Chris Jericho has mentioned in numerous interviews and his own books that Owen Hart was a huge influence on him. Jericho has also spoken of how when he was growing up, he dreamed of being in a tag team with Owen. Unfortunately, their careers never crossed paths and Jericho never did get to wrestle with or against his childhood hero.
During a recent interview with Stephanie Chase, Jericho spoke of what AEW’s deal with the Owen Hart Foundation means to him.
“It was a passion project for me and obviously for Martha and Tony,” Jericho said (Transcriptions via Fightful). “We worked on it for a long time, about a year and a half, to put the deal together and figure out what we wanted to do. I just knew I wanted Owen’s legacy to be something positive and something great as far as wrestling goes, rather than just be dwelling on his death. That’s the main reason why we all wanted this to happen, so we can celebrate Owen Hart’s career and the contributions that he made. He was a pioneer.”
There have been some fans questioning what connection Owen Hart has to AEW. Jericho commented on that during the interview as well. Jericho noted that he was the first world champion in AEW and he is an Owen Hart disciple.
“‘What’s his connection to AEW?’ some people are saying. Well, one of the connections is that he’s specifically the reason I got into wrestling. Owen Hart was the guy. To an extent, Shawn Michaels and Ricky Steamboat, but Owen Hart, to me, I thought, ‘I want to be like that guy.’ There is your connection to AEW.”
Jericho also commented on how the Owen Hart Cup will allow fans of Owen’s to celebrate his life and career rather than focus on his death. The tournament is set to be an annual tradition.
“We’ll do the Owen Hart Cup and tournament and make people feel good about Owen rather than sad. We know what happened, but that was over 20 years ago. Let’s move forward remembering his amazing contributions and legacy in the ring that still resonate to this day.”
In addition to the Owen Hart Cup tournament, AEW’s agreement with the Owen Hart Foundation also permits them to use his likeness for merchandise. This includes the upcoming AEW console video game. Owen Hart apparel is currently available at Pro Wrestling Tees here.
