5 HOF Spots (Male)

[WWE.IS.AWESOME]

After reading The Disturbed's new thread series, it inspired me to make this one.

Everybody knows about the Hall of Fame. It's a place where only the most elite wrestlers and/or authority figures are allowed in. Over the years, we have seen all time greats such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Steve Austin be inducted. In years to come, we will probably see John Cena, Randy Orton, and Edge join them. My question to you is...

If the Hall of Fame could only hold 5 male wrestlers and/or authority figures, than which 5 guys would you put in?

*EDIT* They can be past or present superstars.

 

[kozzomozzo]

Firstly don't you think you shold have at least answered your own question?
Secondly what about a faction?

Hulk Hogan because he changed wrestling
Vincent Kennedy Mc mahon mad wrestling a billion dollar industry and got really involved in the storylines.
The Original Nwo Made WWe better because they fell to number 2 for quite awhile. Changed the landscape
Jim Ross Best announcer ever and made wrestling better then it actually is. Really got people in the matches.
Last guy well this may be very controversial and he is kinda a bum now but Eric bischoff the best writer period Worked with both major organizations and made them better.

 

[bighaas1]

i would put in
1) the undertaker-because of the wrestlemania title.
2) vince mchman - because without him there would be no wwe.
3) eric bischoff- because of the monday night wars and was one of the best raw gms.
4) paul heyman- because he was the one who took ecw and made it something.
5) kevin nash- because he was part of one of the most contavesal groups in prowrestling history witch was the nwo.

 

[4-Real]

Great idea!

1.) Mr. McMahon- The creator of the product we see today, as well as the creator of the attitude era that changed the landscape of wrestling.

2.) Hulk Hogan- McMahon's first, and probably his greatest creation. His accolades in wrestling are endless, having worked for AWA, WWF, WCW, again with WWE, and TNA. He's the been there, done that of wrestling.

3.) "Stone Cold" Steve Austin- When Hogan left the company, McMahon needed a new face, so he turned to Austin to become something larger than life. Stone Cold thrived in the spotlight, and became the face of the Attitude Era.

4.) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson- A former football player that proved with a little practice and work ethic, anybody could rise to the occasion and become a larger than life star. Granted, he did have a tremendous wrestling lineage and look to go with it. He took part in one of wrestling's greatest rivalries with Austin.

5.) Sting- Rather than go with Flair, HBK or the Hitman here, I chose one of wrestling's greatest characters. Sting came up in NWA/WCW, adopting a surfer gimmick, and winning the World Heavyweight Championship. When the nWo movement went down, he was forced to make a change in gimmick, and in doing so, he adopted the facepaint, trench coat, and long black hair that turned him into a larger than life figure. Back in the day, and to some degree now, you could take one look at his face and think, "That guy is legit." He may be working in WWE now for a dream match with Undertaker. He was also one of the bright spots in a corrupt WCW product.

 

[Disturbed]

It's nice to see someone liked my thread. Thanks for the rep WWE is Awesome. You will be getting some in return once I can rep again because I have given out to much in the last 24 hours. Now for your question, I had to think about this for a few but I think I got five who deserve it more than anyone.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon
His father is in the WWE hall of fame but he has done so much more than his father. He revoluzionized pro wrestling. He made the WCW what it was. I know that came out wrong, but the WCW would have never been that big if they didn't have competition like the WWF at the time. WWF made WCW better and WCW made WWF but that is a different topic for a different thread. All in all, he deserves it more than anyone because of what he has done for the business.

Lou Thesz
To be honest, I really don't know much about the guy. I do know, he was the first World Heavyweight Champion so that alone gets him this spot. I don't really have anything else to say about hm.

Hulk Hogan
As much as I hate to say this because I can't stand him, Hogan was the top guy in the World of Pro Wrestling for a very long time. He was the top guy in the top wrestling company. He was known worldwide and had tv and movie deals, all because his work in the WWF. He has killed some of his legacy for some of the shit he's pulled and not wanting to retire but you have to remember everything he did in pro wrestling.

Ric Flair
Pretty much the same as Hogan except I like Flair. I love Flair. He is indeed, just that a Wrestling God. In my opinion, Flair is the best wrestler of all time and was the leader of the best stable for quite sometime. Flair was very over as a heel and was great in the ring. He was to WCW, what Hogan was to WWF.

Stone Cold Steve Austin
It was very hard for me to think of a 5th guy. I couldn't decide between Austin and Shawn Michaels. I came to the conclusion on Austin because as said obove, Vince was in need of a new face and Austin did just that. He became the most popular since Hulk Hogan and he was supposed to be a heel to begin with. He wasn't the big muscular type. He was just your modern man and the fans could relate to him. He didn't kill any of his legacy because he knew when to hang up his boots and call it quits.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Hulk Hogan - Hulkamania/ 'Hollywood'. The most loved face of the 80s became the most hated heel of the 90s. Will always be the first name of a US non sports entertainment fan when you say wrestling.

Ric Flair - the wrestler to Hogan's entertainer. 16 time World Champ, leader of the Four Horsemen, poster boy of the NWA for many years. WOOO! indeed.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin - revolutionised the business. ECW might've been the catalyst but it was the former Mr Williams who brought the Attitude.

I think these guys HAVE to be sure ins, after them there is a long long list of contenders - HBK, HHH, Sting, Rock, Cena, Samartino, Savage, Race, Bret et cetera. Personally I'll go with these two...

Sting - the fact that he was still a household name when WCW was a distant second (winning 7 awards of PWI pre Hogan). He has also had the most successful recharacterisation WITHOUT a heel/ face turn - he went from the Man Called Sting to the phantom/ Crow style Sting.

André the Giant - given his legendary status ("the 8th Wonder of the World"), imagine if he had come along ten or even five years later! Sadly, by the time production values where of sufficient quality to really enjoy his matches, he was hardly physically capable of getting into the ring. "You know Fezzik, you finally did something right."

 

[tjfjr4488]

Stone cold- kept wwe in business late 90's when wcw was taking over the wrestling world
Sting- greatest wrestler never to be in wwe...as of now ...won nwa tna wcw world titles guy has done it all.
Shawn michaels- icon show stopper main event...enough said
hulk hogan- made wrestling!
vince mcmahon- without him who knows where wrestling would be

 

[Tech N9ne]

Hulk Hogan - This is obvious. He should be in just because his name is Hulk Hogan.

The Rock - To me, he is the best ever. I have never seen anyone like him, nor will I ever. I would induct him before Hogan, simply because Hogan is a Douche Bag!!

Vince McMahon - Similar to Hogan. He should be in just because his name is Vince McMahon. He has done everything for this business. He has dedicated his life to it, and basically his family follows his example and are doing the same thing.

The Undertaker - I think he should be in because he probably has had the BEST gimmick ever and for his size, did things he shouldn't have been able to. He has had some of the most memorable matches, feuds and moments throughout his career.

DX - Triple H and Shawn Michaels should both be in. I might be cheating a little to choose them both. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose HBK. He might be the greatest in ring performer EVER. Plus, he was no slouch on the mic. He had some of the most controversial moments ever, see The Montreal Screw Job. His matches, not only at Wrestlemania, but as a whole, were unbelievable. Also had one of the best finishers ever. Trips could be named the smartest wrestler ever. One of the best Heels ever too. He might have even been the leader of arguably the best faction or team ever, DX. Though, Evolution can't be overlooked either. He too, has had some of the best matches we have seen in a long time. Also, some of the best feuds as well. He married into Wrestling's Family of Royalty. Love him or hate him, you can't deny his genius.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Although he should, and probably will end up in the HOF one day, I am going to forget about Vince McMahon, and focus on 5 wrestlers instead.

1. HULK HOGAN

The single most recognisable star in wrestling history, the man who carried the WWE on his shoulders for so many years as its top star and figurehead. Without Hulk Hogan, WWE would not be what it is today. The biggest idol the business has ever known, the man with the greatest crowd-working skills of all time, and the one true idol of the sport.

Hogan was the biggest babyface of the 80s and was part of the biggest heel turn in all time to become Hollywood Hogan in the nWo, helping WCW to overthrow WWE in the ratings. For all his accomplishments, being able to lead 2 companies to the top, multiple world title reigns, many WM moments, success as a face and a heel, and Hulkamania as a whole, he has to be the number one.

2. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

Again, as with Hogan, an incredibly important wrestler. The Austin character was the catalyst for the entire Attitude era (along with DX), and he was the ultimate anti-hero, his bad-ass character was exactly what the fans wanted to see, and they lived their dreams through Austin as we went around doing what he wanted when he wanted, drinking beer, raising hell, and beating up his boss. Stone Cold was the perfect character to help the WWE away from its cartoony/gimmicky phase and into an era based around real characters with the volume turned up. He was the Hogan of the era.

3. RIC FLAIR

NWA and WCW's biggest star. The most successful heavyweight champion of all time, and one of the greatest in ring perfomers of them all. Flair was, and still is, a true a legend of the mat. 16 time world champion, and a man who could wrestle hour-long clinics against anyone, at any time, and put on a classic. Naitch was one of the best talkers of all time, with incredible charisma, an amazing gimmick and was the founder of the Four Horsemen, one of wrestlings all-time greatest stables. Even in his 60s he could still go, and should have bowed out after his WM classic with HBK. Flair was the man.

4. THE UNDERTAKER

Mr WWE. The Deadman has seen it all, and done it all in WWE, under probably the best gimmick of them all. It is incredibly rare in wrestling to have one man so loyal to one organisation, but Undertaker is a special performer. The character has altered over the years, to a satanic minister to a bad-ass biker and back to a hybrid of all versions, but the Dead Man has been at the top of the company for around 20 years. For his legendary WM streak alone he would be worthy of a HOF spot, but continuing to put on great matches in his veteran years, and being a hugely-respected superstar with both the locker room and the fans, and his iconic entrance and moveset...the Undertaker has earned his spot.

5. SHAWN MICHAELS

Mr Wrestlemania. The Showstopper. The Icon. The Main Event. The Heartbreak Kid. Call him what you want but you know Shawn Michaels is one of the most charismatic, exciting, athletic and entertaining in-ring performers of them all. From his early days in the Rockers, to his controversial spell in DX, to his triumphant return from what was thought to be a career-ending back injury and his subsequent awesome run, HBK has proven time and again how good he is.

His spell in DX helped to bring around the Attitude era, and his fightback from a severe drug addiction led to him find God and turn his life around, being the family man and changing his ways to help put over so many new stars. It will be a great moment to see Shawn in the HOF this year.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

It was really hard to narrow it down to just 5, and I had to miss out many other worthy names such as

Bret Hart
The Rock
Sting

and many more. Let me know what you think of my choices!

 

[harrythem]

I'm not going to go into details on each because their names have, at various times, been THE names in the WWWF/WWF/WWE and they either carried or saved the company. These guys are the hall of fame, to me, and I'm not including guys like Flair/Sting, etc, because they were not WWE guys (or, in Flairs case, a supporting star, never THE WWE Man)

1 - Vince McMahon
2 - Bruno Samartino
3 - Hulk Hogan
4 - Stonecold Steve Austin
5 - Shawn Michaels

 

[The_Gene_Genie]

I think the top 3 are pretty much unanimous amongst the majority:

1) Vince McMahon. Promoter, announcer, chairman, entertainer, wrestler, father, grandfather, son, husband, businessman, antagonist, controversial, fearless, machevelian, egotistical. Whatever words are used to brand the man, there is no taking away from the fact that he is a visionary and is arguably responsible for the rise of wrestling into the mainstream product it is today.

2) Hulk Hogan. Hogan was the larger than life character needed by Vince McMahon at a time when the wrestling world was changing and breaking into the mainstream. Hogan's charisma and physical characteristics were the perfect foil for McMahon's business savvy and testicular fortitude. Throw the nWo into the equation, one of wrestlings controversial factions and the rest is well documented history.

3) Stone Cold Steve Austin. Again, supported by McMahon, Austin is exactly what was needed to propel WWE into a new era in order to compete with the more risque companies such as WCW and ECW. The Attitude Era and the fact that WWE won the Monday Night Wars, supported by ticket and merchandise sales, proved that Austin was up there with the Hulkamania movement of the 80's, even surpassing the legendary Hulk Hogan in some instances.

I really struggled with the next two. I've read other peoples posts and there are a plethora of names being brought into the fold and the majority of them I couldn't agree more with. The likes of Undertaker, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, HBK, Sting and so on really deserve the best of the best accolades available to honour their names, performances and achievements over the years. I want to try and throw something different into the equation.

4) Shirley Crabtree. Who? Shirley Crabtree a.k.a. Big Daddy; the Hulk Hogan of British wrestling. He was my idol growing up and the real reason why I got into wrestling in the first place. His feuds with other British icons such as Giant Haystacks, Kendo Nagasaki, Mick McManus and the like are classic wrestling at its best. He shared the ring with other Brits who went on to perform at the highest level in American wrestling (Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, William Regal). He is also credited for breaking Christopher Adams into the world of wrestling, who in turn is responsible for the training the Likes of Scott Hall and Steve Austin. Fair to say his knock on impact was pretty big even if you don't know who the Hell he is. "Easy! Easy! Easy!"

5) I'm really struggling to settle on a fifth...but I'm going to go with Stu Hart. A real hardman back in the day and responsible for Stampede Wrestling and the infamous 'Dungeon' which is the training ground for many a World Champion. Bret, Owen, Bulldog, Dynamite, Jericho, Christian, Edge, Benoit, Fritz Von Erich, Pillman and even Japanese legend Jushin Liger are but a few of the names trained at the Dungeon under Stu Hart's tutelage. It's fair to say his impact in the world of wrestling is significant over a number of generations and across continents.

 

[luxferre]

1.Bruno Sammartino.....The REAL peoples champion.
2.Hulk Hogan.....Made wrestling mainstream
3.Ric Flair.....the most decorated world champion....(till hhh return's)
4.Stone Cold Steve Austin.....The most OVER star in wrestling ever?...Good shout for it
5.Bret Hart......the best to ever step in the squared circle

Maybe short n sweet but we all know each of these men's accomplishment's....so why bore you?

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I honestly believe that the men stated below should be in

Rick Flair- Please, he's told us and sold us for years, You gotta beat the man to be the man!! For years Flair was the man, and he was one of the harder workers at the time. If you wanna know how to work the stick heel or face look at this man's promos. Study them and you'll do good in the buisness.

Sting- He's the definition of hard work in my book. Like Flair he's wrestling into his old age, but also helped put two companys into top show status. He helped carry the monday night wars with raw and carried Tna's name on his back for the longest time. He give it all in the ring and hasen't really let his age slow his matches down to much.

Vince- Lets get it straight, without this man the wwe really wouldn't be to much. He didn't build it fully but has kept it running, while stale at sometimes he's allways entertained us as heel or a face.

Stone cold- Honestly behind Hulk hogan he had one of the best leadership pushes as a wrestler ever. People say hogan made the WWE what it is today. But Stone cold helped solidify the WWE with the attitude era when the WWE was in danger of cast totaly into the second show status by WCW.

The final one for me would be the undertaker. For me he's one of the biggest charicters in the WWE. He's working into his old age and honestly the man could pull a heel turn then a face turn then another heel turn and we would still cheer for him. Thats how big he is to us.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think the top 3 are pretty much unanimous amongst the majority:

1) Vince McMahon.
2) Hulk Hogan.
3) Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Can't argue with those 3

4)Big Daddy

A good choice. Big Daddy was HUGE in England, and definitely a major influence on most of the English talent we have seen in the WWE over the years.

5)Stu Hart.

Nice pick again, without Stu we would never have had Bret, Owen, Bulldog and so many others including the Hart Dynasty today. A more than deserving addition to the HOF.