WWE Classic of the Week: Razor Ramon vs. Owen Hart at King of the Ring 1994

The 1994 King of the Ring, much like the previous year's edition, was the coronation of a Hart brother as an elite talent in the world of professional wrestling.

Whereas Bret had already been a WWE champion prior to his ascension to royalty in '93, his sibling Owen was just finding his feet as one of the lead villains in Vince McMahon's company when he entered the tournament a year later.

A whining and complaining heel, Owen wanted desperately to emerge from his older brother's shadow. He wanted the spotlight for himself, and winning the prestigious tournament would earn it.

But to do so, he would have to go through four very talented babyfaces, all as equally determined to wear the crown as he was.

Luckily, Owen had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a relative fans had not seen in years.

The Background

At WrestleMania X, Owen defeated Bret in a five-star classic to kick off the show. It was the defining win of his career to that point, one that instantaneously catapulted him into the stratosphere of main event heels at WWE.

But The Rocket would have little time to revel in his victory, because by night's end he would watch from the aisle as Bret celebrated his second WWE Championship win.

Disgusted and dismayed, all the second-generation star could do was shake his head as his fellow WWE Superstars hoisted The Hitman on their shoulders, celebrating his victory over the massive Yokozuna to end the broadcast.

No matter what Owen did, he could not steal the attention and focus away from his older sibling.

If he could not beat him, he was going to join him as a fellow King of the Ring. He entered the tournament and wasted little time establishing himself as one of the favorites to win the entire thing.

To qualify, he defeated Doink the Clown. From there, he mowed down Tatanka and the 1-2-3 Kid, beating the latter in one of the best matches under five minutes in wrestling history.

While he was rolling, brother Bret was in a war with then-intercontinental champion Diesel, which ended by disqualification when Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart made his return and interfered on behalf of The Hitman.

As Owen prepared for yet another monumental test, this time against the former Razor Ramon in the finals of the tournament, many wondered the reason behind Neidhart's sudden return and whether or not he was somehow associated with Owen.

They would find out in short order.

The Match

Analysis

For a match that ran just over six minutes, this was really good.

Ramon was at his height as an in-ring worker, and Owen was clearly motivated. The interference of Neidhart made sense and added a missing element to the heel persona of The Rocket.

Some may argue that Owen should have gone over clean, but at a time when star power was at a premium, Vince McMahon needed to protect Ramon, and the way he went about it wound up benefiting both performers.

The psychology was strong and the outcome the right one, and the company suddenly had a phenomenal lead villain in the jealous Owen.

Owen's post-match promo, in which he accepted the crown and demanded to be known as the "King of Harts" going forward, was masterful in that it not only gave him a new moniker but also increased his heat tenfold.

The Aftermath

Owen was instantly inserted into the main event of SummerSlam, a steel cage match for the WWE Championship against brother Bret.

Neidhart sat ringside, as did the returning British Bulldog, and watched as Bret once again outwrestled his sibling.

The post-match activities descended into madness, with the heels instigating a brawl with the remaining Hart family members around the squared circle.

In the months that followed, Bret would team with Bulldog in arenas across the country, battling Owen and Neidhart in tag team main events. One such match made it onto the Slamfest 1995 video tape, while another headlined an episode of WWE's Action Zone program.

The family's saga would stretch across the next three years. Then, in spring 1997, the family would reunite. Bret, Neidhart, Owen and Bulldog would make up four-fifths of the new Hart Foundation.

With Brian Pillman, they would become the most despised faction in wrestling, and their war with Steve Austin would be responsible for some of the best TV the company has ever produced.