The Blue Blazer Angle(Prior to Owen's Death)

[chunkylover53]

Okay, my brother has downloaded every RAW from 1998 and a little bit of 99, and during that time, The Blue Blazer made his return. It was also around the same time Owen Hart has "retired" from wrestling, yet happened to always be at ring side. The commentators have been speculating that Owen Hart was the Blue Blazer, so Owen would be commentating during The Blazer's matches to put an end to it, until someone asked where his run-in buddy Jeff Jarrett was (he was under the mask).

In a later attempt to prove that neither Owen nor Jeff was the Blazer, they both appeared next to a man in the Blue Blazer mask; however, it was obvious that an African-American was under the mask (Owen’s former partner Koko B. Ware wore the Blazer mask that night).

So on the December 14th edition of RAW is War, Steve Blackman finally unmasked the Blue Blazer and it was revealed to be Owen Hart. For the next few months the angle was put aside until the Spring of 99, when the Blazer reappeared. Owen Hart wrestled under that character until that freak accident that killed him. But accident aside, why did they continue the buffoonery when The Blue Blazer was unmasked to be Owen Hart? I mean, the whole point of a mask is to hide your identity, and yes, I understand they made it obvious that it was Owen Hart for comic effect, but the whole unmasking should've put an end to it(and would've been better that way considering what it lead to).

[Crappler El 0 M]

I always assumed it was either because they thought Owen was boring or wasn't getting over or maybe it had something to do with the strained relationship between Vince and Bret.

[jameson34656]

Damn! I never knew it could have all been avoided like that.

[TheDieselTrain]

I remember on the A&E Biography on the Life & Death of Owen they said that The Blue Blazer was used to make fun of WCW main eventers

Sharpshooter (Bret Hart)
Rapelling Entrance (Sting)
Say your vitamins etc... (Hulk Hogan)
WOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (Ric Flair)


:::sigh:::

[kitsunestar]

One thing that went unnoticed during the Blue Blazer angle was the type of attire that Debra was wearing....which usually just happened to be...

a blue blazer.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Owen would have main-evented as the Blue Blazer, had they given it a chance past the "Is it really Owen under the mask?!" gag and had he not died. Seriously, it was an awesome character, and that kind of thing is the only chance Owen could ever have to get over... he had talent and even charisma, but fans just absolutely could neve bring themselves to care.

Anyway, to answer your question, I think they kept the character going because it had huge potential... the superhero uberface who can't understan why no one will cheer him. Don't believe me? They gave EXACTLY the same character to Kurt Angle a few months later and it went over like gangbusters. The world was ready for a super-face heel.

[Voldemar H. "Brak" Guerta]

I miss Owen as much as anyone, but he wasn't going anywhere near the main event as the Blazer.

His IC Title run would have been fun, though. One of those crap angles that an excellent wrestler could get over regardless.

[HRH The KING]

The King Of Harts was his best gimmick

[wahoowah11]

wanst he supposed to drop the gimmick and take on the game gimmick. I remember hearing that, Idkif its true though

[BxB]

WWE has never been known for paying attention to continuity and they gave him the gimmick as a punishment, so yeah....

[nastard]

I remember reading that they wanted him to be involved in an angle where he would become smitten with Debra and fight with Jeff Jarrett over her. Being the family man he was, he didn't want his children to see him going after another woman and refused. The Blue Blazer gimmick was his punishment.

[Slammywinner]

nastard said:

I remember reading that they wanted him to be involved in an angle where he would become smitten with Debra and fight with Jeff Jarrett over her. Being the family man he was, he didn't want his children to see him going after another woman and refused. The Blue Blazer gimmick was his punishment.

I don't think the Blue Blazer was punishment, I think it was his alternative. "You don't want to be a womanizer, ok... Why don't you be a super hero Blue Blazer instead? The kids will love you and buy Blazer masks and the adults will love you cause you're a throw back to the 80's and you make fun of WCW. We'll start you off as a comedic heel, but the crowd will turn you soon enough." Given his sense of humor, I don't think this would be a stretch to say he enjoyed the angle. I sure did. I thought it was vintage Owen, who had been my hero since he debuted. And people always reacted to Owen Hart. To say this was his only chance to get over is ridiculous. He was mega over vs. Bret, vs. Shawn, vs. Austin, vs. Rock, vs. DX, with Bulldog, with Niedhart, with Yoko, with Bob Backlund. Owen was over.

It was basically the Hurricane mixed with Kurt Angle's American hero gimmicks. Both started heel and went face too, and both were very over. Had Owen not died, I think Blue Blazer would be one of the most memorable characters of the late Attitude error. But since Owen died in a needless, stupid stunt as part of the gimmick, the whole thing is written off as terrible and punishment. That's just not true. It is crap and horrible that he died in what undoubtedly was a stupid and unnecessary stunt (stupid AND unnecessary). But the angle really was one of the best, especially the "Who is the Blazer/ Owen retirement" portion. Really some of the best stuff he did that we will never see again because of the taint of a tragedy.

[chunkylover53]

slammywinner said:

nastard said:

I remember reading that they wanted him to be involved in an angle where he would become smitten with Debra and fight with Jeff Jarrett over her. Being the family man he was, he didn't want his children to see him going after another woman and refused. The Blue Blazer gimmick was his punishment.

I don't think the Blue Blazer was punishment, I think it was his alternative. "You don't want to be a womanizer, ok... Why don't you be a super hero Blue Blazer instead? The kids will love you and buy Blazer masks and the adults will love you cause you're a throw back to the 80's and you make fun of WCW. We'll start you off as a comedic heel, but the crowd will turn you soon enough." Given his sense of humor, I don't think this would be a stretch to say he enjoyed the angle. I sure did. I thought it was vintage Owen, who had been my hero since he debuted. And people always reacted to Owen Hart. To say this was his only chance to get over is ridiculous. He was mega over vs. Bret, vs. Shawn, vs. Austin, vs. Rock, vs. DX, with Bulldog, with Niedhart, with Yoko, with Bob Backlund. Owen was over.

It was basically the Hurricane mixed with Kurt Angle's American hero gimmicks. Both started heel and went face too, and both were very over. Had Owen not died, I think Blue Blazer would be one of the most memorable characters of the late Attitude error. But since Owen died in a needless, stupid stunt as part of the gimmick, the whole thing is written off as terrible and punishment. That's just not true. It is crap and horrible that he died in what undoubtedly was a stupid and unnecessary stunt (stupid AND unnecessary). But the angle really was one of the best, especially the "Who is the Blazer/ Owen retirement" portion. Really some of the best stuff he did that we will never see again because of the taint of a tragedy.

True, and before the stunt, the angle was fun to play in kayfabe too. "That's not Owen Hart, that's The Blue Blazer". Plus, if it was intended as a punishment, why would he be booked to win the IC belt at Over The Edge 99? From what I heard, after he won the belt, he would ditch the Blue Blazer gimmick and do his own thing. Maybe that could've launched him into a permanenet upper-mid carder position or the Main Event. Its one of those things we'll never know.

[Mozenrath]

sportzfan07 said:

wanst he supposed to drop the gimmick and take on the game gimmick. I remember hearing that, Idkif its true though

That was the plan, according to Triple H.

He was apparently supposed to win the IC title that night, so the idea that it was a punishment angle is a tad flawed.

[default]

Watching it back when it took place, I knew Owen was under the mask the second time around, I just figured Russo was gonna SWERVE~! and have the guy who won the IC title be someone else. Looking back, it would've been cool had it been Angle and he could've joined up with Owen and Jarrett.

[Jack]

It was just something to do. Owen was NEVER ever going to be anything above a midcarder and frankly he was at the shallow end of that particular pool if truth be known.

Retrospectively he was great but at the time he was just...there.

[chunkylover53]

tryme said:

It was just something to do. Owen was NEVER ever going to be anything above a midcarder and frankly he was at the shallow end of that particular pool if truth be known.

Retrospectively he was great but at the time he was just...there.

The same could've been said about Bradshaw.

[Kae]

I've also heard that Owen enjoyed the gimmick, apart from the physical stunts that it sometimes required him to do.

[Citizen Snips]

chunkylover53 said:

tryme said:

It was just something to do. Owen was NEVER ever going to be anything above a midcarder and frankly he was at the shallow end of that particular pool if truth be known.

Retrospectively he was great but at the time he was just...there.

The same could've been said about Bradshaw.

I'd disagree, politely. Bradshaw was indeed a mid-carder, but his progress grew. From 1996-98, total mid-carder. From 1999-2002, during the APA, he was an upper-level mid-carder that was occasionally added to the mix of TV main events. They experimented with him on top during the beginning of the brand split, he got hurt, came back to his old spot, then was given his first chance to be a true main eventer in 2004 as JBL.

Owen, however, was much closer to the top of the card several times before the Blue Blazer. He spent practically all of 1994 as the company's top heel. He was constantly in the main event mix from mid-1997 to WM 14, as a member of the Hart Foundation and then fueding with DX after Montreal. After Wrestlemania 14 until his death, he was continuously sliding further and further into the midcard.

Basically, whereas JBL made a slow, steady climb from tag teams/mid-card to main event status (not unlike Edge, by the way) and stayed there, Owen went from midcarder to main events then BACK to midcarder. It's hard to say the Blue Balzer was going to get him back to main event status.

[chunkylover53]

dothebird said:

chunkylover53 said:

The same could've been said about Bradshaw.

I'd disagree, politely. Bradshaw was indeed a mid-carder, but his progress grew. From 1996-98, total mid-carder. From 1999-2002, during the APA, he was an upper-level mid-carder that was occasionally added to the mix of TV main events. They experimented with him on top during the beginning of the brand split, he got hurt, came back to his old spot, then was given his first chance to be a true main eventer in 2004 as JBL.

Owen, however, was much closer to the top of the card several times before the Blue Blazer. He spent practically all of 1994 as the company's top heel. He was constantly in the main event mix from mid-1997 to WM 14, as a member of the Hart Foundation and then fueding with DX after Montreal. After Wrestlemania 14 until his death, he was continuously sliding further and further into the midcard.

Basically, whereas JBL made a slow, steady climb from tag teams/mid-card to main event status (not unlike Edge, by the way) and stayed there, Owen went from midcarder to main events then BACK to midcarder. It's hard to say the Blue Balzer was going to get him back to main event status.

Well, most certainly not as The Blue Blazer. As I stated earlier, he was slated to drop the gimmick after he won the IC title. Where it would lead to is something that will never be known.