VICE TV's Dark Side of the Ring doesn't have too many happy moments as it details "The Final Days of Owen Hart" to wrap Season 2. It depicts the tragedy in May '99 when Owen fell from the rafters in Kansas at the Over the Edge pay-per-view, dying after the 80 ft. botched drop as the Blue Blazer.
One major takeaway that the likes of Jim Ross, Chris Jericho and Owen's former mentor, Jim Cornette -- all experts in the business -- reveal is Owen would likely have become bigger than his Hall of Fame brother, Bret.
Bret's an institution in the business, winning many major WWF titles before that unceremonious Montreal Screwjob as he left for WCW. However, he did put Owen over as the jealous younger brother at 1994's WrestleMania X. The two brothers would go on to have some amazing feuds down the line, giving fans an emotional rivalry filled with technical prowess. It's no surprise given what Stu Hart cultivated in his dungeon with his sons and what the Hart Foundation would become in mainstream wrestling.
Owen's feud with Bret is ranked by many as something that even rivals what the Hitman did with Shawn Michaels, so when Bret left for WCW, J.R. made it clear Vince McMahon's creative team wanted to take care of Owen. They saw it as part of the healing process with the Hart family, but also, Owen deserved it as a former King of the Ring and someone who could elevate a belt like the Intercontinental or European title. And it'd benefit him as he'd get more time as a major star in the spotlight. Plus financially, it'd be worth his while. J.R. summed it up best when he called Owen "the Chosen One."
Admittedly, before tragedy struck, Owen was a bit disenchanted as it didn't seem like the promise was being honored. He wasn't feeling his Blue Blazer gimmick and the whole comedy angle, not to mention the cheating story with Jeff Jarrett and Debra. What might have made it more difficult was the upward trajectory of big names like the Michaels, the Rock, Triple H and Stone Cold. Owen might have been lost in the shuffle, yet Cornette believes Owen was going to get his moment to shine big time if he didn't die.
Jericho reaffirms this, not just as a fan, but as someone who understood the shifting business when Owen died. "Had Owen not died in 1999, think about who was coming into the business at the time, in less than a year, Guerrero was there, Edge, Kurt Angle, Owen would have a huge career resurgence, because nobody could keep up with him in 1999," he said in the docuseries. It makes sense, as Owen's more technical style would have fit well with incoming WCW superstars such as Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and even Jericho himself.
Dream bouts for Owen would have kept coming. Not only was Edge making waves, but Kurt Angle was on his way to WWE. Jericho knows Owen would have had wrestlers to suit his style and transcend what he and Bret did. And of course, Vince would have wanted to rub it in Bret's face and everyone who felt WCW was better, so it was just a matter of time to people like Jericho. Sadly, that time never came.
"We'll never know how great he might've been," J.R. admitted. "He was just approaching that place, when he fell from the sky in Kansas City." While it may not have been apparent at the time, we can perfectly see Owen being bigger than Bret now. He was beloved backstage by everyone, had the versatility to play heel or face, and worked the mic like a pro. If it wasn't for that tragic night, we might well have had a different Hart touted as the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.