Muhammad Ali and the WWE Hall of Fame

[NegativeFeedback]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muhammad-ali-legendary-boxers-son-3064627

As you can see in the above link, it doesn't seem like Muhammad Ali has that much time left with us. His son doesn't believe he'll last more than a year as Ali's Parkinson's has gotten more severe than ever.

Do you guys think WWE should induct him while he's still with us or due to his critical state, do you think it's best if they decide to induct him after his passing?

I for one think it's always better to have the person KNOW they're going into the Hall of Fame, so even if he can't make an appearance, I would prefer it if they did it while he was alive.

(I'm guessing there are also some of you who think he SHOULDN'T go into the WWE Hall of Fame and I'd like to know your thoughts as to why. I think that if minor celebrities that didn't do anything for wrestling like Drew Carey and The Fridge can be in the HoF, someone of Ali's importance is a shoe-in)

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If I was WWE, I'd reach out to the family and Ali himself to see if he's at all interested. If he is, it wouldn't be difficult to travel to New Orleans. Last I heard, Ali lives in Scottsdale, Arizona and it's a little over 1,500 miles from New Orleans. The trip could be made in a few hours. I think it'd be a classy move for WWE to fly Ali on its corporate jet.

If Ali isn't up to traveling or if all the parties involved don't want to subject him to whatever potential burden traveling might be on him, WWE could set up a live satellite feed in his home to accept the honor. The last I heard, Ali could still speak, though it's difficult for him. He might be able to give a short speech or maybe his daughter could read his speech for him. While it wouldn't have the sort of impact it would if he was there in person to accept the honor, it'd still be a cool happening. It's friggin' Muhammad Ali for shit's sake; arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time and probably the single most charismatic sports figure in history. The man was talking smack before talking smack became the norm and he still did it better than anyone else.

 

[bxbigshow]

I think inducting Ali into the Hall of Fame would be the classiest thing WWE has done recently. It would bring significance to the Celebrity wing and honor a man who should've been the FIRST celebrity inductee.

All I know is he better be in before Floyd Mayweather, Snookie, and Maria Menunos....

 

[James]

Do it. At least he would be well deserving of it. Imagine the money and media attention this would bring. Sucks that he is on his last few though.

 

[MCMG]

I think it is fair to say Muhammad Ali deserves a place in the Hall of Fame. He was involved in the first ever Wrestlemania and that cannot be overlooked. I know fuck all about boxing but I know that Muhammad Ali is one of the best. He was also a very intelligent guy and the WWE honouring him would be just.

The fact his health is poor should merely speed up the process. If anything they should do it this year with talk about the first ever WM main-event being inducted. Indeed, Hulk Hogan should probably do the honour but even Mike Tyson would be a great choice.

 

[closet_fan]

I love it. I didn't even think of Ali, but he makes sense. It would be perfect considering they usually like a non wrestler inducted and Ali was part of the first Wrestlemania.

While I would love to see him on the stage in front of everyone, I think it'd be better to have his family receive the award for him. The last I saw Ali talk, he was in pretty rough shape. I can only imagine his speech and physicality has gone downhill since.

 

[The Perfect Max]

Of all the celebrity inductees, Muhammad Ali is one of the few who truly deserves it. His contribution at WrestleMania was quite major at the time, even if he was the guest ring announcer. His contribution is frequently seen in flashbacks and reviews, and I think it would be great that WrestleMania XXX is the year he's acknowledged.

I would, however, put Mr T. over Ali at WrestleMania XXX, but because of his deteriorating health, the right thing to do would be to do it now. If Bob Uecker deserves it, Muhammad Ali is certainly deserving.

I agree with posts above about how his health may prevent him from attending the ceremony or even delivering his speech. I suppose that's the sad side of the story, but showing his face may just be enough.

 

[enviousdominous]

Ali would obviously be a huge acquisition for the HOF, I highly doubt that anyone from the WWE's side would argue against it. I find it very hard to believe that the thought hasn't come up yet.

I don't know who takes care of Muhammad Ali's affairs while he's indisposed, I could probably research that real quick but fuck it. I imagine that whoever it is, they'll be the biggest obstacle to actually making this happen. WCW was killed by an exec who just didn't like wrestling, something as simple as that can make or break the potential that this might ever occur.

If Muhammad Ali is inducted, they better save that one for the end. Few athletes come before Ali in terms of popularity.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Dirtsheets keep saying that WWE complains about not having enough big names for the Hall of Fame, but I can think of a solid headliner for the next 20 years.

• 2015: Sting
• 2016: The Rock
• 2017: nWo
• 2018: Kurt Angle
• 2019: The Undertaker
• 2020: Goldberg
• 2021: Chris Jericho
• 2022: Rey Mysterio
• 2023: The Hart Foundation
• 2024: Triple H
• 2025: ECW (Heyman, RVD, Dreamer, etc.)
• 2026: Vince McMahon
• 2027: John Cena
• 2028: The Hardy Boyz
• 2029: Dave Batista
• 2030: Kane
• 2031: The Big Show
• 2032: D-Generation X
• 2033: CM Punk
• 2034: Brock Lesnar

That's 20 solid headliners who can carry their own Hall of Fame ceremony for the next 20 years. Plus, there are plenty of guys who have passed away that can also add some credibility to those induction ceremonies.

• 2015: Owen Hart
• 2016: Randy Savage
• 2017: "Ravishing" Rick Rude
• 2018: Lou Thesz
• 2019: S.D. Jones
• 2020: "Playboy" Buddy Rose
• 2021: Dick the Bruiser
• 2022: The Fabulous Kangaroos
• 2023: Stan Stasiak
• 2024: Test
• 2025: Mike Awesome
• 2026: Giant Baba
• 2027: Jim Crocket
• 2028: Gory Guerrero
• 2029: Hercules Hernandez
• 2030: The Public Enemy
• 2031: Gus Sonnenberg
• 2032: Adrian Adonis
• 2033: Chris Candido
• 2034: Wahoo McDaniel

There's also plenty of women to go around. Not many are known today, but WWE owns so much footage of top women from the past, that it's silly for them to ignore them so much.

• 2015: The Glamour Girls Leilani Kai and Judy Martin
• 2016: June Byers
• 2017: Miss Elisabeth
• 2018: Sue Green
• 2019: Penny Banner
• 2020: Judy Grable
• 2021: Donna Christanello
• 2022: Peggy Lee Leather
• 2023: Joyce Grable
• 2024: Lita
• 2025: Beulah McGillicutty
• 2026: Victoria
• 2027: Sable
• 2028: Betty Niccoli
• 2029: Woman
• 2030: Mildred Burke
• 2031: Mickie James
• 2032: Vickie Guerrero
• 2033: Chyna
• 2034: Kay Noble

And there are also plenty of solid guys who although not headliners, are still alive and well today and will be nice additions to the Hall.

• 2015: Kevin Nash, Razor Ramon, Demolition
• 2016: Sid Vicious, Ken Patera, The Fabulous Freebirds
• 2017: Ivan Koloff, Rick "The Body" Martel, The New Age Outlaws
• 2018: Lex Luger, Genichiro Tenryu, The Killer Bees
• 2019: Larry Zbyszko, The Honky Tonk Man, The British Bulldogs
• 2020: Jim Neidhart, The Great Muta, The Fabulous Rougeaus
• 2021: William Regal, Carlos Colón, The Midnight Express
• 2022: Diamond Dallas Page, Tajiri, The Nasty Boys
• 2023: Brutus Beefcake, Paul Jones, The Quebecers
• 2024: Dick Beyer, Dave Finlay, The Natural Disasters
• 2025: Ken Shamrock, JBL, The Steiner Brothers
• 2026: Sabu, Rob Van Dam, The Dudley Boys
• 2027: King Kong Bundy, Eric Bischoff, Too Cool
• 2028: Marty Jannetty, X-Pac, The Rock-n-Roll Express,
• 2029: Big Van Vader, Theodore Long, The Godwinns
• 2030: Mark Henry, Mike Rotunda, The Moondogs
• 2031: Goldust, Val Venis, The Hollywood Blonds
• 2032: Jeff Jarrett, Christian, The Minnesotta Wrecking Crew
• 2033: Bill DeMott, R-Truth, The Pitbulls
• 2034: Kofi Kingston, Al Snow, Los Guerreros

And I'm not finished! WWE can add 1 celebrity a year and still have plenty left for years to come:

• 2015: Muhammad Ali
• 2016: Mr. T
• 2017: Ted Turner
• 2018: Dennis Rodman
• 2019: Bob Barker
• 2020: Motorhead
• 2021: Jay Leno
• 2022: Aretha Franklin
• 2023: Lawrence Taylor
• 2024: Steve Mongo McMichael
• 2025: Mickey Rourke
• 2026: Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
• 2027: David Arquette
• 2028: Freddie Prinze, Jr.
• 2029: Will Sasso
• 2030: Snoop Dogg
• 2031: Andy Kauffman
• 2032: Karl Malone
• 2033: KISS
• 2034: Kevin Greene

Boom, that's 7 spots a year for the next 20 years. WWE obviously needs to sit down and look at their giant wrestling history before doing something as ridiculous as inducting "matches" to add star-power to the show.

 

[L@RISANO]

Great Post above.

Just a couple comments on it; I think HHH won't accept an induction as he is set to remain an on screen presence for quite a while. Also, VKM might well be a posthumous inductee as well, in an interview HHH said they wanted to induct Vince but he wouldn't let it happen.

I think if his health holds up, Undertaker will be inducted in 2017 provided his health and the Streak stay intact. 25-0.
Also, it would be great if Paul Bearer is inducted by Taker, which would mean post-2017...