What if Owen Hart still wrestled?

[realblackhart]

Owen woulda fueded with the Godfather a little bit who was the IC champ at the time. He woulda then feuded with HBK and HHH some more after his blue blazer punishment. He woulda wrestled Jericho, Mysterio, Benoit and Guerrero, Edge, Christian, The Hardys and Angle and maybe Austin again and had awesome matches wirth them. I do believe that Owen would NOT have gone to TNA because I'm not sure there would have been a TNA if Owen was alive. Jarrett and Owen were close and maybe Jarrett stays in WWE with him and Vince finally gives him a chance for a title. Not that Owen had any power in the back, but he was popular with the boys, he would have won the title and he would have dropped it to Jarrett.

 

[bxbigshow]

Okay so I was reading the Owen tribute thread and the lively discussion had me thinking. What if Owen Hart didn't die that fateful night? What would his career look like now? At this point he would be 44-45(ish), his in ring career might have been done by now. So in alternate reality retrospect...what would have been Owen Hart's career after 5/23/99? I got red pointed heavy last time I started a thread without adding my opinion so here's mine:

I think that while he was a favorite of mine, he would not have been elevated past the midcard. I keep hearing in the IWC that he was suppose to get "The Game" gimmick, but I never heard that outside of the IWC. Where is this info official?

Even with the gimmick I doubt he would've pulled it off because the fans wouldn't have given him the respect that the character demands. In the era of "What!" chants after everything, Angle getting the "You Suck" all of the time. I honestly think he couldn't get a promo off without "Nugget" drowning him out. And without that gimmick being sucessful to him, it might've ended his WWE run.

Assuming that he stayed in The 'E', once Benoit/Malenko/Eddie/Saturn debuted, it might've revitalized his career as matches with those guys would've been something. I think Owen would've been the IC champ that puts others over. I think the matches he could've had with Kurt Angle would've been great.

If he made it past the takeover of WCW and brand extention he probably would've gotten the WWE Title for a transitional run, as that was the SD! title of the time and Smackdown was the more technical of the two brands.
When Goldberg came to WWE I think after The Rock, Owen could've been that next fued for him because Goldy ended his brother's career.

In closing I was a huge Owen fan, I loved the Blue Blazer stuff before I new it was Owen. Then he redebuted with Anvil, which I think could've worked better if they wore the pink and latched onto Bret then. The Hart Foundation could've been WWE's Horsemen for a long period if written correctly. I don't think he was 'great'. I also don't think Eddie was great. But the deaths of the two men leaves that potential for greatness unfufilled.

So what do you think would've happened if Owen didn't leave us that night?

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

He probably would have been still in the midcard or released by this point. He beat Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X but still couldn't capitalize on it. He would have been lost during the Attitude Era and would get a few midcard titles here and there but probably not the big ones.

 

[latinoheat8979]

I really believe that had Owen not passed he would've won the world title a few times. At that time he was a upper mid-carder and was set to win the IC belt again that night from the Godfather as the Blue Blazer. I'd day his would've had a lengthy IC title run about 9 months or so before they slowly start building him up as a main-eventer. The I'd say he would've been in a program with the Rock for the WWE title after WM 2000 before eventually winning it. And after that he'd have a few more runs with the world title up to today. Sadly though I guess we'll never know.

 

[FloydFixation]

The Rock had people chanting "Rocky Sucks" a lot until one day they just stopped and everyone started liking him. I think that with being "The Game", everyone would have started chanting "Owen" instead of "Nugget", leading to a rise in his overness with the crowd, thus, just like Rocky, be a main eventer.

 

[WrestlingAuthority90]

He would've never been a world champion. Since Owen's death people have greatly exgaggerated his skills. Yes Owen was a good technical wrestler, but he wasnt a very good entertainer. Owen likely would've won the I-C title a few times then went to WCW and would've feuded with Bret again. If that happened it's possible Bret would drop the WCW title to Owen. But back then anyone and everyone was winning the WCW title, so it wouldnt mean much. But it still would've been a world title win.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

You know where Owen would be? Right where Shelton Benjamin is, only with a few more mid-card title holds. Owen was a great wrestler but he just is not a guy that the crowd looks to. Owen also had an odd look, as strange as that sounds. If he were to be given a championship run I'd bet it would have been a short test run and he likely would never have received a second one. I know there are a lot of Owen Hart fans here, but people have to understand that not everyone can be WWE champion, even if they have the technical skills to do so.

 

[huntmaster86]

You know where Owen would be? Right where Shelton Benjamin is, only with a few more mid-card title holds.

I was reading through these and trying to make up my mind, but I think this one hit the nail on the head. Although I think Owen was a little better on the mic. than Bret, he wasn't quite the in ring pleaser. I'd love to say he would be world champion or something, but it wouldn't have happened, and its an absolute shame.

Only thing I would have been interested by is whether or not he would make the jump to TNA. We know he was close to Jarrett and I think its a fair assumption to say that if he went over there he would have got the push he deserved (and also the push Benjamin deserves). Just a shame we'll never know.

 

[Total Impact]

I really can't say what would have happened to Owen's career. I mean I've heard from many that he was thinking about callingit quits anyway, but Bret talked him into staying into wrestling, so he might have just walked away. I don't think he would have won the World title as he was stuck in a stupid gimmick at the time that screamed never be in main event again.

So at best, he would have finished up his career in the WWE, and then went on to mid-card in WCW. But he would never be world champion as he never could break through the glass ceiling.

But we will never know.

 

[jmudbake]

He was good friends with Jeff Jarrett. He couldn't have made it big in TNA. I almost guarantee it would have happened if he hadn't died. He could haven had the initial position Jeff had as a total jerk world champ.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

From what I've heard from various wrestlers and members of the Hart Family (from shoot interviews, reading wrestling news, ect.) it sounds like Owen probably would have retired about a year or 2 after he died. There was alot of talk (and I've heard both his wife and Bret confirm this on interviews) that Owen was getting a financial cushion from wrestling at the time so he could leave wrestling and take a shot at a "normal life" with his family (I also heard that wrestling was not what Owen wanted to do, but it was financial security for him because he was so talented. I've also heard Owen was unhappy with the direction the WWE was going in and "apparently" the WWE tried to put owen in storylines that would make him and his family feel comfortable ).

My guess is that Owen would of retired about a year after the Over The Edge PPV and probably never would of gotten past his mid-card status.

If Owen actually decided to stay in wrestling I bet he could have gotten a world title shot, or at least have been a main-eventer in chase for the title (He definetely had the talent to be a world champion).

 

[bxbigshow]

I didn't even think of the TNA equation. If TNA came into play he probably would've made the jump, especially if the game gimmick didn't go over with him. I could've seen a gift title run in TNA.

Like I said earlier he probably wouldn't of sniffed the Main Event title until after the brand extention. Hell on SD!, JBL and Khali had lengthy runs, I think Owen would've been a transitional champ then. He coulda had the exact run that JBL had to put over Cena considering that JBL was almost a snap decision that happened to work.

Y2J, Big Show, Benoit, JBL, Eddie, even Rey all had a title reign that in my opinion was more of a 'thank you' or sign of appreciation from the company than a recognition of being the best in the business. So in those terms maybe Owen would've had a run.

 

[Loveless]

He probably would have been still in the midcard or released by this point. He beat Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X but still couldn't capitalize on it. He would have been lost during the Attitude Era and would get a few midcard titles here and there but probably not the big ones.

Everybody, Bret included, has said that Owen never wanted to be the main man. He was dedicated to his family, was happy with his role and didn't want the limelight.
So with that in mind, he would have left the WWE when his contract was up, just as he tried to after Montreal. I think the WCW would have been finished by that time and I absolutely believe that Owen would have just said "Sod it, that'll do" and walked away. That might not be the interesting answer but it's the most likely.
Now if you want an interesting but less likely answer, he would have stayed on in a more Edge-like role and would have eventually stolen the WWE title around the time after Rock, Austin, Brock left.

 

[The Infant Finite]

Really difficult to say, Owen was a great preformer and never failed to entertain me as a heel. I don't know how he made others react to his indignant prick routine that was much similar to Kurt Angle's early heel gimmick, but I always loved it. Him arguing with the crowd, contending that he was not a nugget was gold to me.


as was his double identity gimmick when he passed, owen was terrific heel material. But whether this would have translated into a serious main event heel push, I'm not so sure.
In may of 99, Taker was the top heel, Tripl H was a close second and soon to overtake him by the end of summer. Kurt would debut by the end of the year and unintentionally gaining immense heel status. Jarrett left the company by late 99, who knows if Owen would have inspired him to stay? probably not given the apparent bad blood between Double Jeff and Mcmahon. where would owen realistivcally gone from here?
Where would he fit into the card? Would Kurt's push have been ignored in favor of Owen? For that matter, would hunter's? (no)
The mid card was packed with heels not long after Owen passed (Boss man, the hollys, shamrock, The Radicals, the new age outlaws, jericho, The british bulldog) and I don't know if he wouldn't have gotten in line with his good friend Jarrett and seen WCW through to it's end, only to join up with him in starting TNA. Maybe, who knows?

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

No one really knows who or where Owen would be, the fact is i think Owen would have had a couple of titles around his waste after the brand extension, I doubt he would have been as big as Triple H or The Rock but i do believe he would have been over, especially with the Canadian crowd, think about it for a second was bret really over anywhere else?, Owen would have been the WWE's answer to his brother and would have held numerous WWE or World titles as long as he stayed on Smackdown, eventually he would have been braught over to the developmental brand (ECW) and been a long active member there eventually retiring and moving on to be a road agent, he would have accomplished alot in his career eventually ending it on his terms, remember he was well liked, remember the only reason Owen wasnt over was because of the fact that he loved to joke around, In Foleys book have a nice day he talked about Executives for the network showing up at a WWE event and he and Owen stunk the place up on purpose to get a reaction out of the boys backstage.

Owen would have made champion for the same reason Eddie Did, JBL did, and Chris Benoit did if not only for transitional purposes but to help elevate others.

R.I.P Owen and may you be in a better place

 

[Davey McBoy]

Owen had teaching qualifications and was set to leave wrestling when his contract was up and become a full time school teacher. He wanted financial stability for his family first. He had seen enough people over the years get eaten alive by the business and he didn't want to be next. This is what makes his passing all the more tragic as he was at the bottom of everyone's potential dead wrestlers list. Never used drugs, never got into the muscle relaxer/pain pill/steroids downward spiral that have claimed so many others and he just generally kept himself seperate from the politics and used the business to make money and have a good time.

Those who criticise him for not running with the ball know really show their ignorance. Plenty of guys have had it offered and turned it down because they didn't want the schedule, the pressure and the risks. He knew the role he wanted and he played it well, he always sold every angle to me as a fan perfectly anyway and was one of the guys who I always thought was 'real' so to speak. He had the respect of his peers and fans and I can guarantee that if anyone in the business saw some of the so called reasons why Owen was shit they would laugh their asses off at the wannabe smarts who wrote them. I know I did.

Anyway, back on topic, Owen would be teaching today and spending time with his family. I don't think he would ever have gotten the itch to go back to the ring but would certainly visit the boys regularly as that was what he loved. The comradery, the ribs, sharing stories about guys like Bulldog, Hennig and Pillman.

 

[SemaJameSemaj]

I am in no way shape or form trying to diss owen hart, but can someone please tell me what was so special about owen hart? i was watching wcw at the time of his death, so i didnt catch too many of his matches.