Wikipedia

Owen Hart

Owen James Hart(May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-Americanprofessional wrestlerwho worked for several promotions includingStampede Wrestling,New Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW),World Championship Wrestling(WCW), and theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF). He received most of his success in the WWF, where he wrestled under both his own name and the ring namesThe Blue AngelandThe Blue Blazer.

Owen Hart
Hart in 1998
Birth nameOwen James Hart
Born(1965-05-07)May 7, 1965
Calgary, Alberta,Canada
DiedMay 23, 1999(1999-05-23)(aged 34)
Kemper Arena,Kansas City, Missouri,U.S.
Cause of deathInternal bleedingcaused byblunt force traumasustained from a highfall
Spouse(s)
​
(m.1989)​
Children2
FamilyHart
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Rocket
The Blue Angel[1]
The Blue Blazer[2]
Owen Hart[3]
Owen James[2]
The Avenger
Billed height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[4]
Billed weight227 lb (103 kg)[4]
Billed fromCalgary, Alberta, Canada (as Owen Hart)
"Parts Unknown"(as the Blue Angel and the Blue Blazer)
Trained byStu Hart[2][5]
Debut1983[6][7]

A member of theHart wrestling family,he was born inCalgary,Alberta,the youngest of twelve children of Stampede Wrestling promotersStuandHelen Hart.Among other accolades, Owen was aone-timeUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion,atwo-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion,aone-timeWWF European Champion,and afour-timeWWF World Tag Team Champion,as well as the1994WWFKing of the Ring.He headlined multiplepay-per-viewevents for the WWF,and was widely regarded as one of the company's best in-ring performers.[8]

Hart died on May 23, 1999, during his entrance from the rafters ofKemper ArenainKansas City, Missouri,United States. The equipment that was lowering him to the ring malfunctioned and he fell to his death in front of a live audience and live on Pay Per View during WWF'sOver the Edgeevent.

Early life

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Owen was born on May 7, 1965, inCalgary, Albertathe youngest of 12 children to Canadian-born father Stu and American-born mother Helen Hart of theHart wrestling family.[9]His siblings entailed: Ellie, Georgia, and fellow wrestling familials;Smith,Bruce,Keith,Wayne,Dean,Ellie, Georgia,Bret,Alison,RossandDiana.[10]

Hart's family background wasGreekdescent through his maternal grandmother and Irish through his maternal grandfather.[11][12][13][14]His father was mainly ofScots-Irishdescent, but also had Scottish and German ancestry.[15][16]

Hart maintained dual American-Canadian citizenship.[17][18]

Professional wrestling career

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Early career (1983–1988)

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Hart first gained wrestling experience in the amateur wrestling division at high school, through which he met his wife,Martha.[19]Hart continued amateur wrestling for the Dinos at the University of Calgary. He placed 4th at the 1984 Canada West championships in the 76 kg weight class.[20]Wrestling was not Hart's first choice for a career; as Martha explained in her bookBroken Harts,Owen tried numerous times to find a profitable living outside of wrestling.[21]Owen is quoted as saying, in the WWE Home Video "Owen Hart of Gold" that "during his time in the University, he wrestled incognito (under a mask) as the original British Bulldog. Then, after he graduated from the University, he wrestled as" Bronco "Owen Hart atRoyal Albert HallinLondon,England.As those attempts were unsuccessful, Hart was trained in his father'sHart Dungeonand worked for his father's federation,Stampede Wrestlingandwrestled in Englandfor Max Crabtree'sJoint Promotionsin matches that got broadcast onITV'sWorld of Sport[22]and the later standalone wrestling program including a 1987 loss to former championMarty Jonesfor the vacant World Mid-Heavyweight Championship. He remained with Stampede for the next couple of years while honing his skills. During 1986, Hart teamed withBen Bassaraband won the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship.[23]The success of the team and Hart's in-ring skills earned himPro Wrestling Illustrated'sRookie of the Year Awardin 1987. After he and Bassarab lost the tag team title,[23]he feuded withJohnny Smith.

In 1987, Hart branched out to Japan where he wrestled forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW) on several tours. In NJPW, he wrestled Keiichi Yamada,[24]both before and after he debuted theJushin Ligergimmick.On May 27, 1988, Hart defeatedHiroshi Hasefor theIWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship,becoming the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the title.[23]His reign would end nearly a month later, as he lost the title toShiro Koshinakaon June 24, 1988.

World Wrestling Federation (1988–1989)

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Hart as the Blue Blazer in 1989

Hart's success in Japan and Stampede's working relationship with theWorld Wrestling Federationled to Hart signing with the company in the summer of 1988. Instead of promoting Owen asBret Hart's younger brother, the WWF decided to create a masked "superhero"type gimmick for him which played to his high-flying style. He broke into the WWF as The Blue Blazer (initially The Blue Angel), with his early appearances seeing him defeat the likes ofTerry Gibbs,Steve LombardiandBarry Horowitz.The Blue Blazer made his pay-per-view debut atSurvivor Series '88,teaming withThe Ultimate Warrior,Brutus Beefcake,Jim BrunzellandSam HoustonagainstThe Honky Tonk Man,Greg Valentine,Outlaw Ron Bass,Bad News BrownandDangerous Danny Davis.The Blazer was eliminated by Valentine, but his team went on to win the match.[25]He continued to wrestle in the midcard, defeatingenhancement talentbut often falling short against other name talent; he lost toTed DiBiaseon the March 11, 1989Saturday Night's Main Event XX[26]and was defeated byMr. PerfectatWrestleMania V.[27]

Various promotions (1989–1991)

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Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart left the WWF to tour the world both with and without the Blue Blazer gimmick. He also returned to Stampede, until it shut down in December 1989. In 1991, Hart lost the Blue Blazer mask in amascara contra mascaramatch against Mexican wrestlerEl Canek,and would not utilize the gimmick again until 1998.[28]

He also returned toNew Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW). In 1990 he went toGermanyand workedCatch Wrestling Association.He also wrestled again in the UK, losing toDanny Boy Collinsin Bath 1991 in a match for the World Middleweight championship, as well aswrestling in Franceon TV matches forEurosport'sNew Catchprogram.

Hart debuted inWorld Championship Wrestling's self-titled TV show on March 16, 1991, the first of five TV matches he competed in, all of which were against preliminary talent such asMark Kyle.One of the bouts saw him team withRicky Morton.He also teamed withBrian Pillman,getting several wins overThe Freebirds.[29]

Return to WWF (1991–1999)

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The New Foundation and High Energy (1991–1993)

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See also:The Hart Foundation § The New Foundation

Hart had been engaged in contract discussions with WCW but the deal was never struck, as Owen was not willing to move himself and his family to the company's headquarters in Atlanta.[21]Instead, he signed with the WWF for a second time. In the WWF the popularHart Foundation,composed of his brother Bret and real-life brother-in-lawJim Neidhart,had split up; Bret set out on a singles career while Neidhart was used sparingly. When Neidhart returned from a storyline injury, he joined Owen to form a team known as The New Foundation. Owen and Neidhart first feuded with theBeverly Brothers.They then had their only pay-per-view match at theRoyal Rumblein January 1992 where they beatThe Orient Express.[30]Neidhart left the WWF shortly afterward, and Hart set out on a very short run as a singles wrestler, including a victorious match atWrestleMania VIIIwhen he faced off againstSkinner.[31]Shortly after WrestleMania, Hart was teamed up withKoko B. Ware(whom he had previously partnered while wrestling as the Blue Blazer) to form the duo known as High Energy. They had only one pay-per-view match as a team, at theSurvivor Serieswhere they lost toThe Headshrinkers.[32]The team was quietly dropped at the start of 1993 with Hart starting a singles career. Owen suffered a knee injury on April 17, 1993 in a match taped for Superstars, againstBam Bam Bigelow,which kept him sidelined for nearly two months.

Feud with Bret Hart (1993–1995)

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Owen's feud with his brotherBretwon thePro Wrestling IllustratedFeud of the Year award and garnered praise from theWrestling Observer Newsletterfor their steel cage match atSummerSlam

In the middle of 1993, when Bret Hart's feud withJerry Lawlerignited, Owen stood by his brother's side and fought against Lawler in theUnited States Wrestling Associationwhere most of the WWF talent were considered theheels.Owen won theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight ChampionshipfromPapa Shango.[23]Owen's participation in the WWF vs. USWA feud was cut short when he suffered a knee injury in the summer of 1993 and was forced to take some time away from the ring.

Hart returned to the WWF ring in the fall of 1993, at a time when Bret's feud with Lawler was temporarily sidetracked. Bret, along with Owen and their brothersBruceandKeith,were scheduled to face Lawler and his team atSurvivor Series.However, Lawler was unable to make it to the show, and as a result could not appear on WWF television. Lawler was replaced withShawn Michaels.During the match Owen and Bret inadvertently crashed into each other, causing Owen to be eliminated from the team. Owen showed up after the match and had a heated confrontation with Bret, while Keith, Bruce and Stu tried to calm things down. This confrontation resulted in Owen leaving the ring to boos while his brothers and father watched in dismay and mother Helen cried at ringside. The following night Owen adopted the pink and black tights, sunglasses and Sharpshooter finisher to send a message to his brother. Owen, angry with being in Bret's shadow, challenged his brother which Bret declined. Instead the brothers seemed to reunite by the holidays. According to Bret, the original plan was to have brother Bruce turn on Bret and have Owen leave the WWF alongside Keith, but Bret suggested that he'd feud with Owen instead.

Owen adorned his attire with the nickname The King of Harts after winning the1994 King of the Ring

Bret tried to make amends with Owen, teaming with him on a regular basis. Bret even secured the two a shot at theWWF Tag Team Championship.They facedthe Quebecersfor the title at theRoyal Rumblein January 1994. Initially everything was fine between the brothers, but when Bret hurt his knee (kayfabe) and was unable to tag Owen in for a long period of time, the younger Hart got frustrated. When the referee stopped the match due to Bret's damaged knee, Owen snapped; he kicked his brother in the knee and then walked off, berating Bret on the Titantron shortly after as Bret was being helped backstage. This started his run as aheel.[33]After the act, an infuriated Owen accused his brother of being selfish and holding him down. Owen admitted that it felt good to take out his brother. The two brothers faced off for the first time atWrestleMania X,where Owen cleanly pinned his older brother. Later in the evening, Bret won theWWF Championshipagainst Yokozuna while Owen stood by and watched in anger and jealousy as Bret celebrated in the ring.[34]Owen won the1994King of the Ring tournamentturning back Razor Ramon in the finals with an elbow drop to the back and with an assist from Jim Neidhart.[35]After the victory, Owen dropped "The Rocket" nickname and took the nickname "The King of Harts."

Owen and Bret feuded throughout the summer of 1994, clashing many times both in singles and later in tag team matches (with Bret joined by the returningBritish Bulldog). Two prominent matches took place in this feud: first, theirsteel cage matchin the co-main event ofSummerSlamfor Bret's WWF Championship, which Bret won.[36][37]This match later received a five-star rating fromDave Meltzer.The second was alumberjack matchon August 17 that Owen initially won and was announced as WWF Champion; Bret won the match after it was ordered to continue due to interference.[38]At theSurvivor Series,Owen struck the most damaging blow against his brother as he conned his own mother Helen to throw in the towel for Bret. The ploy cost Bret the WWF Championship toBob Backlund.[39]Owen also prevented Bret from regaining the WWF Championship at theRoyal Rumblein 1995 when he interfered in the match between Bret and new championDiesel.[40]In the weeks after the Royal Rumble, Bret and Owen clashed again with Bret soundly defeating his brother, thus putting an end to their feud for the time being.

Camp Cornette; Tag Team Champion (1995–1997)

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See also:Camp Cornette,Owen Hart and Yokozuna,andOwen Hart and The British Bulldog
Hart making his entrance to the ring in 1995.

Owen rebounded from the loss to Bret by winning the WWF Tag Team Championship fromThe Smoking GunnsatWrestleMania XI.[23]Owen, who was joined by a "Mystery Partner", had challenged the Gunns to a title match; the partner turned out to be former world championYokozuna.[41][42]After the victory Owen tookJim CornetteandMr. Fujias his managers, who already managed Yokozuna. The team defended the title for five months until they lost them to Shawn Michaels and Diesel atIn Your House 3.They would briefly hold the title a second time when the belts were handed back to them[43]before the Smoking Gunns regained the title.[23]Owen and Yokozuna would continue to team off and on until the end of the year.

In 1995, Owen's brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith turned heel and joined the Camp Cornette stable. During the summer of 1996 the two brothers in law started to team up more and more, sometimes alongsideVaderwho was also a member of Camp Cornette.[44]Owen also won a Slammy Award for injuring Shawn Michaels and began using the nickname "Slammy Award Winner" and the "King of Harts," though this nickname was rarely used. Owen was also a color commentator for the1996 King of the Ring(exhibiting clear partisan support for Vader and Smith) and during this time wore acaston his right forearm for several months, feigning a nagging injury to subsequently use his cast as a weapon during his matches.

In September 1996, Bulldog and Hart earned a pay-per-view shot at the tag team titles atIn Your House 10.[45]Owen and Bulldog left with the gold after defeating the Smoking Gunns.[23][46]They also left with a new manager asClarence Masonhad conned Jim Cornette into signing over the contracts of the new champions. Signs of dissension, however, slowly started to show. One occasion where this was evident was at theRoyal Rumblewhen Hart accidentally eliminated Bulldog.[47]After the Rumble, they had miscommunication in matches againstDoug FurnasandPhil LaFonand Bulldog fired Mason after losing a match toCrushwho was also managed by Mason, something which did not sit well with Hart. Another bone of contention between the two was the newly createdWWF European Championship;both men had fought their way to the finals to crown the first champion with Bulldog coming out as the victor.[23]

After retaining the tag team title againstthe Headbangersby disqualification on the edition of March 24, 1997 ofMonday Night Raw,the tension between the two bubbled over. An incensed Hart demanded a shot at Bulldog's European title the next week.[48]The match was booked for March 31; on the night, the two went at it with such intensity that many thought the tag team champions had finally gone their separate ways. Then in a shocking moment, the recently turned heel Bret Hart appeared at ringside and stopped the match. Bret appealed to both Owen and Bulldog, talking about the importance of family.[49]They agreed to put their differences aside and join with Bret to form the new Hart Foundation, an anti-Americanstablethat also included Hart in-law Jim Neidhart and Hart family friendBrian Pillman.

Hart Foundation (1997)

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Main article:Hart Foundation
Hart in September 1997

After forming the Hart Foundation, Owen quickly gained singles gold of his own as he pinnedRocky Maiviato win his firstWWF Intercontinental Championship.[23][50]This meant that the Hart Foundation held every WWF title except the WWF Championship, cementing their dominance over the federation. It was not all success for Owen, though, as he and the British Bulldog lost the WWF Tag Team Championship toStone Cold Steve AustinandShawn Michaelson May 26, 1997.[23]He began feuding with Austin shortly thereafter.

Owen and Bulldog got a second chance at regaining the tag team titles after Michaels vacated his half of the championship due to an injury. On the edition of July 14, 1997 ofRawthe two entered a tournament and won to face Austin and a partner of his choice that evening for the vacant titles. That partner turned out to beDude Love,who declared himself to be Austin's partner and helped him defeat Hart and Bulldog for the tag team championship.

AtSummerSlamin August, Hart was to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Austin in a "Kiss My Ass" match, where Hart put the title up against Austin having to kiss his buttocks if he lost. During the match, Hartbotcheda piledriver and dropped Austin on the top of his head, injuring his neck.[51]Austin won the title from Hart that evening,[23]but due to the injury was forced to vacate the title. Although the entire situation was an accident, the WWF decided to make it part of the storyline as Owen began wearing a T-shirt patterned after Austin's that read "Owen 3:16/I Just Broke Your Neck". Hart was then entered into a tournament to crown a new champion.

Hart fought his way to the finals of the tournament to crown the next Intercontinental Champion and was set to faceFaarooqatBadd Blood: In Your House.Owen beat Faarooq with Austin's help.[52]Afterward, Austin explained that he wanted to beat Hart for the title when he returned and would not allow Faarooq or anyone else to beat him. After Hart retained the title twice by disqualification between Bad Blood andSurvivor Seriesin Montreal, Austin got his wish and defeated Hart for the Intercontinental Championship again.[23][53]Later that night, theMontreal Screwjobtook place. Bret left the WWF after Survivor Series and both the British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart were granted quick releases from their contracts to jump to WCW. This left Owen as the only Hart family member remaining in the WWF, due to his contractual obligations.

The Black Hart; Nation of Domination (1997–1998)

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Main article:Nation of Domination

Hart was not seen or mentioned on WWF programming until he made a surprise appearance after Shawn Michaels retained his title following a disqualification loss toKen ShamrockatIn Your House: D-Generation Xwhere he attacked Shawn Michaels. Now a fan favourite, but with a new edgy, antisocial attitude, Hart became known as "The Lone Hart" and also "The Black Hart".[54]Owen had a feud withD-Generation X(DX) and challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship on the December 29, 1997 episode ofRaw Is War:Hart had Michaels locked in the Sharpshooter whenTriple Hinterfered in order to save Michaels' title, giving Hart the victory by disqualification.[55]He later won the European title from Triple H, although not directly.[56]Goldustdressed up as Triple H in an attempt toswerveHart, butCommissioner Slaughterconsidered him to be a legitimate replacement.[23][56]Hart later suffered akayfabeankle injury during a match againstBarry Windhaminvolving Triple H. When Hart joined the commentary at ringside, Triple H managed to draw Owen into an impromptu title match and regained the title.Chynainterfered while the referee wasn't looking and while Triple H was distracting the referee, she struck Hart behind the left knee with a baseball bat, picked him up and threw him back into the ring where Triple H put Hart in a reverse ankle lock to his injured right ankle to win the European Championship under referees discretion in controversial fashion.[23]

Four weeks after WrestleMania, during a tag team match with Ken Shamrock againstMark Henryand Rocky Maivia (later known asThe Rock), Hart turned on Shamrock, "snapping" his ankle and "biting his ear" in the process, and becoming a heel once again.[57]After the attack on Shamrock, Hart became the co-leader, withThe Rock,of the Nation of Domination, claiming that "Enough is enough and it's time for a change". The Nation's first big feud after Hart joined was against DX. It was during this feud that D-Generation X parodied the Nation of Domination. The imitation was complete with an actor dressing up as Hart and uttering the phrase "I am not anugget";this was in response to Shawn Michaels referring to Owen as a nugget of feces in a toilet bowl that, no matter how many times Michaels flushed, he was unable to get rid of." Nugget "became a derisive term that followed Hart for the rest of his career. Hart's participation in the DX feud was sidetracked when Shamrock returned from injuries dead set on getting revenge on Hart. The two split a pair of specialty matches on pay-per-view,[58][59]but nothing was ever conclusively settled between them.

Teaming with Jeff Jarrett; the Blue Blazer (1998–1999)

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Hart remained with the Nation throughout the year until the stable slowly dissolved. AfterSummerSlam,he teamed withJeff Jarrett.Hart and Jarrett had Jarrett's managerDebrain their corner. During this time a storyline was proposed that Hart was supposed to have an on-screen affair with Debra, something which Owen turned down.[21]

After a match in which Hart "accidentally injured"Dan Severn,Hart seemingly quit the WWF.[60]Playing off the legitimate injury Hart had inflicted on Austin the year before, the angle blurred the lines between reality and "storyline." Yet as soon as Hart "quit," the Blue Blazer appeared in the WWF claiming to in no way be Hart despite it being very obvious who was under the mask. Unlike the first run of the character, the Blazer was now an overbearing, self-righteous heel who treated the edgyAttitude EraWWF with disdain. Hart and Jarrett ended up making the storyline comical. To prove that Hart was not the Blazer, he showed up beside the Blue Blazer, who was a masked Jarrett. In a later attempt to prove that neither Hart or Jarrett was the Blazer, they both appeared next to a man in the Blue Blazer mask; however, it was obvious that a black man was under the mask (Hart's former tag team partnerKoko B. Ware).[2]On January 25, 1999, in the midst of the Blue Blazer angle Hart and Jarrett defeated Ken Shamrock andThe Big Boss Manfor the WWF Tag Team Championship.[23][61]The pair successfully defended the belts against Test and D'Lo Brown atWrestleMania XV.They lost the titles to the team of Kane and X-Pac on the (pre-taped) episode ofRawthat aired on April 5, 1999. However, Hart and Jarrett continued to team together until Hart's death in May during theOver the Edgepay-per-view event.

Personal life

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Hart metMartha Joan Pattersonin 1982. They married on July 1, 1989, and had two children together: Oje Edward Hart (born March 5, 1992) and Athena Christie Hart (born September 23, 1995).[62][63]

On May 28, 2011, Hart was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling "Hall of Fame" by Jack Blaze in Wheeling, West Virginia at their "LPW Hart & Soul Tour" event. The award was accepted by his brother-in-law Jim Neidhart, who was also inducted that night.[citation needed]

Death

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See also:Over the Edge (1999) § Owen Hart accident

On May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death inKansas City, Missouri,during theOver the Edgepay-per-view event.[64]Hart was in the process of being lowered viaharness and grapple lineinto the ring from the rafters ofKemper Arenafor a bookedIntercontinental Championshipmatch againstThe Godfather.In keeping with the Blazer's new "buffoonish superhero" character, he was to begin a dramatic entrance, being lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would act "entangled", then release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face forcomedic effect—this necessitated the use of aquick releasemechanism. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done previously on theSunday Night HeatbeforeSurvivor Seriesin 1998.[60]Before being lowered into the ring, Hart fell 78 feet (24 m), landing chest-first on the top rope (approximately a foot from the nearestturnbuckle).[65]

Hart had performed the stunt a few times before. Hart's widow Martha has suggested that, by moving around to get comfortable with both the harness and his cape on, Hart unintentionally triggered an early release. Television viewers did not see the incident. During the fall, a pre-taped vignette was being shown on the pay-per-view broadcast as well as on the monitors in the darkened arena. Afterward, while Hart was being worked on by medical personnel inside the ring, the live event's broadcast showed only the audience. Meanwhile, WWF television announcerJim Rossrepeatedly told those watching live on pay-per-view that what had just transpired was not a wrestling angle or storyline and that Hart was hurt badly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation.[66]Hart was transported toTruman Medical CenterinKansas City.While several attempts to revive him were made, he died due to his injuries. The cause of death was later revealed to beinternal bleedingfromblunt force trauma.The impact severed his aorta, resulting in Hart bleeding to death just minutes later; he was 34 years old.

Aftermath

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Grave of Owen Hart at Queen's Park Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

WWF and Vince McMahon drew controversy when the company chose to continue the pay-per-view event after Jim Ross announced Owen Hart's death on the live broadcast.[67][68]Over the Edgewas never commercially released onWWF Home Video,although it was available on theWWE Networkin 2014 for the first time since its original air date. Other than a short memorial that was added before the show began, all footage and mention of Hart was edited out.[69]

A special episode ofRaw Is Warthat aired on May 24, 1999, the night after Hart's death, was dubbedRaw Is Owen.It was broadcast live from theKiel CenterinSt. Louis.[70]The tribute show scored a 7.2Nielsen rating,making it the highest-ratedspecial episodeinRawhistory and the third highest-rated episode ofRawoverall.[71]The next day, WWF taped the episode ofRawfor May 31, 1999. During that show,Jeff Jarrettdefeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship,[23]the title Hart was booked to win for a third time at Over the Edge. Celebrating his victory, Jarrett screamed Hart's name.[72]

On October 4, 1999, five months after Hart's death, Bret Hart facedChris BenoitonWCW Monday Nitroin a tribute to his brother. The match took place in the same arena in which Hart had fallen to his death.[73]

After a lawsuit that lasted over a year and a half, a settlement was reached on November 2, 2000, which saw WWF pay the estate of Owen Hart US$18 million with the help ofPamela Fischer.[74][75][76]The manufacturer of the harness system was also a defendant against the Hart family, but they were dismissed from the case after the settlement was reached.[77][74]Owen Hart's widowMarthaused some of the settlement to establish theOwen Hart Foundation.[78]

In 2001, Hart's sister Diana released her first book namedUnder the Matwhich discussed the Hart family. The book was written partially in response to Hart's death.[79]Martha Hart pursued legal action, stating that the book was "filled with distortions, misstatements and unjustified slurs that attempt to destroy the reputation of my family and me, and undermine the memory of Owen."[80][81][82]

In 2002, Martha wrote a book about Hart's life calledBroken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart.[21]

In June 2010, Martha filed a lawsuit against WWE over its use of Hart's name and likeness as well as personal photos of Hart's family in the WWEHart & SoulDVD, as well as the failure to make royalty payments. The matter was scheduled to go to trial in June 2013 before the settlement was reached in April 2013 for an undisclosed amount.[83]

Legacy

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Hart was widely regarded as one of the best in-ring performers in the WWE;Fox Sportsdubbed him a "genius".[8]He went on to be considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time by many industry colleagues.[84]

Hart is a playable character inLegends of Wrestling II(2002) andShowdown: Legends of Wrestling(2004), both published byAcclaim.[85][86]

WWE releasedOwen: Hart of Goldon DVD and Blu-ray on December 7, 2015, in the United Kingdom, with the United States release the day after.

WWE wrestlerKevin Owensnamed his son after Hart and incorporated the name into his own ring name as tribute to both of them.[87]

On September 20, 2021,All Elite Wrestling(AEW) announced theOwen Hart CupTournament, in partnership with the Owen Hart Foundation, wherein the winner will receive a trophy called "The Owen".[88]The company also announced production and distribution of original Owen Hart merchandise, action figures and Hart as a character in AEW's console game,AEW Fight Forever.[89]

Championships and accomplishments

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Hart won every major championship in theWWF,except for theWWF Championshiphe is seen holding here, though he did technically win it in ahouse showin 1994, the result was quickly overturned and the reign was never officially recognized.

Luchas de Apuestasrecord

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See also:Luchas de Apuestas
Winner (wager) Loser (wager) Location Event Date Notes
El Canek(mask) Blue Blazer (mask) Naucalpan, Mexico State UWA show May 29, 1991 [115][116]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Awarded to Shawn Michaels for collapsing, but Hart accepted the award for himself for claiming to have made Michaels collapse.
  2. ^After he presented the Award, Hart never awarded it to any of the possible candidates and instead stole it for himself.

References

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  1. ^"TODAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY... AUGUST 13th: Owen Hart debuts in the WWF as 'The Blue Angel'".August 13, 2019.
  2. ^abcd"Owen Hart Profile".Online World of Wrestling.RetrievedApril 27,2008.
  3. ^"Online World of Wrestling".Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2012.RetrievedMay 22,2020.
  4. ^ab"Owen Hart Career Record".Slam Wrestling.November 27, 1900.RetrievedMarch 5,2022.
  5. ^Sybex (1999).Hardcore Wrestling! (Ultimate Strategy Guide).John Wiley & Sons. p. 1952 pp.ISBN978-0782126914.
  6. ^"1984".Archived fromthe originalon February 11, 2014.
  7. ^"Owen Hart".
  8. ^ab"WWE's 10 Greatest Canadian Wrestlers of All Time".Fox Sports.June 30, 2017.RetrievedNovember 12,2017.
  9. ^Hart, Martha (January 8, 2004).Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart.M. Evans. p. 28.ISBN978-1-4616-0746-5.
  10. ^Wall, Karen L. (2012).Game Plan: A Social History of Sports in Alberta.University of Alberta Press. p. 276 pp.ISBN978-0888645944.
  11. ^Hart, Bret(2007).Hitman: My real life in the cartoon world of wrestling.Ebury Press. p. 8 pp.ISBN9780091932862.
  12. ^Letawsky, Craig (May 7, 2002)."Ask 411 – 5.07.02".411wrestling. Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2007.
  13. ^Hart, Diana;McLellan, Kirstie (2001).Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family.Fenn. p. 16 pp.ISBN1-55168-256-7.
  14. ^Heath McCoy (2007).Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling.ECWPress. p. 30 pp.ISBN978-1-55022-787-1.
  15. ^Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004.jnlister. 2005. p. 252 pp.ISBN1-4116-5329-7.
  16. ^Heath McCoy (2007).Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling.ECWPress. p. 16 pp.ISBN978-1-55022-787-1.
  17. ^Martha Hart;Eric Francis (2004).Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 84 pp.ISBN978-1-59077-036-8.
  18. ^"An open letter to Shawn Michaels".Canadian Online Explorer.May 17, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2016.
  19. ^"411 Video Review: The Life & Death Of Owen Hart".411mania.
  20. ^Canadian University Athletic Union
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