At WrestleMania X, Owen Hart defeated his brother Bret Hart in a classic, five-star-quality match that kicked off the show, and it became a defining win of Owen’s career to that point as it immediately lifted him into becoming a top main event heels in WWE.  However, Owen had little time to revel in his victory, as he would watch Bret celebrate his second WWE Championship win in the show’s main event, and feeling as if he was back in his big brother’s shadow. If probably didn’t help that at the same show, Razon Ramon made history with “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels by becoming the undisputed WWF Intercontinental Champion in a classic and very memorable ladder match (which was NOT the first ladder match in WWE).

To help get that chip off of his shoulder, Owen entered the 1994 King of the Ring tournament a few months later (a tournament that his brother Bret had won in 1992 and 1993), and would meet up with another man who made an impression at WrestleMania X (and might have taken his thunder), Razor Roman.  Even though the match lasted only over six minutes, it was still really good, while Ramon was at his peak as an in-ring performer, Owen was very motivated, and the interference from Jim Neidhart made sense as it added an necessary element to Owen’s heel persona. Although Owen didn’t win clean, the loss still protected Ramon, thus benefiting both performers.  The match’s psychology was strong and its outcome made perfect sense, and now the WWF had a perfect lead villain in the jealous Owen.  When Owen ended up winning the 1994 King of the Ring that night, he accepted the crown, then demanded to be referred to as the “King of Harts” going forward, which was incredible as it gave him a new moniker AND increased his heat tenfold with the fans.

#ThankYouOwen