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OWEN HART
Owen Hart was born on
5/7/65 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was the
youngest of 12 children. His parents were Stu
and Helen Hart. He followed his family into
wrestling and made his debut in 1986. On
5/23/99, Owen died due to an accident at the
Over the Edge PPV event held at the Kemper Arena
in Kansas City, MO. He left behind a wife,
Martha, and two children, Oje and Athena.
Early WWF Career:
Owen entered the WWF in 1988 and wrestled under
a mask as The Blue Blazer. The fact that it was
Owen that was wrestling under the mask was one
of the worst kept secrets in wrestling. He left
the WWF in 1989 and wrestled in all over the
globe.
The New Foundation and
High Energy:
Owen returned to the WWF in 1991 and teamed
with his brother-in-law Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
as the New Foundation. His brother Bret Hart was
half of the legendary Hart Foundation tag team
with Neidhart. In 1992, he was part of the tag
team known as High Energy with Koko B Ware.
Feud with Bret:
In late 1993, tensions were simmering
between Owen and his brother Bret. They teamed
together at the 94 Royal Rumble and Owen
attacked his brother after the match. This
incident led to their incredible battle at
WrestleMania X and several rematches for the WWE
title including a memorable steel cage match at
SummerSlam. At the 94 Survivor Series, his
interference cost Bret to lose the WWF
Championship to Bob Backlund.
Yokozuna & The British
Bulldog:
At WrestleMania XI, Owen formed a tag team
with Yokozuna and in their first match they won
the WWF tag team championship from The Smokin’
Gunns. In 1996, he won the tag team championship
with his brother-in-law The British Bulldog. By
early 1997, it appeared that the team would
break up when the unthinkable happened.
The Hart Foundation:
Bret Hart, a longtime fan favorite turned
against the American wrestling fans. He reformed
the Hart Foundation with Owen, Neidhart, The
British Bulldog, and Brian Pillman. In the U.S.
they were hated but in Canada they were treated
like heroes. Owen won the I-C Championship from
The Rock and lost it to Steve Austin at
SummerSlam 97, the match where Steve Austin’s
severe neck injury occurred.
Montreal & The Nation
of Domination:
The Hart Foundation was disbanded after the
infamous Montreal Screwjob at the Survivor
Series 97. A few months later he joined The
Nation of Domination which was led by The Rock
and was feuding with D-X. In late 98, he formed
a championship tag team with Jeff Jarrett and
brought back The Blue Blazer gimmick.
The Worst Moment in
Wrestling History:
On 5/23/99, The Blue Blazer was scheduled to
wrestle for the I-C title against The Godfather.
The Blazer was scheduled to enter the ring from
the rafters, a stunt he had never done before.
While the fans at home and in the arena were
watching a taped interview of the Blazer, Owen
plummeted from the rafters over 50 feet and hit
a turnbuckle chest first. He was pronounced dead
on arrival at the hospital.
A Controversial
Decision:
The fans in the arena were not told about
Owen’s death but the fans at home were. The PPV
went on as if nothing happened. The next night,
RAW was a tribute show for the late Owen Hart.
Martha Hart settled a wrongful death lawsuit
against the WWF for a reported $19 million and
details about the harness were never revealed.
In 2002, Martha wrote a book called Broken Harts
about Owen’s life.
WWF Title History:
I-C Title
4/28/97 – The Rock
10/5/97 Bad Blood – won tournament final over
Farooq
Sources include: PWI
Almanac, WWE.com, Obsessed with Wrestling.com,
and Slam Wrestling
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