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Owen Hart. The King of Harts. The Slamming Award Winning Owen Hart. The Sole Survivor. The Black Heart. So many names for a man who was probably one of the best WWE Wrestlers in his time. Some may go on to say that he was even better than his more famous brother, Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, but let's leave that to the WWE Universe to debate amongst themselves.
On May 23, 1999, Owen Hart tragically died in the incident at Over The Edge. It marks 20 years since WWE fans lost Owen Hart. While it would be poignant to discuss the tragedy to mark the anniversary, I think it would more beneficial to discuss his time in the company because his career is full of great moments and it would be wrong not to discuss that in detail.
Owen Hart was a 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 1-time WWE European Champion, 4-time WWE Tag Team Champion teaming with the likes of Yokozuna, British Bulldog and Jeff Jarrett. He was of the greatest WWE Superstars to not even win the WWE Championship. But, he was always a Grandslam Champion in my eyes.
Here are Owen Hart's 5 greatest moments in the WWE.
#5 Owen Hart vs Ken Shamrock - Dungeon Match
This is the middle of the long feud that Owen Hart had with Ken Shamrock. The match was broadcast from the famous Hart 'Dungeon' in Canada. It was known that Stu Hart had trained all his sons, including Bret Hart and Owen Hart, in the dungeon. It was infamous for breaking in wrestlers and training them with hard submission moves.
The match was itself unique for its time as it had no entrance music and just two guys going in like an unsanctioned wrestling match. Owen Hart was a pro at portraying the toughness it took to survive in the dungeon. Having Ken Shamrock as his opponent added to the gritty quality as Shamrock's UFC background and MMA fighting skills were on full display in this match.
Owen Hart won the match by smashing Shamrock's head with a dumbell in true heel fashion.
#4 Owen Hart Turns on Bret Hart - Royal Rumble, 1994
Owen Hart's feud with his brother, Bret Hart is probably one of the best WWE feuds of all time. It was told over time and it made perfect sense. Bret Hart was perhaps the most successful wrestler in the Hart Family. Owen was an up and coming wrestler who hated being in his brother's shadow.
When they lost their Tag Team Titles opportunity at Royal Rumble 1994 against The Quebecers when Bret's knee was injured, Owen Hart snapped at his brother. He was angry and he let Bret Hart know it in the middle of the ring. There's nothing quite like real brothers going at it in the middle of the ring.
Perhaps, there was real-life tension in a Brother vs Brother match but that only makes the feud better as it progresses in the storyline.
#3 Owen Hart vs Bret Hart - WrestleMania 10
Bret Hart was the excellence of execution but he met his match with his brother on that very night. It's quite apparent in the match that the brothers had at WrestleMania 10. As stated earlier, professional wrestling is better when there is a real-life story that is taking place in the middle of the ring.
The match was brilliant in its presentation. It had reversals, close pinfalls, high-flying moves and technical wrestling at its finest. It's rare to find a match with Bret Hart that could even be termed bad. But in Owen, he had an opponent who could match him move for move and that showed in the middle of the ring.
More importantly, Owen Hart pinned him cleanly in the middle of the ring. He proved he was as good as the man that said he was the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.
#2 The Hart Foundation
It was heartening to see Owen Hart reunite with his brother Bret Hart. Together with British Bulldog, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and Brian Pillman. Together, they feuded with the likes of DX, The Nation and had the distinction of being heels in America and faces in Canada. It was a gimmick that lasted for quite a while.
During this time, Owen Hart won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time and began his infamous feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. At SummerSlam 1997, Owen Hart botched a tombstone piledriver and almost paralyzed Steve Austin. While it was shocking at the time, it was turned into a viable gimmick with Owen Hart wearing "Owen 3:16" shirts and speaking of how he broke Steve Austin's neck.
Owen Hart was a great heel and this feud proved it. In a way, it also cemented Steve Austin as the future badass he would become.
#1 Owen Hart is The Black Hart
This was right after the incident in Montreal. By this time, Owen Hart was the last of The Hart Foundation. Bret Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and The British Bulldog had already left for WCW. Brian Pillman had passed away a couple of months earlier. He attacked Shawn Michaels at D-Generation X: In Your House and it was a storyline that WWE never pulled the trigger on.
The reason why this moment stands out is the real-life finding its way onto television. Owen Hart's promo was amazing and almost stunning. The annoying little brother of Bret Hart was coming off as an anti-social warrior after Shawn Michaels had called him a nugget a week earlier. His promo was practically real as he wanted to make Shawn Michaels' life a living hell. It was a missed opportunity for WWE.
Can you think of anything else? Comment below!
