Dr. James Andrews To Be Inducted Into WWE HOF?

[Spidey Revivey]

I wasn't aware William Perry, Bob Uecker, Drew Carrey, Pete Rose and Mike Tyson were fake names.

Why are you arguing celebrities when clearly I addressed the fake names belonged to wrestlers?

Because I tire of repeating myself to you:

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I'm not against the idea of him being inducted. But from an outside perspective, the WWE Hall Of Fame honors characters made famous by who played them (Road Warriors, Steve Austin, etc), those who paved the way (Verne Gagne), and those who are a part of Pop Culture history that popped in (J-Woww, Shaq, etc).

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Keep in mind how kayfabe the HoF is. When The Undertaker gets inducted, he isn't getting inducted under the name of Mark Calaway.

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So if they ran an angle with Dr. Andrews where he had interaction with a wrestler that would suddenly change your opinion and he would deserve to go in?

It's much better than throwing him in when your casual viewer has no clue who the hell he is. That's the argument that can be made for Celebrity Wing inductees: people know and have heard of them. They spent time in the ring and were a big deal when the cameras were rolling. Yeah, you're going to get some that aren't that hot, but the difference is they draw and they are someone the crowd has at least heard of.

He wouldn't make money for the WWE by being in the Hall of Fame but there are guys like James Dudley in the Hall who most likely don't make money for them either.

James Dudley managed several wrestlers. Whether or not he deserved Hall of Fame status is debatable, but he at least was frequent and pivotal to the goings-on in the ring while the cameras rolled.

Your last statement echos my point. Just because there was no one from backstage in 1993 that they deemed worthy of being in the Hall doesn't mean that hasn't changed over time. There always has to be a first.

Not true. The very first WrestleMania featured a slew of potential celebrity Hall of Famers. They were worthy. But the WWE Hall of Fame didn't induct Hulk Hogan when he suddenly became somebody, did they? Let me reiterate that time needs to pass. And hell- did you think maybe WWE didn't even think about having a Celebrity Wing until a decade passed?

 

[Slash-LN]

Why are you arguing celebrities when clearly I addressed the fake names belonged to wrestlers?

Because I tire of repeating myself to you:

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It's much better than throwing him in when your casual viewer has no clue who the hell he is. That's the argument that can be made for Celebrity Wing inductees: people know and have heard of them. They spent time in the ring and were a big deal when the cameras were rolling. Yeah, you're going to get some that aren't that hot, but the difference is they draw and they are someone the crowd has at least heard of.



James Dudley managed several wrestlers. Whether or not he deserved Hall of Fame status is debatable, but he at least was frequent and pivotal to the goings-on in the ring while the cameras rolled.



Not true. The very first WrestleMania featured a slew of potential celebrity Hall of Famers. They were worthy. But the WWE Hall of Fame didn't induct Hulk Hogan when he suddenly became somebody, did they? Let me reiterate that time needs to pass. And hell- did you think maybe WWE didn't even think about having a Celebrity Wing until a decade passed?

I brought up celebrities because you said there's no point in putting him in with fake names like Randy Savage. My point is the celebrities don't go in using a fake name so why would it matter if he was going in with a real name?

There's a ton of people in that I'm sure the casual fan has never heard of. That's why they run video packages explaining who those people are. Do you honestly think they wouldn't do the same for him?

The Hall of Fame didn't even exist when Hogan first became somebody. It was created in 93 mostly to commemorate Andre The Giant. Hogan left the same year so of course he wasn't inducted while he was in WCW.

And yeah the WWE never inducts anyone shortly after they retire or anything. Edge. So much for time needing to pass.

Did you ever stop and think that maybe Vince decided it was time to honor some behind the scenes people? Again there always has to be a first.

 

[MWRedskins]

he wouldnt be known for his wrestling (clearly), BUT he's a great addition for their celebrity HOF they usually have every year. he's worked on a TON of wrestlers and pro athletes. he's done (in wrestling) guys like CM Punk, John Cena, Triple H, Orton, Batista, Edge and likely others. he's also great in other sport. he worked on RG3 and Peterson and Peterson (for those who dont watch football) had a major knee surgery and returned quickly and almost broke an nfl record. i would induct him as in the celebrity addition of their hall of fame as a reward for all the work he's done on pro athletes.

 

[berlinbrawler]

As far as non-wresting personalities go he does deserve it. I mean, how many wrestlers did this guy repair? He is, in fact, one of WWE's most valuable assets.

That being said it does seem weird. I'm envisioning Michael Cole on commentary: "CM Punk was out of action for close to a year, but thanks to WWE Hall of Famer Dr. Andrews he's back at 100%." ...

But whatever, if the good doctor is cool with it, I'm cool with it.

Just, please, please, don't ever make him a part of a WWE storyline.

 

[tgrfan]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/the_bonus/11/23/dr.andrews/index.html

great article on him.its old from 2010 says that he does like 50 surgeries a day.how ever i wouldnt say he should be in the HOF though.if he should be in it then so should the production crews and so forth. with out the great guys who do the promo package edits and so on the guys wouldnt look nearly as intimidating and so forth.also the wardrobe people they actually make the gimmick become visual imagine the undertaker in just a pair of tighty whities.

 

[harrythem]

I think he deserves his spot in the HOF. He's the WWE's go to guy for medical work and there's a lot of main event guys that owe some of the highest earning years of their careers (not to mention WWE) to this guy.

I would put him behind Jim Johnston though...and I'd put both behind Kevin Dunn.....if they're going to put non on-camera guys in there then, IMO, Dunn is a first ballot kinda guy. He helped shape the WWE into what it is and his production abilities have always been world-class. Hell, even when the crappy storylines give him little to work with he still manages to create great video packages that get me hyped for matches that, only minutes before, I couldn't give a shit about

 

[P. Nut Butters]

You absolutely better believe he deserves it.

A lot of this argument is ridiculous. Hall of Fames truly arent as serious as many of you people are making out. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is percieved as 'illustrious' too, but it's expanded beyond rock'n'roll and many see it as a bit of a joke nowadays... but that's because there is a bigger picture that is now behind that Hall of Fame as well. Sure, there are undisputed Hall of Famers in both Halls, but really it's just a certain group of people's perspectives. PWI have their own Hall of Fame too, I wouldn't expect them to induct Andrews.

But yes, Andrews deserves it. He should get in. I dont care for the rather petty argument of "Well then, induct all the camera people, because, by God, they're behind the scenes too." Both Andrews and Jim Johnston will, in my book, be the trendsetters for the "behind the scenes" people truly starting to be acknowledged in the Hall of Fame. Not all of them, unfortunately, but the pivotal ones. Once again, that's a matter of perception based on the peer group who votes them in. I mean, Donald Trump is in the Hall of Fame and he did behind the scenes work for WWF... giving them a venue to host two WrestleManias. Not much, but it was significant.

My only hesitation is that Jim Johnston is acknowledged in the Hall of Fame before Dr. Andrews is inducted. It's a true shame that Jim Johnston isn't yet a Hall of Famer as he has been one of their most important and longest-serving production members.

Also, I think that one of these days, Dr. Sampson (who saved Jerry Lawler's life) will be inducted into the Hall of Fame and you will end up seeing a whole new array of honorees in the Hall of Fame that will most likely one day include folks like Kevin Dunn (God help us all) and all the other integral staff and crew.

The WWE HoF is so far from a pure and traditional wrestling hall of fame now that the notion of Andrews or anyone else not deserving it because "it's a wrestling hall of fame" needs to check their calendar. WWE hasn't been a wrestling corporation for a long time now. Wrestling is the primary element in their entertainment Conglomerate. Folks like Andrews and Johnson have made significant enough contributions in their own respective rights to help the wheels keep spinning, but at this point it's not fair to compare wrestlers in the hall of fame to doctors, composers and promotors. But it's the WWE Hall of Fame and all have their place in it.

A much more all-encompassing WWE Hall of Fame is on the horizon anyway, so I can't think of a more deserving addition in his own right than James Andrews

 

[ItsTimmyB]

Last ceremony the doctor who "invented" Tommy John surgery was honored by the MLB Hall of Fame...

I think Andrews deserves the same recognition. Andrews has been featured on WWE programming for so long he kind of seems part of the ancillary roster.

 

[Mac Attack]

I'm back to these sections finally and I just have to say he for sure deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. And the truth is I don't think it matters if he is under a celebrity status or what not because quite frankly he has done so much good in wrestling and so much good prolonging our favorite star's careers and therefore he should be inducted for his importance to the health and well being of our favorite professional wrestlers.

Now clearly there's those who argue that 1) he's not a celebratory, 2) not worthy, 3) it didn't need to be him giving the surgery but I'll quickly address why those are wrong.

1) He's not a celebrity

It's odd I saw this thread yesterday right before checking on how my Pirates were doing on MLB.com. When perusing I noticed they had an article on a ball player (the name escapes me) seeking advice from Dr. James Andrews. Ok that's a weird coincidence. So then I went to see who was winning the Sunday Night football game (I wasn't watching) so I looked on NFL.com and who would have thought that I'd see one Dr. James Andrews evaluating an injured player from this week.

He's a sports celebrity, there's no denying it. On one day he's featured in football, baseball, and professional wrestling, and that's from just what I saw... get over it he can be in.

2) Not Worthy

What is worthiness? In all seriousness how do you define HOF worthiness? If you go to the WWE HOF section there's several opinions on this matter but at the end of the day it's all OPINIONS. Sure there's guys like Randy Savage who have yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame which to several's guestimation (I used two fake words I know) makes sense although there's no concrete formula on wrestling worthiness. He has helped save the careers of guys like Cena, Triple H, Orton, Christian, you name it, they have all been helped by this man. Their legacy could be added on thanks to one Dr. James Andrews. You better bet this is important.

3) Any Surgeon Could Have Done it

This is the argument I laugh at the most. Consider the following; WWE is a scripted sport anyone could in theory have been Stone Cold, The Rock, Cena, DEPENDING on how WWE booked them. John Cena isn't the one who decides he'll be a 13 time world champion WWE is and WWE picked Andrews and that alone gives him credence to go into the HOF.

 

[Kliq69]

I'd be all for it. If this is legit, I wouldn't mind WWE taking a unique approach for the WM30 HOF.

What if they inducted all the unheralded "stars" from behind the scenes. I know Earl Hebner is still with TNA, but there are several guys like Brian Hildebrand, Tim White, and Jim Cordaris who were refs and could be considered deserving. Hildebrand would have several major stars lined up fighting for the honor of inducting him. Kevin Dunn should be in. He's the #1 reason, not named Vince McMahon, that Raw and WWE as a whole as been as successful as it is. When you consider all the different things it takes to put on Raw, SD, or a ppv, and how uncommon a major error is noticeable at home, it's an unbelievable accomplishment each and every week.

That brings me to my #1 pick for non-wrestling personnel induction: Jim Johnston. Johnston created nearly ever single major WWE entrance for the last 30 years. A great entrance helps guys get over, and there are very few entrances over the last 30 years that he didn't have a hand in. I think, considering the historical significance of WM30, showing respect to the guys not in tights, who helped WWE reach this point.

And just to preemptively strike down the comments, yes I know Hildebrand never worked for WWE, however he was a high-profile WCW referee and had a great career in the territories before that. I have no doubt that Foley would fight tooth and nail to get the chance to honor his friend in such a deserving manner.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I would be all for Dr. Andrews to get into the HOF based on all the careers he's played a hand in saving.

Personally I would want to see someone like Jim Johnston get in there before Dr. Andrews but ultimately I think he would be a good edition. Although he doesn't work for the WWE and doesn't play a part in any type of storylines he is in a lot of ways the poster child for second chances in WWE. Without his work as a surgeon we may not have seen the likes of HBK or Triple H come back, John Cena would have been out of action a lot longer than 3 months back in '07 and there's NO WAY Batista would have been around as long as he was being so damn injury proned, not to mention he's the only reason Undertaker can walk and perform once a year, I have no idea how he reconstructs the bone dust that Taker's legs are made out of but he does it.

His value goes way beyond wrestling as he's often credited as the best sports medicine man ever and looking at his clientele its obvious to see where top athletes want to go to get checked up after sustaining an injury. If most top athletes go to this guy to save their careers then he's obviously at the very top of his profession.

He's perfect for the celebrity wing and having a guy like that in the HOF can't do nothing but help their image. He may not be in front of the camera but as a Hall Of Famer he gets 2 thumbs up from this guy.

 

[CalciferBoheme]

Do legit sports halls induct doctors?

Even if not, I don't see a problem here. People complain all the time that it's just a way to make money, but honoring someone that won't bring extra fans to the show goes against that. If they want to honor him, they should be able to.

I feel the same about Jim Johntson. Few know him, but he more than deserves recognition.

Besides, not everyone inducted each year need to be draws. You have your top one or two guys to sell the tickets. If you tried to fill the class with draws, you'd run out of names really fast.

 

[shalliin]

I am replying without having read any other comments.
If there is one person not a wrestler or wwe persona who deserves a spot in the wwe hof it has to be this one man. He has saved the careers of so many different wrestlers who with a lesser doctor might have been forced to retire due to their injuries far earlier then some of them have.
Isn't he the doctor who's famous for performing Tommy John surgeries for many of the MLB top pitchers and worked on that qb's knee? He's famous all over the place for his surgeries and the work he's done to save multiple athletes careers.
The one draw back I would question is the fact that he's never been a signed, sealed official employee or 'guest' of the company in any on air capacity. His name has come up in passing or as a thank you from the wrestlers but he's not appeared on air himself.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This is an induction that I would mostly be fine with honestly. I couldn't care less what he has done outside of the WWE. Some people have listed what he has done for other names in sports, who the hell cares!? This is WWE's Hall of Fame. All that matters is what he has done for WWE. What he HAS done that is relevant is assist many WWE wrestlers with their injuries and that makes him a name worth considering when it comes to individuals who are not WWE wrestlers. I can see this induction happening.

Normally I detest it when they bring in someone who is not a WWE wrestler or employee. Drew Carrey, Pete Rose.... Looking at the two of you. However, Dr Andrews has at least contributed to the federation in a big way. If they decide to offer him an induction and he accepts then I would support the decision. Far worse names have gone in before him and honestly he would deserve it after all of the service he has offered several wrestlers over the years.