop but the best was yet to come. At one point Austin put his hands on Stu and almost started a riot before the Hart brothers got there. Like I said that crowd was on another level. After an awesome * match, Owen shocked the world when he rolled up Austin for the 3 count that almost blew the roof off the Saddledome. No better way to end it, Owen earned that moment and got to celebrate with his family, proudly carrying Oje around as he waved a Canadian flag amongst all the Hart family and friends. One of wrestling’s greatest nights.

The next night on RAW in Edmonton, as the Hart Foundation, all wearing Oiler jerseys, stood proudly while the Canadian anthem played, Austin came through the crowd and attacked them with a chair focusing his attacks on Owen. A week later Owen and the Bulldog got another chance at the Tag Titles after winning a tournament to face Steve Austin and a new partner after Shawn Michaels had to vacate them. Austin started the match on his own but eventually 1 of Mick Foley’s alter ego’s, Dude Love made his WWF debut to team with Austin and defeat Owen and the Bulldog in a great match. Earlier in the night, the Hart Foundation had an interview where Owen would further his rivalry with Austin, “VINCE MCMAHON: Alright well speaking of titles, of course you Owen Hart you unfortunately have the distinction of facing the toughest SOB in the WWF, Stone Cold Steve Austin!

OWEN HART: Well I could really give a damn whether it’s Stone Cold Steve Austin or anybody else bc the bottom line is, Bulldog and myself tonight will regain the WWF Tag Team belts that we should have never have lost! And as for you Austin, at SummerSlam you better pucker up son and get your blistex ready, bc at SummerSlam you’re gonna kiss my ass, boy!” lol after the promo Austin, Shawn Michaels, SID, The Patriot and Ken Shamrock come out onto the stage and what a shame that we never got a 10 man tag between these 2 teams. The next week RAW was in Halifax, Nova Scotia and it is 1 of the hottest wrestling crowds of all time, they were fn fired up all night. I actually rank this crowd as 1 of the greatest RAW moments bc their energy made the show and Hart Foundation vs USA storyline so much fun. There was another Hart Foundation interview as they challenged any 3 American wrestlers to a Flag match in the main event,
“VINCE MCMAHON: We know who Bret and the Bulldog want in the 6 man match, if you had your druthers, who would you want in the 6 man match?

OWEN HART: Well if I had my wish, I wish that that Stone Cold slime Austin would come on out here, and why wait until SummerSlam, I don’t know what kind of a pervert he is or what kind of a sicko, he wants to come out and kiss my butt. Well I don’t wanna wait till SummerSlam, if he’s any kind of man, I damn well know he can’t kiss my butt, and he certainly won’t kiss my ass, but if he wants he can suck my toes!

glass breaks and out comes Steve Austin

STONE COLD: You come out here, and you say this is God’s country, this ain’t nothin but a living hell! You want the truth, the truth is I’ll come down and shove all of your toes straight up your asses! We ain’t got to wait till SummerSlam, I’ll be a part of your stupid little flag match and that’s the bottom line. “

Man I loved the rivalry between Owen and Austin, they had great chemistry in the ring just a shame 1 moment had to cast a shadow over it. The main event saw Owen, Bret and Bulldog defeat Austin, Undertaker and Dude Love in a flag match after Pillman interfered and the crowd was on fn fire the whole time. Such a great memory and one of the best nights for the 1997 Hart Foundation. This brings us to Owen vs Austin for the IC Title at SummerSlam 1997, the match that is infamous for Owen accidentally hurting Austin on a botched sit out pile driver. Such a shame it happened bc man the match was perfect up to the accident and would’ve went down as 1 of the best in both men’s career. In Owen’s words, it went from “utopia to hell in a second.” Near the end of the match, Owen got Austin in a Tombstone pildriver position but instead of hitting his knees like they had agreed, Owen felt confident to fall on his ass but when he jumped, Austin slipped down exposing his head below Owen’s knees and took the impact of the mat on the top of his head. Austin was momentarily paralyzed but thank God started to regain some movement but he was barely able to move and felt he had to finish the match due to his badass character and the stip of kissing Owen’s ass if he lost. Owen stalled by playing to the crowd until Austin managed to crawl over and execute what amounts to looking like the weakest roll up ever but is an unbelievable feat of grit and courage considering the injury.

Owen was devastated that he had hurt Austin but apparently was too embarrassed to go see Austin and apologize. Def a mistake on Owen’s part but shows that nobody is perfect. This would lead to a rocky relationship between the 2 for the next couple years as Austin was upset Owen never apologized or really talked to him about it. I’m sure it was one of those moments we all have where we wish we could just forget it ever happened and move on bc you are so ashamed but with something as serious as this, Owen should have just bit the bullet and talked it out with Austin who had made a similar mistake a few years earlier so he def would have understood where Owen was coming from. By RAW the next night, it was clear Austin had miraculously avoided serious injury but would have neck problems for years eventually requiring surgery but for the time being, Austin was too hot to take time off for surgery so he stopped wrestling but kept appearing on the shows to build storylines for when he was cleared to return. With Austin ok and a plan to work together again down the road, Owen kept the story going and def did not hold back lol,

“OWEN HART: You know Bret, you can’t imagine the rage, the anger, how mad I really am bc last night I did a real stupid thing. I showed compassion to Stone Cold Steve Austin and I beat myself is what I did. But Austin, in doing that I made you a crippled freak. You’re paralyzed, you’re in a hospital somewhere in New Jersey I don’t know where the hell you are but I ended your career last night. You may have stole my Intercontinental Belt but you’ll never wrestle again son, I left you in the ring a crippled freak, you could barely move and the only reason you beat me is bc I had compassion and I beat myself. But the only thing to do son, is for you to forfeit that belt and give it back to me or either come out and let me kick your ass again bc you’re a crippled freak, you’ll never wrestle again. The only way to solve it is by giving me my belt back.” Damn Owen was coming with some serious fire and had the fans begging Austin to kick his ass. Austin would respond later in the segment, “glass breaks and out comes Steve Austin

STONE COLD: Stone Cold says so right now Owen Hart. I don’t need no doctors approval, I ain’t gonna wear this piece of crap they gave me. The fact that you dumped me on my head last night, don’t mean a damn thing to me. The fact of the matter was, you were too stupid to cover me when you had the chance. The bottom line is, you’re a loser Owen Hart. Not bc I say you are but bc it runs through your veins, bc your Mom n Dad gave that to ya and ain’t nothing you can do about that. Tonight I truly will open up a can of whoop ass and show you exactly what Austin 3:16 is! And that’s the bottom line!”

The next PPV was In Your House 17: Ground Zero where Austin and Dude Love forfeited the titles and 4 teams wouldcompete for the vacant titles later in the night. The Headbangers Mosh and Thrasher defeated the Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn and Phineas I. Godwinn), the Legion of Doom Animal and Hawk, and Owen Hart and the British Bulldog after Austin came in and hit Owen with a stunner and Mosh pinned him after hitting their finish. The less said about the One Night Only PPV from the UK where Owen lost to Vader the better after what they did to Davey but Owen and Vader did have a fn great match. DX interfered in the entire Bulldog vs Shawn Michaels match as Owen and Bret stood in the back disgusted at the plan considering the fans knew the Hart Foundation was in the building so them not evening the odds made it an even bigger joke. Davey lost the match in front of his sister who was dying of cancer and Bret says the light died in Davey that night. Things were deteriorating fast for the 1997 Hart Foundation and the hits kept coming. Austin had to forfeit the IC Title along with the Tag Titles so a tournament was held on RAW with the finals taking place at In Your House 18: Badd Blodd. Owen won his 1st round match by DQ vs Goldust, then had to face Pillman after being forced by Sgt Slaughter so they started having a fake match until Marlena hit Owen with her purse and then they started fighting for real lol Goldust came down to cause the DQ and give Owen the win. The finals would be Owen vs Faarooq but that would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Right before the pre-show was to start, everyone learned that Brian Pillman had been found dead in his hotel room and the Hart Foundation members were crushed but esp Owen who had been close to Pillman due to their age and being in Stampede together. The Hart Foundation showed their level of professionalism by going through with the show and not missing a beat but you can tell looking back that it is weighing on them. Austin was at ringside as guest time keeper/commentator and actually helped Owen defeat Faarooq bc Austin was hell bent on embarrassing Owen by kicking his ass and winning the IC Title from him with authority. Austin would be cleared and get his rematch at Survivor Series 1997 so in every title defense Owen had leading up to it, Austin would interfere to make sure Owen kept the title. Behind the scenes things were not good as Bret was set to leave the WWF for WCW after Vince told him he couldn’t afford to pay him anymore which would end the 1997 Hart Foundation. The match at Survivor Series wasn’t supposed to be great, just needed to get the belt back to Austin so he defeated Owen in just over 4 min to win the IC Title and end their feud. In the main event, Owen and Bulldog were waiting to run in to cause the DQ finish when Vince screwed Bret and told the time keeper to ring the bell when Shawn had Bret in a Sharpshooter. Shocked but realizing what happened, Owen immediately went to the ring to stand with Bret and console him saying Bret has nothing to be ashamed of, Vince does. A night that never should have happened and if it didn’t, so much would be different.

In the aftermath, Bulldog bought put his contract and signed with WCW. Neidhart quit but not before they had DX humiliate him on TV. Owen felt alone and wanted to leave but Vince refused and his hands were tied bc he had a tough contract with no outs. Owen was always sure that WCW would never do anything meaningful with him and after watching what they did with Bret he was 100% right. So Owen negotiated a pay raise and decided to stay with the WWF, focusing on setting up a future where his family was taken care of and that would allow him to leave wrestling behind. After Survivor Series, there was no sight or mention of Owen on TV until In Your House 19: D-Generation X when Owen appeared in a hoodie and attacked Shawn Michaels after the main event, pushing him off the apron through a table and then firing punches at him until the refs pulled him off. The Blackhart Owen Hart was born and man I was so pumped at this moment. The weeks after the Screwjob were weird for me as a fan bc I was kind of bummed out that so much had changed in such a short time so this was 1 of the first times I got legit excited after it. But that excitement was shortlived as they never went anywhere with the character, just a match on RAW vs Shan Michaels that ended in a DQ when HHH interfered and pivoted Owen from feuding with Shawn to HHH.

Elevating Owen after the Screwjob seemed like a no brainer but there was too much working against Owen around that time. The injury to Austin prob killed any chances of hitting the main events again and with DX/Kliq running the show they aren’t gonna want to help Owen knowing Bret would be happy for him. Owen entered the 1998 Royal Rumble #9 and lasted 12min before being eliminated by HHH and Chyna. On RAW, Owen would win the European Title defeating Goldust who was dressed as HHH who thought he was clever in getting out of the match, but Sgt Slaughter said since he Goldust was a legit replacement, the title was on the line and Owen is the champion. In his last PPV main event, Owen Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie defeated Triple H, Savio Vega and The New Age Outlaws Billy Gunn and Road Dogg in a really good, fun match. A few weeks before WM 14, HHH goaded Owen, who had injured his ankle in the storylines, into accepting a match for the Title and defeated him to become the new champion. At WrestleMania 14, Owen was defeated by HHH in a good match but not up to the standards you would expect, finish was good tho with Chyna interfering. They had a rematch at In Your House 21: Unforgiven with Chyna in a cage above the ring but she eventually escapes thanks to Road Dogg lowering the cage. Owen breaks the Sharpshooter to get her off the apron and then hits a pedigree but the refs are distracted until X-pac comes in with a fire extinguisher to get the win for HHH. Sounds good but it was not a fun match to watch. I remember hating this feud bc the matches were not exciting and I wanted more for Owen.

On RAW during a tag match between Owen/Shamrock vs The Rock/Mark Henry, Owen joined the Nation by turning on Shamrock by breaking his ankle and biting his ear, an ode to Mike Tyson lol Owen would become co-leader of the Nation with the Rock and would drop his famous “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change” catchphrase that is still in use by fans to this day. Once again I started to get excited thinking this might move Owen up the card where he belongs. At In Your House 21: Over the Edge, The Nation – Owen Hart, D’Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa with Mark Henry defeated DX – Billy Gunn, Road Dogg and Triple H with Chyna and X-Pac after Owen pinned HHH with a pedigree. Not a big title win but pinning HHH with his own finish was a good moment for Owen. They had a 6 man elimination Tag match on RAW feat Owen/Rock/D-Lo vs HHH/Billy Gunn/Road Dogg that was even better than the PPV match with Owen as the sole survivor after HHH was DQ’d. At King of the Ring 1998, Owen was not in the tournament after losing in the Quarterfinals to Dan Severn but did have a match against X-Pac, 4 years after their <5min classic and X-Pac gets the win, his first vs Owen. This time around both men were different wrestlers than they were the last time they had a match but they still put on a great show here, there was just lots of interference for the finish so it takes away from it a bit. Shamrock would return from injury looking for revenge on Owen by attacking him on RAW. This would set up a Dungeon Match at In Your House 23: Fully Loaded and the match would take place inside the Hart Dungeon in Calgary with Dan Severn as the special ref. Owen and Shamrock have a fun brawl and it’s cool to see the legendary Hart Dungeon as the back drop for a match. Shamrock tries to kick Owen but hits Severn instead and while Severn is out, Owen nails Shamrock with a dumbbell and then puts an arm at on. Severn see’s Shamrock passed out in a submission and ends the match declaring Owen the winner. No way Owen could lose in the Hart Dungeon lol they would have a rematch at SummerSlam 1998 in a Lions Den match that would be contested in what was basically a UFC style cage but not exactly to avoid a lawsuit. This was an awesome match that allowed both men to shine. Great finish with Shamrock escaping the Sharpshooter by climbing up the cage and then manoeuvring into position to grab the ankle lock and get the submission victory. This would be the last great match Owen would have.

After SummerSlam, Owen would start to team with Jeff Jarrett and be associated with him in storylines. Next PPV was In Your House 24: Breakdown and we got a cool matchup as Owen defeated Edge who had just made his debut at SummerSlam. So many missed opportunities for matches Owen could have had with the next generation of wrestlers but it’s nice to know that he at least got to have one with Edge and it was a really good. The wrestling world was really starting to change with the Attitude Era kicking into high gear with all the edgier content and this was tough on Owen who wasn’t on board with some of the raunchier aspects of it. On the Sept 28 RAW, they did a storyline where Owen injured Dan Severn and now that it had happened twice, Owen said that he was retiring from wrestling. After this the Blue Blazer started showing up, acting like a heel and insisting that he wasn’t Owen Hart which pissed off ppl like Steve Blackman who tried to prove it was Owen. But every time Blackman or someone would catch the Blue Blazer, Owen would appear proving he wasn’t under the mask. Sometimes it would be Jarrett and once it was Koko B Ware lol they went back and forth attacking eachother until Owen finally agreed to come out of retirement and face Steve Blackman and they had a match at In Your House 26: Rock Bottom that Blackman would win by count out.

I actually loved that Owen brought back the Blue Blazer character as I thought it would be perfect for the Attitude Era and could potentially give him a big push if it got over huge. But I had no idea of the real reasons it was brought back and that def changes things. Owen wanted no part of the Attitude Era content and kept having to say no over and over to the trash TV ideas they gave him like having an affair with Debra or having her out her hand down his pants and him act all bashful. Just absolute garbage that showed no respect for a good family man or what a talented wrestler he was. Owen entered the 1999 Royal Rumble #29 and lasted 6 min before being eliminated by Steve Austin. On the Jan 25th RAW, Owen and Jeff Jarrett defeated Ken Shamrock and the Big Bossman to win the WWF Tag Team Titles making Jarrett the 3rd different partner that Owen won the tag titles with. It wasn’t the WWF title but it was nice to see Owen with a belt even if the Tag Titles had been significant devalued. Next PPV was In Your House 27: St Valentines Day Massacre that saw Owen and Jarrett defend their titles against Mark Henry and D-Lo Brown after Jarrett made Henry submit. WrestleMania 15 saw Owen and Jarrett defend their Tag Titles against D-Lo and Test after Owen missle dropkicked D-lo allowing Jarrett to roll him up. Good match but unfortunately it would be Owen’s final WrestleMania appearance. A week later, Owen and Jarrett would lose the Tag Titles to Kane and X-Pac on RAW. The next PPV was Backlash where Owen and Jarrett would lose a #1 contenders match to the New Age Outlaws but it was still a damn good match. Owen enjoyed working with Jarrett but knew he could contribute at the highest level and combined with all the Attitude Era trash TV, he was pretty much done with wrestling.

During his last visit with his Mom n Dad, he said he didn’t want to talk about wrestling bc he was sick of it. Owen and Martha had just completed their dream house, he saw it finished just 1 week before they would move in and when Owen’s contract was up, he was going to retire from wrestling full time and spend most of his time at home. Owen’s last goodbye with Martha could have been heartbreakingly routine but was made special bc Owen loved her too much for a quick goodbye and kissed her passionately before he left for the PPV. Owen’s last match was with Jeff Jarrett at a house show vs Edge and Christian and it’s kind of fitting he got to be in there with the next generation of great Canadian wrestlers for his last match. Owen was still doing the Blue Blazer gimmick while teaming with Jarrett and had entered into a feud with the Godfather who was IC Champ over his immoral lifestyle. Owen and those close to him, felt like the Blue Blazer was punishment for saying no to the other ideas but Owen was good enough to turn it into something good. I actually thought it was perfect bc the Blue Blazer would stand out big time in contrast to everything else that was going on. The fans loved Owen so it was only a matter of time before they turned the Blazer into a huge babyface which could have led to a big moment of Owen unmasking for good and having big time fan support for a main event push.

The idea was to mock WCW and Sting coming down from rafters so Owen would be lowered down and then fall comically when he got close to the ring. Only problem was that to do this stupid idea, they couldn’t have Owen hooked up to a proper safety harness bc it would take too long for him to unhook it. The company that the WWF usually uses for stunts refused to do it saying it was too dangerous to have a grown man hooked up there without the usual safety harness so theWWF shopped around until they found a company that would do it. Honestly just makes me sick to know that they couldn’t have cared less about Owen’s safety. Owen was nervous and uneasy all day about doing the stunt but still went up to the spot before the show to do a practice run and everything was ok. The legendary Harley Race was in the building that night and saw Owen who talked about being uncomfortable with the new rigging and he was absolutely right to feel that way considering the trigger mechanism that would keep him from falling was so weak that it took less pressure than pulling the trigger on a gun to release it. The clip they used is insane, it looks like the clip that holds my Dad’s keys on his lanyard and this is what they deemed acceptable for Owen’s safety. WCW made sure Sting had all the safety equipment needed to ensure his safety and the WWF went out of their way to find someone who would do their stunt with as little safety equipment as possible for Owen. If anyone still wonders why Martha wants nothing to do with WWE, that should clear things up.

When it was almost time for his match, Owen went up to the rafters in a trenchcoat to hide himself, put on the vest, swung out over the crowd, seemingly tried to slightly adjust his cape and this was enough to casue the trigger to release and he fell 75 feet hitting the turnbuckles in the corner and then landing in the ring. Owen initially lifted his head to almost try to sit up but fell back and didn’t move again. The stunned crowd tried chanting ‘OWEN’ but this was not part of the show. JR did his best to try to convey to the fans watching at home the seriousness of the situation and that this was very real. The paramedics worked on Owen briefly in the ring but he needed urgent care so they got him onto a stretcher and brought him to the ambulance. The PPV continued as Jeff Jarrett and Debra were doing a promo and Debra started to talk normal wrestling but I’ll never forget Jarrett cutting her off, “Shut up Debra! Owen, we’re praying for you buddy.” I was watching at the Jr Ranks Mess on the base since my Mum was in the military and they showed the PPVs there so we could watch bc we couldn’t afford them at home. It wasn’t a packed house but there were some army guys there and initially were sure that it was all a work but after that Jarrett promo the mood started to get more serious. I had actually been caught by my Dad getting drunk for the first time earlier that weekend so i was grounded and lucky to be there but after the PPV, being grounded was the furthest thing from my mind.

Shortly after that, JR had the unfortunate responsibility to tell the world that the planned spectacular stunt went tragically wrong and that Owen Hart has died as Jerry Lawler shakes his head in disgust. Up to that point that was the quietest I’ve ever heard a room with people in it, absolute silence save for some sniffling after a few seconds. I looked back at the table of army guys and they were staring at the screen with their jaws dropped and tears in their eyes. That really hammered home to me how big a deal the Harts are to Canadians, these bad ass army guys were shedding tears for a guy they prob never met. I didn’t feel so bad about crying after that. Martha was getting things ready for the move to their dream house when she recieved the call that every wife dreads and her world was immediately crushed. She then had to summon the courage to tell Helen and Stu that their youngest son, their baby boy was dead. Bret was on a plane when the pilot gave him an urgent message to call home and he learned that Owen had died and he said he felt like his chest caved in. The WWF made the controversial decision to continue the PPV and in hindsight this was the wrong call. I can understand not being sure what to do but my God Owen’s blood was on the mat and the ring was broken where he fell, that should have been enough to cancel the rest of it. No chance any fans are gonna ask for refunds for a show that was stopped due to someone losing their life nevermind someone as beloved as Owen. The next night on RAW called RAW Is Owen, WWF put storylines to the side and dedicated the entire show to honouring Owen with matches and tributes from wrestlers that knew and loved Owen. To close the show, Steve Austin stood in the ring looking at a pocture of Owen on the titan tron, spoke some words only Owen could hear and gave him 1 last toast, leaving a beer in the ring. Always brings tears to my eyes hearing JR say, “1 last toast, to our friend Owen Hart. ” Don’t think Bret or Martha liked that the tribute show happened but it really helped me deal with my grief as a kid.

This was a big news story with reporters from all over the world getting involved and Vince McMahon very defensive at the press conference the day after getting confrontational with anyone that suggested he or the company was negligent in the tragedy. Martha invited Vince to the funeral so Vince could see the real pain and devastation that was left behind from this tragedy. Four weeks after the event, Martha sued the WWF over how dangerous and poorly planned the stunt was, and the manufacturer of the harness system over the fact that the harness system was defective. Martha wanted nothing to do with the WWF but some members of the Hart family were supporting the WWF both publicly and privately bc they needed jobs for their husbands and this caused a permanent falling-out between Martha and most of the Hart family. Bret supported Martha initially but even they had a falling out and it’s sad to say that I don’t think Owen’s kids see much of their Hart family. Can’t say I blame Martha all things considered I just know how special family fellowship is so and the Harts used to have so much if it so it’s just a shame. There was a lot of ugliness in the lawsuit but I don’t wanna talk about all that so I’ll just add that it ended up being settled for 18 million US and Martha used some of the money to start the Owen Hart Foundation that works in Supporting Local, National and International Communities Through Scholarships, Housing and Partnership Programs providing opportunities for hard-working people who have limited resources and unlimited potential. A great legacy for an incredible man gone far too soon.

Not gonna end on the tragedy, gonna end this with the laughter that Owen gave us and list some more of his famous ribs:

• Owen would put shaving cream on the back of Vince’s jacket hahah
• the Boys were doing an overseas tour and partying late one night, Scott Hall went to bed but came down a couple hours later looking rough with all his bags. He saw the boys still in the bar and said fn Owen and went back up to his room. Owen had called Hall pretending to be Rene Goulet bitching at Hall to get going bc he was always late for the bus lol
• Owen and Davey would set it up with the cops to pull over Lex Luger and give him a hard time.
• Owen would use false finishes on HHH in battle royals to make him laugh or tape his arm to the rope when he had him in a hold close to the ropes and sometimes Owen would do 50 buckle smashes instead of 10 lol

• One night the WWF had people in those big sumo suits for a promotion and Owen convinced Davey to get in sumo suit and then pushed him out to the ring lol

• The night of infamous HIAC, Owen pranked Foley as a Scottish front desk clerk saying wrestling was fake
• In a match vs E & C, Owen and Jarrett put clown noses on
• Owen saw Val Venis come into the hotel, sign a few autographs and then say that’s it and go to his room. So Owen prank called him as the guy he just signed for, arguing with him and demanding Val come down and sign the rest of his stuff finally saying if Val came down he would kick his ass. Val came storming down to find he was the latest name on Owen’s gotcha list LOL

I could go on and on but i’ll stop there and save the rest for people to discover in shoot interviews and podcasts. I wish Owen wasn’t rare, I wish we had millions of people just like him so we could have a much better world but that isn’t possible. God only made 1 Owen Hart and like a shooting star, everyone watching wants it to last forever but his time was far too short. For the type of person Owen was, he should have been wrapped in fcking bubble wrap and had a 12 person security team protecting him while doing that stunt but far too often, good people are taken for granted rather than cherished. While it would still be an incredible waste, it would be one thing if Owen fell attempting a big entrance for his WrestleMania main event match but to lose him bc they wanted to make him a fcking joke doing a stunt nobody outside of maybe 3 people would really enjoy is so infuriating. If the stunt had been completed, we would have laughed bc it was Owen but we would have laughed just as much if he fell off the top rope or tripped going through the ropes. It was so unnecessary to have him up there and not at all worth the risk. Legend says Owen was supposed to beat the Godfather for the IC Title but honestly that doesn’t say much bc the IC Title was not very prestigious in this period and Owen could have lost it the next night. After injuring Austin, there prob wasn’t anything Owen could do to get back into the main events which makes it all the more frustrating that they refused to let him out of his contract.

It is pretty much impossible to list all of Owen’s good matches bc he only had maybe a handful of bad matches at most. His early career was so good, he had a great match vs Hiroshi Hase in 1988 in NJPW and against Black Tiger in JAN 1990. Such a shame most of the Stampede tapes are ruined bc those matches would really show Owen’s greatness. Obv WM X vs Bret is his best with the Cage Match right behind it and they even 2 more matches in Sept 94 and Nov 96 on RAW that have kind of been overshadowed but are still really great matches. Then followed by so many more classics like the match for the European Title vs the Bulldog or teaming with Davey vs Austin and HBK for the titles on RAW. All of Owen;s matches are worth watchign bc of his incredible in ring ability as well as his character work. I always laugh so hard in the WM X match and Owen gets to the ropes but Bret hangs on for a few more seconds so Owen throws a split second tantrum screaming “GET HIM OFF!!!” LOL so funny and such a little brother thing to do. Also in that match when Owen kind of wipes his boot across Bret’s forehead and Bret immediately goes into big brother mode with a look that says ‘do that again and you’ll fn pay for it” lol never gets old, man. I pretty much only listed Owen’s PPV matches but man he had some bangers on RAW through the years so here is a quick list of some great ones: vs Razor Ramon JAN 95, w/ the Anvil vs Bret/Bulldog NOV 94, vs HBK OCT 97, vs TAFKA Goldust JAN 98, vs HBK NOV 95, vs Bam Bam Bigelow MAR 93(on Superstars), vs HBK JULY 96, vs Razor Ramon OCT 95, w/ Crush vs Smoking Gunns FEB 94, vs Mankind DEC 96, vs Bulldog JUN 96, w/ Bulldog/Yoko vs HBK/Diesel/Undertaker SEPT 95, I could go on all day but these should be a good guide to find some awesome Owen matches.

Owen was only slightly more notorious as a good person than he was for being cheap lol so funny hearing about the things Owen would do to save money but Owen was in wrestling to make the best life he could for his family so every dollar he spent on the road meant a dollar less for his family. But Owen wasn’t cheap to the point that he wouldn’t help out a loved on in need. Owen’s sister Allison lived across the street from him and he helped her pay for the down payment bc he didn’t want her to move far away from family so he helped her figure out how to stay. Allison was a regular visitor and would go talk to Owen on his days off, they had a great relationship and she was hurt deeply by his death. So much pain and sadness and family devastation and for what? I hate that the story of Owen Hart has a such a sad ending but by reading this, now you know that his life before the end was anything but sad. It brought you joy and laughter and happiness and excitement and inspiriation and all the good things you could ever ask from a hero. And Owen Hart was def one of my heroes, I have a big sense of humour and try to be good to everyone I meet so I’d like to think that having an example like Owen was a part of building that. He gave me my little moment that meant so much to me as a kid and I will be forever grateful that he did that bc he def didn’t have to.

Starting in 2022, AEW hosted the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament for both male and female wrestlers to honour Owen and raise money and awareness for the foundation. The tournaments were very good and were won by Adam Cole and Britt Baker, 2 of the best wrestlers in AEW so they are more than worthy and great representatives as the inaugural winners. I’m excited to see who will win them this year. Before I end this I just want to thank Owen’s family for sharing him with us but know that i’d give all my memories back if it meant they could have a lifetime with him, they all deserved to get to grow old as a family. But Owen had a big impact on me and I’m much better off thanks to having Owen as someone to look up to growing up. Owen’s legacy is pretty secure, he is def remembered as 1 of the greatest wrestlers ever and is always talked about when WrestleMania rolls around or when they have the Slammys haha he touched so many lives that there is never an end to the amount of people that talk fondly of him in interviews so his name comes up a lot. Could possibly have a bigger impact with the WWE machine behind it but that is not gonna happen. The tournaments with AEW give Owen a significant wrestling presence again so they don’t need WWE for that anymore. Sucks bc that’s where his career was but it is what it is.

I really enjoyed writing this bc it was like getting to hang out with an old friend and it reminded me just how amazing Owen was as a person. Owen was a Godly man and a dedicated, loyal family man, 2 things everyone should aspire to be. For most of his career I loved to hate Owen and so badly wanted him to turn good so the memories from the 1997 Hart Foundation will always be cherished. Unfortunately he is on the list of greatest wrestlers to never win a world title but he didn’t need it to be a champion of the highest respect. As long as pro wrestling is around, Owen will be remembered and celebrated as a great wrestler and even better person. Maybe one day a movie will be made about his life and he can be a role model to new generations and to people that aren’t wrestling fans bc he def lived a life worthy of a movie. Keeping Owen alive as a role model is very important bc the more people that live their lives like Owen Hart, the better off our world will be. And looking around, Lord knows our world desperately needs some Owen. Sending prayers up and love out to Owen’s family, friends and fans and encourage everyone to keep doing their part to keep his legacy alive and strong, keep watching the great matches like WM X or vs Jushin Liger and keep showing them to new fans. To use current wrestling terms haha I will always Acknowledge Owen as one of the GOATS in pro wrestling.. and when it comes to ribs, if you need a laugh just read an Owen story lol God Bless you Owen and Long Live the King of Harts!