From the Hart

Owen James Hart was a very passionate family man. His son, Oje, born in 1992, and daughter, Athena born in 1995, will never get the chance to experience the joys of having a father. Owen loved his family and now will never get the opportunities to help his son fix up his old mustang, or walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. Owen never got a chance to enjoy the home that he and his wife, Martha, had finished building just before his death.

It was no secret that Owen loved his home life, and he planned on retiring from the ring when his WWF/E contract expired. He worked hard, and saved as much as he could.

Owen’s career started right here in Canada. His father, Stu Hart, was a legendary wrestler and promoter. His own promotion Stampede Wrestling helped pave the way for many superstars of wrestling. Stu’s technical style of wrestling, as well as his generally aggressive approach to the business helped mold his own sons, all of them wrestling at some point.

Two of his sons went on to an American promotion ran by Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr., called the World Wrestling Federation. Bret Hart, along with brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart went on to become WWF Tag Team Champions, before splitting up, and allowing Bret’s career to sky rocket as a singles competitor. Owen would follow his brother into the WWF and showcased an entirely different style then his brother’s. Owen mixed technical wrestling with an ariel style.

After hanging up the Blue Blazer gimmick which Owen wasn’t really fond of, he had success in the tag team division. Teaming with Jim Neidhart to form the New foundation, but their partnership wouldn’t last. The next partner he had was Koko B. Ware and were aptly called High Energy. Both men worked with an unreal amount of energy, but that partnership would also not last.

Bret’s popularity was climbing. In 1993 Bret’s feud with Jerry Lawler escalated leading up to November’s annual pay-per-view Survivor Series. Lawler constantly took cheap shots at the entire Hart family, but by the time the Survivor Series rolled around, Lawler was injured. Shawn Michaels jumped in to take over Lawler’s team of the Knights (Black Knight, Red Knight, and Blue Knight) to face the Hart family of Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith, with their father Stu standing in their corner. The Hart family prevailed over Shawn and the Knights, except one family member had been eliminated early on. Owen felt he was cheated (his character, not the real man), he felt like Bret was holding him down.

The problems between Bret and Owen, on television, would come to head at the 1994 Royal Rumble, when Owen turned on his brother during a tag team match. At WrestleMania 10 in Madison Square Gardens Owen would gain a victory over his brother in the first match of the night. Owen’s character took on the roll as “the black Hart”, making it his mission to out-do his brother.

At the 1994 King Of The Ring Tournament in June, Owen became the second King Of The Ring. Just like Bret did in 1993.

The on-screen feud between Bret and Owen would carry on until 1996, and together would start a small family faction called the New Hart Foundation, with brother-in-laws Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith, and family friend Brian Pillman. Together they stood against Americans, being only loyal to Canada. They battled “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and D-Generation X.

D-Generation X (or D-X) was led by Shawn Michaels. Michaels and Bret had a history. They had amazing matches together, but behind the scenes the two really couldn’t stand each other. The fight leading up their final battle was over-shadowed by Bret Hart’s upcoming departure from the company. This would lead to the infamous Montreal Screw Job.

Prier to his brother’s controversial departure from the company, Owen found success in the tag team team division winning multiple tag team championships with the 600-pounder Yokozuna and again with his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith.

In 1998-99, Owen teamed with Jeff Jarrett and his lovely manager Debra. Once again, Owen found championship success. They worked as a team and as a singles competitors. Things were going great for Owen.

Then the unimaginable happened.

Kansas City, Missouri,
Kemper Arena –
May 23, 1999:

Earlier in the day Owen rehearsed his entrance into the ring for his match against the Godfather. Owen wasn’t thrilled with the entrance, in which he would descend from the rafters in a Superhero like manner as the Blue Blazer. The Blue Blazer wore a cape and a mask, and he would slowly enter the ring, like a bird gliding to it’s landing.

The rehearsal went off with no problems. However, Owen verbally stated his discomfort despite the fact that guys like Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker had performed similar stunts in the past, he still was not comfortable.

That night was a WWF pay-per-view event titled “Over The Edge”. Owen, as the Blue Blazer, was set to take on the Godfather, portrayed by Charles Wright. The character was a pimp-like character who would be accompanied to the ring by scantily clad women who were referred to as “hos”. Owen walked up the catwalk, 78 feet above the ring, where “professional” stunt coordinators proceeded to hook Owen’s harness to a clip and pulley apparatus.

Once hooked up, Owen stepped off the catwalk and was suspended in the air, awaiting his entrance. Nobody will ever really know what actually happened but some accounts have stated that Owen, himself, triggered the quick release. Several other’s said that the quick release was triggered on it’s own. When the clip released, Owen fell from approximately 72 feet (25 meters) to his death.

As he crashed chest first into the turnbuckle in the corner of the ring, the fans at the event though it was a work, that it was part of the show. The audience at home were not treated to the horrific accident, but were watching backstage vignettes and promos at the time. No cameras were rolling inside the actual arena.

Fans, and co-workers of Owen, watched as the REAL EMTs worked on him. Trying hard to revive him. By the time they made it backstage to the waiting ambulance, Owen was gone.

Commentators, Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler, went on the air and informed the pay-per-view audience of the tragedy, while the fans inside the arena had no idea. The show continued, and the wrestler’s were given the option to wrestle or not to.

Fans at home mourned the loss and the fans inside the arena were left unsettled by what had transpired.

The night that Owen died stands out in my mind. It’s just one of those moments in ones life where you remember where you were and what you were doing. My friend April and I were at my house. We decided not to get the pay-per-view that night, but instead hung out in my bedroom where we watched the made-for-Television-movie about Jesse “The Body” Ventura’s life and run for Governor.

I actually did not find out until the next morning, when my brother told me that Owen Hard died. Normally I wouldn’t believe my brother about things like that but since my brother never watched wrestling in his life, nor had he ever heard of Owen with the exception of my talking about him (Adam never listens when I talk wrestling, so that is also doubtful), I knew it had to be true. I didn’t want it to be true. I hoped that it was just a work. I was shocked.

Along with millions of fans around the world, I mourned the loss of a great man. A great son, brother, husband and father. A great wrestler. We mourned along with his family, as his widow invited the fans to the funeral home to hear the service.

It was later revealed that the clip used to hold Owen in his harness, was originally designed for a sailboat which would only require a maximum of 6Ibs to trigger the quick release. Owen weighed 225Ibs.

Just from reading the wrestler’s biographies like The Rock, Mick Foley, Edge’s and the book his widow, Martha wrote, I learned a lot more about the man who Owen was. He was a guy who preferred to be at home with his family. But on the road he was respected by the entire locker room. He loved pulling pranks and making his fellow friends laugh and smile. He was a loving, caring man who worked as hard as he played. Owen touched many people’s lives.

On the anniversary of his death, we are not mourning the loss of an amazing man and wrestler, but choose to celebrate his life. We are two years away from the tenth anniversary and I believe that Owen would want us to smile when we think of him, not cry. We are his fans, and friends from a distance. A faction of people who care enough to stop and raise our glasses of wine, or lemonade, in a silent salute every once in a while to him.

Owen has one more thing to accomplish, and hopefully within the next two years, we will all see him being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Everyone raise your glasses, smile, think of Owen.

Cheers to you, from all of our Harts!