Growing up the baby of eleven siblings would be a wild time as it is, but when you’re the runt of a wrestling dynasty, you’re bound to be in for some completely interesting times. But Owen Hart was a little different. According to his widow Martha, he didn’t necessarily want to follow in his family’s famous footsteps.
But for a guy who didn’t necessarily want to be a wrestler, what a wrestler he was! Owen was one of the most innovative superstars of all time. Between his epic ribs, amazing talent, and tragic end, Owen will always be one of the most intriguing stars of all time. Here are ten facts fans should know about Owen Hart.
10 Owen Turned Down His First Offer
When you’re that good at something, it’s becomes destiny, whether you like it or not sometimes. As Jim Cornette joked on Dark aside, Owen became good just through osmosis. Owen was so good that only a few years after getting his start, the WWE came calling. But Owen felt an obligation to his father’s flailing Stampede and a wedding that he and Martha had to attend and he turned down the offer.
9 Martha Fought For Owen
After Owen’s accident, Martha felt is was her duty to not only find out what happened at Over The Edge, but also to try and bring any wrongdoers to trial. She and her young son traveled to the Kemper Arena and climbed the very same steps that Owen had climbed.
They got a feel for what Owen might have felt that night. Believing there was a supreme amount of negligence, Martha vowed to bring the WWE and the cable rigging company to trial. That didn’t happen, but with her settlement, she was able to start the Owen Hart Foundation’s
8 The Blazer Was Bret’s Idea
Once Owen finally did come to the WWE, there were already two family members running around, plus an unrelated Jimmy Hart. But also, the only other wrestlers in the world pulling off anything near what Owen was doing worked under a hood. It was Bret that suggested Owen work under a mask. The Blue Blazer was born as well as seeds planted for an eventual brother vs. brother match.
7 He Did Work For WCW
Despite coming up with his father’s Stampede promotion, which also included a beeline right to Stamford, Owen also worked for Turner and WCW as well. He wasn’t there for long because thankfully WWE realized what they would have given up. But after a stint in Mexico and Japan, the Rocket worked a handful of matches for WCW, one of which saw him team with Ricky Morton against Greg Sawyer has perennial WCW journeyman, Jumping Joey Maggs.
6 Bret Pushed For Owen Over Bruce
In 1993, the seeds were planted for a jealous Owen to start turning on Bret leading to their iconic WrestleMania X opening match. But at one point, the WWE brass had felt the storyline would be better with oldest Hart brother, Bruce in the Owen spot.
The Hitman disagreed and in instant hindsight (as evidenced by their performance at the 1993 Survivor Series), Owen was definitively the better choice.
5 The Infamous Botched Tombstone
In what seems to be the only real blemish on a near perfect career, Owen Hart almost paralyzed Stone Cold Steve Austin during their match at SummerSlam 1997. According to Stone Cold, he and Owen went over the tombstone spot and Austin asked Owen how he was going to drop him. Notorious ribber Owen said “I’m gonna land on my butt.” Austin looked at him with the side eye and then just assumed it was Owen goofing around. Unfortunately, he wasn’t and by Austin’s own admission, he stopped thinking Owen Hart was that funny.
4 The Real Life Hart Foundation
After Owen’s passing, Martha wanted to take the WWE to trial. Instead, she got a hefty sum of money. With those funds, she started The Owen Hart Foundation. The charity’s main objective is to help families in need with housing as well as scholarships. Every year, the Foundation has hosted big time galas for fundraising featuring talents like Bob Newhart, Ringo Starr, and Jerry Seinfeld.
3 Owen Stuck To His Values
What happened in Montreal helped spark The Attitude Era. Ironically, the raunch that was a big part of the Era had put the WWE in an interesting position — they had no idea what to actually do with Owen. The King Of Harts had no interest in partaking in the sleazy storylines that populated the times. Instead, the idea was born for Owen to feud with shooters like Shamrock and Blackman, as well as resurrect the Blazer as a comedic character.
2 Over The Edge Was Planned Last Minute
Aside from the whole ordeal being easily avoided by not doing such a boneheaded stunt at all, Owen’s entrance at Over The Edge was planned at the last minute! During the season finale of Dark Side Of The Ring, Martha revealed that the WWE had called her to get Owen’s measurements.
But the sad fact is, the Rocket pretty much left whatever show the WWE was doing and headed home. Like a lot of the WWE’s plans, this too was planned at the last minute. But this was one of those ideas that needed to be planned and plotted out a lot better.
1 The Family’s Wishes
Mark Henry made an impassioned plea to Martha and her kids during his Hall Of Fame speech to allow Owen to be inducted. There probably isn’t a fan or wrestler alive that doesn’t agree with The World’s Strongest Hall Of Famer. But Martha, Oje, and Athena aren’t fans. Nor do they want the company that is responsible for the death of their father and husband to reap any benefits or receive any good will in Owen’s name. We all have to face facts, no matter how deserving, The King Of Harts will not be claiming his throne.