Owen Hart was the original "Game", not Triple H

[CM Steel]

May 23rd marked the 13th year anniversary of the death of Owen Hart.

But did you know if you didn't know already that the WWF/E had plans at the time to give Owen a run with "the Game" gimmick? Which is now the moniker of WWE superstar Triple H. Owen Hart was suppose to be the game after his storyline stint as "the Blue Blazer". But Owen was token away from us to soon after that accident in Kansas City, Missouri that sunday night in May.

And the WWE gave the game charactor to Triple H who ran to the moon and back with it. The late Owen Hart had alot of wrestling nicknames like Jay-Z has in rap. "The Rocket", "The Blue Blazer", and "The King of Hearts". After Owen Hart won the 1994 King of the Ring torney. But Triple H won the King of the Ring title in 1997. And since 2006 Triple H has also dubbed himself the "King of Kings".

Now what if the accident never happened that night and Owen Hart would still be with us? Would he have done the game gimmick justice or just proud?

 

[GameOver]

highly doubt it, He didn't want to be in WWF after Bret left but they refused to let him out of his contract.

after he won the King of The Ring, what happened? he got a 1 yr run at the title and lost everytime then went back to the midcard.
the night of his death, he was only in an IC title match, how is that a major push. He was just gonna turn face again and be IC champ or stay that way til his contract expired.

Not questioning his ability, he was equal to Bret in ring, if not better and far better as a personality but he was tongue tied when on the mic and i doubt he was ever a consideration for the world title.

Anyway this seems no different to Triple H was meant to be the original Austin but he got punished for being part of the click incident so Austin won King Of The Ring instead.

Owen wasn't "That Damn Good", Triple H was "The Game" i don't see Owen being able to portray that same character, maybe a Brian Pillman type character yes

 

[gers09]

i think he would have done well with it just not as well as HHH did. Owen was a great wrestler but i just don't think he could of been able to been a success as the game like HHH was he probably would of still been a mid-card with it

 

[Jimmy Carter]

What does mack think? Of course he would have done well as The Game - he was Owen Freakin' Hart.

No other wrestler at the time was deserving of the nickname, with Owen's family pedigree, in-ring versatility (compared to HHH's more narrowed moveset), and the overall liveliness of his presence. This man lived and bled wrestling, and while no one can deny Hunter's dedication into the business, he married into it whereas The King of Harts was born, baby, born to shine on the mat.

Not only would he have earned the name, he would have been a more appropriate fit for it at the time as well as in the long run, if we are to presume he would have replaced HHH in the title picture with Stone Cold. Hunter would have then been free to run around improve himself further before entering the main event tier. He would have had a great run that summer with the IC title, dropping it cleanly to X-Pac after a several month long feud.

How can there be a question to it? On top of it all, we would have enjoyed somewhat more entertaining and brief promos. "The Game" Owen Hart would have reigned supremely indeed.

 

[B.Ware]

I really don't think Owen would have wrestled for much longer. I think he wanted to get out of the business. However, if he were given that gimmick, it's very hard to tell where he would have gone with it. HHH made the game persona his own and I really can't see anyone else with it, which is a compliment to HHH. Owen was undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers of his time (and in my all time fav 5!) but I don't think he would have had such a great run as Hunter.

RIP Owen. Sadly missed by many.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Triple-H just didn't became big because of his nicknames like "The Game" or "The King of Kings". These aren't gimmicks. These are just nicknames.

What made HHH so great is his ability wrestle, to cut a promo. Thats what made him the greatest heel since Ric Flair not some nicknames.

 

[robbo316]

I really don't think Owen would have wrestled for much longer. I think he wanted to get out of the business. However, if he were given that gimmick, it's very hard to tell where he would have gone with it. HHH made the game persona his own and I really can't see anyone else with it, which is a compliment to HHH. Owen was undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers of his time (and in my all time fav 5!) but I don't think he would have had such a great run as Hunter.

RIP Owen. Sadly missed by many.

As far as I remember, Owen Hart was a teacher before entering big time wrestling, and was intending to go back to it as soon as he had made enough money to be comfortable.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Buddy Rogers was the original Nature Boy, not Ric Flair. It happens all the time in pro wrestling. Gimmicks and nicknames are recycled. The other people are right, Owen wanted to retire early. He made it a point to not spend a lot of money on the road. Because of that I don't think he would have ran with the gimmick for a long while.

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with the people that say he wanted out. If I remember right he was not happy to be left in WWE, and only reason he didn't leave to is because they wouldn't let him out of his contract. If his heart was in it I think he would have ran with the gimmick and been very successful, but I don't think it was meant to be even if he wouldn't have had the accident.

 

[Workrate]

highly doubt it, He didn't want to be in WWF after Bret left but they refused to let him out of his contract.

after he won the King of The Ring, what happened? he got a 1 yr run at the title and lost everytime then went back to the midcard.
the night of his death, he was only in an IC title match, how is that a major push. He was just gonna turn face again and be IC champ or stay that way til his contract expired.

Not questioning his ability, he was equal to Bret in ring, if not better and far better as a personality but he was tongue tied when on the mic and i doubt he was ever a consideration for the world title.

Anyway this seems no different to Triple H was meant to be the original Austin but he got punished for being part of the click incident so Austin won King Of The Ring instead.

Owen wasn't "That Damn Good", Triple H was "The Game" i don't see Owen being able to portray that same character, maybe a Brian Pillman type character yes

Triple H was pretty bad on the mic at the same point in his career. Better than Owen? Sure. But not by much.

That said, I don't know that I buy any plans to give Owen the same gimmick. Triple H wasn't referred to as "The King of Kings" until many years after Owen passed and even then, his gimmick didn't really change. He just had a new alias. They didn't start calling Dolph Ziggler "The Show-Off" until late last year and when they did, nothing about his character changed.

It is certainly possible they planned to give Owen the same nicknames and persona as Triple H. But it seems more likely they thought of giving him one of the nicknames -- "King of Kings" makes sense as a progression from "King of Harts" -- rather than the whole kit and kaboodle.

 

[anvilx8]

I dont think there was ever a "Game" gimmick. HHH said many times he jusy referred to himself as "the game" in an interview with JR and thats how the whole thing started. WHere is this "Owen hart was supposed to be the game" thing coming from!?

 

[IT Factor]

It would've been interesting to see what Owen could've done given the same credibility and push that HHH got with that moniker. He would've been in WWF Title contention, no doubt. It's a shame that Owen died because McMahon is an illogical, insane, dictator-type of promoter who sent Owen up in the rafters to punish him for not wanting to do the whole Jarrett/Debra/Owen love triangle storyline. Of course, if ethics were what kept WWF/WWE in business, they'd have went under a long time before WCW did.....

 

[James]

Owen Hart was the best that WWF had to be honest. Owen wasn't happy because his brother had left, but Bret told him not to get out of his contract. He told Owen to keep working for Vince so he could provide for his family. Yes, Owen was supposed to have The Game gimmick and I think he could've done it better than HHH. Hell I'd even like to say that his microphone skills were just simply amazing. I call Owen Piper number 2 because that's exactly who he reminded me of.

Owen could've took the ball and run with it, but we never got to see it. Vince liked Owen despite screwing over Bret and he was gonna push him to the moon. He knew that it would create controversy. Owen could've won the title as a face against Austin via a screw over with Vince, thus turning heel the next night.

Owen could've gotten vicious, he could go darker and make himself look like a threat the same way HHH did for us. Owen will always be The King of Kings to me. He was simply amazing.

Vince knew what he was doing he knew what would make ratings.

 

[deslok]

I think Owen would have had success, but tailored to his own character. This is 15-10 years ago now, back when writers didn't come up with garbage they do now. It was more of the wrestlers having a hand in their characters. Owen would have been world champion, and I am positive HHH still would have found a way to become a success. He can talk so well, and in the year 2000 I think he had one of the best wrestling years anyone may have ever had. (-2001)

 

[trashboy]

I still can't imagine him being The Game. All I keep hearing in my head is what his theme would sound like.

Well enough is enough and it's time to play The Game.

 

[whoopin' ass]

gimmicks come and go and change. austin was not supposed to be Stone Cold, Dwayne Johnson was not supposed to be The Rock. considering Austin got his King of the Ring win, Triple H seemed to do well for himself. i think had Owen lived and Vince was willing to give him a good push, he would have evolved into that "Game" type character since that was essentially his character already. he just needed the push behind him. eventually the Blue Blazer would have been dropped and i think he could have gone far.

 

[Headman]

A nick name does not make a star. Owen wasn't on the verge of some huge push. He was a comedy midcarder and at the time it would have been hard to imagine that changing very much. Owen said he only wanted to wrestle another 3 or 4 years until he saved enough money to retire, so that's yet another reason not to push him beyond a supporting role.

 

[CM Steel]

A nick name does not make a star. Owen wasn't on the verge of some huge push. He was a comedy midcarder and at the time it would have been hard to imagine that changing very much. Owen said he only wanted to wrestle another 3 or 4 years until he saved enough money to retire, so that's yet another reason not to push him beyond a supporting role.

Man you just disrespected the great name that was Owen Hart! Owen was way more than a comedy mid-carder like you just said. Owen Hart was no Santino Marella in his day, he was alot better! If the WWE ever came out with a DVD of the career of Owen Hart. You would see that.

But I could see Owen Hart in the main event scene before his death. Before the attitude era Owen was in main event type matches like the epic steel cage match against his brother Bret. So you should give Owen Hart alot more credit than what you had said about him being a comedy mid-carder man! That was just disrespectful.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

There were plans to give Owen the belt after Bret left. Problem is there was HBK and Austin who stood in the way, politicking as usual. You can understand Austin's pov. Owen had injured him and had not shown the proper protocol, when you injure a fellow performer. HBK was just being his typical jackass self.

Owen hated what happened to Bret and wanted to leave the company, but wasn't willing to pay the amount to
get out of his contract, so he remained. I guess he would have kept working until the end of that contract and then leave wrestling.

Could Owen have been a convincing Game ? Before he was the younger brother to Bret, after his feud with Bret he became an excellent heel in his own right, and the top heel of the company for a period of time. He had the skill in the ring, was decent on the mike (more at ease on the mike than Bret), and no one loved being a heel as much as Owen did. So yes, I think Owen would have made a great 'Game' in theory. The problem is the politics backstage was toxic towards Owen, and he wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the amount of push that Triple H got with the name.

It's difficult for people to second guess after such a long time. For me, it's not the nickname that matters, it's the performer that makes the name worth remembering. But in the case of The Game, as he proves, promotion can definitely help.

 

[Headman]

Man you just disrespected the great name that was Owen Hart! Owen was way more than a comedy mid-carder like you just said. Owen Hart was no Santino Marella in his day, he was alot better! If the WWE ever came out with a DVD of the career of Owen Hart. You would see that.

But I could see Owen Hart in the main event scene before his death. Before the attitude era Owen was in main event type matches like the epic steel cage match against his brother Bret. So you should give Owen Hart alot more credit than what you had said about him being a comedy mid-carder man! That was just disrespectful.

How on Earth did I disrespect Owen? What I described was exactly what he was doing. He was working a comedy gimmick telling people to drink their milk. He was on the midcard. What I said has nothing to do with the man's ability, it's just the honest to god truth. It is a fact that at the time of Owen's death he was a comedic character. As I understand it, the question isn't "What would you have liked for Owen to do?" it's "Do you think he would have been as successful as Triple H?" and the answer is no, unless you have no idea what was going on with him at the time.

 

[CM Steel]

How on Earth did I disrespect Owen? What I described was exactly what he was doing. He was working a comedy gimmick telling people to drink their milk. He was on the midcard. What I said has nothing to do with the man's ability, it's just the honest to god truth. It is a fact that at the time of Owen's death he was a comedic character. As I understand it, the question isn't "What would you have liked for Owen to do?" it's "Do you think he would have been as successful as Triple H?" and the answer is no, unless you have no idea what was going on with him at the time.

Owen Hart's career in the WWF/E at the time was at a speed bump in WWF/E creativity at that time. Like most WWE superstars, Owen Hart career at that time was unknown since the WWF/E didn't have anything for Owen at that time. That's where & when the push was to come into play for Owen.

Owen Hart bringing back the "Blue Blazer" gimmick was a exit from Owen Hart the mid-carder for life into Owen Hart: The Game, never the nugget like Shawn Michaels said those years ago on WWF TV. And as for Owen Hart being a main eventer. Owen had all of the tools needed. But he needed a new finisher. But nobody can do a spinning heel-kick like the late King of Harts! Owen Hart was on his way as the game outside the shadow of his brother Bret the Hitman Hart.

Rest in Peace Owen James Hart 13 year later! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (in my Owen Hart voice)

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Never heard anything about this and don't think the gimmick would have worked with Owen. Certain gimmicks work with certain people and this gimmick just doesn't fit Owen.

It would've been interesting to see what Owen could've done given the same credibility and push that HHH got with that moniker. He would've been in WWF Title contention, no doubt. It's a shame that Owen died because McMahon is an illogical, insane, dictator-type of promoter who sent Owen up in the rafters to punish him for not wanting to do the whole Jarrett/Debra/Owen love triangle storyline. Of course, if ethics were what kept WWF/WWE in business, they'd have went under a long time before WCW did.....

He didn't just send him up, it is well known that he asked Owen and Owen did it because he was turning a lot of stuff down around that time. I fail to see how sending someone up in the rafters is punishment since Owen was going to win the IC title that night. I guess Bischoff was punishing Sting by sending him up in the rafters?

 

[Headman]

Owen Hart's career in the WWF/E at the time was at a speed bump in WWF/E creativity at that time. Like most WWE superstars, Owen Hart career at that time was unknown since the WWF/E didn't have anything for Owen at that time. That's where & when the push was to come into play for Owen.

Owen Hart bringing back the "Blue Blazer" gimmick was a exit from Owen Hart the mid-carder for life into Owen Hart: The Game, never the nugget like Shawn Michaels said those years ago on WWF TV. And as for Owen Hart being a main eventer. Owen had all of the tools needed. But he needed a new finisher. But nobody can do a spinning heel-kick like the late King of Harts! Owen Hart was on his way as the game outside the shadow of his brother Bret the Hitman Hart.

Rest in Peace Owen James Hart 13 year later! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (in my Owen Hart voice)

How on earth did you draw that conclusion? And let's get back to the point of the thread. If they nick named Owen "The Game" he still wasn't getting Triple H's push. They knew they were pushing Triple H to the moon if they could resign him and keep him from going to WCW. Nobody at the time and I mean nobody was talking about an Owen Hart push. Hell, his fans were complaining about him being buried despite the fact that he was about to get another run as IC champ. All this talk about Owen being destined for the main events was not around in the chat rooms and message boards back then. This is revisionist history at best, but better falls into the category of wishful thinking. I hope you understand that I'm not insulting the ability of Owen Hart. Now days he may have gotten a better shake, but back then the main event scene was loaded. Owen Hart was given several pushes as "The Black Hart" and his role in the Nation. These fizzled out, and then he got thrown into a tag team with Jeff Jarrett. Russo was high on Jarrett and kept pushing for him to move up to the main events, but there was no chatter about Owen. Main event pushes weren't as random as they are now days. You didn't prepare someone for a huge push by turning them into a joke.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

As far as I remember, Owen Hart was a teacher before entering big time wrestling, and was intending to go back to it as soon as he had made enough money to be comfortable.

You're thinking Bruce being the teacher. Owen wanted to get into the fire department, but wasn't accepted.

He absolutely was planning on retiring from wrestling as soon as he had enough saved for his family. He probably would have only lasted a couple more years in the business.

 

[thebarber]

Owen Hart was never going to be WWE Champion, hell Vince really could have cashed in on Montreal and booked Owen so much better, instead he jobbed him out to DX then aligned him with the Narion of Domination, which made zero sense. Sure the Game would have been a cool nickname for him, but without the push, he would not have gotten as over as HHH. Owen had a huge problem with the adult content and refused to do angles involving getting physical with Jarrett and Debra, Id suggest Owen would have left WWE once his contract finally expired