What If?: Owen Hart Had Lived

What If?: Owen Hart Had Lived
March 29, 2026
By Ryan Porzl

1999 was a big year in American Wrestling. The business was experiencing a boom period and wrestling was cool and part of pop culture again. The WWF was riding high and seemingly getting hotter especially with the debut of Smackdown. WCW would start it's downward spiral that eventually would culminate in the WWF purchasing them two years later. ECW was trying to survive with reports of checks bouncing and talent looking for greener pastures all the while seemingly getting the lifeline it needed when they struck a deal with TNN (now The Paramount Network) which ultimately didn't work. 1999 saw names like Jeff Jarrett, Paul Wight, The Dudley Boyz, and Chris Jericho make big jumps. Kurt Angle would make his first appearances for the WWF before officially debuting at Survivor Series 1999. "Macho Man" Randy Savage had his last big year in the business. 1999 also saw future superstars such as John Cena, Batista, Samoa Joe, and Trish Stratus begin their journey's in the business. Vince Russo went from head writer for the WWF to famously jumping to WCW. 1999 also saw the passing of legends including Rick Rude, Giant Baba, and Gorilla Monsoon to name some. 

However, in spite of all this and more, one event clearly outshined all of them and for the wrong reasons. That event occurred on May 23, 1999 when Owen Hart tragically fell to his death during the WWF's PPV Over The Edge while attempting a superhero like entrance from the rafters. The aftermath was huge. A man lost his life at the young age of 34 all the while leaving behind a young family and career that had yet to reach it's peak. The WWF lost a beloved member of their roster and were in an ugly scandal. A wife lost her husband while two children lost their father at young ages. Two parents not only had to bury a child but their youngest of twelve while not only a family, but one of wrestling's royal families, would fracture and be divided in the aftermath. Owen Hart's passing is unquestionably one of, if not, wrestling's biggest tragedy. Perhaps the only tragedies that come close or even beat it is the 1988 murder of Bruiser Brody and the 2007 Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. However, one definitely has to wonder "What If?"? What if Owen had lived and that accident never happened? Could he have reached his potential? What big matches could he have still had? In this article, we'll look at Owen leading up to 1999 as well some possible scenarios if he had lived.

Note: I don't own the photo. Credit to WWE

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1996

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1996
March 10, 2026
By Ryan Porzl

As I covered and is well known, 1995 was not a good year for the WWF. They reportedly lost money that year, business was down, creative was weak, some of their shows were among the worst in company history, and WCW began breathing down their neck with the debut of WCW Monday Nitro and the start of the Monday Night Wars. 1996, in some ways, was almost worse. The product would begin to turn around and it was certainly considered better but at the same time, WCW only got stronger and by the end of the year, there were legit fears on the WWF's future. However, the WWF itself wasn't the only thing to have a lousy 1996. In this article we'll look at ten wrestlers/teams who also had a bad year.

Note: I don't own any photos, credit to WWE or whomever own them.

ECW Guilty As Charged 2001: Where Are They Now?

ECW Guilty As Charged 2001: Where Are They Now?

February 23, 2026

By Ryan Porzl

Over the decades, there are many years that left an impression such as 1984 with Vince McMahon changing the course of American wrestling by beginning his conquest. 2001 was another year that will be remembered as it marked the end of the late 90s boom period in wrestling and closure of two of the three major promotions in American Wrestling in WCW and ECW. ECW formed in 1992 and in it's nine years of business was the underdog #3 that changed the industry and fought tooth and nail for success and sometimes just to survive. As 2001 began, ECW was on death's door with checks bouncing becoming a common occurrence while having lost their national TV deal with TNN. Before closing their doors, ECW would hold three shows in 2001. While the last two were live events, the first would be the promotion's final PPV in the 2001 Guilty As Charged. This January 7th marked 25 years since the event and having done a "Where Are They Now?" on ECW's First PPV in 2022, I decided to look at the participants of not only ECW's final PPV but their final televised show and a show that, to many, was their last memory of the land of Extreme.

Note: I don't own any pictures. Credit to WWE, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, TNA or whomever owns them.

NWA Clash of the Champions I Review

NWA Clash of the Champions I Review
March 22, 2014 (Edited February 1, 2026)
By Ryan Porzl

Event: Clash of the Champions I
Tagline: None
Date: March 27, 1988
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Live or Tape: Live
Arena: Greensboro Coliseum
Attendance: 6,000
Announcers: Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross
Interviewers: Bob Caudle
Other: None
Broadcast: TBS

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Good/Great 1995

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Good/Great 1995
December 31, 2025
By Ryan Porzl

In my last article, I talked about 1995 and how miserable it was especially for the WWF. In many ways, it was the worst year the WWF had in the 1990s and many wrestlers had a terrible year. However, despite 1995 being a nightmare for many, did anyone salvage the year and have a good one? Well, surprisingly, yes. In fact, I've been able to find some names of talent who actually not only had a good year but some would see 1995 as the year they took that next step and for two guys, it was easily the best and biggest year of their careers. In this article, we'll look at the fortunate ones in an unfortunate year for many.

Note: I don't own any photos. Credit to WWE or whomever owns them.

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1995

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1995
December 17, 2025
By Ryan Porzl

Anybody who knows wrestling history knows 1995 was not the best year for the WWF. In fact, many would consider it one of the worse in the promotion's 70 year history. It's not hard to understand why with an outdated approach to wrestling, bad booking, lackluster events, and cartoonish gimmicks, 1995 didn't have much to look forward to. Unfortunately, there were several wrestlers who really had a worse year than others and we'll take a look at them. 

Two years ago, I did a list similar to this regarding 1998 and have been thinking of doing it with other years as maybe a series.

Note: I don't own any pictures. Credit to WWE.

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July 11, 2013

By Ryan Porzl