Owen Hart Inducted Into George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame
Owen Hart's widow Martha Hart doesn't want WWE profiting from her husband's memory with a Hall Of Fame induction, but Owen is now in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall Of Fame.
Tonight's ceremony at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa included Owen Hart in this year's list of inductees. Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Diana Hart, Bruce Hart, Ross Hart, and Keith Hart attended the event to accept the award in Owen's honor. Hart's widow Martha was not at the ceremony.
Bret Hart was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame in 2006, but he did not attend Owen's induction because he was in attendance at the UFC event in Calgary.
Bret commented on Owen's widow in a recent interview with CBS Inside The Ropes saying, "I think she's done more to erase my brother Owen's memory than she ever did to remember him."
Martha Hart responded to Bret's comments with a public statement saying, "The suggestion by Bret Hart that I am 'erasing' the memory of my late husband, Owen Hart, is reckless, irresponsible, and clearly untrue."
Owen's widow Martha went on to say, "Bret's comments are rooted in the fact that I have steadfastly refused to work with the WWE to exploit Owen's image for commercial gain. Owen was an incredible entertainer and I know that his many fans around the world enjoyed his wrestling career immensely. I encourage them to continue to do so. But I am firm in my belief that the WWE was responsible for Owen's death. As a result, I cannot and will not support any efforts by the WWE to profit from Owen's memory."
Other inductees in the class of 2018 for the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall Of Fame included Booker T, Bruiser Brody, Ben Askren, Koji Miyamoto, and Dan Severn.
Adam Pearce, who was master of ceremonies for the event said, "It's crowds like this, rooms like this, ceremonies like this that will continue to perpetuate the love and respect for our business."
The Hart Family accept the induction of Owen Hart into the 2018 George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame pic.twitter.com/LTv7iz6BOe
? David Lagana (@Lagana) July 29, 2018
The Hart Family honoring their brother and uncle Owen Hart at the @wrestlingmuseum! pic.twitter.com/SI2GSDKptF
? Rob Schamberger (@robschamberger) July 29, 2018
Very cool to be a part of this moment! Owen Hart inducted into @wrestlingmuseum Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/MeE052siub
? Danny Cage (@TheDannyCage) July 29, 2018
Our master of ceremonies, @ScrapDaddyAP: "It's crowds like this, rooms like this, ceremonies like this that will continue to perpetuate the love and respect for our business." #Thesz pic.twitter.com/v6aEB69isj
? Dan Gable Museum (@wrestlingmuseum) July 29, 2018