On the 24th anniversary of his passing, Owen Hart is the Wrestling Republic Wrestler of the Day for May 23rd.
Owen Hart Biography:
Birth Name: Owen James Hart
Age: 34 (May 7th, 1965 – May 23rd, 1999)
Height: 5’10
Weight: 227 pounds
Debut: 1983
Place of Birth: Calgary, Canada
Accolades: 1x WWE European Champion, 2x WWE Intercontinental Champion, 4x WWE Tag Team Champion, King of the Ring in 1994, 1x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, #10 on the PWI 500 in 1994
At the WWE’s Over the Edge pay-per-view, Owen Hart was set to perform a risky stunt in which he would descend via a harness from the rafters. Tragically, the harness released Hart far too early and he was tragically killed. To honor his memory, Owen Hart is today’s Wrestler of the Day.
Part of the legendary Hart family, Owen followed in the steps of many of his family by becoming a wrestler. He initially wrestled for his father’s Stampede Wrestling and briefly in Japan. In fact, Hart made history by becoming the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Owen Hart had several stints with the WWE, the longest of which lasted from 1991 to 1999. Hart achieved success in tag team wrestling as a part of Camp Cornette and later the Hart Foundation, winning tag team gold four times. He was tagging with Jeff Jarrett when he passed away.
As previously mentioned, Hart passed away after attempting a stunt while entering the ring. The accident unleashed a firestorm both in the immediate aftermath and later on. WWE controversially continued to broadcast the PPV after the accident and Hart’s family sued the WWE. The following episode of Raw was dedicated to Hart’s memory and AEW launched a tournament in 2021 for the same reason. His family started a foundation in his name in 2000.
Photo Credit: WWE
