10 Wrestling Gimmicks Originally Designed For Other Wrestlers
3. The Game - Owen Hart
While it’s more of a moniker than an outright gimmick, it’s still interesting to note that the nickname of “The Game” was originally intended to be used for Owen Hart.
The story goes that, once his comedic stint as the The Blue Blazer had reached its inevitable conclusion, the youngest Hart sibling was slated to be reintroduced under the new prefix of “The Game”. Tragically, that never happened as Owen Hart would fall to his death on May 23rd, 1999, during an elaborate entrance under the Blue Blazer gimmick.
However, it begs the question; how well would Owen Hart have performed as “The Game”? A natural in the ring, a proven commodity in the WWF and a family that was deemed as wrestling royalty, it’s a safe bet to say that “The King of Harts” would have done very well under “The Game” name tag.
Athletically gifted, undeniably skilled and an experienced worker in the business, the description of Hart fits the bill perfectly. Furthermore, had Hart’s life not been cut short, he would have also been around for the introduction of Chris Jericho in late ‘99 and The Radicalz in early 2000; making the potential match ups for a renewed and focused Owen Hart as “The Game” a booker’s dream.
The passing of Owen left the name unused and Triple H would take up the mantle in tribute to his late friend.