To put it bluntly, I was shocked. After all, she was on the receiving end of the original Screwjob when she lost the WWF Women's Title to Moolah. She even declined an opportunity to wrestle at Wrestlemania 25, and there hasn't been any indication that her dislike for Vince McMahon had subsided.
Wendy Richter - WWE Hall of Famer
- Thread starter JJohns
- Start date
WrestlezoneSavior
Dark Match Jobber
I never got to see Wendy Richter, I got into wrestling quite recently, but put it point blank. Any girl who could dethrone the Fabulous Moolah's 28 year Women's title run, deserves to be put in the Hall of Fame, even if that chick was Stacy Keibler.
Kenny Powers
Bulletproof Tiger
Congrats to Wendy, I'm sure she busted her ass and paid her dues in the 80's, but what has she done since then? Except for the Fabulous Moolah, Women's wrestling wasn't a big thing in the WWF in the 80's. It wasn't really big in the early 90's either. I'm not hating since I don't know much of her work. I guess I'm just shocked because she was in the WWF for like a minute and then was never heard from again.
A well-deserved honor, given that it was the Richter/Cyndi Lauper v Moolah/Capt. Lou angle that gave birth to the Rock n Wrestling craze, which (directly or indirectly) helped lead to the first Wrestlemania. Kudos to WWE for looking past any negative feelings that Richter may have towards them and actually inducting her. And I'm assuming that she's agreed to be there, otherwise she obviously would not be inducted.
But what the hell is up with those 4 people who voted "Who is Wendi Richter"? They must be joking, right?
But what the hell is up with those 4 people who voted "Who is Wendi Richter"? They must be joking, right?
mister_b1LL
Representing Seattle's Finest
I will state that I was too young to experience firsthand what Wendy Richter did in her career. But I do know that she was the one that ended the near 30 year championship run of the Fabulous Moolah. Even if that was the only noteworthy thing she did, that right there deserves a spot in the Hall. I say congratulations.
wendy was the shit back in the day. no offense to todays ladies of wrestling, but they are shit compared to the ladies of the 80,s if it wasnt for the spiderwoman(moolah in a mask) wendy wouldve held the title alot longer and inspired more wmen to be wrestlers nowdays. and yes i mean wrestlers and not eyecandy. she not only was a leader in the rock&wrestling connection. she also was a leader in thre legendary hulk hogans rock&wrestling cartoon that alone showed how important she was at that time in wrestling. well deserved.
There was a point where Wendi was the second biggest name on the card most of the time (second to Hogan). She even main evented a bunch of WWF house shows at her peak. I assure you, she was kind of a big deal.
She was only around for a short time because she asked for more money and Vince screwed her out of her Woman's title. But then she went to the AWA and was a big deal there as well.
Wendi totally deserves an induction. I'm a little surprised she accepted it due to her history with Vince, but it's cool that they put her in.
Viola Moonlight
I'm Literally Just Here for WZCW
About damn time she got inducted into the hall of fame. She may not have the most impressive resume to acquire the spot before others, but as a female wrestler, she's done very well. Educated by the older posters from the site, Wendi was considered like the Trish Stratus if you will with how over she was with the crowd... and she was a wrestler, not a diva, which must speak alot. She's made the stepping stones for history by being paired up with Cindy Lauper and being apart of the first-ever screwjob... where she got screwed out of her championship.
One of the few women that I would consider reserving a spot in the HoF, and she has finally received it. Too bad she hasn't been mentioned as much as the other three female HoF, because most of those votes for "Who?" would not be even there.
One of the few women that I would consider reserving a spot in the HoF, and she has finally received it. Too bad she hasn't been mentioned as much as the other three female HoF, because most of those votes for "Who?" would not be even there.
Heck freakin yes she's a Hall of Famer. People forget she was part of the "original" screwjob, she lost the belt to a masked Fabulous Moolah in a pre-planned event over a contract squibble. Of course, Vince was behind it.
She debuted in 1979, and didn't retire until 2005. That's a long WRESTLING career for a female, and her longevity itself should put her in the hall. Then you factor in that she ended The Fabulous Moolah's record setting title reign, as well as the other championshps she won, both tag and single, and she's a lock. But there's even more.
When she beat Moolah for the title, it was broadcast on MTV. She essentially was responsible for bridging the gap between wrestling and celebrity pop culture. As they mentioned tonight, she was the pioneer of the "Rock and Wrestling Connection." She heled make wrestling more mainstream awhile before any MALE superstar did. That says alot again in itself.
We've seen people inducted for far less, and she's certainly deserving. Her accomplishments, ability to crossover into the mainstream, as well as breaking Moolah's record make her a shoe in. It would have been a travesty had she NOT been inducted. It's well deserved.
She debuted in 1979, and didn't retire until 2005. That's a long WRESTLING career for a female, and her longevity itself should put her in the hall. Then you factor in that she ended The Fabulous Moolah's record setting title reign, as well as the other championshps she won, both tag and single, and she's a lock. But there's even more.
When she beat Moolah for the title, it was broadcast on MTV. She essentially was responsible for bridging the gap between wrestling and celebrity pop culture. As they mentioned tonight, she was the pioneer of the "Rock and Wrestling Connection." She heled make wrestling more mainstream awhile before any MALE superstar did. That says alot again in itself.
We've seen people inducted for far less, and she's certainly deserving. Her accomplishments, ability to crossover into the mainstream, as well as breaking Moolah's record make her a shoe in. It would have been a travesty had she NOT been inducted. It's well deserved.
TheHardyBoyz
WCW Women's Champion
Wendi Deserves That Spot In The HOF, She Helped Create Women's Wrestling In The 80's By Ending Moolahs 28 Year Title Reign About Time A Female Got Inducted Into The HOF The Next One I Hoping Is To Be Chyna, Ritcher A Former 2 Time WWF Women's Champion Helped The Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection And I'm Very Proud To See That The WWE Have Come To Their Senses About Her.
Like I said earlier in my post, I was shocked the moment I saw her name go up as the newest inductee. That's not to say that she didn't deserve it, she most certainly does. Every story I ever heard about her, everyone painted her as a good person. What Vince did to her was reprehensible, but not surprising.
El AlcoHALLic
Occasional Pre-Show
Good for her. I think she deserves to be in the HOF for sure. She was the face of the WWE womens division in the early-mid 1980's. It's not her fault that the division didn't get a heavy push.
I'm glad she's in the HOF. I am suprised that she made it this year, but to be fair, other then MDM Ted Dibiase both of the HOF inductees announced after him suprised me a bit. Good for them.
I'm glad she's in the HOF. I am suprised that she made it this year, but to be fair, other then MDM Ted Dibiase both of the HOF inductees announced after him suprised me a bit. Good for them.
I don't think she deserved it. Just being the one who finally beat Moolah isn't enough, and the quality of women's wrestling in the 80s was certainly lacking. The womens title that she won five times was beyond meaningless. I am not afraid to be the one that says it...Wend Richter's entire career never happens if she isn't related to Jake Roberts, and she was a mediocre wrestler, even by the standards when she wrestled.
This is a useless induction.
This is a useless induction.
Wendi Richter was related to Jake Roberts........how? You must be thinking of Jake's younger sister Robin Smith, AKA, Rockin' Robin.
On top of that, like another poster said, she was one of the first true female main eventers in the World Wrestling Federation. And beating Moolah for Moolah's belt is an accomplishment akin to say....ending the Undertaker's Wrestlemania Streak. No one EVER thought that it would happen. Everyone just assumed that Moolah would retire as the champion.
JJohns, I stand corrected...it was Rockin' Robin that was related to the Snake, not Richter.
I stand by the rest of it though, I do not believe Richter merits induction. To those that point to her longevity, being mediocre for 25 years still makes you mediocre. I disagreed with Koko B. Ware's induction too, for the same mediocrity.
I stand by the rest of it though, I do not believe Richter merits induction. To those that point to her longevity, being mediocre for 25 years still makes you mediocre. I disagreed with Koko B. Ware's induction too, for the same mediocrity.
I am surprised that she actually is going to show up, as she was screwed by Vince McMahon in a very similar fashion as the montreal incident, but I guess when Bret can show up and even hug Shawn Michaels Wendy can forgive Vince too. She absolutely deserves it, she is definately a legendary lady.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I was pretty damn surprised to see her name pop up. I've read that the WWE has offered her a spot in the HOF in the past, but she's turned it down. Wendi Richter was the victim of the original Screwjob angle in the WWF and it all but ended her time in the pro wrestling spotlight. After the match, she hopped on a plane and severed all ties with the WWE. When take a situtation like this and the Bret Hart situation, it gives me some real hope that other fences might be mended one day as well.
Wendi Richter had as much to do with the success of the Rock 'n' Wrestling era in the WWF as Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff or any of the other big names running around the WWF in the mid 80s. Richter did help bring the WWF to another audience during that time and her contributions during that time in helping bring in that audience shouldn't be overlooked.
She held the WWF Women's Championship twice, had the AWA World Women's Championship for more than a year. When it came to women's wrestling in North America during the 1980s overall, no other women had as much of an impact as Richter did. I'm not saying that she was phenomenal in the ring or had some true mat classics or anything like that, but she did what was needed at the time and she was able to do it well.
Wendi Richter had as much to do with the success of the Rock 'n' Wrestling era in the WWF as Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff or any of the other big names running around the WWF in the mid 80s. Richter did help bring the WWF to another audience during that time and her contributions during that time in helping bring in that audience shouldn't be overlooked.
She held the WWF Women's Championship twice, had the AWA World Women's Championship for more than a year. When it came to women's wrestling in North America during the 1980s overall, no other women had as much of an impact as Richter did. I'm not saying that she was phenomenal in the ring or had some true mat classics or anything like that, but she did what was needed at the time and she was able to do it well.
See, the problem I have isn't that during her time, Richter wasn't influential, the problem is, women's wrestling during the time she was in the spotlight was simply not very good. She may have been better than most of her contemporaries, but that doesn't say much. Its like a corvette from the mid to late 70s. Granted, its a corvette...but, its not a REAL corvette. It's a gas-crisis corvette. And as such, isn't worth nearly as much as corvettes from other years. My objections are probably less about her specifically, and more about the lack of quality surrounding her. You just don't have to be that good to be the best of a mediocre group.
Actually, when her contemporaries consist of Legendary Women's Wrestlers like Rhonda Singh, Leilani Kai, Sherri Martel, and Madusa Miceli, all of whom can be considered to be among the top WRESTLERS of all time, and she holds victories over I believe all of them (she won titles from Kai, Singh and Madusa). Women's wrestling today outside of Shimmer and Japan can't even be compared to women's wrestling back in the Early to Mid-80s.
In fact, Sherri is already in the Hall of Fame. Madusa could be a Hall of Famer if it wasn't for the fact that she literally threw the WWF Women's Championship away. Leilani Kai is in the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.
Sherri got in more because of her managerial work with Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels than her actual wrestling. Bringing up Madusa Miceli though, only demonstrates my point...What does it say about the quality of womens wrestling when she can just toss the women's title in the trash like that? You say she could be a HOFamer except for throwing the belt away, and I am saying that the symbolism of her throwing the belt away demonstrates perfectly the mediocre status of women's wrestling when Wendy Richter was in the spotlight. The fact that Miceli threw the belt away just shows how worthless of a title it was, which in turn, shows how little Richter's titles meant.
The belt that Madusa threw away was not the same women's championship belt that was once worn by Richter. That belt had been vacant for a couple of years. On top of that, Madusa threw the belt away not because of the quality of women's wrestling in the MID NINETIES, but rather Eric Bischoff's utter disdain for Vince McMahon and the WWF at the time.
We're talking about someone that was a top star in the 80s, who drew a 9 rating on cable in 1984. Not .9, but 9. Her match was the only one shown on the broadcast that night. She was a top draw when she was in WWF, and the only reason her career there, and second title reign on top of that, were cut short, was because Vince didn't want to pay her the money that she probably should have been making for her drawing power.
We're talking about someone that was a top star in the 80s, who drew a 9 rating on cable in 1984. Not .9, but 9. Her match was the only one shown on the broadcast that night. She was a top draw when she was in WWF, and the only reason her career there, and second title reign on top of that, were cut short, was because Vince didn't want to pay her the money that she probably should have been making for her drawing power.
