The 2012 Hall of Fame Class

[LODemolition]

I feel this upcoming year of Hall of Fame inductees could be the greatest of all-time. Let's say they induct 7. Out of this list of the (in my opinion) most deserving candidates, who would you choose and why?

The Rock
Arn Anderson
Demolition
Midnight Express
Ultimate Warrior
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Bruno Sammartino
Owen Hart
British Bulldog
Edge
Miss Elizabeth
Yokozuna
Lou Thesz
Booker T/Harlem Heat
Honky Tonk Man
Mick Foley
Scott Hall
Kevin Nash
Eddie Guerrero
Rick Rude
Lex Luger

***My 7 Inductees***

Bruno Sammartino - Obviously he's a shoe-in, but has turned it down before for reasons that I'm unaware of. I'm just barely old enough to remember that he was World Champion for something like 7 years straight before the Hogan era came along. Clearly a legend who needs to put aside whatever grudge he has against Vince and the WWE and accept the honor. There are plenty of fans from that time period who would love to see it happen.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage - It's a shame that it would take him passing away to finally make this happen when he's deserved it for so long. Of course there's the rumors of Randy and Stephanie having inappropriate relations before he left the WWE for WCW, but let bygones be bygones. If Bret and Vince can bury the hatchet, surely this incident can be swept under the rug as well. Savage was one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Anyone who has never seen his IC Title match w/ Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III should stop what they're doing now and look it up on youtube. No matter how many years go by, it will always be in my top 5 wrestling matches I've ever seen.

Miss Elizabeth - There are more deserving candidates than Liz, but it would only be right to induct her at the same time as Randy. The first lady of wrestling should be honored as she's the one who paved the way for the divas of this generation. And she did it with class all the way.

Ultimate Warrior - Never was the best wrestler in the world by a long shot, but electrified the crowd with a great look and energy. It's a shame they never let a feud between him and The Undertaker develop, it would've been one for the ages. Nonetheless, Warrior was the only one that could be put over Hogan in his prime and the main event at WrestleMania VI will always be one of the most epic moments in WWE history.

Mick Foley - Nobody put their body on the line more in the ring for the sake of entertainment than Foley. The man took some of the toughest bumps you could ever take as a pro wrestler. If it's not at the very top, he's at least in the running for the greatest "Holy Shit!" moment ever when Taker threw him off the top of a 20 foot high steel cage onto the announcer's table. If that wasn't enough, Foley was later chokeslammed through the top of the cage and down to the ring. He was one of the guys who truly wanted every fan to feel like they got their money's worth.

Edge - With his abrupt retirement after this past WrestleMania, Edge's achievements make him more than worthy of being a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Adam Copeland could play the face and the heel equally well. Whether he was going on whiny tirades about how he had been screwed over, or hurling witty insults at an adversary, Edge was always over with the crowd. The fact that he held more championships than any wrestler in WWE history is proof that he was as equally great as a tag team competitor as he was a singles performer. He also played part in some really great feuds, one of them being very legitimate against Matt Hardy. Great matches against The Undertaker and Triple Threat TLC matches (he was one of the originators in this concept) for the Tag Team Titles are what stands out in my mind when I think about Edge.

The Rock - Absolute no-brainer here. The Rock made was the guy who came along and made pro wrestling cool again and made it universally popular with his brand of humor and infinite catch phrases. Dwayne Johnson is still technically an active wrestler with him being confirmed for Survivor Series and the main event at WMXXVIII against John Cena, but it's in The Rock's hometown of Miami and it would make too much sense to do it the night before he goes toe to toe in the only match ever made a full year prior. The Rock is/was second to none when it came to cutting a promo. If there were a promo wing of the Hall of Fame, it would be named after him. The feuds with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H were some of the most entertaining you could ever ask for. 3 times he and Austin met at WrestleMania, with The Rock finally coming out on the winning end the third time. Then at WrestleMania XVIII, it was the match we thought we'd never see when The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan in a sold-out Toronto Skydome.

Those are my picks. Let's hear yours.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I don't mean to crap on your thread, but for one the Hall of Fame section of the forums is supposed to be dedicated to the Wrestlezone Hall of Fame, not any other Hall of Fame (why does everyone not realize this!!!).


Secondly while all of your picks are obvious HOFer's, this is the most unrealistic HOF class I've ever seen.

There is way too much star power. Every person you picked are worthy of headlining a HOF class.

As a huge Macho Man Randy Savage fan, I would find it absolutely insulting that in the year after his death, he finally gets inducted, but is only the third person on the show, so that the Rock and Edge can hog all the spotlight.

Obviously I know this thread isn't a prediction thread on what will be the next HOF class but who you want to get inducted and which seven people you want to be the class, but I mean do you really wanna see all of these great legends get the spotlight taken away from them due to other main event talent? Do you want to see Randy Savage take a side step to the Rock and Edge (as the most recent inductees they would obviously be the headliners)? Again I would hate that.

Before I pick the 7 I would choose from your list, also Eddie Guerrero was inducted in 2006 so he's out of the list.

My 7 from your list would be as follows....

Headliner: Macho Man Randy Savage

No one should headline over Macho Man this upcoming year. Before his death on the WWE history totem pole, only Bruno Sammartino is more deserving for his career and accomplishments than Macho Man, and for chronological purposes, only Bruno and Bob Backlund should go in before Savage. But with Randy Savage's passing a few months back and with Bruno never going in until he dies, Randy Savage should unquestionably be the headliner.

And let me reiterate this RANDY SAVAGE SHOULD TAKE A BACKSEAT TO NOBODY!!!! Not the Rock, not Edge, not the Undertaker. Nobody. Randy Savage was screwed over year after year for people who were so beneath him in accomplishments and legacy it's ridiculous (Koko B. Ware, Drew Carey, etc.) and great talents who came way after him and shouldn't have been in before him (Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, etc.). Now that he is gone, it would be an absolute disgrace for Randy Savage to be the 2nd or 3rd headliner, for Edge (who is nowhere near as much of an all-time great as Savage), or the Rock (who is still active and can wait).

Randy Savage should be the No. 1 headliner of the WWE Hall of Fame class, and he's a co-headliner to anyone, I will be one upset WWE fan lol.


Tag Team: Demolition

Every year there's a tag team inductee, and with LOD getting inducted, it looks that WWE has gotten the great early WWWF tag teams inducted (The Valiant Brothers, the Wild Samoans, the Blackjacks, etc.), and are now ready to get to the '80s and beyond. And Demolition would be an absolute great choice for the next team to get induction. The British Bulldogs would be another good choice, but I'd rather see Davey Boy Smith get in on his own. The Hart Foundation are another great choice, but Bret Hart is already in. So the next big choice is Demolition. They still have the longest Tag Team championship reign in history. They were huge stars in their time and they were probably the most dominant and successful team in the WWF during the late 1980's. They're a logical choice.


Manager: Miss Elizabeth

Obviously whenver the Macho Man gets inducted, Liz should be right there with them. She was the first non-wrestler female star in the company and though she was just a manager and not like a modern day Diva, she still paved the way for all Divas to come. With Sherri, Fabulous Moolah, Wendi Richter, and Sunny in the HOF, the only remaining female star of the late '80s early '90s that should be inducted are Elizabeth, and possibly Luna Vachon and Alundra Blayze. I'll go with Elizabeth for obvious reasons.


2nd Headliner: Lou Thesz

While Lou may be the greatest wrestler of all-time, he never competed in WWE so I would feel fine with Lou not headling the Hall of Fame ceremony. In recent years WWE has inducted legends who never wrestled for WWE but were still amongst the biggest legends of all-time. People like Gorgeous George, Verne Gagne, Abdullah the Butcher, and Nick Bockwinkel. Lou Thesz is greater than all of them, so I've thought for awhile that he should be inducted as well. I think Lou would be a good choice. He's deceased, but unfortunately his career was so long ago that it won't be a real downer on the event (like Savage will be).


Other Wrestlers:

The Honky Tonk Man

He's the longest reigning I-C champion of all-time and was one of the classic heels of the late 1980's. I think with Roddy Piper, Curt Hennig, and Ted Dibiase in the HOF, he's one of the next great heels of that era that deserves induction. And he's alive, so he could be there to accept which is always a plus.


Ravishing Rick Rude

The other great heel of that era that should be in the HOF. Unfortunately he passed away in 1999, but he still deserves induction.


Arn Anderson

Though his career in the WWE wasn't as notable as his WCW/NWA career, he was still a tag team champion in the WWE (with Tully Blanchard) and he is a mainstay behind the scenes in the WWE. He's one of the best wrestlers of the last 30 years, so he should absolutely be inducted. Plus from what I've read he is one of the funniest wrestlers around, so he could bring some much needed humor to a show that is obviously going to be emotional (with the induction of Savage and Liz).


Those would be my choices from your list, and overall, I think that would be a good class. But if I could choose absolutely anybody, I would take Rick Rude out of my list and instead put Jake Roberts on there.

I know Jake has his issues, but I really believe he would get himself together for the HOF, and obviously he was one of the greats from his era and should be inducted. The biggest reasons I would do that is 1. Jake Roberts was greater than Rick Rude and should thus be inducted.; 2. Unlike Rick Rude, Jake is alive and with the main event of the show (Savage and Liz's induction) being absolutely emotionally draining, I think it would be important to have as many living inductees as possible (Lou Thesz is gone but sadly I don't think most fans there would be too emotional about it). With Demolition, Honky Tonk Man, Arn Anderson, and Jake Roberts being alive and there for their inductions, that would alleviate a lot of the depressing emotions that would inevtiably come for the main event.


As for later inductions....

2013: Edge, Trish Stratus, Rick Martel, and Owen Hart. This Wrestlemania is supposedly going to be in Canada, so let's go Canadian heavy for this class! Also induct some older Canadian wrestlers like Gene Kiniski or Eduoard Carpentier. And for the tag team, why not induct the Rougeau Brothers? And for an announcer induct Ed Whalen, the voice of Stampede Wrestling.

2014: For Wrestlemania 30, if Taker is retired by then, Taker can headline with maybe the Ultimate Warrior or Mick Foley as a secondary headliner (I'd rather Foley headline a class though). If Taker isn't retired, than induct the Rock

2015: Whomever between Taker and Rock wasn't inducted the previous year.

 

[ns530]

At this year's event I think we will see the following inducted:
Headlined by: The Rock - logically in his hometown, and maineventing.
2.Macho Man and Elizabeth (They didn't headline while they were alive, what makes u think they'll headline in death? Given the fact that The Genius will probably induct his brother, this will NOT be the "main event")

3. Demolition - they deserved this honor years ago. A TRUE wwf team
4. Arn Anderson - disrespectful that he's had to wait this long.
5. Slick - great on the mic, a good manager in the 80s
6. Bam Bam Bigelo - one of the top big men of his time
7. Mike Tyson - they always put a celebrity in

 

[SickJames]

It's pretty obvious you cant have a bunch of big names, you need to save some for leading classes of the future, and Bruno is no where near going in soon, Owen as well

It should be pretty clear that The Rock is your lead guy either way you look at it, even if they did induct Savage too, he'd be like Eddie to Bret, he'd be a big name, but The Rock is still leading The Class of 2012, he's the main star of this whole thing, main eventing Mania, he's damn sure going in while they know they have him Jan-Apr

and he'll lead as he should, you cant have a dead guy lead the class, you need someone alive who will draw better than ppl just coming to remember a guy, take if Owen lead a class in 2013 and every other name were ppl most dont remember, it's not gonna do as well as having a bigger star lead who's alive, and Owen wasnt that big a star at all to begin with to lead, but put Savage in, you get the idea.


Aside from The Rock and Randy Savage causing a quick sell out of the event, I dont know who else will go in, but I will tell you my choices for the remaining 5 spots and really I think a tag team should count as one since WWE has done classes ranging from 7-9 ppl really.


I've heard rumors of Arn Anderson going in, I can see that happening, so I'll pick 4 actually then on my own:

If I myself could pick 4, I'd put in:

Sable: there should be a woman every year and Sunny just went in, so should Sable, they both were in at around the same time and both were heavily loved by the fans and Sable was not only hot, but gave us greater matches than Sunny although I do love Sunny, I'll never forget Sable vs Luna or Sable lifting Marc Mero up and slamming him down for a powerbomb, or taking off her top. Sable should definately be inducted and then we can look to Trish the following year if it is indeed in Canada as rumored, and even though initial reports said there was talk of Rock and Trish both going in in 2012.
However, I see her being inducted by Lesnar likely and I dont see him coming in, maybe she wouldnt be though, who knows, I do think she should be inducted way before Lesnar. She definately did more and was a bigger star at the end of the day than his two year run. I never was big on Lesnar, maybe he should go in, but way way down the line and not as a leader of a Class after WM20's disaster.


Doink The Clown: why not, and your target audience is kids, get this guy back on TV! He was awesome heel or face, great carny promos. This guy really should be in the HOF. I personally have always just been high on Doink and cant understand why even when it was more babish, WWE didnt utilize his talents even as just a non wrestling occassional appearance for backstage goofs though I love to see him wrestle, like at SNME a few years back. I would love to see him win one more match, I would love to see him host a show in the ring or something.


Mike Tyson: I'll agree with another user, ns530 and say why not do it and get even more of a sell out for this event, and attention. I mean its an automatic induction by either Shawn Michaels or Stone Cold Steve Austin and it was over 10 years ago so it's been long enough imo.


and a Tag Team...


The A.P.A: One of the greatest teams of all time, and both had great singles careers at different times, Ron the first black World Champion and JBL, longest running World Champion in Smackdown! history (not sure if that's been broken)
This duo totally deserves to be in NOW. And they should both go in as a team together despite huge singles success. They'll always be the A.P.A and that would fill out this class nicely. I dont think JBL should lead a class, I think they should be double inducted as a team.


So there's my 4 along with 2 rumored and highly likely and 1 undoubtedly leading

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Randy Savage

It is a crying shame that Macho Man will be going in as an entrant after his death, as I would loved to have seen him back on WWE TV one more time. An sure-fire headliner, Savage deserves every accolade thrown at him, and I will be mad if he is not the 1st name on the list for this year.

British Bulldog

Bret Hart could induct the greatest British wrestler the WWE has ever seen. Sadly, another who has passed well before his time but Davey Boy could go, and go well. Perhaps also DH Smith could be involved in the induction of his Dad. One of the best of all time to never have won the WWF title, and more than worthy of a HOF spot.

Harlem Heat

One of the most successful tag-teams in WCW history, when the company was in their prime. Plus, Booker T has gone on to win 6 World titles, many US and IC titles and become one of the most decorated singles wrestlers of all time. Now he is back in the WWE, I think Booker should certainly be considered for a spot alongside the greats.

Miss Elizabeth

She was such an intengral part of Randy Savage's life that I think they should go in together for sure. The 1st lady of the mat was beautiful and participated in some of the greatest angles of all time.

Arn Anderson

Long rumoured to be going into the HOF, Double A was a great performer. Part of one of the best tag-teams with both Ole and Tully Blanchard, as well as being a great singles wrestler, Anderson should be in the HOF in my opinion. Now, he works behind the scenes in WWE, but his in-ring accomplishments are definitely worth looking at as a potential entry.

Jake Roberts

If Roberts can remain sober at the event, he deserves to go into the HOF. One of the most evil, sadistic minds in the business and one of the all-time great gimmicks, Jake The Snake is a legend without ever winning a belt in the WWE. He had a phenomenal mind for the business, could captivate you in his promos and was a born performer. I would hate to see him under the influence and messing up his speech, but the stories he could tell would be epic.

Mike Tyson

WWE always like inducting a celebrity into the HOF, and if Drew Carey can go in, why not Iron Mike. His brawl with Steve Austin remains one of the highlights of the Attitude Era, and helped to boost Austin to new heights. I marked out when Michaels joined DX and again when he screwed them. For his role in one of the premier storylines of wrestlings biggest boom period, Tyson should be the celebrity entry. Also, I wanna hear "Fist" his DX style entrance theme again

 

[wrestlingfann]

I don't believe elizabeth will ever be inducted. A family member would have to agree to accept the award and I believe they didn't want any wrestler at the funeral. Very private people, and they may hold a grudge to the business. JUst my opinion. As for savage, Vince for some reason was dead set against it. It could change because of his death. I still the the rock will headline regardless. Could a deceased person headline. IF so, he is probably the one and only one left who could.Do you really think harlem heat is hof material. How long were they together. I would think down the line booker would be more likely to be indcuted as a singles wrestler.I predict possibly the freedbirds as the team and maybe The crokcet family as promoters. They actually did work with mcmahon on prodcuing wcw dvd.Jake def. wouldn't headline because you couldn't count on him showing up if advertised as main speaker.When you think about it there really isn't all that many left. 2oo4 and 2005 were overkills and they used to many at once. I think as the years go on they will become less and less significant.
Let's see warrior turned them down, honky did,sting works for oppostion, lesnar,angle, sting, and batista all to a degree work for opposition. sammartino turned them down as well as mr. t and backlund. NOt that t would be the headliner.
IF savage isn't inducted this year in fl. i don't think he ever will.HIs wife has to also agree of course. If rock and savage are in this years, who is really left to headline providing hhh and undertaker don't officially retire. ALl I can think of is hall and foley and they are even a bit of a stretch. could you think of others.

 

[vthokie8]

The Rock- Like most have already said, I think it is pretty obvious The Rock headlines the class this year. Mania is in Miami, it is pretty much built around him with Cena as the supporting act and it adds one more element to the match itself. I think Rock deserves the honor without a doubt, one of the most popular stars of all time and one of the guys who really brought WWE back to prominance during the Attitude Era. I think Austin or Jericho should induct him, but I wouldn't be suprised at all if Cena was the one who does.

Randy Savage- I think this one is somewhat of a no brainer as well. I don't think WWE would save him to headline some other year, they have never did a posthumous inductee as the main attraction. I highly doubt they induct Elizabeth with him mainly because they were divorced and the circumstances surrounding her death. I think he does in and Genius inducts him.

Arn Anderson- Arn is long overdue a place in the HOF. One of the most underrated workers of all time, the backbone of one of the greatest factions of all time and he has worked his ass off backstage for WWE. I would love to see Flair induct him, but I know that is not going to happen so I'm going to guess Ole would be the guy to do it.

Kevin Sullivan- I know a lot of people have a mixed bag of feeling on Sullivan, but I think this is the year he should go it. For starters, he is the biggest star from Championship Wrestling from Florida left that isn't already in. He also had the hottest angle, and was the biggest heel in the history of that territory. Sullivan is a native of Florida and he still has a decent relationship with WWE as far as I know. I would like to see Dusty Rhodes induct him for the Florida theme.

Rock N' Roll Express- This is another one I think is long overdue. Ricky and Robert are without a doubt one of the best tag teams of all time and are often overlooked in those discussions. They were great in ring workers and brought a fast paced high flying style that hadn't been seen much during their time, they had a huge fanbase in the Southeastern U.S. and Ricky was a decent singles worker. I think Jim Cornette would be logical to induct them, but he had burned way to many bridges with WWE so I would pick Michael Hayes to be the guy.

Boris Malenko- He was the original big draw in the Florida territory and a legend in the business. WWE always inducts that one old school name, and I think this would be an awesome choice for this years class. He has trained a ton of guys and is known as one of the most hardnosed trainers of all time next to Stu Hart. His resume of trainees includes his sons, Demolition, X Pac, Buddy Landel, Gangrel, Perry Saturn and a ton of others. Dean is the obvious choice to induct.

Mike Tyson- They always do the celebrity inductee for some reason. If they do one this year I think Tyson would be the best choice. People love Mike Tyson again and his speech would at least be entertaining Im sure. I say Austin would be the only choice for the person to induct him.

I think other good options would be Luna Vachon, Lex Luger, Dean Melenko, The Fabulous Freebirds, Rick Rude, Robert Fuller, Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham. All of them are deserving to go in and all of them have ties to Florida, most of them starting in that territory and moving on to be big stars.

 

[Harthan]

I doubt the Rock will headline the class. Or even be in it. Frankly, why double-dip when you don't have to? What I mean to say is, Rock is already wrestling in a huge match with Cena. Why waste the promotional power of his Hall of Fame induction? Induct him a few years later and you cash in on him all over again as people turn out to see the Rock get inducted. Doesn't make any sense to induct him with the 2012 class.

Savage is the man to headline this year. Who knows why he never went in while he was alive. We all heard the rumors, heard them denied by some sides, affirmed by others. Whether you believe it was Savage betraying Vince's trust by going to WCW, or more sordid matters, Savage is now, unfortunately, dead and buried, and with him, I hope, what bad blood might have stood between him and the WWE. One of the true legends of the business, Savage deserved a spot in the Hall of Fame for a long time. With his death, I don't see any obstacles to him getting it. The only thing that worries me is his draw as a headliner, considering that part of the Hall of Fame is actually seeing the guy up there, taking his spot. Still, I'd like to think that Savage is a big enough name that coming out to pay homage to his memory is enough to bring people in. I mean, if Ted DiBiase can headline a class while he's alive, surely Savage can headline one dead.

A good man to perhaps bolster things is Edge. Edge seems to be retired completely legitimately, and a Hall of Fame berth is certainly in order. I worry about Edge's ability to truly headline a class in the near future (it would take about 5 years, perhaps) but he deserves a spot, so why not add him to this lineup to draw the seats.

They usually get a tag team in there. Take your pick. Demolition, Rock & Roll or Midnight Express, whatever. They'll all get in eventually, just whichever one you want this year.

Arn Anderson is the perennial rumor that never happens. Surely he deserves it by now. Still, I'd like to maybe see them save it until Flair comes to his senses and gets out of TNA, so that he can be there for it. But, we'll see, whatever they like for Arn.

They'll round the class out with several people, of course, but these are the names I think would make a solid foundation for a class.

 

[RicoLen]

I'm not going to list the top 7 I think should go in this year, I'm going to predict the 7 going in.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage - This one is a no brainer. However, with all due respect, it's kind of a douchey thing to do to Savage's widow to have Macho Man & Liz inducted at the same time. I KNOW it makes sense, but how much does it suck to be Savage's wife, one who didn't (allegedly) cheat on him, see her husband honored WITH his ex? That said, probably no one gives a s**t, and it'll happen anyways, but even so it is kind of a crappy thing to do to her.

Edge - This one is just as obvious as Savage.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts - One of the most awesome, evil heels ever.

Tag Tea: Demolition - Axe & Smash, not Crush.

Celebrity: Mike Tyson - He's as good of a choice as any.

Diva: Elizabeth - Obviously will be asked of her family to do so, but failing that, which is a possibility it should be Chyna

Old-timer: Lou Thez - Why not? Makes sense to me.

Oh, and I can promise you someone in their 30's and as prominent as The Rock will NOT be in the HoF yet. They're going to wait until they KNOW his career as a headliner is over. Rock is a definite inductee, but not until 20 years from now.

 

[wrestlingfann]

totally disagree with the statement all of them could headline. Elizabeth would never headline even if she were alive. WHIle a few important part of the business, she wasn't even a wrestler. Even if family member would agree to do it, she wouldn't be a headliner. I mean come on, piper wasn't even the main speaker at his inductions. NO way elizabeth alive or dead would be. SHe wasn't a wrestler. Harlem heat, ah, if the roadwarriors weren't the main speaker at there induction no team ever will be.
I agree though either rock or savage will be headline and both most likely to be in it. WHo could count on rock being avaiaible in upcoming years. It is from florida and they usually are theme based. SOme say he is in his thirties and to young. He basically is retired. ONe match makes no diffenece and austin was in his thirites I believe when he was inducted. MAYbe early fourties though.
jake couldn't possibly headline. You can't advertize the headliner for such an event and count on him being there and sober enough to make such an important speech.
let's all get this straight. Neither sammartino nor warrior have any interest and have both turned them down. sammartino on numerous occasions. WHo knows when or if they will make the effort to ask them again. Even if they did it is unlilkely they would change there minds. ANything is possilbe but don't count on it. sammartino also underwent major heart surgery. HOf is probably the last thing on his mind.
Goldberg was apparently asked and only wanted money for a one shot. HHH and michaels also have been against him because of how short his career was. '
again, who is really left. to headline. after next year all I can see again is nash and foley and they are a bit of a stretch. HHH and undertaker when they do retire offiically. seriously though who is left. highly unlikely beefcake,hillybilly jim,,ken patera,bundy would headline.If piper didn't there is no way they would. also unlikely that a deceased person other than savage or any tag team would. Again who really is left. They went overboard with 2004 and 5. Heenan could have headlined as well as slaughter, piper perhaps even orndorff and the iron sheik. in 2007 perfect and lawyer could have had there own when dusty was the man. WIth rock and savage going in, all I could see again is nash and foley. really where do we go from there. Oh backlund also turned them down.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

I feel this upcoming year of Hall of Fame inductees could be the greatest of all-time. Let's say they induct 7. Out of this list of the (in my opinion) most deserving candidates, who would you choose and why?

The Rock
Arn Anderson
Demolition
Midnight Express
Ultimate Warrior
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Bruno Sammartino
Owen Hart
British Bulldog
Edge
Miss Elizabeth
Yokozuna
Lou Thesz
Booker T/Harlem Heat
Honky Tonk Man
Mick Foley
Scott Hall
Kevin Nash
Eddie Guerrero
Rick Rude
Lex Luger

***My 7 Inductees***

Bruno Sammartino - Obviously he's a shoe-in, but has turned it down before for reasons that I'm unaware of. I'm just barely old enough to remember that he was World Champion for something like 7 years straight before the Hogan era came along. Clearly a legend who needs to put aside whatever grudge he has against Vince and the WWE and accept the honor. There are plenty of fans from that time period who would love to see it happen.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage - It's a shame that it would take him passing away to finally make this happen when he's deserved it for so long. Of course there's the rumors of Randy and Stephanie having inappropriate relations before he left the WWE for WCW, but let bygones be bygones. If Bret and Vince can bury the hatchet, surely this incident can be swept under the rug as well. Savage was one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Anyone who has never seen his IC Title match w/ Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III should stop what they're doing now and look it up on youtube. No matter how many years go by, it will always be in my top 5 wrestling matches I've ever seen.

Miss Elizabeth - There are more deserving candidates than Liz, but it would only be right to induct her at the same time as Randy. The first lady of wrestling should be honored as she's the one who paved the way for the divas of this generation. And she did it with class all the way.

Ultimate Warrior - Never was the best wrestler in the world by a long shot, but electrified the crowd with a great look and energy. It's a shame they never let a feud between him and The Undertaker develop, it would've been one for the ages. Nonetheless, Warrior was the only one that could be put over Hogan in his prime and the main event at WrestleMania VI will always be one of the most epic moments in WWE history.

Mick Foley - Nobody put their body on the line more in the ring for the sake of entertainment than Foley. The man took some of the toughest bumps you could ever take as a pro wrestler. If it's not at the very top, he's at least in the running for the greatest "Holy Shit!" moment ever when Taker threw him off the top of a 20 foot high steel cage onto the announcer's table. If that wasn't enough, Foley was later chokeslammed through the top of the cage and down to the ring. He was one of the guys who truly wanted every fan to feel like they got their money's worth.

Edge - With his abrupt retirement after this past WrestleMania, Edge's achievements make him more than worthy of being a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Adam Copeland could play the face and the heel equally well. Whether he was going on whiny tirades about how he had been screwed over, or hurling witty insults at an adversary, Edge was always over with the crowd. The fact that he held more championships than any wrestler in WWE history is proof that he was as equally great as a tag team competitor as he was a singles performer. He also played part in some really great feuds, one of them being very legitimate against Matt Hardy. Great matches against The Undertaker and Triple Threat TLC matches (he was one of the originators in this concept) for the Tag Team Titles are what stands out in my mind when I think about Edge.

The Rock - Absolute no-brainer here. The Rock made was the guy who came along and made pro wrestling cool again and made it universally popular with his brand of humor and infinite catch phrases. Dwayne Johnson is still technically an active wrestler with him being confirmed for Survivor Series and the main event at WMXXVIII against John Cena, but it's in The Rock's hometown of Miami and it would make too much sense to do it the night before he goes toe to toe in the only match ever made a full year prior. The Rock is/was second to none when it came to cutting a promo. If there were a promo wing of the Hall of Fame, it would be named after him. The feuds with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H were some of the most entertaining you could ever ask for. 3 times he and Austin met at WrestleMania, with The Rock finally coming out on the winning end the third time. Then at WrestleMania XVIII, it was the match we thought we'd never see when The Rock defeated Hulk Hogan in a sold-out Toronto Skydome.

Those are my picks. Let's hear yours.

im sorry but i cant see the 7 you picked all being picked for 1 class...edge will go into the hall of fame in 2013 when mania is in toronto but the rock is almost a lock for 2012 hall of fame class....out of the list you have...id go with Rock,Foley,Booker,Nash as the people i think have the best chance of going into the hall of fame next year....i also think Lita should be inducted next year as her and trish were 2 of the best divas of all-time and i think trish is gonna go in in 2013 when mania goes to canada...so i say lita goes in next year as the "token" woman of the class even though it probably would ever happen id LOVE to see chris benoit in the hall of fame some day! but as far as everybody else...its all a toss up to me

 

[jackson-lowe]

The Rock
The rock will definitely go in, he is one of the best of all times, its time for the chosen one to enter the hall of fame.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
Has to be inducted, apparently the only reason he wasn't already was because of some stuff with Stephanie (that's not official, just rumored).
Bruno Sammartino
Longest reigning WWE champ of all time, enough said.
Edge
Edge is a no brainer, has to become part of the hall of fame.
Mick Foley
Deserves to be there, been in so many memorable matches, and has put his body on the line for the company that many times
Kevin Nash
I can see him getting in, not 100% sure he should, but i can see it
Miss Elizabeth
Another no brainer, has to be in the hall of fame.

 

[TheTruthShallSetYouFree]

I doubt that they will have The Rock, Randy Savage, Jack The Snake and Edge in the same year, they all deserved to be headlining the show! I'd say either Randy Savage this year, The Rock next year.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Headliner- Macho Man Randy Savage inducted by his brother Lanny Poffo

Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard The Brain Busters both inducted by Bobby The Brain Heenan

Honky Tonk Man inducted by his cousin Jerry The King Lawler

Mike Tyson inducted by DX Michaels & Triple H

The British Bulldog inducted by Bret Hart, Natalya, Tyson Kidd, and DH Smith

Lou Thesz inducted by Jim Ross

 

[justtxyank]

Jake Roberts is not going to headline a HOF induction. You can't count on him to be sober and honestly at this time he is not a draw for even nostalgia purposes.

Chyna will not be going in for the same reasons TNA just cut her loose. She is into porn. PG WWE is not going to induct a former wrestler who is doing porn videos.