The WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame

[Slyfox696]

This will be a thread dedicated to the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame. It is a Hall of Fame voted on by the members of the WrestleZone forums, and is an attempt to provide an accurate reflection of a true wrestling Hall of Fame.

Here is how voting works. Every 3 months, a new thread will be created for a wrestling worker. It could be a wrestler, a manager, a referee, etc. After the thread is created, the members of WZ will have one week to discuss the merits of the individual worker, deciding if they should be in the WZ Real Hall of Fame. After the one week period, voting will being.

For a worker to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he or she must received at least 80% of the WZ member votes.


With that being said, I give you the Hall of Fame!

1st Class (inducted August 2007)

Promoter: Vince McMahon Jr.
AWA: Verne Gagne
WWF, Pre-1985: Bruno Sammartino
World: The Great Muta
NWA: Lou Thesz
Tag Team: The Road Warriors
WCW: Sting
WWF: Hulk Hogan




2nd Class (inducted 2009)

NWA: Ric Flair









Announcer Wing


AWA Wing

Verne Gagne (1st Class)


ECW Wing


Independent/Worldwide Wing

The Great Muta (1st Class)



Manager Wing


NWA Wing

Lou Thesz (1st Class)
Ric Flair (2nd Class)


Promoter Wing

Vince McMahon Jr. (1st Class)


Tag Team Wing

The Road Warriors (1st Class)


WCW Wing

Sting (1st Class)


Womens Wing


WWF Wing - Pre 1985

Bruno Sammartino (1st Class)



WWF Wing - Post 1985

Hulk Hogan (1st Class)

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the Announcer/Women/Promoter category:

Vince McMahon Jr.
Promoter/Announcer

After taking over the helm of the company from his father, Vince McMahon Jr. set upon of path of conquering the wrestling world. At the time of his induction in 2007, he has pretty much achieved this goal. He has been a pioneer in the wrestling business for over twenty years, and he is still going strong. Some of his accomplishments include Wrestlemania, the first major PPV wrestling show covered by the mainstream media, the globalization of the WWF/E, the creation of superstars revered by mainstream society and a legacy that will forever be remembered in the wrestling world. There is a long list of accomplishments for Vince McMahon Jr., and none of them begin to tell the whole story of his greatness.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Vince McMahon Jr., inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the AWA/ECW category:

Verne Gagne
Promoter/Wrestler

After a successful wrestling career during the 1950s, which saw him win numerous NWA titles, Verne Gagne in 1960 formed and opened his own wrestling promotion, which operated for 30 years until closing its doors in 1991. During its time, the AWA was the home, and many times the beginning, of some of the most famous wrestlers in the history of the business and many of them were trained by Verne Gagne himself. Guys like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Larry Zybsko, Scott Hall, Ricky Steamboat, Gene and Ole Anderson, Bob Backlund, Sergeant Slaughter, and Jimmy Snuka all have connections with the AWA and Verne Gagne.

Additionally, Verne was quite the decorated wrestler himself. He was a 10 time AWA champion, and involved in some of the most intense feuds in its 30 year history.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Verne Gagne, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the WWF Wing, Pre-1985:

Bruno Sammartino

“The Italian Strongman”. “The Living Legend”. A 7 year and 8 month title reign. 12 year combined title reign. Sold out Madison Square Garden more than 200 times.

All of these cannot pay enough homage to one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever, and one of the most beloved wrestlers of any era. Words cannot express the love fans for him. Silence cannot fully describe the moment he finally lost. Records and name cannot show just how dominant Sammartino was. In the end, fans can only look back at all of his accomplishments and just marvel at how truly great he was.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Bruno Sammartino, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the Independent/Worldwide category:

The Great Muta

Easily one of the most recognizable international stars, Keiji Mutoh, known to American fans primarily as The Great Muta, was a world class wrestler, a major draw, and has led a career full of memorably and high quality matches and moments. Many people consider him to be the great Japanese wrestler of all time, and it is not difficult to understand why. While there is some track record of American wrestlers traveling to Japan and finding success, the travel does not usually flow back the other way; except for Muta. Most American wrestling fans know and appreciate the work of The Great Muta, and is respected worldwide for his abilities.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you The Great Muta, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the NWA Category:

Lou Thesz

A six time NWA champion, Lou Thesz is a legendary performer, and one of the most respected champions in wrestling history. In 1956, he defeated Baron Michelle Leone to become the first undisputed World Heavyweight Champion since the days of Frank Gotch and George Hackenshmidt. Over the course of his 46 year on and off career, Thesz was one of the biggest draws in wrestling, and won numerous titles around the world, wrestling his last match in 1990 at the age of 74 against Masahiro Chono

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Lou Thesz, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!.

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the Tag Team/Manager category:

The Road Warriors

One of the most dominant tag teams ever, the Road Warriors were one of the most respected and feared tag teams all over the world. When they weren't crushing the competition in North America, they were overseas dominating tag teams in Japan. They won tag team championships in companies all over the world, and were big time players in all three major American promotions, the AWA, NWA, and WWF. They are known for their impressive physiques and their iconic spiked shoulder pads. Truly, one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you The Road Warriors, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the WCW Category:

Sting

The "Franchise" of WCW, Sting was one of it's biggest draws throughout WCW's life. First as ultra-charasmatic bright bubbly wrestler, and then as solemn vigilante wrestler, Sting was loved by fans for his incredible athleticism, impressive wrestling ability, and his off the charts charisma. He was a multiple time World Title holder, and was one of the only men to never leave WCW for another company. He is generally regarded as the best wrestler to never work for Vince McMahon, and is now being recognized as just being one of the best ever.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Sting, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the WWF Wing, Post-1985:

Hulk Hogan

Considered by many as the greatest of all time, Hulk Hogan was adored by fans all around the world. As wrestling's greatest draw for over 20 years, Hulk Hogan has cemented himself as one of the greatest in the history of the business. First as the ultra-babyface, and then as the ultra bad guy, Hulk Hogan has had crowds eating out of his palm for years. He's a multiple time World champion, and has produced many classic bouts and memorable feuds. Some say he is the greatest of all time, and it is certainly hard to dispute that.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Hulk Hogan, inducted into the first class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!







This ends the very first class of the WrestleZone Real Hall of Fame!

 

[Slyfox696]

Representing the NWA:

Ric Flair

He's known as "The Nature Boy", and is considered by many to be the best wrestler in the history of the business. He is a 16 time World Champion and worked with and against some of the greatest names the business has ever known. He was the leader of arguably the greatest faction ever in the 4 Horsemen, and he inspired countless men and women to become professional wrestlers. He is in every Hall of Fame, and now finds his way into the WZ Real Hall of Fame.


Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Ric Flair, inducted into the second class of the WrestleZone Real Wrestling Hall of Fame!