Ah, I see this turned into the old Owen Hart HoF debate. A bunch of people think it's shame he hasn't been in there for ages already, another bunch thinks he was a glorified midcarder that would never be considered for the HoF if he wasn't a Hart and/or dead.
Speaking for myself, I belong to the first bunch. And here is why:
When I was a kid I loved Owen. He was a tremendous technical wrestler and awe-inspiring high flyer at a time when those were still few and far between. In today's day and age he wouldn't necessarily stand out as much, but back then he was a desert flower and a pioneer.
Added to that, Owen Hart had the ungrateful role of standing in the shadow of his overachieving older brother. Boy, did I know what that felt like!
So I immediately gravitated towards Owen. I was so glad when all that New Foundation and High Energy nonsense ended and he stopped wearing that ridiculous baggy outfit. Finally he turned on Bret. At that point in time he was by far my favorite wrestler. I celebrated like crazy when he beat Bret at Wrestlemania X, striking a blow for oppressed little brothers everywhere! Then he went on to win the King of the Ring tournament and I was on cloud 9, jumping around the living room like a lunatic. Following that was the high point of his career when he fought for the WWF title at Summerslam 94 (which should have been the main event instead of Undertaker vs. Underfaker…
. I was heartbroken when Owen didn't win. In hindsight it's obvious that he never had a prayer, but hey, I was still a kid and I desperately wanted to believe!!!!
Following that he had fun programs in tag teams with Yokozuna and Davey Boy Smith, as well as his involvement with the reformed Hart Foundation. He won the IC, European and tag titles and was involved in one of the WWFs most infamous historic moments when he botched a piledriver and almost paralyzed Steve Austin…
The rest of his career is a bit of a mystery to me because that was a time in my life when I didn't follow the product. Puberty had struck and I was more interested in girls than in half-naked oiled up men, and, oddly enough, being a big time wrestling fan was considered a huge turn-off to the ladies…
I learned of his death through a regular newspaper. It was one of those rare events in wrestling that the press in the real world covers. That was quite a blow. My early teens hero was dead. At the time I felt any chance of me watching wrestling again was gone for good. … Obviously I was wrong, but that's another story.
Does Owen Hart belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?
I understand those who feel Owen was never really too important. With some rare exceptions he never got beyond midcard status. If his name wasn't Hart and if his end wasn't so tragic, would he still be remembered?
Again, I can only speak for myself, but I definitely would still remember him most fondly and as far as I am concerned he deserves the HoF more than many who are already in there.
In a fake sport it's not just the measurable achievements that matter, how many titles you won or how many main events you have wrestled. Wrestling is basically a clown show and if a clown manages to connect with the crowd with the role that he is given and he becomes a memorable tiny part of that audience's life, he has succeeded. That is why the likes of the Birdman Koko B. Ware are in the Hall of Fame. He's certainly not in there for main eventing Wrestlemania or an impressive winning streak, he is in there because even today people smile when they reminisce and go "Oh, yeah, the guy with the parrot."
Owen Hart touched my life. That is more than I can say for many other performers with more successful careers. And if I feel that way, chances are others do so as well. And that's a crystal clear Hall of Fame ticket in my book.
