Natalya sights "little shades" of late WWE legend in Dominik Mysterio
Former Women's Champion Natalya is the last remaining active wrestler in WWE from the Hart family. The veteran recently fondly remembered her late uncle Owen Hart and spoke of how Dominik Mysterio reminded her of the legend.
Owen Hart was the 1994 King of the Ring and held several championships in the Stamford-based promotion, including the prestigious Intercontinental Championship. However, he never won a world title.
He lost his life in a fatal accident in front of a live wrestling audience while making his entrance from the rafters at the Over The Edge pay-per-view on May 23, 1999, after the equipment that was lowering him to the ring malfunctioned.
In an interview on the Insights with Chris Van Vliet podcast, Natalya was asked if Owen Hart would have won the WWE Championship had the unfortunate incident never occurred. She said:
"Yes I do. I think Owen was on par. It's funny, Bret was the most serious and Owen just wanted to have fun. But Owen had this character that we like, look at Dominik's (Mysterio) character, and I see little shades of Owen, that litle mischevious side of Dom. I think Owen would have definitely won a World Heavyweight Championship." [8:44-9:10]
What people didn't know about the WWE legend?
Natalya further spoke about how Owen Hart won outside the wrestling world. The late wrestling legend, who would have turned 58 years old next month, used to spend time with sick kids at the children's hospital during his spare time.
"Owen, he won in so many other ways, he did so many other things that people just never even get to see. When he would have two days at home, he would go to a children's hospital and visit sick kids. On his days off. With no cameras on, no Twitter, no media attention. Something he would do privately. He helped so many people in our family, it was very unsung. People just don't know about the things he did. He was such an unbelievable person." [9:10-9:36]
Vince McMahon: Owen Hart unquestionably stepped out of the shadow of his brother Bret.
Jerry Lawler: He didn’t step out HE JUMPED OUT of the shadow!
They summed up the match perfectly 🔥🔥 https://t.co/aHh1wUEBYD
Perhaps Owen Hart's best match in WWE came when he was up against his brother Bret "The Hitman" Hart. The duo opened WrestleMania 10 back in 1994 in a bout that is still considered one of the greatest openers in the history of The Showcase of the Immortals.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Insights with Chris Van Vliet, and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.