Orlando Wants The WWE Hall Of Fame

[Jack-Hammer]

It's being reported on sites all over the net that Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando, Florida, is urging the WWE to create an actual Hall of Fame building in his city. In 2008, WrestleMania brought tens of millions of dollars to the city's economy and Dyer would no doubt love another opportunity at bringing in some more from the WWE.

I think it'd be great if the WWE built an actual Hall of Fame building for fans to visit. Orlando is a tourist haven and it's easy to think a physical Hall of Fame for the WWE would bring in tourist dollars. I'd love to see it happen as such a place would potentially be a wrestling fan's version of Graceland.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

In Orlando though?

if they WERE going to build one, it would undoubtabley be in New York City. Another huge attraction, and the place were WWE made its name. Orlando has little to no connection to WWE, and has been base camp to two of its greatest rivals over the years, so it makes no sense to me.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I think it would be an absolutely perfect idea to create a building for a permanent showcase for the WWE Hall of Fame. And what better a location to pick to showcase the Hall to the world, than such a mecca of tourism such as Orlando. With the tourism traffic that passes through this city, and in fact this state in general, between Disney, Universal Sudios, and all of the other amusement parks, plus the sports teams, the weather, the beaches, whatever, Florida, and specifically Orlando seems to be ideally suited for somewhere to permanently pay tribute to the great WWE athletes being honoured there.

Of course, this would be a WWE Hall of Fame specifically, not a professional wrestling Hall of Fame, to showcase those people whose contributions to the world of professional wrestling happened completely within the confines of the WWE, not elsewhere. So of course, Sting would remain a presence in the city of Orlando within the domain of TNA Wrestling and Universal Studios, but not inside the walls of Orlando's WWE Hall of Fame.

 

[Ferbian]

For a moment I must admit I was ready to facepalm at this thread. Thinking that you were reporting Orlando Jordan wanting a WWE Hall of Fame induction.

However I completely agree that it would be an amazing thing to actually have a specific placement for the WWE Hall of Fame. Yet I believe from a business standpoint there are most likely bigger and better places to position the Hall of Fame in, in terms of what brings more money to WWE. Of course though it would depend on whether the cities are willing to bid on getting the Hall of Fame to their city.

Yet from another point I think it would become a bit troublesome. From my understanding (I never followed any kind of Hall of Fame inductions rather than WWE Hall of Fame inductions) the inductions takes place at the very Hall of Fame. It would kill any potential WWE has for making extra money, and bringing an extra attraction to the Wrestlemania weekend. Which wouldn't even be a weekend anymore for the fans at least because you'd have to travel to two different locations to attend both events. Which is something that the wrestlers would need to do as well. I could imagine that would become rather tiring for everybody, and eventually cause a decrease in income. Not a big one, but a slightly noteworthy one to say the least.

So, while I'd be all for the fact of actually having a WWE Hall of Fame, I doubt it could necessarily be the best move. That is of course unless they simply place the Hall of Fame somewhere, and induct people in the cities that Wrestlemania takes place. But in that case, I'm pretty convinced it would be perhaps a better move to simply place the Hall of Fame in Stamford Connecticut, or New York, which if my geography is correct would be nearest big city which could truly draw some income due to the population and tourism as well.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I would love for this to happen. I went to Wrestlemania 24, and I had blast. But I didn't just go to the wrestling show, I made sure to visit(or take a look at) all of the other tourist attractions in Orlando. I do this every time I go to Orlando, and I'm sure the people who visit the Hall Of Fame would do the same thing. Orlando would be a perfect place for something like this. There's plenty off stuff to do, and there are tons of hotels in that city.

I would love to see a Hall Of Fame building. I'm sure WWE could attract a lot of people here, and I'm sure all types of wrestling fans would enjoy this.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

A WWE HOF building is most definitly a must to create.

But Orlando just don't cut it for me. It's gotta be the Big Apple. No doubt.

as NorCal said, its where they started. Their roots are there and I don't think VKM would put it in any other city to tell the truth. Granted, Orlando is probly a good place to vacation and enjoy the Fla. Weather, but it has no direct affiliation with WWE as a whole.

Another guess for me would be Boston, Mass ... as much as I love them Yankees, it would be the next best place to have this building built. Its close to the HQ, all of the McMahon fam, and Mass. And CT always get me thinking WWE ...

I'm just hoping its nowhere to far, because traveling is definitly not a luxury that some ppl have, so I always loved that the WWE was eastcoast based and I think that's where it should continue to have its most influential buildings built. Hope to see this vision come to life soon ...

 

[Navi]

While putting wrestler's into the Hall of Fame to recognize their past achievements, is the proper thing for the WWE to do. What exactly would they physically put into the Hall of Fame?

If you go to the Rock and Roll HOF in Cleveland, there is all sorts of musical equipment, gold records and assorted paraphernalia that those inducted have used. The same with Hockey HOF in Toronto. There you find uniforms worn by Gretzky and the other greats of the game, sticks, pucks and the Stanley Cup.

There isn't really anything that the wrestling business has that they could show off. Yea they could put in a few crumbled chairs that Mick Foley clouted a few people over the head with, or the barber's chair that Vince sat in when Trump shaved his head, but other than that what else is there? That's a serious question.

Wrestler's use their bodies to do what they do, and unless they're going to have Cena or Orton stand there for people to take pictures with, they don't have a lot to offer.

Putting it in Orlando is a good idea because of the tourism, but tourists want to look at something, not a bunch of pictures or videos. I have a feeling that's why we don't have one already. Vince is all about the almighty dollar, and if he could have made money on this before now, there would already be a WWE Hall of Fame somewhere.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

I'm guessing it would be something like I've seen in pics from the WM axxess spots .. all WWE garb, and old outfits .. how bout we see some Owen Hart tights or a whole wing dedicated to the fallen ones. Full on with their elbow pads on the wall .. I could see it now. I bet you half, if not most ppl on these fourms could EASILY decorate or arrange the HOF building.

It has to be constructed with love, and it has to be something the people want. And I'm sure WWE will do this all out. Maybe I was going overboard with the way things could go, but to the poster who said "what would it have?" ... that's just an awful question to me.

Shit, id even like to see them do heads like the NFL does, it wouldn't matter to me, but I'm seeing rings, and old school gear, memorabilia .. I'm sure WWE has plenty of stuff they could put up. I personally can't wait to see something like that. I'm a mark for , excuse me, "vintage" WWE shit ... just brings me back to a better place and time. A time when wrestling actually meant something ....

Allthough, I do wonder if WWE kept any of Eddie's, or Owen's gear, or if they even have rights to or own them at all. Idk how that would work, but I'm sure with Owen's wife still talkin her shit, there would be a big debate about what goes in or up ... ugh, I wouldn't be able to stand the sight of not seeing some of my all time favorites going in .. that would most definitly suck ass. Just food for thought ..

 

[Marky-Marc]

I would LOVE for there to be a brick and Morter WWE Hall of Fame. I just have a few issues with this idea:

1. Has to be in either NYC, or Stanford, CT, only locations that have realistic ties to the company.

2. It would have to be more like a museum as someone mentioned wrestlers don't have jerseys or equipment that can be put on display unless you can get Ric Flair's robes or The Million Dollar Man's tuxedo lol

3. STOP INDUCTING PEOPLE WHO SHOULD NOT BE IN THE HALL OF FAME. If this was going to be legit, make it legit. Obviously pro wrestling is scripted, but if you're going to have a hall of fame, ony put people in it who deserve it. Koko B. Ware? No no, I wouldn't want to see that.

I like the idea though and think it's something VKM should look into, would def draw some attention.

 

[zman21]

great idea but if that happens wwe cant have the hall of fame induction ceramony the nite b4 wm due to location. also im sure big cities will fite to get the official hall of fame spot. cities like vegas, los angeles, houston and of corse ny city

 

[Theo Mays]

I would love for there to be a WWE Hall of Fame building. It would be great to see all that wrestling history in one building. However Orlando would probably be my third choice as to where the building should actually be located. The first place would be New York. Wrestling and New York go hand in hand. Madison Square Garden has wrestling royalty in terms of Wrestlemania. The second place would be somewhere up in Connecticut. That is where the McMahon's hail from and the headquarters is already there so why not just use that, despite the fact it isn't much of a tourism site.

However I would say if they got a building they'd have to take things a bit more seriously and that would cut out some names such as Koko B Ware and such.

 

[fenfool]

I'd like to see a WWE HOF, but honestly, I'm not sure it could be sustained. Orlando has no real connection to the WWE, but the appeal of the location would be the proximity to Disney, Universal and all the other tourist trappings of Orlando.

I actually think Connecticut would be the best choice. Remembering the WWE cafes and other attempts at capitalizing on the WWE name, places in big cities aren't a real strong idea. You get a burst of people at first, then it peters out until the business fails. But put something in CT, near the home office, and you have a local support system. Don't make it a huge place, this is not the baseball HOF; make it a small, low key, two-floor area with a gift shop. Tout that superstars in the area for official business will stop by frequently, and that Vince works near the building, so you never know who will be there. Have periodic autograph sessions, meet-and-greets...small things, things that will draw a couple hundred people, don't shoot for thousands, and you may have something. We've all passed by those little hall of fames and museum-type places that seem to be in the middle of nowhere, and they do ok with a minimal staff and minimal financial investment.

We all know that WWE doesn't do things small, so it's not likely to happen, but as far as a sustainable entity for a WWE HOF, this would probably stand the best chance of surviving in the long-term. The Orlando idea is an interesting theory, but I don't see it lasting more than a year or two.

 

[finoj05]

If the WWE HOF building is built, they would still have the HOF Ceremony as they do now but there would an exhibit ceremony afterwards where they reveal the actual exhibit after WrestleMania.

As far as where it should go, I would say anywhere along the Interstate 95 Corridor. Boston, Stanford, NYC and other East Coast cities are all along 95. However, I would put the HOF somewhere (probably close to Stanford) with easy access to that highway and enough room for expansion. The HOF could be a huge exhibit with a restaurant and even a live event venue if they choose to have one there. That is why NYC would limit the possibilities of it and it would end up being a small cramped building. If they built it in CT, they could make it as large as they want for half the price.

 

[DaNewGuy]

I like the idea of an actual phisical Hall of Fame, and I'm sure there's plenty of stuff to put in it. For example, JR's restaurant used to have an autographed Ric Flair boot in it that was previouslt on show in Seattle, and there's things like the cement filled corvette from the Austin/Mcmahon fued. They could maybe even have injured Superstars down there to sign autographs and the like.

However, this begs two questions: where to put it and will it work?

There's a strong case to be made for it being in New York, that is aafter all the 'home' of the WWE. But I'm sure that for something like this, which would likely be hugely profitable to the local area, WWE would be offered incentives from a great number of places to build it in a paticular region. So it could end up in St. Louis if they offer the greatest incentives that allow WWE to make the most money.

The second question; would it work? WWE has a chequered past with projects which are not directly related to wrestling. The XFL and WWF New York spring to mind. However in recent years this trend has changed with the relative success of, for example, the film studios. Whether the idea sinks or swims financially will surely be a huge factor for consideration.

 

[sTyLnK]

I've been wanting the WWE to have an actual HOF building for years. There was a wrestler (can't remember his name) where he refuses to go into the WWE HOF because he wants a building so people would actually know he was in it. Not a lot of people outside of wrestling know that a WWE HOF even exists. Build one and it will be really popular. The WWE is a global market. They would get a ton of international people coming over just to see it. Guaranteed. It's just a matter of promoting it.

 

[DX98folife]

I'll be one of the few and say I DONT think this would work. Consider if you will; The NFL,NHL,NBA and MLB all have Hall of Fames but they also have attractions outside of their hall of fame venues. You take a vacation to Toronto, you goto a hockey game, you visit the Hall of Fame. You goto a WWE event, well that can be one of over 100-200+ locations they goto a year. Who would goto Orlando or another set location and just visit a WWE hall of fame other then the occasional die hards?

One of the great things about Wrestlemania is that the Hall of Fame is one of the many things you can do while visiting the whole show. However; Wrestlemania is never in one set location, so the sense of a "place" for the hall of fame is valiently diminished. Sure having a building with wings and items and all that be a cool thing to have, however that won't make it a huge draw, unless you put on weekly shows or autograph signings(FCW I'm pointing at you.)

What might be a better solution is having a "hall of fame" setup at the various venues they visit 3-5 times a week. For an extra 5-10 dollars a head, you can visit the hall of fame before the show and it would be setup in tents outside the arena or in the arena or whatever. That would be a more appealing option to be honest.

 

[The Scarred One]

I think this would be an awesome idea. Shane McMahon himself said that the WWE has saved up a lot of wrestling memorabilia in a warehouse for such a possibility. It's possible for the WWE to have a fixed location for its Hall of Fame. It doesn't mean they can't hold the induction ceremonies elsewhere. They can just have a second ceremony at the actual facility.

Orlando does seem like an ideal place for an actual WWE Hall of Fame, although New York or Stamford would be more appropriate considering the WWE past. After all, a lot of wrestlers live in Florida now; such as Chris Jericho, the Big Show, Edge, Batista, John Cena and Christian; the WWE has Florida Championship Wrestling based there and it can complement the other tourist locations in the area.

Up until last year, I lived in Orlando all my life. I attended WrestleMania 24 and loved every minute of it. I'm all for this.

 

[Terminal Sledgehammer]

Originally posted by: FERBIAN

For a moment I must admit I was ready to facepalm at this thread. Thinking that you were reporting Orlando Jordan wanting a WWE Hall of Fame induction.

I was thinking the exact same thing lol.

On to topic I don't exactly care where the Hall of Fame goes as I will likely never see it because I am very comfertable in my house and don't like to travel. But I feel that Orlando would be a great place, after all it has various other attractions such as Disneyland. Also it is in a warm area so maybe when I get old enough to make the annual elderly Canadian pilgrimage to Florida me and others will go down and recount the days when we watched people like The Rock talk. It's as good as spot as any.

 

[Flawless-Talk]

I like the idea of a base for WWE HOF. Orlando seems like a good idea for it, I think, because of all the tourism the city gets. I think it could help pull in casual fans, too, because tourists like to visit everywhere possible when in Florida. I do see the point that WWE has no 'real' connections with Orlando but, at the same time, considering WWE is PG, they will be able to pull in more children to their product. New York is a good idea, but I really don't think WWE would get as many people in as they would in Florida, whether PG or not. Orlando is full of tourists, whereas New York has a different atmosphere.

Inside, I think they could actually have some televisions showing some WWE classic matches, a ring and maybe even some large waxworks, kind of like Madam Tussards. If they make the place more of a WWE physical exhibition with a HOF wing, rather than just a HOF building, having WWE belts etc, I feel like they could potentially expand it, having a building in some main countries and states.

I like the idea of a physical WWE HOF, but I think there should be more things to attract visitors too.

 

[Calderownz]

Id' be a nice tourist attraction in the Florida area. But, I don't think WWE would build there. I'd assume it'd be in New York, along with the boxing hall. Nonetheless, I like the idea. It'd be fun to see all the history and the moments in the physical, as apposed to in magazines, on television or online.

 

[People's Champ]

Love the idea, not the location. Although Orlando is a great tourist spot, it practically no connection to the WWE. As has been said, New York would be a better location. Its a great tourist spot with some actual history with the WWE.

As far Wrestlemania goes, the ceremony would still be the day before where ever Wrestlemania is at that year, but the actual HoF would be at its permanent location.