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.
Beyond The Mat 