Superstar Lookback: Owen Hart

Owen James Hart was born on this very day, May 7th, 45 years ago. The youngest of 12 children to WWE Hall Of Fame, Stu Hart, Owen, like many of Hart family, has been a notable figure in the wrestling showbiz. Amongst his accomplishments, Owen was crowned WWF King Of The Ring in 1994. He had also held the WWF European title once, the WWF Intercontinental title twice and the WWF Tag Team title four times.

Throughout his career, Owen has made notable feuds and partnerships. One of the most classic rivalries he had was with his brother, Bret “The Hitman” Hart which resulted in a legendary face off at Wrestlemanina X. He had also worked with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Triple H & Shawn Michaels. In the late 90s, Owen partnered with the British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, in Tag Team division scene and later rebooted the Hart Foundation faction in 1997 along with Bret, Jim Neidhart and Brian Pillman. The faction was a success but ended within a year following Pillman’s death. The present Hart Dynasty comprising of DH Smith (British Bulldog’s son), Tyson Kidd (Bret Hart’s Trainee) and Natalya Hart (Jim Neidhart’s daughter) is a continuation of the Hart’s faction lineage.

On May 23, 1999, tragic struck the Hart family. During the “Over The Edge” pay-per view, Owen fell to his death during an entrance stint. Owen was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring for a match against The Godfather. The release mechanism was triggered by accident and Owen’s intended dramatic entrance was turned into a horrific accident. Owen fell 78 feet down into the ring. Following the accident, a dazed Owen managed to sit up in the ring, before losing consciousness and later died of massive internal bleeding. The following night on RAW, Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship – the title Owen was booked to win at Over the Edge. Jarrett screamed Hart’s name as the belt was handed to him with fans around the ring tearing for Owen’s passing. Three weeks after the event, the Hart family sued the WWE for poor execution of Owen’s stunt and was awarded 18 million in compensation.

Owen is left by his wife, Martha Joan Patterson, his son Edward Hart (born 1992) and Christie Hart (born 1995). Many have argued that if Owen is alive today, the wrestling showbiz would have one more hall of famer, one more main eventer and one more hero to look up to.

Here at BTM, we honor Owen with this very tee – “Hart To Get Over” at our store. Thank You, Owen. We miss you.

Superstar Lookback: Paul Heyman

He is perhaps the one of the world’s greatest wrestling promoters of all time. Paul Heyman, the founder of extreme, single handedly redefined the term “hardcore”. Born in 1965, New York, Paul first started out as a photojournalist for World Wide Federation Wrestling (present WWE), before jumping ship to WCW as an on-screen manager and color commentator. In 1992, he left the company and later founded Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1993.

The creative mind of Paul skyrocketed ECW into one of the three top flagship wrestling shows in the 90s. The show led a group of unique wrestling enthusiasts featured graphic violence, gore, blood, dynamic Mexican high flying stunts, dramatic plot twist and innovative story lines. The show has created a huge fan base and has given the foundation for many present top wrestling names today. This includes Rob Van Damm (present TNA champion), Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, The Dudleys, Sabu, Rhino, Test, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Benoit, Tazz, Terry Funk & Mick Foley.

However, the high volatility nature of the show could not sustain over time. In 2000, the ECW show was pulled off air. The following year, the company officially folded. Paul then joined WWE (then WWF) as a color commentator before switching to become on-screen manager. During his short stint, he has managed notable names such as Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Kurt Angle, Heidenreich and Nathan Jones. The relationship between Paul and WWE was hot and cold. He has left the company various times. And he has also returned for short stints. When WWE brought ECW: One Night Stand back for several years, Paul was there. Then in 2006, when WWE rebooted ECW as a weekly wrestling program, Paul partnered with the show and became the on air brand manager and off screen creative writer.

Paul later left the company due to creative differences with the writers and Vince Mcmahon. After his departure with WWE, Paul attempted to venture into MMA but was unsuccessful. As of present, it is rumored that Paul has been approached by TNA executive to join the company. Paul, however, has not made any comments or decision with regards to the invitation. As we move towards an extreme night, let’s return back to our roots for a moment. Here in BeyondTheMat (BTM), we give honor to the “father of extreme” as our very first Superstar Lookback.