OWEN TRIBUTE

WWF.com statment

May 23, 1999 We at the World Wrestling Federation are sad to report the death of Owen Hart. He was 34 years old. We do not have much information as to how it happened and will not know until an investigation is completed. We are all shaken, and to say Owen will be missed is to fall short of a way to fully explain what he meant to us. The sadness of his death as a father, brother, son and uncle we’re certain is very deep and strongly felt. He was, and is, beloved by them and by all of us who were fortunate enough to work with him at the World Wrestling Federation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Hart family. We have to be strong for Owen; he was an extraordinary human being and consummate performer and knows that the highest tribute that we can pay is to go on entertaining the fans he loved so much. We'll carry his love for his family and friends and the passion he put in to his work forever.

Career highlights

1992 After the briefest of stints in WCW, he made it to Japan in the early '90s before returning to the WWF to team with Jim Neidhart as "The New Foundation," which received a substantial push in '92. Despite being a popular and capable team, they soon broke up as Neidhart left the federation and Hart formed the mid-card tag team "High Energy" with Koko B. Ware. Hart had already teamed with Ware several times when he was the Blue Blazer.

1993 At "Survivor Series," Hart teamed with his brothers against Jerry Lawler and his Knights. A falling-out with Bret during the bout led to a heel turn and a long-awaited push for Hart as a singles star.

1994 Defeated Bret cleanly in the opener of "Wrestlemania X" at 20:21. The match remains one of the greatest encounters in "Wrestlemania" history. That June, Neidhart returned to the federation and helped Owen Hart defeat Razor Ramon in the finals of the 2nd annual "King of the Ring" tournament, after Hart had already put away Tatanka and the 1-2-3 kid (X-Pac) in opening rounds. Hart feuded with Bret over the world title for the rest of the year as the pair put on a string of excellent matches, including a steel-cage encounter at "Summerslam" that marked the return of the "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith to the federation. Smith teamed with Bret against Owen and Neidhart on "Raw," and headlined cards around the U.S. and in Europe.

1995 Teamed with Yokozuna to win his first world title, the WWF tag belts, at "Wrestlemania XI." The team, managed by Jim Cornette, rolled through '95, dominating a feud against the British Bulldog and Lex Luger while holding teams such as The Smoking Gunns and Men on a Mission at bay.

1996 Bulldog, now a heel, teamed with Hart to win the tag straps. The duo was so good in the ring that it often got loud ovations, despite playing the part of "rulebreakers."

1997 Lost in the finals of the European Championship tournament in Germany to Smith shortly before "Wrestlemania." The match was a total classic. Shortly thereafter, Bret turned heel and reunited the family to form the New Hart Foundation, which included the late great Brian Pillman and a returning Neidhart. Defeated Rocky Maivia for the Intercontinental Title April 27 on "Raw." He lost it to Steve Austin at "Summerslam" in August. It's said that scripted ending to the match involved Owen piledriving Austin multiple times; but on the first (an inverted piledriver with no neck support), Austin's neck was severly damaged, and he lost feeling in his body for several minutes. Hart, immediately aware he was injured, worked the fans while Austin recovered somewhat. Owen then set himself up to be rolled up from behind, as Austin interpreted his intent correctly and made an extremely weak cover. The finish remains one of the worst looking in history, but is acknowledged as a work of intuitiveness and quick thinking on the part of both stars. After Austin was forced to forfeit the title due to injury, Hart won an ensuing tournament to decide the new champion on Oct. 5 (the same tragic day Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room). He dropped the title to Austin in a short, no-bumps match at the "Survivor Series" on Nov. 9, putting Austin over cleanly with the stunner.

1998 Turned face after brother Bret was screwed at the "Survivor Series," but quickly reverted to heel after a feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the Euro title, which he held for two months.

1999 Formed a successful tag team with Jeff Jarrett and won the tag team titles the day after the "Royal Rumble." Combined, the new champions have the potential to be the best since Hart teamed with Davey Boy Smith and before.

Raw recap

May 25, 1999 This week's RAW kicked off with nearly every WWF employee on the ramp. The Fink asked for the crowd to stand for a 10-bell salute in remembrance of the late Owen Hart. Following that, a special video tribute, narrated by Vince McMahon, played on the TitanTron. It was very well done, all superstars applauded, while the crowd chanted his name. Jim Ross then announced a two-hour tribute to Owen, complete with superstars' memories. Mick Foley told us how his son, Dewey, looked up to Owen, and wanted to be just like him. Bradshaw talked about how cheap Owen was on the road, but only because he wanted to retire early so he could spend more time with his family. He told everyone how great a father Owen was to his kids.

Jeff Jarrett d. Test

by submission Jarrett and Debra were still obviously affected by their loss. Jeff grabbed the mic and told everyone that Owen was never a "nugget." Jeff then took out his frustrations on Union member Test. Test came back with his usual offense, until he caught Jeff's leg off the top rope. Test managed to maintain control, until Debra started distracting him on the apron. After a facebuster, Jarrett won it with Owen's Sharpshooter maneuver. Mark Henry read a special poem of his, dedicated to Owen's passing. He got all choked up in the middle of reading it. Droz told everyone that even though he only knew Owen personally for a year, in that time, he greatly admired the superstar. He sent his condolences to Owen's family.

X-Pac/Kane d. Edge/Gangrel

X-Pac wore a memorial arm band during this match, as did Edge. X-Pac started off with Edge, and Edge hit him with a spinning kick. After some manhandling, X-Pac chased Edge away and Gangrel was tagged in. X-Pac then tagged in Kane. A double DDT on Kane had no effect. Kane totally dominated the Brood. X-Pac came back in, and was trounced by both men. Kane was tagged back in to save the day. He slammed X-Pac onto Gangrel to retain the titles. Chyna told everyone that Owen was faithful and honest, and how he would probably be disappointed looking down on the WWF now. Triple H needed some time to compose himself, but then said how Owen always saw the best out of every bad thing, and always gave his all, no matter what. Dave Hebner told us he's known Owen for 10 of the 16 years Hebner had been in the WWF. He said Owen would make you laugh and cry, and how he'd always sign autographs for kids. He was just fun to be around.

Hardy Boyz d. Taka/Funaki

The two Kaientai members returned in this bout. They haven't lost a step, as they pummeled the Hardys in the early going. However, the Hardys quickly turned things around as all four brawled on the outside. Tremendous double-team effort back in the ring. Taka hit a Michinoku Driver, but Michael Hayes made the save. A bevy of high-flying moves on the outside by both teams. Matt Hardy then pinned Taka in the ring, to quickly end the match. Bruce Pritchard remembered Owen as a practical joker and friend. He said Owen was wonderful to his wife and kids, and he will be missed dearly.

Ken Shamrock d. Hardcore Holly by submission

Holly also wore a black arm band, as most of the superstars did on the evening. Shamrock made Holly wrestle a submission-style match here. A very scientific outing with a lot of holds, the opposite of Holly's "Hardcore" style. Shamrock dominated the former Hardcore champ, until he snapped, and applied the ankle lock to win the match. Faarooq talked about leaving families while on the road, as he talked about Owen. He was a man of very little words, but told simply told everyone that he will miss Owen. Test told an anecdote about Owen. They landed in Chicago, the show got canceled, but the second show was in doubt. Test got a phone call asking him if he'd cancel. After much protest, he told him to cancel the show. Later he found out the man on the phone was Owen, playing a prank. He offered his condolences to Owen's family.

Mankind d. Billy Gunn

Gunn got on the mic and gave the "two words" speech, in Owen Hart's memory. The match started slow, but Gunn dominated Foley to start, and then mooned him. Mankind then destroyed Gunn all over the outside. Gunn concentrated on Foley's knee back in the ring, working on it for a while. While Gunn got a chair, Mankind got Socko ready. Gunn ultimately fell victim to the sock, to give Foley the duke. Foley then dedicated the match to Owen. Jeff Jarrett was all choked up and crying, while talking about Owen, saying how he was one of his only friends, out of thousands of acquaintances. He said he saw Owen on the road more times then he saw his own family at home. He called Owen's family "the luckiest people in the world." He promised Owen that he would let his kids know just how great their father was. Edge told us how Owen was the leader of an inner WWF group affectionately called "The Canadian Mafia." He thought of Owen as his guru, and he had the honor of opposing Owen in his last match in Chicago. He wished Owen's family well.

D'Lo Brown/Mark Henry d. The Acolytes

Faarooq overwhelmed Henry in the early going, but Henry quickly turned things around. D'Lo and Bradshaw then had it out with one another, both inside and out. D'Lo then had his way with Faarooq, but was double-teamed by both Acolytes. Henry made the save, dominating both men. It turned into a real see-saw battle. Bradshaw was kicked accidentally by Faarooq, allowing D'Lo to get the pin. Pat Patterson called Owen one of the best performers in the business, and a fun guy outside the ring. He thanked Owen for being the man he was, and then lost composure. Hardcore Holly told us that Owen could make people laugh, no matter what. He talked about Owen's practical jokes, and how he agreed to put Holly over in Mobile, Ala., Holly's home town. He said Owen was a good guy ... gone, but not forgotten.

The Godfather vs. Road Dogg

Road Dogg, black band and all, changed his usual speech, in order to pay respects to Owen. The Godfather took the stick and offered to skip the match, especially due to the circumstances. Road Dogg agreed, and they both went off with the ho's to "tell Owen stories." Paul Bearer said goodbye to Owen by reciting a small poem in his honor. X-Pac said that everyone would likely agree that Owen was the funniest guy on earth, with a different sense of humor. He said Owen was one of his favorites to work with. He described what it was like to walk into the arena for RAW earlier tonight, and said the whole ordeal was a huge nightmare.

Triple H d. Al Snow

In a non-hardcore, the two went back and forth around the ring, inside and out. An even and impressive match all the way. Chyna got in a cheap shot on Snow, allowing Hunter to capitalize. However, Snow quickly turned the tide once again. Finally, a delayed moonsault allowed Triple H to hit the Pedigree for the win. Road Dogg said that Owen was a lot like him, both with two children, and that he was a good man. He's known him for six months, and in that time, they got to be close. Road Dogg sobbed loudly while talking. Gerald Brisco said he respected Owen, because he could relate to him being the younger brother of another superstar. He thinks Owen succeeded in trying to entertain every fan every night.

The Big Show d. Goldust

Goldust tossed the Meanie in front of Wight, and the Blue one low-blowed him. The latter two double-teamed the big man, but they quickly fell victim to a choke slam each. The Big Show quickly and impressively got the duke. Debra said a few kind words for Owen, and told everyone she wished they could see how funny he was. He'd make everyone laugh and kid with them, especially during the autograph sessions with the fans. She said Owen touched her life, and she will definitely miss him. She sobbed uncontrollably throughout her words, but what she said really touched me. Shane McMahon talked about Owen's practical jokes, and told of how he and Bret Hart once pranked him so bad that they got their just desserts afterward. Anyway, then he told everyone how great Owen was, and how he'll miss him.

The Rock d. Val Venis

Val traded in his sexual joke tonight to pay homage to Owen, which was true class. The Rock came out to a huge pop, and gave a few kind words of his own. He dedicated the People's Elbow to Owen tonight. The Rock made quick work of Val, and gave him two People's Elbows, in honor of Owen, to win the match. Steve Austin came out to a huge pop, which had broken an emotional silence. He popped open a few beers, and chugged them down in front of the TitanTron, which was showing a picture of Owen Hart. The show ended on that note, it was without a doubt the most unique Raw ever. No exaggeration, not this time. Seeing every superstar break character in order to remember their friend was truly touching. I'll never forget this edition of RAW, much less the man himself ... Owen Hart.