AEW announce annual tournament to honor Owen Hart
AEW announced via Twitter that they will be holding an annual Owen Hart Tournament to honor the memory of the legendary Hart Foundation member.
Owen Hart tragically passed away in 1999. Post his death, his wife Martha Hart distanced herself from WWE over the company's alleged negligence when it came to Owen's untimely passing. As a result, WWE could never truly honor Owen Hart.
With AEW announcing the tournament, it looks like the legendary performer will get his due. The winner of the tournament will win "The Owen" and the partnership will see Owen Hart in the upcoming AEW console game as well.
The full statement from AEW is as follows:
September 20, 2021 - All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and the Owen Hart Foundation (OHF), a nonprofit charity which provides a vast range of assistance and opportunities to individuals in-need across the world, are collaborating to honor the legacy of late wrestler Owen Hart, a beloved figure in the professional wrestling community and beyond. This collaboration included launching the annual Owen Hart Cup Tournament within AEW, which will see the winner receive a cup known as "The Owen," as well as the production and distribution of unique and original Owen Hart merchandise, including specified retail good as well as the upcoming AEW console video game.
#AEW and The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) Enter Into A Relationship to Honor World Renowned Wrestler Owen Hart’s Legacy
To read the full release visit - allelitewrestling.com/post/aew-the-o… https://t.co/Y43ZNydS9V
AEW made preperations for the Owen Hart Tournament in July
"AEW Files Trademark For ‘King Of Harts’ All Elite Wrestling filed a trademark for the phrase "King Of Harts" with The United States Patent and Trademark Office"
Now we know what that was about.
On July 28, 2021, AEW filed for a trademark with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) for the term "King of Harts."
It was speculated at the time that the company probably had something in store with respect to honoring Owen Hart, especially with Chris Jericho saying the same in an interview almost exactly a year ago.
"I never thought Owen should go in the Hall of Fame it's just not right. I think anybody who had any problems with that should watch it and will understand where the family's coming from. I think the best part of it all is, I think the family realises there's other places to go other than WWE, there's a lot of other Halls of Fame and a lot of other places where Owen could get some of the accolades that he deserves, 21 years later. His influence doesn't go away and it shouldn't be minimised but if (Martha) doesn't want to do that through the WWE system, I totally get that. I'd love to see (Martha) do something with AEW. I think the spirit of Owen Hart lives on in AEW for sure," said Jericho.
Are you excited for the tournament that AEW has announced? Let us know in the comments section!