Congratulations to Goldberg and now the Dudley Boyz for being inducted into the HOF.
That being said, if the rumored class turns out to be correct, it would be, IMO, the weakest and most underwhelming class ever for the HOF.
I would assume WWE would go with more than 5 names that are rumored, but just on those 5 names, it's extremely underwhelming.
Goldberg, to me since the revival of the HOF in 2004, will be the weakest headliner by far. I'm not a Goldberg hater by any means, but to me he is not the level of a headliner for a HOF class, he's perfect as the "secondary headliner" (Piper in 05, Guererro in 06, Perfect in 07, Road Warriors in 11, etc.), but compared to past headliners like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Bruno Sammartino, Sting, Randy Savage (WWE didn't officially anoint him as the headliner, but screw that, he was the headliner), Goldberg just doesn't compare. His closest comparison was the Ultimate Warrior who also was not very talented in the ring and had a short run on top, but I would say Warrior was more memorable in wrestling history. I mean, I know many don't feel the same and view Goldberg as a "definite" headliner, and even one of the all-time greats, but to me he just doesn't belong in that category. Especially when you have the Rock and Undertaker on the outside.
To be fair though, WWE is kind of in a bind for headliners of classes right now. Other than the Rock and the Undertaker (who presumably aren't finished wrestling), WWE has inducted just about everyone from the 70's, 80's, and 90's that could be a headliner and still aren't wrestling. Obviously over the next decade WWE will have Triple H, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Kane, and Batista (Rob Van Dam and the Big Show are also possibilities) to serve as headliners. There's also Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, but obviously both are big unknowns as Bryan could still wrestle in the future and end up on bad terms with WWE if he leaves, and of course Punk has his issues. But all of those previously mentioned guys have to retire and who knows when that will happen?
So even though Goldberg is very underwhelming to me, I kind of can't blame WWE for putting him as the headliner. He has a case to be a headliner, and he's about the only one available.
I personally think Vader's place in wrestling history warrants him a spot as a headliner of a class, considering he's arguably the greatest super heavyweight in wrestling history and is an absolute legend in Japan and WCW. His career in WWE may not have been much, but they had Sting headline, so Vader could too. But I don't see WWE having Vader headline a class. And it seems that window is short as his health is failing.
The Dudley Boyz, from a pure championship and success point of view, are probably the second greatest tag team in wrestling history considering they're the only team to win the ECW, WCW, and WWE tag titles, something no other team will ever accomplish, much like the Road Warriors won the NWA, AWA, and WWF tag titles. The Dudleys are clearly deserving. But it feels a bit underwhelming or not right because they could still go. Then again, they're both in their late 40's now so maybe it's time.
Ivory, though a talented in-ring performer, was never much of a star, and this would continue the trend of WWE ignoring their earliest female stars like Miss Elizabeth, Chyna, Sable, and Luna Vachon to a lesser extent, for mediocre Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and early PG-era stars. Molly Holly and Victoria were much bigger stars, better workers and would thus make for better candidates if you want to go that route. I get WWE wants to induct as few deceased stars as possible in a class, but WWE will continue to miss the boat no matter how many "trailblazers" to the Women's Revolution that WWE inducts while superstars like Miss Elizabeth, Sable, Luna Vachon, and freakin' Chyna sit on the outside. To me that's like Edge, Eddie Guerrero, and well, just about everyone going in before Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino and Randy Savage. Those exclusions made the WWE Hall of Fame lack legitimacy, and on the women's side, the WWE Hall of Fame is not legitimate until Chyna and Miss Elizabeth, especially, are inducted. Trish, Lita, Wendi Ritchter, and Madusa, I get because Trish and Lita were icons, and Richter was around before everyone mentioned, and Madusa was around before Chyna and was a great worker, but anyone else, nope. WWE will continue to miss the boat on female inductees until Elizabeth, Chyna, Sable, and Vachon are inducted.
I love Bam Bam Bigelow. He was actually the first heel I was ever a fan of, so I have a soft spot for him, but if WWE is gonna induct one deceased wrestler each year, how in the world is Davey Boy Smith not in the running? Obviously Owen is a no-go, and Brian Pillman, of course is another great choice, but Davey Boy Smith is probably the biggest deceased WWE star, not yet inducted into the HOF. That being said, I can't complain about Bam Bam going in, as it's long overdue and IMO is possibly the most underrated wrestler of the modern era.
Kid Rock for the Celebrity Wing? Hold on, I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom to throw up. Whew, ok I'm back now. Kid Rock would join Drew Carey and Snoop Dogg as the most pointless, dumb celebrity wing inductees ever. Why WWE continues to ignore celebrities that were actually important in making WWE and pro wrestling a more mainstream form of entertainment, for celebrities that made one appearance at an event baffles me. You have Cyndi Lauper, Sylvester Stallone (who's still one of the biggest movie stars around), Muhammad Ali (considered to be the most iconic athlete in American history in any sport), Andy Kaufman, and even Regis Philbin (who has long been an ally to the wrestling business) sitting on the outside. That's your next 5 years worth of celebrity inductees. Even Maria Menounos, who's a current celebrity has done far more for WWE than Kid Rock or Snoop Dogg ever has. Just ugghhhhh.
Yeah, if this is the class it desperately needs some more star power to spruce it up. Mark Henry would help, but even he is a third-tier inductee to me. His 20 year career had about 3 great years of it (Hall of Pain era), and about two solid and highly entertaining (Nation/Sexual Chocolate period) years. He's deserving, but he wouldn't help up the quality of this class in my view.
If Goldberg is gonna be the headliner, I think it needs a big group to help support Goldberg in star power, kind of like the 2012 class where the Four Horsemen supported Edge. I would say this should be the year that WWE either pulls the trigger on a D-Generation X induction (Shawn, Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac, the Outlaws, and maybe Rick Rude, I could go either way on him being part of it), an NWO induction (appropriate with Goldberg, I'd go with Hall, Nash, Hogan, Bischoff, X-Pac, Dibiase, and Giant, the original 6, plus Bischoff), or the Hart Foundation (Bret, Neidhart, Owen, Bulldog, and Pillman). A stable induction with Goldberg could help up the star-power.
For the love of God, get Vader in before he passes away. Vader is an all-time great. Headliner material, but secondary headliner for sure undoubtedly. Or induct a Japanese star like Jushin "Thunder" Liger, The Great Muta, Riki Choshu, Tiger Mask, etc.
A class of Goldberg, D-X, the Dudleyz, Henry, Bam Bam, Ivory, Vader, Liger, and Kid Rock could be a solid class, but still not as strong as prior classes (Kid Rock being a major weak point). Vader, Liger, the Dudleyz, and D-X would be solid foundations though.
