Biography

Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and most notably, WWE. A member of the Hart wrestling family, Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada the youngest of 12 children to Stampede Wrestling promoter and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart and Helen Hart. Among other accolades, Hart was a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, one-time WWE European Champion and four-time WWE World Tag Team Champion. He was also the winner of the 1994 WWE King of the Ring. Although he never captured the WWE Championship, he competed for the title on multiple occasions and has been cited by a number of peers as one of WWE's most talented professional wrestlers. Hart tragically died on May 23, 1999 when an equipment malfunction occurred during his entrance from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., at WWE's Over the Edge pay-per-view event.