10 Wrestlers Who Could Have Been Franchise Players For WWE

2. Owen Hart

owen hart wwe champion
WWE.com

His brother Bret might be one of the most successful professional wrestlers of all-time, but Owen Hart was quietly regarded as the better performer by some fans. Honed in the legendary Hart Family Dungeon, Owen was a master technician who supplemented his rock solid ground game with impressive high-flying skills, but his abilities stretched beyond that.

Owen wasn’t the most refined microphone worker, but he was far from uncharismatic, and delivered his promos with great energy. Though a former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, Owen was never given an extended run in WWE’s main event scene, and the company did little to present him as anything other than “Bret’s little brother.”

Owen’s death remains one of the most tragic incidents in wrestling history, and his career was deeply entrenched in midcard mediocrity by that point. Sadly, the company always saw him as a versatile wrestler whose skillset could be utilised in any way other than the main event push he deserved: a tragedy in itself.

Bret Hart was a five-time WWE Champion, a two-time King of the Ring, and one of the ‘90s most iconic wrestlers. Owen was at least his equal in almost every aspect of his performance, and had his brother not been around to steal the spotlight, there’s every chance Owen would have shone brightly as WWE’s pre-Attitude Era franchise player.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.