Owen Hart was an incredible wrestler but I don't think that he would ever have been more successful than the guys you listed, or even World Champion. While Owen was technically a better wrestler than Bret (Owen could perform aeriel moves as well as solid, mat based wrestling, which Bret couldn't), he was never considered championship material. I personally think that he was a better wrestler than Shawn Michaels and Triple H, but I don't think he had the right 'look' to be a World Champion.
You're right, though, his Japanese matches are incredible.
Everytime I look at Owen, I see someone who had a look. Not thee look, but a great look. He looked like a wrestler. He wasn't small, he wasn't built, but he looked just right. His ring attire during his 'King of Harts' days was awesome. Even if he wasn't born into the business, he still would've been born to be a wrestler just because he was just so damn natural.
If Owen or the writers of the WWE could've ever gotten the fans to really love or to really hate Owen, then, yeah, I can see him being better than Bret, Triple H or HBK. But that's the only thing he didn't have was a really passionate fanbase. He played a great heel, but to the point where you've figured that he's mid-card destined, so you're not going to devote a real fan base around Owen. Sure, Owen knew how to be a great heel, but he didn't have the entire arena in the palm of his hand like how HBK or Triple H can.
Aboout Owen being better than Bret. Is that really your own opinion? I know that in recent years, it's been popular opinion that people like Jim Ross and HBK have said that they thought that Owen was better than Bret, and some people took that very seriously. HBK saying that it was because Owen could be technical and take to the air, and Bret couldn't. But just because Owen could take to the air and be a bit more versitile than his older brother doesn't mean he was better than Bret. They were both flawless, but Bret was better, just by a hair.
I don't know if this is much to do with the topic but i'd say Owen would have turned out like Beniot with only getting one title run and then put back into the mid cards. But in ref to the topic i think he was better the HHH, HHH dosen't do aerial moves as well so Owen has the advantage there but i don't know about HBK
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Owen wouldn't have gotten the World Title - simply because he would have retired by the end of the Austin era, and there was no way Austin would have championed losing the belt to Owen.
Owen was a really good wrestler, but lets be realistic, he had peaked performance wise, and he wasn't better than Bret or Shawn, who are two of the all time best.
I remember hearing that he was considering going to WCW at the time after what happened with Bret. In my opinion, I believe he would be in TNA right now and probably one of the main players in it.
owen > triple h
i would think wwf would have kept him at a mr perfect level. main eventer but never winning the title. =\ But one hell of a intercontinental champ
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Well Owen before he died was set-up to have "The Game" gimmick and honestly that would have put him over by far HHH would be no where close to what he is now if Owen had not died ... But Owen was always underrated, Owen was just as good if not better then Bret, plain and simple.
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If Owen hadn't died he would be World Heavyweight champion right now, he would definitely be bigger then Triple H, and just about everyone else in the WWE
coulod owen hart have been better than
coulod owen hart have been better than
THE DEADMAN WILL BE CHAMP AGAIN 
