History Wrestling / OwenHart

* CanadaEh: The strongest example against the idea that Canadian wrestlers were just good on the mat but black holes of charisma. Owen was not only held up as being one of the most charismatic members of his family but anywhere in professional wrestling world.

''Over the Edge'' [[TheShowMustGoOn continued after Owen's death]], with legendary WWF commentator Wrestling/JimRoss informing the viewers that Owen Hart had, indeed, died as a result of the fall; the news was not relayed to the crowd attending the event, though. WWE [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes never released]] ''Over the Edge'' on home video in any format, and it retired the event name after that show. (WWE made the show available as part of the WWE Network's on-demand content library, albeit in edited form, out of respect for the Hart family.) The next night, ''Raw is War'' held a special tribute show that eventually picked up the nickname ''Raw is Owen'': the company tossed out angles and feuds for a single night so wrestlers could compete in matches to honor Owen, and WWF personalities also relayed stories about Owen in prerecorded interviews (this show would lay the template for the two shows honoring Wrestling/EddieGuerrero following his death, and a similar show would be put on for Wrestling/ChrisBenoit on the day of his death, before [[FamilyAnnihilator the circumstances behind his death]] became apparent). A few months later, when ''WCW Monday Nitro'' came to the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri (where Owen had died), Bret Hart -- who had jumped ship to WCW from the WWF following the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob -- wrestled in a tribute match for Owen against handpicked opponent Chris Benoit.

Owen's life came to an end on May 23, 1999 at the WWF pay-per-view ''Over the Edge''. At the time, Owen was in his Blue Blazer gimmick -- a pastiche of superhero-type wrestlers -- and at ''Over the Edge'', his entrance would have involved him rappelling down from the rafters to a few feet above the ring, then falling on his face as he released himself from the harness. Unfortunately, the harness holding Owen, being held together by a single release point, malfunctioned; he fell nearly 80 feet and landed chest-first on the top rope of the ring. Medical personnel declared him dead just minutes after they'd carried him out.

** [[SaltAndPepper High Energy]], w[=/=]Wrestling/KokoBWare, 1992-1993.

''Over the Edge'' [[TheShowMustGoOn continued after Owen's death]], with legendary WWF commentator Wrestling/JimRoss informing the viewers that Owen Hart had, indeed, died as a result of the fall; the news was not relayed to the crowd attending the event, though. WWE [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes never released]] ''Over the Edge'' on home video in any format, and it retired the event name after that show. (WWE made the show available as part of the WWE Network's on-demand content library, albeit in edited form, out of respect for the Hart family.) The next night, ''Raw is War'' held a special tribute show that eventually picked up the nickname ''Raw is Owen'': the company tossed out angles and feuds for a single night so wrestlers could compete in matches to honor Owen, and WWF personalities also relayed stories about Owen in prerecorded interviews (this show would lay the template for the two shows honoring Wrestling/EddieGuerrero following his death, and a similar show would be put on for Wrestling/ChrisBenoit on the day of his death, before the circumstances behind his death became apparent). A few months later, when ''WCW Monday Nitro'' came to the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri (where Owen had died), Bret Hart -- who had jumped ship to WCW from the WWF following the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob -- wrestled in a tribute match for Owen against handpicked opponent Chris Benoit.

Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian professional wrestler best known for his work in [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} the World Wrestling Federation]], though he also wrestled for Stampede Wrestling, Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, and (for a brief period) [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]]. He held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html Intercontinental]], [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-eu-h.html European]], and [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWF World Tag Team Championships]], won two Slammy Awards (one of his trademark accomplishments), and won the 1994 Wrestling/KingOfTheRing tournament. He was also part of the storied [[WrestlingFamily Hart family]] -- one of WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart's many children, he was the brother of WWE Hall of Famer Wrestling/BretHart and the brother-in-law of both [[Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith]] and [[Wrestling/JimNeidhart Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart]].

Owen's life came to an end on May 23, 1999 at the WWF pay-per-view ''Over the Edge''. At the time, Owen was in his Blue Blazer gimmick -- a pastiche of superhero-type wrestlers -- and at ''Over the Edge'', his entrance would have involved him rappelling down from the rafters to a few feet above the ring, then falling on his face as he released himself from the harness. Unfortunately, the harness holding Owen, being held together by a single release point, malfunctioned; he fell down into the ring from nearly eighty feet above it and hit his chest on the turnbuckle. Medical personnel declared him dead just minutes after they'd carried him out of the ring.

->''"Well ENOUGH! IS ENOUGH! And it's time for a CHANGE!"''

* ArchEnemy: Bret, the Smokin' Gunns, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Wrestling/KenShamrock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

* CatchPhrase: "Well, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! AND IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE!"

* EvilIsHammy: Post-heel turn Owen is a masterclass in being a whiny, obnoxious {{Heel}}.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: To wrestlers and fans alike, this is the general consensus on his death. He was one of the funniest and [[NiceGuy nicest people]] in the business and he was undeserving of his untimely death at the age of 34.

* TokenWhite: During Owen's stint in the Nation; he was the only white guy in a stable where everyone else (The Rock, Wrestling/DLoBrown, Kama Mustafa, and Wrestling/MarkHenry) were [[AngryBlackMan angry black men]].

* ActionDad: He had a son and daughter.

* CoolMask: The Blue Blazer.

->''"Owen didn't die due to a heart problem likely brought on by the excessive steroid abuse; he didn't overdose on the popular combination of alcohol and pain pills; he didn't die by any fault of his own. Owen James Hart died because he was a company man, a pawn in [[Wrestling/MondayNightWars a ratings battle that had already been over for a long time]]."''
-->--'''[[Website/{{WrestleCrap}} RD Reynolds]]''', ''Literature/TheDeathOfWCW''