*MERGED* [OFFICIAL] Future WWE Hall Of Fame Discussion

[CynicSteve]

I have to say I love this thread. The Hall of Fame ceremony is always my favorite event of the year. Such a wonderful way to honor the people who paved the way. Narrowing it down to 6 has been hard.

MAIN EVENTER - Bruno Sammartino. Thank you LynchCats, I couldn't have said it better. Unfortunately, being from the Pittsburgh area I know Bruno has turned down the Hall of Fame every time he's been asked and probably will continue to do so as he feels this is not a real Hall of Fame. He thinks it's more of a McMahon popularity contest. I really can't argue with that seeing Johnny Rodz and Koko B. Ware (even though I always loved the Birdman) are in the Hall.

UPPER LEVEL MIDCARDER- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase. Without a doubt the most memorable heel wrestler/manager of his generation. The fact that this man is not in the Hall has to be of his own design. There is no logical reason why he would be denied.

TAG TEAM- I'd actually like to see two teams get inducted this year.

1.) Demolition. Let's face it this is the WWE Hall of Fame. Demolition was the first ever 3 time WWE Tag Team Champions. They accomplished that in a time when there were a ton of great tag teams in the WWE. These guys had epic battles with the Powers of Pain/The Rockers/The Hart Foundation/The Killer Bees/Young Stallions/British Bulldogs ... etc. In my opinion one of the main reasons they should be inducted was because they were part of the last major feud of Andre the Giant. Even though Andre was well past his prime the fact that they allowed Demolition to prove their dominance with a title rematch victory over the Colossal Connection (Andre/Haku) proved the faith the WWE had in them.

2. Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard (The Brain Busters). I know Arn Anderson has been mentioned a couple times already and while I might be the biggest Double A fan around I would have a huge problem with him being inducted as a singles wrestler for a couple reasons. In 2008 Arn Anderson was one of my top picks for the Hall. How fitting would it have been for a man who was responsible for Ric Flair winning at least 4 of his 16 world championships being inducted in the same year. I can't say the same thing this year. If you're going to induct Arn into the Hall of Fame as a singles wrestler how could it not be done by anyone other than Ric Flair. Unfortunately because Flair crossed the line this is not possible. My second argument is that Arn was always at his best when he had Tully waiting in the corner. Usually ready to choke someone with the tag rope. These two were pure poetry together. Arn's breaking down a body part of his opponent. Tully's technical mastery in the ring which I would argue rival that of Bret Hart/Mr. Perfect/Dean Malenko. These two would be a perfect addition to the tag team branch of the Hall and could easily be brought in by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

CELEBRITY- Seeing that Vince likes doing this every couple years could we please get Bob Uecker into the Hall. Well deserved for his bit with Andre at WMIII alone.

GROUP- Seeing they let all of the Von Erich's in together I think it should pave the way for other groups. Come on is there anyone who can argue Chris Von Erich deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. No he got in so they could get them all in. Quickly quietly without having to mention too much about drugs and suicide. I think a group that is well deserving of being in the Hall are the Fabulous Freebirds. Who can argue that Michael "P.S." Hayes/Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy/Buddy "Jack" Roberts/Jimmy "Jam" Garvin don't belong in there. They were the rockstars of 80's wrestling. Their feud with the Von Erich's was legendary, and they even have their own rule in wrestling lore. I know some of you will hold that part against them seeing the only thing the Freebird rule has done recently was allow the Spirit Squad to have that abomination they called a tag team run, but still. I think they could easy be inducted either by Kevin Von Erich or Ray Gordy (Jesse). This could give the WWE a good reason to get him out of the god awful gimmick they have him in.

 

[JJohns]

Well, I'll give my thoughts on who should/might go into the hall......

Headliner: The Ultimate Warrior - I honestly don't think he should go into the Hall, but since Wrestlemania is in Arizona, they might do it because he ties into the area. Since Wrestlemania 22, they've had at least one inductee that tied into the State that the event was held in inductied (22 was William Perry, 23 was the Shiek, 24 was Eddie Graham and Gordon Solie, 25 was Stone Cold, Bill Watts, the Von Erichs and the Funks). Outside of the Warrior, there aren't really all that many major names to be associated with Arizona.

Other TV Inductions:
Stu Hart (Already announced induction) - Primarily because he will be inducted by possibly Jericho with Bret and the Hart Dynasty standing up to accept the induction.

The Road Warriors - More so than just about any other tag team in wrestling history, Animal and Hawk deserve to have this honor. They should have been inducted at 22, but for some reason they weren't.

Non-televised inductions:
Rick Martel - One of the best wrestlers to ever come through WWE, was a former multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion as well as former AWA World Champion.

Leilani Kai - Since they seem to try to get one female induction every other year, why not another legend from the 80s wrestling scene. Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (twice with Judy Martin), she continued to be a good wrestler into the 90s.

Rick Rude - Another legend that should be in the Hall, one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE never to win the Winged Eagle.

Bruiser Brody - Long shot selection for sure, but he's a wrestler that was near the top of the world, was a top draw everywhere he went, and was taken from us way too soon.

I realize that just with the amount of posthumous selections that this is most definitely not going to be the inductions, but it's who I'd like to see.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well I think that this should be the year that Ted DiBiase gets introduced. With his son being in the midcard of the WWE, he should get the chance to get into the Hall of Fame. One of the best Mic men of all time, he really helped out many companies and was a big part of the WWE in the Golden Era. Ted Jr. could introduce him, and it would be a great moment.

 

[Maggot01]

i believe that chris benoit should be inducted into the hall of fame because he was a tremendous wrestler that could do anything and i also like eddie but i personally believe that if eddie is in then chris should be in

vince wont do it because of what he did but i dont care and im sure other people agree with me

 

[Jayg619]

randy savage will not be inducted any time soon, his dvd was only matches, no interviews or anything, cos vince hates the guy for numberous reasons

dont expect the ultimate warrior in their any time soon either with the number of lawsuits he has had with the company

bruno sammartino hates vince so he wont be inducted any time soon

owen hart will never get inducted due to his widow blaming vince for his death

 

[JAWILLIAMS]

Toatally agree with you TM, Ted dibiasi is one of the best heels iv'e ever seen, and with his son on the active roster ( and possible face turn ) its an fantastic time to put him in.

Id also like to see the anvill and bulldog entere into the hall of fame, leeting Hart dynasty induct then

 

[scorpioking1026]

There are so many people who are deserving to be in the hall of fame. The following are the ones I would like to see in most, of course there's no chance they would all get in at once.

1) Ravishing Rick Rude - Besides his accomplishments in the ring and fantastic feuds with Sting and Warrior, he was the first one to do the pre-match mic work and mastered the art of it. Plus the artwork on his tights ex Jake Roberts wife was legendary.

2) Road Warriors- One of the best tag teams ever

3) Steiner Bros- Same as above

4) Million Dollar Man- Come on, has there ever been a better character. He had to live this role 24/7 and he owned it!

5) Arn Anderson- You can't mention Flair without talking about Arn

6) Tully Blanchard-You can't mention Arn without talking about Tully

7) Sting- Do you really need to know why?

8) Paul Heyman- Not just cuz of ECW but also cuz he was terrific as a manager, especially with Dangerous Alliance, as well as play by play on RAW.

9) Kevin Sullivan- He was one of the main bookers for WCW back during the Monday Night Wars plus his character in the ring was one of the most sadistic in history.

10) Elizabeth- She was really the WWE's first Diva and was fantastic in the Savage-Flair feud, both in WWE and WCW.

11) Woman- She was WCW's answer to Elizabeth only heel. WWE never gave her the credit she deserved after the Benoit mess.

12) Jim Cornette- I'm pretty sure he's not in yet and if that's the case then its a shame. Fantastic manager and fantastic asset to the wrestling world.

13) Luna Vauchan- Yeah I'm giving mad props to the managers since they are so missed in today's wrestlers plus she was just straight up nuts.

14) Rick Martel- Over his career, including outside WWE and WCW, won numerous titles both single and tag. Plus The Model gimmick was fantastic. Does anyone remember "The No Hitting the Face Match" with Shawn Michaels as their battled over Sensational Sherri?" LOL

15) Macho Man Randy Savage- Don't read anything into his spot on my list, for the most part I was just trying to get the less obvious ones out first. Great performer. Huge contributor to the business. Dig it! Oh yeaaahhh!

16) Owen Hart- Same as Savage. Should have been in the year that he died, Andre the Giant was inducted 5 days after he died, sure you can't really compare the two as performers and impact on the businees but he did deserve the same respect.

 

[SwimminInIndy]

I think Million Dollar Man gets into the hall this year.

He deserves it, for being one of the best heels of his time, having the best theme music ever, and there is a hint going on right now.

At the begining of Raw there is all those sound bites, with highlights of the wrestlers, and one of the sound bites is Ted saying "Everyone has a price". This is new within the last few weeks or so. I think that is the WWE reminding us of him.

 

[ErictheEnt]

Is there a reason Bob Backlund isn't in the WWE Hall of Fame? I was looking at the list just before I came and noticed he wasn't there. He's had the WWE title for like 5 years.

 

[LamaNamaneumi]

I heard Bob Backlund don't want in because he thinks he still has another run left in him. I don't know how true that is .

Million Dollar man grew up in AZ,so if that has anything to do with who we get I hope Ted finally gets in. Also WWE put him in that montage thing to replace Hulkster.

I think DR. Death Steve Williams will get in now that he has passed (R.I.P.) he was good friends with J.R so that might help. He had a small run in the WWE i don't think he did much there, he was a star in japan, but I will always remember him in WCW with The varsity Club.

I would also like to see Yokozuna added to the HOF. He was a great big man, and was a multi-time champ. Maybe Rikishi could induct him.

 

[Stone_Cold_Stunner]

1) Macho Man Randy Savage: WWE seems to be lightening up with Savage with the release of his 3 disc DVD in 2009. Hes one of the essential men who needs to be inducted into the hall of fame though there are still differences between him and Vince but Bret came back in 2006 and went in so why cant Savage come in and do what Bret did.

2) Miss Elizabeth: If Savage was to go in then this would be a shoe in as well. Back when WWE started to use women as their managers Elizabeth is still the standard for the female escort and is still the prototype for the WWE diva

3) Stu Hart: Its been confirmed but he needs to get in and with Bret back it makes sense to do it now. Look at the history and heritage Stu left behind with the men he trained the legacy of Stampede Wrestling and of course the dungeon

4) The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibease: Another man who needs to be in that hall of fame that WWE has and puts who ever they feel in. They put Pete Rose in before The Million Dollar Man one of the best heels of all time in after a baseball player who got his ass kicked by Kane why oh why WWE. Anyway Ted needs to be in this hall of fame so bad and deserves it

 

[spartan283]

I think Ron Simmons is a good call for Hall of Fame, because he's the first black champion.

 

[undertaker fan]

Ted Dibiase SR. He should've been in the hall of fame already like he said how is Dusty Rhode in the Hall Of Fame but not him. I think he should buy his way into the HOF because The Million Dollar Man always gets his way HAHAHAHA. But really he has a storied career and I will always remeber him for being rich and having a very controversial moment with Andre the giant. I just hope the WWE dosen't finnaly come to their senses when he's dead.

Macho Man Randy Savage He's had matches with Hulk Hogan A living legend now if you beat Hulk Hogan and take the championship from him you must be really good. Now if Rowdy Roddy Piper can get in the HOF without winning any World Titles MMRS should get in it for sure. It also seems almost everybody that has posted on this thread thinks MMRS should get be in the HOF so Vince should put him in the HOF this year because I'm tired of waiting and I'm sure Savage is too.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's just been confirmed today by the WWE's Tokyo office that Antonio Inoki will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania and Stan Hansen will be inducting him.

I'm very happy about this as Inoki is most definitely a wrestling legend worthy of acknowledgement. Inoki is the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling and the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Along with wrestlers such as the Giant Baba and Rikidōzan, Antonio Inoki is among the first names that springs to mind when you think of Japanese wrestling.

 

[Reverend Doom]

I like to think that it's a good thing because it actually gives people who only watch wwe a taste of what puro is about. I hate the fact that WWE has decided that their hall of fame is the true hall of fame and is somehow more prestigious than the pro wrestling hall of fame, but I guess that's a digression. I'm glad that they picked Inoki. He is a true legend; anyone who can headline an event with Ric Flair in front of nearly 200,000 people deserves to be in every single hall of fame out there.

 

[MoneyMack]

Feel free to call me stupid- but: I assume Inoki was in the W/WWF/WWE at one point in his career? Altho- I do recognize the name (from here) I dont really know if he ever was a employee in W/WWF/WWE.

If not- then I guess I just dont understand why he would be inducted into its HOF!

I understand that Vince has bought up most everything available on tape, in the history of pro-wrestling. BUT- thats like the NFL inducting "QB-X" into the HOF for all the MVP's he has won in the CFL. Makes no sense to me!

Wait...I get it! More money for Vince! I get it now! More people watching on TV & tons of Japanese media there to cover it. Its always just about Vince, isnt it?

 

[Syd Liberty]

I think everyone has to look at this realistically. It's absolutely for money and business relations. This entire business is for that, and it's all sorts of fake, so even the hall of fame is too. Inoki worked supershows, and wrestled WWE champs in the seventies. He also just means the world to the business. He means the world to Japan. The media will be all over this, this is good for business and relations and it's bad for TNA as far as the Japanese media will be concerned.

Also on another note, the WWE HOF is more important than the Pro Wrestling Illustrated HOF or any other HOF, because it's the WWE. They are the standard, and the power, of Pro Wrestling. We should just appreciate the gesture to puro, support it, and hope international wrestlers will continue to be given credit for their achievements. Perhaps Tenryu or Mutoh, maybe Hanson or Brody could be next.

 

[No Gimmicks Necessary]

Feel free to call me stupid- but: I assume Inoki was in the W/WWF/WWE at one point in his career? Altho- I do recognize the name (from here) I dont really know if he ever was a employee in W/WWF/WWE.

If not- then I guess I just dont understand why he would be inducted into its HOF!

I understand that Vince has bought up most everything available on tape, in the history of pro-wrestling. BUT- thats like the NFL inducting "QB-X" into the HOF for all the MVP's he has won in the CFL. Makes no sense to me!

Wait...I get it! More money for Vince! I get it now! More people watching on TV & tons of Japanese media there to cover it. Its always just about Vince, isnt it?

Well, I won't call you stupid, but I will wonder why this question comes up now? Why didn't you ask this when Gordon Solie or Verne Gagne was inducted- neither of whom worked for Vince. What's that? He owns hours of footage of both. Well ok. What about Bill Watts? Granted he worked for the WWWF in the 60's and in the office very briefly in the 90's, but his legacy in the industry was cemented in the Mid-South area which is one of the few territories (Mid-South/UWF) that Vince does not own the footage of. There are more examples, but I will move on.

Wrestlemania is already a huge moneymaker. How much more money do you really think it's gonna make because of Inoki's presence? However, much it is it will be supremely small in the grand scheme. I also don't see Inoki's induction producing a more sustained interest in the WWE product in Japan than already exists.

As far as why, well they need bodies for this event and although there are some people who had a lot more to do with WWE's history who should probably be put in first (Sammartino, Backlund, Savage) there is no denying
Inoki's contributions to the industry.

Plus he had more to do with the WWF than you give him credit for. He won the WWF Title in Japan (though it was never acknowledged stateside) which was a result of the WWF working relationship with New Japan from 75 to 85 which saw many top WWF guys go to Japan and wrestle Inoki. During that period Inoki also traveled to the U.S. and wrestled on some cards at MSG. Plus, his clusterfuck of a "match" with Muhammad Ali was closed-circuit broadcast from Tokyo as part of the WWF's 1976 Shea card.

P.S.- to you people that are saying "Japanese media will be all over it" you're right. But have you ever been to Japan around Wrestlemania time? Pro wrestling gets more mainstream coverage there and Wrestlemania is in no-way under-advertised in that market. It's not on every front page or anything like that, but again it already gets a fair amount of coverage, so the gains made by the Japanese press coverage will be minimal.

I'm not saying there isn't any sort of ulterior motive- there may be, but these money arguments seem to ring quite hollow. For fuck's sake do you think Vince and Co. made bank by inducting a guy like Koko B. Ware?

 

[The Duke]

The WWE hall is essentially the Wrestling HOF since Vince refuses to acknowledge the existence of anyone else. So Antonio Inoki being inducted makes perfect sense!

 

[No Gimmicks Necessary]

Now to get to my actual list. I think Stu and Inoki are both great choices.

Bruno Sammartino- Now of course we all know that Bruno won't accept the invitation, but here's how I would like to see it go down (heavy emphasis on "like" because this is a bit of fanciful thinking on my part). They show the obligatory video package Vince comes out and explains that "Bruno does not agree with the direction the business has taken and refused to participate. However, we chose to induct him because, quite frankly, he deserves it, whether he wants it or not," so on and so forth. Never happen- I know. However, when Capitol Wrestling broke away from the NWA and became the World Wide Wrestling Federation, he was champion and the territory was built around him for almost 8 years! And it wasn't a situation where he was shoved down the peoples throats; he was a believable champion and was beloved by the audience. Based on the crowd's reaction when he dropped the belt to Koloff in '71, after all that time they still weren't ready for him to lose that belt. Which is why he was able to have another run with the belt for over 3 years. Amazing!

Randy Savage- (under category of likelihood see above- either my post or 90% of the others). Great worker, great promo man, main event or top of the card player for most of his career, one of the most memorable wrestlers ever. Definitely one of those guys conspicuous by his absence.

Fabulous Freebids (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts)- P.S. was great on the stick, Terry Gordy good in the ring and provided some believable muscle to the group, and Roberts was another good worker who, though more understated, added that extra "it" to the group that made it work. To quote Jim Cornette they were "the first cool heels." Had massive heat in WCCW, (Freebirds vs. Von Erichs is one of those feuds like Austin/McMahon, Hogan/Andre, or Rich/Sawyer that just transcends the typical wrestling feud) Mid-South, and AWA and had some awesome matches along the way. They probably could've had a bigger impact in the WWF if the office hadn't wanted to break them up. Plus, how many other teams have a rule named after them.

Road Warriors-NWA, AWA, WWF, Japan. Lots of teams can claim they worked under those banners- only one has won titles in all of them. Everyone knows that in they're prime they were 10 years of sheer dominance and revolutionized the way talent could be presented.

 

[Deedles]

The British Bulldog - A man who was a tag team and singles great. Revered in his homeland and made it big in America. Matches with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart are classics.

Demolition - I think it only right that the WWFs dominant tag team of the late 80s gets an entry into the hall of fame. Should they get in ahead of the RoadWarriors/LOD? Probably they will because they were created by Vince.

Arn Anderson - Probably the best mid-carder I have seen.

Ted "Million Dollar Man" DiBiase - He was SO good in the late 80s and probably should have been WWF Champion.

Bam Bam Bigelow - The best big man I ever saw peform.

Antonio Inoki - Japanese legend.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude - I can't believe he isn't in already.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage - Highly unlikely but he deserves it.

Bob Backlund - May be more memorable nowadays as the wacky intellect but it shows how good he is that he has had two great runs in the WWF with different characters.

The Ultimate Warrior - His speech would be outstanding.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was officially announced as the first inductee into the Class of 2010 WWE Hall of Fame this year in Phoenix, AZ at the Dodge Theatre on March 27.

This is excellent. If you know your old school wrestling, then this should be a well overdue induction for the WWE to make. Ted DiBiase was without a doubt one of the best heels in the business, and one of the greatest wrestlers in my opinion to never have won the WWF title. I suppose they'll have Ted Jr. induct him which will be fine I suppose.

 

[The Doctor]

Amazing. Glad to see one of my top picks is going to be in the Hall. The Million Dollar Man is one of my favorite characters in WWE history, and I just knew they were going to induct him when he teased it as host. This is long, long overdue. The man was a great heel, one of the best, and an extremely interesting character.

It appears that Antonio Inoki is next. I'm pretty happy about this as well. I feel it legitimizes the WWE Hall of Fame as more of a Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame by including a top Japanese star. This could even open up spots in the future for other stars that made their names in Japan or in other companies, such as Stan Hansen, Sting, and Vader. Very good choice to put Inoki in.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

As you can see in the above gif, in his day, the Million Dollar Man, Ted Dibiase, was one of the best heels in the business, if not THE best. This induction was long overdue, and I'm glad he's getting recognized for how good a wrestler and personality that he is. It's a shame that Hogan was untouchable during the 80s, because Dibiase deserved to be champion. In addition to being incredible on the mic, and being 100% believable as a complete jerk, he deserves to be recognized for what he has contributed to the business. He was part of some of the greatest vignettes to ever air on WWF television. He was also a great wrestler and a great in-ring story teller. He was capable of putting on great matches with anybody, from Hulk Hogan, to Bret Hart, to fucking Earthquake and Typhoon.

The story behind the Million Dollar Championship was great as well, and very original and groundbreaking at the time. Dibiase came to the realization that he wouldn't be able to win the WWF Championship, and he wouldn't be able to buy it either. So, he purchased his own Championship.

Despite never winning many titles (he was a three time Tag Team Champion with IRS, and a North American Heavyweight Champion), Dibiase was one of the most important pieces in the WWE's rise during the 1980s and early 90s. After he was past his prime, he was still a very good hand for the WWE to rely on, and he made the transition from singles competitor, to tag team wrestler, to full-time manager gradually and seamlessly. He went out on his terms. He never had to be a broken down guy working the independents, thank god for that. Could you imagine if "The Million Dollar Man" was working for $30 a match in a high school gym?

Very well deserved, and I'm glad he's getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. It's just a shame that Koko B. Ware was inducted before he was.

 

[Savion83]

I think this year that the WWE should just focus on inducting the people from the federation years, with the expection that thet induct "Iron" Mike Tyson into the celeb. wing.

It works like this every year for the WWE hall of fame:

1. Eight personalitys get inducted each year.

2. Only one decesed wrestler can be inducted one year at a time.

3. A woman wrestler (or diva) can be inducyed once a year, if the WWE considers it? ( I hope Luna Vahcon inducted this year for that matter)

4. And at lease one manager or ring annoncer, ECT> can be inducted each year. ( There's a rumor that the WWE will induct Slick)


Now back to this federation years thing.

I just personaly think that this year, on like last year. That they (WWE) should mainly focus on in inducting wrestlers from the time era where wrestling was on the brink of mainsteam.

1. Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase (In there already as we know)

2. Jake "The Snake" Roberts

3. The Honky Tonk Man

4. Luna Vahcon

5. Slick

6. Mike Tyson (Celeb Wing)

7. "The Macho Man" Randy Savage

8. The Ultimate Warrior

Now there it is!

That ever is if the WWE will FINALLY induct the late, great Owen Hart? If Vince could patch things up with Bret, then I think he can come to an understanding with Owen's widow Martha Hart? Then if not, the patriach himself Stu Hart.

That's what I think.