TheXtremisT
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This is the way
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Post by TheXtremisT on Mar 25, 2020 15:20:45 GMT -5
This has probably been asked before or done to death, but I can't remember seeing it.
What do you think Owen would have done in the WWF if he didn't fall?
Was he supposed to win the Intercontinental Championship against the Godfather?
I believe he would have continued as the Blue Blazer in mini feuds until Summerslam 1999, then would be back as Owen Hart, as a face. I think he would have been perfect to feud with Jericho early in his WWF run, instead of Shamrock. But I don't think he'd be portrayed as a strong opponent for Jericho. I think he would have always been outwitted by him for weeks, get a win and give Y2J his comeuppance, but ultimately lose the feud and put Jericho over. I think Y2J would own him in promos, and Owen would have been booked relatively weakly.
He wasn't given much of a chance to be an upper midcard after early 1998 and was not given the opportunity to shine; Vince lost faith in his ability as a character and he wouldn't be able to deliver any meaningful promos against Jericho. Which is sad to say as he was awesome in late 1997 coming back after the Screwjob and fighting DX (even though he was fed to HHH and made to look weak....).
I then believe he would feud with Kurt Angle for 2 straight ppvs, January-February 2000. He'd put Angle over, continuing Angle's undefeated streak, putting on great matches but with no meaningful story and only given timeslots of under 10 mins meaning it was just a wasted opportunity for 2 incredible wrestlers to sell a feud.
Then he would have nothing at Wrestlemania, lose vs Benoit once on Raw, appear a couple of times from April-May for Heat and then get quietly released.
I seriously think since 1998 he lost his place in the WWF and had the incident not happened, nothing significant would have been done with him.
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rateddal
Mid-Carder
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Post by rateddal on Mar 25, 2020 16:32:46 GMT -5
When you say survived, it implies that the incident happened and he survived it.
In that scenario I'm sure retirement would've been immediate rather than after his contract, regardless of if he was able to recover or not to compete again.
If the harness release malfunction was his error I have no idea if he would've won a lawsuit or not.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Mar 25, 2020 16:35:36 GMT -5
I've always wondered what would've happened between him and Bulldog when he returned later that year.
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Post by whydontyoutellme on Mar 25, 2020 17:01:41 GMT -5
I don't think that he would have done very much of note afterward. Owen Hart was on the wrong side of the political situation in WWF with HHH rising and his very chilly relationship with Austin. We've also heard from a few sources that he was pretty checked out at that point and was looking into other career options like becoming a firefighter in Calgary. It's hard to believe that Owen had only just turned 34 a few weeks before he died.
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Hem-Ridge
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Post by Hem-Ridge on Mar 25, 2020 17:26:03 GMT -5
Owen stated he was planning another tour in Japan, after that it's not clear what he planned.
People do say different things, Owen tried to apply to become a Firefighter, but it didn't plan out, I think the big thing was he was terrified of heights, something I remember Bret mentioning in his book.
He did admit he wanted out of the politics & that's why he mentioned he wanted to go to Japan again.
I'd like to think he would've become an actor, guy had good mic skills & could play a character you love to hate, despite overall being a nice guy.
At least it wouldn't feel like he's being blackballed in any way.
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TheXtremisT
Main Eventer
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This is the way
Joined on: May 3, 2008 8:03:15 GMT -5
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Post by TheXtremisT on Mar 25, 2020 19:39:49 GMT -5
I heard Bret say Owen wanted to become a primary school teacher and was looking to get out of his contract in 2000. I still think he would have stuck around in the WWF until 2000. And to answer your notion rateddal about me saying survived, that's up to you to take it like that. But I think I was pretty clear in my OP about what it meant. It can be interpreted both ways. |
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Post by greenjack1992 on Mar 25, 2020 19:59:11 GMT -5
If he'd survived he'd still have been gravely injured and would have retired immediately, surely.
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Retrospect
Main Eventer
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Post by Retrospect on Mar 25, 2020 20:04:37 GMT -5
Had the incident not happened and he decided to keep wrestling I think he would have ended up in WCW. I heard that Vince wouldn’t let him out of his contract after survivor series 97. That’s why the rest of the Hart family went to WCW but not him.
But at the same time I heard that his wife never liked wrestling and when you have someone like that in your ear it’s hard to think straight. I heard one of his brothers say in an interview that after his funeral she didn’t let his kids see their grandparents until right before they died. So sad.
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Post by The Brain on Mar 25, 2020 23:22:39 GMT -5
As I said in the past here he would've excelled in the heel color commentator role post retirement.
His work at KOTR 96 was fantastic.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Mar 26, 2020 1:19:01 GMT -5
Owen was set to win the IC Title that night off Godfather. I am guessing he would have held it and possibly lost it to Edge like Jarrett did, or even D'Lo Brown.
I could see him tagging up with Davey Boy too in the Fall of that year as a heel team. Probably wouldn't be Tag Champions again, but it would be something.
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jason1980s
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Post by jason1980s on Mar 28, 2020 12:20:51 GMT -5
A few guys talking about Austin's neck being broken on another board made me think about WWF just letting to Owen in late 1997. Obviously it was an accident, the Austin injury, but it would definitely have saved Owen's life. As much as I like Owen, he really shouldn't have done the piledriver. It was a move he never did as far as on TV or PPV and if Austin had not been injured, the move would have had no bearing on the match outcome. It's hard to say if Bret would have immediately left WWF if Owen had been fired. I know he was getting the belt or would have gotten it at Summer Slam but the Bret I see in interviews seems like he cares "just a bit more" about his legacy than his family. I am a huge Bret Hart fan so it pains me to think that.
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TheEvilDoink1987
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Mar 28, 2020 23:25:00 GMT -5
A few guys talking about Austin's neck being broken on another board made me think about WWF just letting to Owen in late 1997. Obviously it was an accident, the Austin injury, but it would definitely have saved Owen's life. As much as I like Owen, he really shouldn't have done the piledriver. It was a move he never did as far as on TV or PPV and if Austin had not been injured, the move would have had no bearing on the match outcome. It's hard to say if Bret would have immediately left WWF if Owen had been fired. I know he was getting the belt or would have gotten it at Summer Slam but the Bret I see in interviews seems like he cares "just a bit more" about his legacy than his family. I am a huge Bret Hart fan so it pains me to think that. He did give Bret a more traditional Tombstone Piledriver at WrestleMania X, but I don't remember him ever using a sit-down version prior to SummerSlam '97. It is ironic that Masahiro Chono suffered a serious neck injury from the same move at the hands of Steve Austin in 1992. I think the interesting take here regarding Owen is a question I've never asked myself. What if he somehow survived the fall? There would definitely be lawsuits and bad blood for obvious reasons, but could that fence ever be mended once Owen became aware of the company's negligence regarding his stunt? |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2020 16:57:35 GMT -5
I really wish Owen went to WCW like Bulldog and Anvil did! He’d be alive today if he did. I mean why would they have Owen do what Sting did? Besides Turner was more of an entertainment company and probably had better equipment for Sting, but I digress. Had Owen not died the Blue Blazer shtick would have lasted a little longer before he went back to being Owen Hart. Maybe could have teamed with Jericho and maybe even feud with him before retiring. When would have Owen’s contract expired? Sometime in 2000?
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Post by JC Motors on Mar 29, 2020 18:00:21 GMT -5
If he'd survived he'd still have been gravely injured and would have retired immediately, surely. He probably would have ended up in a wheelchair for life like Droz did. |
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Post by greenjack1992 on Mar 29, 2020 22:16:41 GMT -5
If he'd survived he'd still have been gravely injured and would have retired immediately, surely. He probably would have ended up in a wheelchair for life like Droz did. Yeah, no question. He might also have suffered serious brain damage and had really poor quality of life. I'm not really sure I understand the point of this thread to be honest, it's just bumming me out. |
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Post by k5 on Mar 30, 2020 0:07:01 GMT -5
would’ve made a lot more sense to be the guy who ran stone cold over than the sultan...
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TheXtremisT
Main Eventer
10 Year Member
This is the way
Joined on: May 3, 2008 8:03:15 GMT -5
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Post by TheXtremisT on Mar 30, 2020 2:57:16 GMT -5
He probably would have ended up in a wheelchair for life like Droz did. Yeah, no question. He might also have suffered serious brain damage and had really poor quality of life. I'm not really sure I understand the point of this thread to be honest, it's just bumming me out. It was meant to be if the accident didn't happen but I thought it was too late to change it, people already commented on it. It can be interpreted as what you're saying but that wasn't the point of the post, that's why I had the text to accompany that. It made more sense to me to say if he was still alive. |
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Post by greenjack1992 on Mar 30, 2020 7:56:45 GMT -5
Yeah, no question. He might also have suffered serious brain damage and had really poor quality of life. I'm not really sure I understand the point of this thread to be honest, it's just bumming me out. It was meant to be if the accident didn't happen but I thought it was too late to change it, people already commented on it. It can be interpreted as what you're saying but that wasn't the point of the post, that's why I had the text to accompany that. It made more sense to me to say if he was still alive. Ahhhh right, gotcha. I'd like to think he'd have fulfilled his dream of being a teacher, retired with the money he'd saved and gone into the HOF when Bret did. |
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Post by drifter on Apr 1, 2020 20:55:29 GMT -5
I've been in the camp, for a long time, believing once his WWF contract ended, Owen would have been done as a full time wrestler. There was all the talk about how he was wanting to try and have more of a regular life more, and with his kids being 3 and 7 at the time he died, I'm sure he wanted to be able to spend more time with them growing up. I don't think he would have been 100% done with wrestling, but I just don't feel he would have signed a full on contract with anyone else, after his current one expired.
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