Hall Of Fame First Class Of 2015: Group 1

[ABMorales787]

The Holidays are through, EOY Awards are gone and tucked away and Wrestlemania Season is coming up. With that in mind, it's time for the first of two classes to be inducted into the WZCW Hall Of Fame.

Group 1 will be about selecting the first Tag Team to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame. 3 of the best tandems in wrestling history have been chosen and you, the WZ Forum Goers, have the choice of who goes in. The choices are:

1) The Fabulous Freebirds

Creators of the "Freebird" rule where trios or factions would alternate for Tag Team matches when defending titles, they are also very well known for their feud against the Von Erich family in WCCW. For the inductees, the members for induction are Michael "PS" Hayes, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy & Buddy "Jack" Roberts.



2) Steiner Brothers

Innovators in the ring as well as being quite the travelers, the Steiner Brothers, Rick & Scott, have performed for ECW, WCW, WWF, NJPW, TNA and even House Of Hardcore. They've also collected Tag Team titles in most of those promotions. Well recognized for tremendous performances wherever they went, the Steiners were a guarantee of great tag team matches.



3) Road Warriors

Before The Ascension, The Powers Of Pain or Demolition were the AWA, NWA & WWF Tag Team Champions, Road Warrior Hawk and Animal. They teared a path of destruction with their bright face paint and Mad Max inspired attire & gimmick. The two innovated tag team wrestling as well as the Steiners and Freebirds did with their mystique and powerful looks. They weren't fancy. They weren't flashy. They were just destructive. Whether you know them as The Road Warriors or Legion of Doom, we all know what's coming when you hear "Ooooh, What A Rush!".

You have your 3 choices, ladies and gentlemen. The poll will be open for 2 weeks. You are free to post your arguments here. But remember that spam rules are in effect. Posts must have an explanation for your opinion. Failure to follow as such may result in warnings or infractions. Have at it and enjoy the debating.​

 

[Mustang Sally]

Interestingly, it seems all three teams experienced their greatest success and notoriety outside of WWE....the Freebirds and Road Warriors were huge stars before they worked for Vince McMahon while the Steiners did their best work after leaving WWE.

Still, the Road Warriors possessed an aura of mystery and devastation no other tag team could touch. Yes, they were essentially well beyond their era during their final WWE go-around, but the sight of them dismantling opponents used to scare the hell out of me.

To me, they were tag team wrestling. They come first for HOF consideration.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I get LOD/RW being as ubiquitous and first picks for all... but to me the Steiners are a fairer and better pick.

After the Bulldogs, they really were the best all round tag team in the business, until they got lazy and greedy and the Blondes took the mantle from them. But in their day they were an incredible team to watch. Rick with his power moves and goofiness and Scott with his clean cut badassery and stunning moveset.

Think how many moves originated or were debuted in the US by the Steiners... Tilt-a-whirl Suplex, the Frankensteiner, the top rope bulldog... all of those were made popular by them...how common is a Frankensteiner now, and it's still called that...rarely called a hurracanrana.

Their WWE run was not as good due to the level of teams in the division, but they picked up where the LOD left off everywhere they went and didn't drop the pace once. It was only when they tried to be clever over money that ended...

The other side of it is that both guys were legit singles stars while being in the team. Scott Steiner could hold the TV title or wrestle Flair to a draw for the World title at Clash of Champions and Rick could hold titles on his own too, yet they would still be the main force in the tag division.

The Freebirds get credit for some stuff, like the 3 man team being their thing, and depending on if you believe Hogan, Superstar or Hayes one of the first to really bring Music into play... but the reality is that Gordy did his best work with Dr. Death in Japan, Roberts was not of the same standard and Garvin was a poor substitute... Hayes had IT but also had, like Barry Windham too much of the "enjoy the party" attitude to really hit the home runs... Hayes was always someone you felt in WCW in the 90's could have been a solo and massive in WWE if he wasn't such a loose cannon not so much the others.

LOD are LOD, they will likely win by default, but between them and the Steiners I cite the versatility and success the brothers had as singles while still teaming... Only Hawk ever really did anything outside the team and even then it wasn't that great.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Be honest KJ, you'd get a kick outta walking into the Walton house and asking Pa to pick his favorite kid!

All of these teams are HoF worthy and perfect examples of something Vince McMahon rarely appears to acknowledge - that great tag teams draw!

As to who I'd pick, I think the Steiners just just edge it on all round appeal. The Freebirds were great heels who could generate unbelievable heat, the likes of which we are unlikely to see again... but there is always the asterisk that this version (despite being the best combo) never did it on the national / international stage. The Road Warriors are many people choice as the greatest of all time but I always felt that Rick and Scott were the more rounded team, equally adept at the Warriors brawling style and the technical side as their storied amateur credentials attested. I think this may also be the reason that they have the better career accomplishments - they could go with any team no matter their style.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think you have to go with The Road Warriors, although all 3 certainly deserve to go into the HOF. The Road Warriors dominated everywhere they went, holding the Tag Team Belts in whichever organisation they appeared in. They may not have had the flashy moves of Th Steiners, or the charisma of PS Hayes, but my GOD did they dominate teams!

Hawk and Animal's image with the face paint, the spiked shoulder pads and the crazy haircuts are iconic, and there was no messing when they got in the ring...they'd beat their opponents up and get the pinfall. Job done.

I prefer watching Rick and Scott than the Warriors, but I think if we are choosing a tag-team for the HOF, the LOD need to go in first.