Bret Hart may have been the most successful of the Hart brothers, but there are many who would say that Owen was the more gifted of the two, at least in terms of athletic ability. Before coming to the WWF in 1991, Owen had successful runs in his father's Stampede territory and in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Owen was a hell of a worker, somebody who could have a good match with everyone. His high-flying style made him a firm fan favourite. After a time in go-nowehere team High Energy (with Koko B. Ware), Owen got a big break feuding with his older brother. Their feud was a triumph and Owen really shone in a high-pressure situation. He proved he could hang in a main event, World Championship scenario. But that was it, really, as far as top-line opportunities went. He had a couple of main event matches with Shawn Michaels in 1995 and 96 but they weren't really something that the company pushed hard. He was a part of the memorable Hart Foundation stable in 97, but it was all downhill from there. So what went wrong? Owen was well-liked backstage (nobody has a bad word to say about him), could deliver in the ring and had legitimacy thanks to his family name. It just never seemed to come together, however, and Owen appeared content in his role. Before his tragic death at Over the Edge 99, he had made plans to retire from wrestling and become a fireman. It's hard to say if he would have gone on to main event stardom but, as it is, he remains a WWE underachiever, simply because he was so good but never really progressed beyond IC/Tag Team Title level.
