Remembering Owen Hart (Again)

It’s that time again…

This day last year marked the tenth anniversary of the death of one of my favorite wrestlers in WWE, or rather, the WWF as it was then known. And one year later, here I am remembering Owen once again.

It’s kind of strange, this year. Tonight, WWE is holding a pay-per-view event, curiously called “Over the Limit.” It’s an interesting choice of title, as the name of the pay-per-view which saw Owen’s life end was ironically called “Over the Edge,” and was seemingly discontinued as a matter of taste. Funny, then, that the company should return on this day to a title that’s just one word away from the name used that fateful day.

Of course, I may just be looking into things a little too much.

Adding further awkwardness is that, on an unrelated note, today is the day on which Nintendo has released Super Mario Galaxy 2. On its own, it is cause for celebration, but at the same time, it is a touch bittersweet with the knowledge in the back of my mind that it has come on the anniversary of the date one of the greats passed away.

Back to WWE, though. This week’s Vintage Collection made no mention nor feature of anything to do with The King of Harts. On the other hand, I cannot honestly say I expected it to. The sad fact of the matter is that the number of tragically deceased wrestlers has grown to the point that if they did such for all of them, there would probably be a new tribute show every week.

One might imagine that WWE doesn’t want to appear as though they’re exploiting it, either.

Even so, as noted, tonight is a pay-per-view event, probably one of the lower-key events of the year. With the company’s growing effort to give each event its own gimmick and flair, OTL is strangely mundane, featuring no unified theme among any of its matches.

Nonetheless, Monday’s Raw from Toronto saw the Slammy Award Winner’s older brother Bret “The Hitman” Hart capture the United States Championship title from The Miz, ending a rather lengthy reign. With the Hart Dynasty defending their Unified Tag Team titles against The Miz and Chris Jericho tonight, it wouldn’t surprise me if Bret were in attendance. That just leaves the question of whether or not they will say anything.

Sadly, I’m not able to watch the PPV this time, but I’m sure I’ll hear all about it if something is said.

For those unfamiliar with the story of Owen Hart, The Examiner has a piece from last year which seems to capture the key points well.

In addition, here is a “Raw Retro” look at the tribute given to Owen by his fellow wrestlers of the era, from the night after the tragedy struck:

Following that, The Rock’s tribute to Owen:

And finally, the ten-bell salute and video package narrated by Vince McMahon from that tribute show:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FugLPKbb5-o

Rest in peace, Owen. We’re still thinking of you.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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