After being trained in the legendary Hart family "Dungeon," Owen Hart began his professional wrestling career in his father Stu Hart's Calgary Stampede Wrestling promotion in 1986. As the youngest of the Hart clan, Owen was placed in the unenviable position of following in his brothers' footsteps. However, Owen's incredible desire to succeed made him stand out on his own merits, and he caught the eye of the World Wrestling Federation in the late 1980s. 

In the late 1980s, after Stampede began to dwindle, the youngest of the Calgary clan was set to make his debut in the Federation. At the time, Owen’s brother Bret was a rising star in the Hart Foundation--and Federation officials were hesitant to throw a second Hart into the spotlight. Obviously, if Owen competed under his real name it would force him into the role of "Bret’s little brother." So, in order to showcase his own talents away from the spotlight of the "Hit Man," Owen created the identity of the Blue Blazer.

Under his new guise, Owen made his debut in late 1988 and astounded opponents and fans alike with his aerial ability. Some experts credit the Blue Blazer with paving the way for other "high-flying" athletes to gain success in the Federation--previously only Tiger Mask and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka had taken to the air. Owen dismissed the popular theory that only the most intimidating and genetically gifted stars could garner a share of the attention. 

The Blazer’s first Pay-Per-View appearance was at the 1988 Survivor Series where he teamed with Brutus Beefcake, Sam Houston, Jim Brunzell and the Ultimate Warrior to take on the Honky Tonk Man, Bad News Brown, Greg Valentine, Outlaw Ron Bass and Danny Davis. Although the Blazer eventually submitted to Valentine's figure-four leglock, Owen's performance proved to the world that he was ready for the big time, and he competed against Mr. Perfect at WrestleMania V. While Owen narrowly lost to Perfect, he secured the respect of both fans and his peers. 

Soon after, Owen, still wearing the mask of the Blue Blazer, left the Federation for a brief time to travel internationally and expand his repertoire. Eventually, the Blazer lost a "Mask vs. Mask" match to El Canek in Mexico. By this point, Owen had the international experience and confidence to make it under his real identity.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE