9 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Collision (July 8)

6. Owen Taking Centre-Stage

From those who got to share the ring with him, Owen Hart is one of the most beloved, mischievous figures in the history of professional wrestling. That he sadly passed away on 23 May 1999 and just 34 years of age is one of the greatest tragedies the industry has ever seen.

While this is of course the second year that AEW has run the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, this week's AEW Collision really felt as if this tourney was all about Owen, his legacy, and his influence on the business.

That's not to say that last year's Owen didn't pay tribute to the King of Harts. It's just that this week in particular seemed to properly have Owen take centre-stage.

Whether it was the Regina crowd, whether it was the opening promo from CM Punk, whether it was the short hype videos for the tournament's semi-finals, or whether it was something else entirely, this week's Collision felt more about Owen Hart than previous shows that have featured this tournament. Likewise, the men's tournament in particular feels far bigger and more important than last year's.

For those who witnessed the career of Owen, it's impossible not to get emotional when the Regina audience burst out into a loud "Owen" chant midway through Collision's main event. Forever is he missed.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.

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