I don't think the fact that Owen not being inducted into the HOF yet, has anything to do with WWE not wanting to induct him, or shunning him. It's simply the fact that Owen's widow wants little to do with WWE and probably won't allow Vince to induct him. Owen most likely won't be inducted until Martha Hart let's it happen. Simple as that.
The British Bulldog is more than deserving. He was one of the most talented athletes the WWE had during the '90s and was a big factor in helping the WWE expand their audience into Europe during the early '90s. He was never the top guy, but if Koko B. Ware (while talented, was career jobber at best) is getting in, then the Bulldog definitely deserves in. WWE is probably just waiting for the right time to induct him. Perhaps maybe when his son breaks out into a star.
Paul Bearer deserves in too. WWE could be waiting to induct him until Taker retires that way Taker can induct him into the HOF. Or perhaps maybe they'll have Taker and Paul Bearer both go in the same year. I think that would be fitting. If that's the case, then Paul will have to wait until Taker retires obviously.
I'm not going to debate you on your picks, because I feel all three are deserving. But as deserving as those three are, there are still other wrestlers that are more deserving of induction.
1. Bruno Sammartino: Arguably the greatest WWE champion of all-time. Certainly one of the top champions. He put the WWE (when it was the WWWF) on the map and helped it more than any other wrestler to become the No. 3 company in American pro wrestling along with the NWA and AWA. To this day he is a legend in the northeastern part of the country. He sold out Madison Square Garden more than any other wrestler ever (even more than Hogan).
He's obviously the most deserving wrestler that has yet to be inducted (unless you start going with guys that never wrestled in the WWE like Lou Thesz, El Santo, Giant Baba, etc.). The only thing holding him back as has been well documented is himself. He's refused induction on numerous occassions. Vince and the WWE are all for paying him the respect and honor he deserves by being inducted, it's just a matter of when Bruno will finally come around to the idea, if he ever does.
2. Bob Backlund: The wrestler with the 3rd longest WWE Championship reign in WWE history (behind Bruno's 1st reign, and Hogan's 1st reign), and the man who personified the WWE from 78-83. While he is somewhat forgotten compared to other champions due to his lack of charisma, he was still a fantastic wrestler who held the WWE title longer than most in the company's history. He also had a memorable, and somewhat underrated heel turn in 1994, and became the oldest WWE champion in history up that point (until Hogan won the title in 2002 at the age of 48). Bob Backlund is very deserving.
I saw a thread here on the message board the other day that brought up Bob Backlund and asking why he hasn't been inducted yet. Well, to answer that question, Jim Ross talked about Bob Backlund on one of the Legends of Wrestling episodes on WWE 24/7. He said that they had offered Bob Backlund induction into the HOF on a number of occassions, but that Bob turned it down. Not because he dislikes the WWE or has issues with Vince or anything like that. According to Jim Ross, Bob feels that he shouldn't be inducted until his career is over, and that he still feels he can go and wrestle and still have a career. Kind of strange, but kind of cool too. So I'm sure Bob Backlund will be inducted, when he feels he's ready for it.
3. Randy Savage: No need to discuss this one too much, as it's been discussed plenty of times. He was the biggest star of the Hulkamania era that has yet to be inducted. More than deserving. No one is too sure what the real reason why he hasn't been inducted yet. There's of course lots of different alleged reasons for why, but no one really knows for sure. Whatever the reason, hopefully Vince will get his head out of his ass one day, and do what's right for all of us fans, and give Savage his moment by inducting him.
4. Ted Dibiase: Why he hasn't been inducted yet, I just can't figure out. He was the top heel in the WWE of the late '80s, and one of the greatest heels ever. He's a legend. And he's on great terms with WWE, and he has three sons wrestling for the company (two still training), with one of them being a major heel player on the Raw brand currently. Maybe he'll be announced tonight on Raw or in the next week or two as being one of the last inductees of the 2009 class. I'm hoping.
5. Jake Roberts: Yes, he's had a lot of personal troubles and demons and has been highly unreliable at times. But despite all of that and how he's turned out, he was still one of the greatest wrestlers in the WWE in the '80s and early '90s. He was one of it's biggest stars and was a genius with promos and his character and wrestling and crowd psychology. Jake Roberts is a hall of famer without a doubt. They need to induct him.
6. Rick Rude: Another one of the great heels in the WWE during the late '80s/early '90s. And he managed to win the I-C title, which was something many great heels during that time (like Ted Dibiase and Rick Martel) didn't do. A big star in WCW as well. Great heel, and more than deserving.
7. The Honky Tonk Man: The longest reigning I-C champion of all time with a memorable gimmick. It's hard to look back at WWE in the late '80s and not have the Honky Tonk Man come to mind. He was a big part of it. And he's on good terms with WWE now since he's been used on TV quite a bit recently, and he's had action figures made of him and will be on the Legends of Wrestlemania game. The time is coming for his induction.
8. Howard Finkel: Do I need to explain why he should be inducted? He's the signature ring announcer of the WWE. He's been at every Wrestlemania and has been with WWE longer than just about anyone. If I remember right, he even came up with the Wrestlemania name. That alone should get him inducted.
There's plenty of others that deserve induction such as Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, the Bushwhackers, Demolition, LOD, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ken Patera, Rick Martel, the Big Boss Man, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Goldust, Jim Cornette, Miss Elizabeth, Dynamite Kid, King Kong Bundy, Mick Foley, Brooklyn Brawler (the greatest jobber, ever) etc.
And I'm sure that with Stone Cold getting inducted this year, I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before the Rock gets inducted.
