On May 23, 1999, beloved professional wrestler Owen Hart tragically fell from the arena rafters and to his death. To honor her late husband, Dr. Martha Hart founded the Owen Hart Foundation, which raises money for people in need, providing scholarships and housing for low income families. Martha has also worked to keep the WWE from profiting off Owen's image, keeping him from appearing in WWE video games over the last couple of decades. However, it seems Owen Hart will once again be featured in a professional wrestling capacity thanks to a new partnership between All Elite Wrestling and the Owen Hart Foundation.
AEW made the surprise announcement on social media, detailing how exactly it will work with Martha to honor Owen's legacy. On AEW television, this will include the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, but it will also include brand new merchandise like action figures. The upcoming AEW video game was also mentioned, and while specifics weren't provided at this time, it means that the AEW video game will mark the first time Owen Hart has appeared in a wrestling game since the 90s.
While this announcement may come as a shock to some, it's really no surprise given the history between Martha Hart and WWE. Martha worked to limit WWE's use of Owen's likeness over the years, keeping him from being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, Martha's issue is not with professional wrestling itself, but with WWE specifically, and now that AEW has established itself as a respectable brand, it makes sense that she is working with Tony Khan and the rest to help honor Owen's legacy in pro wrestling.
Furthermore, AEW already has an established relationship with the Hart family. As a matter of fact, Owen's older brother Bret Hart was on hand at the first-ever AEW pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, to present the AEW World Championship.
If Owen Hart makes it to the AEW video game roster as a full-fledged playable character, he could very well become a selling point for old-school wrestling fans. As it stands, the AEW video game roster is still mostly a mystery, as the game itself is not expected to launch until 2022 at the earliest, and so most details are still being kept underwraps.
Some of the stars confirmed for the AEW video game so far include Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Hikaru Shida, and Jungle Boy. One has to mention that recent major AEW signings like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson will likely make it on to the AEW video game roster as well, though nothing has been announced just yet.
The AEW video game is in development.