Owen Hart
   
He was not a nuggett
 
WWF Superstar Owen Hart died Sunday night after a 50 foot drop into a ring at a WWF PPV Event held in Kansis City. I, and the rest of the wrestling world, will never forget Owen, for he was a great performer and wrestler, as well as a father, son, and most importantly, a person. The impact Owen has had on his family, friends, and fans lives will be missed, but never forgotten. Owen will truly live on forever. The following article is written about my personal experience with the death of Owen Hart.
It really hasn't even been a year since I've been following the World Wresting Federation faithfully. Whether it was Monday Night Raw, Sunday Night Heat, Shotgun Saturday Night, Pay Per Views, and occasionally LiveWire and Superstars. It had a profound im p act on my life, and not in the way the media puts down wrestling, but in a unexplainable, positive way. After finally catching up to the story lines, which I had been left out of for a least 2 or 3 years, I noticed and established Owen Hart as one of my f avorite superstars.

Even though the crowd didn't like him, he was one of those guys you sort of loved to hate, but then again I never did hate him. I always thought to myself, why doesn't this guy get pushed into stardom like his brother Bret Hart. This wa s around the time of his angle with Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Steve Blackman. I liked both Ken and Owen, so when they fought at Fully Loaded in July 1998 (which I did not watch) I was kind of rooting for both of them.





Then my friend started to have WW F PPV parties, and Summerslam of 1998 was my first PPV event ever. To me it was one of the best things I've ever watched on television, and Owen fought in that famous "Loin's Den" match with Ken Shamrock. It was an incredibly technical match, and I still have some images stuck in my head that I remember from that match.

Then the next PPV, Breakdown, the WWF was at Canada. My friends and I didn't even think about the fact that this is Canada, and then Owen comes out to a HUGE pop. I don't remember if it was the biggest pop of the night, but I will never forget looking at my friend stunned, and then realizing they were in Canada. That night he fought Edge, but for some reason he just walked out in the middle of the match, if I remember correctly.

It was betw een this and the Tag Team Championship with Jeff Jarrett, that some of my fondest memories of Owen come from. This is when he did that pile driver that hurt Dan Severn's neck, and the retirement angle came out of it. My friends finally told me what that nugget chant meant, and I noticed that even though he was a heel, every single fan out there has a lot of respect for this man. When you have a chant, good or bad, that follows you wherever you go, you know your doing something right.

After that angle was over, I remember him teaming up with Jeff Jarrett and overcoming every tag-team they faced, with the help of Debra of course. After winning the belts from Shamrock and the Bossman, the team got a nice crowd reaction. However, for some reasons or another, Jeff and Owen turned heel, again to be booed. That nugget chant never did leave.

I find it very nice that Owen and Jeff got a successful win to keep the belts at WrestleMania, though they did lose them the next week. In any case, The Blue Blazer was now making appearances, Owen's first character when entering the WWF. And it was The Blue Blazer who got a title shot for the Intercontinental Championship at Over the Edge.

Owen never made it to the match.

He fell in his opening stunt, 50 feet from a lowering harness, before his music started. Even before the pre-match interview was over. He died about an hour later. I remember going to WWF.com the night before and reading the article about the Blue Blazer being a real American hero , and getting all his 'little blazers' united for this title match. It was then that Jim Ross told us about the bad news that an accident has happened involving Owen. He wouldn't tell us what, and wouldn't show us, so when the crowd cheered when Owen was leaving, I figured that Owen was going to be okay, that maybe it wasn't too serious an accident. I was able to enjoy the next few matches.

Jim Ross told us that Owen had indeed fell, but there was a tremor in his voice. Something I couldn't explain. I thought...er...I wanted to hear him tell us that Owen was okay. He then said that Owen had died. The next matches I wasn't able to enjoy. And didn't care to.

I am not turning this into a 'should the show go on or not' debate. I see both sides, and agree with both sides, so I cannot choose. In any case however, the WWF should be highly commended for being able to have the show come of in spite of a greatly painful tragedy at hand.

When the WWF said that Raw would be a 2-hour tribute to Owen's life, I knew it was going to be a special show. And it was. The show really touched my heart, and I'm not afraid to admit that I cried.


The show started off with the entire WWF roster out on the entrance ramp for a ten-bell salute to Owen Hart, followed by a video tribute. Both followed with an ovation. The camera looked around at different people during this, showing Mark Henry, Shane, Vince, Stephanie, Al Snow, all crying. Jim Ross said that there would be ten-unique matches, and candid interviews with WWF superstars on there thoughts on Owen's life.

The show was one of the most powerful and moving events I have ever witnessed in my entire life. There were no good or bad guys. There were no storylines or angles. The show was about wrestlers coming out and doing their best in the ring, all in the name and memory of Owen Hart. The interviews were the most moving parts of the show, and showed a real-life side to today's top superstars.

I won't go into detail about the night, but to see Triple H, Road Dogg, Shane McMahon, Jeff Jarrett, Mark Henry, and other superstars, break down into tears is something that you do not witness everyday. I wish I had taped it, but I didn't. Howev er I hope the WWF will maybe release the episode on tape or replay it.

Over the Edge and the following Raw is War will be two nights I will never forget, but for all the wrong reasons. Please to anyone who reads this, don't let Owen's death be in vain. In the war between Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff in outdoing each other to get ratings, they forgot that they are real lives at stake, and I think Owen's sister said it best when she said, "Owen was a sacrifice for the ratings."

What if Owen had not died on Sunday? Maybe he would be Intercontinental Champion. Maybe he would get that big push into main event status. Maybe he would get Bret Hart back to the WWF. Maybe he would eventually win the WWF Championship. Maybe he would be over with the fans and beat out Stone Cold for biggest pops. Maybe the Nugget chant would finally stop. Maybe his superhero status would catch on and the Godfather and Val Venis would be booed.

But none of those maybes will never be answered yes or no. I believe that everyone is put on and taken off this world for a reason, and that included Owen. The wrestling world needs a superhero like that. Someone with morals, someone with class. Owen Hart was the man for the job. He was a genuine good guy and family man. And the WWF finally let him do that in his character, The Blue Blazer. However, that character never got the chance to get over with the fans. Owen Hart was t aken from this earth at age 34, and he never really hit his prime in his wrestling career.

The WWF will never be the same without Owen Hart, as he will be missed, but never forgotten. Remember Owen for everything he wants you to. Remember him for the entertaining interviews, unforgettable storylines, and the remarkable matches. Everyday he stepped foot in that ring, it was for his fans. Don't ever let that die. Don't ever let Owen truly die.

Owen Hart will be missed.

Owen's last words to his fans were, "\'85the Blue Blazer overcomes all evil-doers. Do you know why, Kevin Kelly? Because I always take my vitamins and drink my milk. Whoo."

Whoo.







 
We Will miss you Owen
Owen, if I could speak with you I would tell you that you will be remembered as one of the most loved and best wrestlers. I'm sure many other people would say the same.
 
Owen, you are loved by so many fans
I credit JoePhish for writing this wonderful story on Owen HArt. If you have one you would like added to the page e mail me it.
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