WWE: 15 Greatest Technical Wrestlers – No. 5

Staying on route to finding the top 15 wrestlers in the history of the WWE, today we come to our number 5 pick.

Coming out of a wrestling family usually puts a lot of burden on the superstars, and if the wrestling family happens to be the greatest in the history of the business, not only does that put extra pressure, but also brings a lot of expectations to get out of their father’s shadow. This certain superstar was the youngest in his family, and all of his brothers were professional wrestlers as well. Yet, not only did he manage to make a name for himself in the industry, but is often remembered as one of the greatest entertainers, not only on-camera, but off–camera as well.

There have been many stories about this individual and his knack for playing pranks on others. In spite of having one of the most popular wrestlers as his brother, he would go on to leave his mark in the industry, something that will never be replaced. He is none other than ‘The Rocket’, Owen Hart.

“I’d like fans to remember me as a guy who would go out and entertain them, give them quality matches, and not just the same old garbage every week.” – Owen Hart

When you talk about some of the most underrated performers in the history of professional wrestling, the name of Owen Hart would top the list. Owen was an incredible athlete, a great competitor and a wonderful sports entertainer. He was naturally charismatic, and was a pleasure to be around. Owen is considered to be one of the best human beings by his peers, someone who could make the others laugh when the chips were down. But most of all, Owen Hart was a wonderful father, and he loved the business.

It is rare in an industry like professional wrestling for a performer to be universally loved, and Owen Hart deserved all the adulation and respect he received from the people. Owen was technically gifted, and one thing that worked against Owen Hart was a successful brother.

“I hope I can be as good a man as Owen has been, so I can see him again (in Heaven) someday” – Jim Ross

Owen Hart followed in the footsteps of his brothers, and soon was traveling around the world making a name for himself. Owen then signed up with the World Wrestling Federation and teamed up with his real life brother–in–law, Jim Neidhart. Although the team didn’t last long, Owen then started feuding with his brother, Bret Hart, in what is considered one of the greatest feuds of all time, as a number of people related themselves with Bret and Owen.

At WrestleMania 10, Bret and Owen opened the show and put on a classic, and the match was given five stars by many critics, and is cited to be the greatest opening bout in the history of WrestleMania. Owen and Bret feuded through the summer, and were involved in a Cage match for the WWF title, and that bout was also given five stars by the Wrestling Observer – one of the very few WWF matches to have achieved that feat.

Owen would also go on to win the King of the Ring tournament in ’94, and his push to the main event was set up, something which sadly never took off.

Owen then teamed up with Yokozuna and won the WWF Tag team titles. In his tenure, Owen won the WWF Intercontinental title, the WWF European title and also the tag team titles on a couple of occasions.

In ’97, The Hart Foundation was reformed, with Owen Hart by his brother’s and his brother–in–law’s side. Owen is credited to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers by his peers, and was known for his amazing sense of humour. People often credit Owen to be the one who would ‘entertain’ the superstars when everyone was down.

Owen was also voted as the best flying wrestler in ’87 and ’88, something which spoke volumes about his talent. Although Owen never won ‘the big one’, he came close to achieving it during his feud with his brother.

Owen was arguably more talented than his brother, but the fact that he could never get out of his shadow held Owen back. Owen was a family man first, and then a wrestler.

In 1999, at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Owen was scheduled to face The Godfather as ‘The Blue Blazer’ for the WWF Intercontinental title, and while being lowered down from the rafters, Owen’s harness snapped, throwing him down 80 feet onto the ground. Owen was then taken to a medical facility, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Owen was one of the few good people in the business, and the fans and his peers showed Owen how much he meant to them the next night.

The WWF held a tribute show for Owen Hart, and amidst the outpour of emotions from everyone, it was evident that Owen had left a lasting legacy in this industry. Owen Hart’s impeccable technical ability, along with his contributions to the industry earns him the number 5 spot in our list of the greatest technical wrestlers in the history of the WWE.