[Official]Top 5 Reaction Thread

[Mac Attack]

So the initial inductees have been officially inducted into the Hall of Fame the list as following:

Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair
Steve Austin
Andre the Giant
Lou Thesz

My question is what is your reaction the initial inductees?

Personally, I am overall happy with the first five choices if anyone that I am slightly mad at it would be Andre the Giant. I personally think all men deserve an induction some more than others. All men have made a giant impact in the history of wrestling and all should be admired. I am excited for the possible future wrestlers to be inducted and I think there is room left add people when voting. I think that I would like to see some current talent get a shot at the Hall of Fame but all in all I think it is a pretty sound list.

 

[The Prodigal Anti-Lemming]

I'm excited to see Hogan, Flair, Thesz and Austin in the top five. The accomplishments of these four men speak for themselves. Each of them defined an era and were, without question, the top wrestler of their period.

I'm less enthused to see Andre in there because he was not a dominant world champion and did little to actually change the industry (I had fronted for Gotch), but I guess four out of five ain't bad.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I personally cannot think of a better top 5. Hogan and Austin were the frontrunners in Pro Wrestling's two boom periods and so their inclusion was never in doubt. Flair has been a great performer and a huge draw for the NWA. He has created numerous stars of the industry and has put on great matches and great feuds. I think that his longlevity acts in his favor rather than against him because I don't think that he has done much to damage the business. He has never hogged the spotlight like a Hogan.

Andre is a name I had not thought of but I am not against his inclusion in the very least. He was possibly the biggest draw of the Territory Era and he went undefeated for 10 years. The reason why he did not hold championships was because there was no way in which he could lose and it would be believable for the fans. In a way he was above championship belts.

Thesz is also an inspired selection. He was a huge draw and he has helped shape modern day pro wrestling. He has invented a lot of moves that are used by modern day wrestlers and also wrestled for a really long time. Plus he put on a number of great matches. Old School isn't my strongest suite but I think that if you had to include an Old School wrestler, there isn't a better wrestler than Thesz.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Myriad hits the nail on the head perfectly with Andre. The man drew like crazy. Hulkamania was big at Wrestlemanias 1 and 2, but after Andre let Hogan go over at WM3, it was stratospheric. Andre is a guy who, for much of his career, was better off NOT having the title, because nobody would have bought the idea of him ever losing. If fans don't think your champion can ever lose, why buy a ticket?

I'd have had Gorgeous George somewhere in the top 5, but looking at who was actually mentioned, I have a tough time eliminating one of the 5. It's an argument steeped solely in opinion and one that cannot be determined as "right" or "wrong" in any way.

 

[Whatsinaname696]

I can't argue with the list as they are all, indeed, legends. I could jumble some people around but we all could and as great as that top five is, hoping to see Sting and Muta in the next 5, also seeing quite a few people questioning Andre, I don't think the man that let Hogan get over on him (therefore the birth of Hulkamania) can have his legacy as one of the best EVER come in to question... but thas me =)

 

[PsychoBlack]

I think that all five of these men deserve to be here. They each had a huge impact on the business and three of them were the sole reason that certain wrestling companies stayed in business for as long as they did. I can't picture a better initial top five.

 

[Freebirdfan]

I would put Nick Bockwinkel in before Steve Austin. He was every bit as great a champion as Flair and Hogan during the same era. Steve Austin belongs with Nature Boy Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race, and Gorgeous George in the second five.......that's my opinion.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

I haven't any real problems with the list. All of the guys are HoF worthy. Whether they should have been there first might be another story for me at least. On this list are 3 people who are alive and two who are not . A lot of times, HoF or people who pay hommage to performers, athletes forget so many people who were there before the 70s who paved the way for many performers who are listed here. Other times athletes and performers who are alive and still part of public consciousness, get praised -and their accomplishments and abilities overrated or overblown-while those who are dead are just forgotten. I understand it because most wrestling fans won't remember the contributions of many performers before but it's a little sad when that history of the business is forgotten. I'm not an expert wrestling historian, I just saying....

My first five would have been

Gorgeous George
Karl Gotch
Lou Thesz
Buddy Rogers
Killer Kowalski or Nick Bockwinkel
See I've changed this over and over again and I appreciate how difficult it is to make your first five. I can't believe I forgot about Stu Hart, Verne Gagne. I mean there are so many forgotten performers out there. Any one else has plenty of time to get in , are in other HoFs so they won't feel too left out.

 

[The Woo Kid]

The first five inductees deserved the spot that they got. They all have a grand legacy in wrestling and the position that they are in right now is exactly where they should be. I don't know how one could complain about them seeing that they all have amazing careers as well as a positive influence on wrestling and appreciation for wrestling.

 

[FlairFan2003]

It's kind of like the Pro Football HOF, unless you are INCREDIBLY BIG, it can hard to get in on the 1st ballot. Flair & Hogan fit that bill, I don't personally have anything against the other guys, I imagine some others like Dusty Rhodes, etc would get in