WWE Scrapped World Title Plans For Owen Hart

Owen Hart’s tragic death in 1999 cut short what could have been an extraordinary wrestling career. At the time of his passing, he had already held multiple WWE championships. There were many more stories left to tell when Owen was taken from us.

Bruce Prichard recently revealed on his Something To Wrestle With podcast, that there were even bigger plans for Owen in the works, including a main event title run. Prichard explained that the creative team had envisioned Bret Hart chasing Owen for the title until SummerSlam.

“One idea that was floated out there (…) was that Owen would beat Bret for the title [as] soon as Bret got it back, I truly do believe that one of the best stories we ever did was the whole Bret Hart/Owen Hart story, and brother versus brother. Because I think most folks can identify with sibling rivalries.”

Bruce Prichard suggested that if Owen Hart had won the title during their feud, it would have added even more intensity to their matches, with fans rooting for Bret to reclaim the championship. We will never know how the end result would have been, but there was another idea.

“In this scenario, Owen was the one chasing, and Bret always just beat him. And I’ll also say this: I think the stuff that Bret did with Owen was maybe some of Bret’s all-time best work ever as well.”

Bruce Prichard also emphasized that one of the reasons the Bret vs. Owen feud became so memorable was because Bret gave more to Owen in their matches than he did to any other opponent. It was explained that Hart wanted to “make” anyone he had a match with.

“Bret’s whole MO was ‘I’m going to make the guy I’m in the ring with,’ and Bret always made Owen before he beat him.”

The Hart Family’s legacy in the pro wrestling business spans generations, and it is still going to this day with a new generation. Millions around the planet have been inspired by the Hart Family’s matches, many of which saw their genesis in the Hart Family Dungeon. The Owen Hart Foundation now carries on in his legacy in AEW, with a yearly tournament for the men and women in AEW, one that has a lot of importance as its winners gets a guaranteed title shot. Owen also got his first action figure in years, thanks to Tony Khan’s company.

We will have to see what’s next for the Hart Family, but they certainly forged their legacy in the pro wrestling world and changed things forever with their contributions.

What’s your take on Bret Hart and Owen Hart’s famous match? Did WWE book the right person to win the contest? Let us know what you think in the comments section!