Who deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame that has yet to be inducted?

[dansaun77]

Ok, its about this time of year the message boards and marks light up about who should be inducted the following year at Wrestlemania. Personally, I feel the HOF is a bit of a joke, as Vince McMahon pretty much plays favourites. I mean, his fathers driver is in there, Pete Friggin Rose(celebrity wing whatever) is in there. One could go on and on. My point is, whether its going to happen or not, for the HOF to be looked at as being even credible, and judging by who is already in, I feel the following guys/gals should be in, no questions asked;

BRUNO SAMMARTINO: This is a given obviously. He single handedly was the WWWF back in the 70's, selling out arenas all over the Northeast. That he has not been inducted is petty. Vince should just tell him he is being inducted, whether he accepts or not. Its Vinces baby after all, so if he doesnt accept his trophy, so be it.

BOB BACKLUND: Apparently he accepted the invitation to be a part of the Class of 2004, but once finding out Pete Rose was being inducted, he withdrew all ties to the HOF, claiming it was not a real HOF and did not wnat his name associated with Pete Rose. C'Mon Bob, so being inducted with James Dudley is ok, but Pete Rose isnt???? Same as Bruno, just induct him already.

RANDY SAVAGE: The last of the big 3 who should be in without any arguments. Sure he has his problems with Vince, but so did Bret Hart. If they can bury there issues, or at least coexist for one night, then surely this pair can as well.

TED DiBiASE: The Million Dollar Man in my eyes wil be inducted in 2010 guaranteed. He was a brilliant heel, and an excellent ring technician. Successfully carried feuds with Hogan, Savage and Jake Roberts. Very worthwhile

THE ROAD WARRIORS: Arguably the greatest tag team in the history of pro wrestling. Not sure whether Hawks drug related death had anything to do with them not being Inducted in Chicago, but if Perfectwas inducted, I dont see why Hawk and Animal are not certanties to be inducted either.

RICK MARTEL: A superb worker who came back from a near career ending neck injury to one of the best heels of the WWE in the 90's. Former AWA World Champion, held tag team gold with 3 different guys(HO, GAREA AND SANTANA), was a company man and thoroughly deserves a spot in any Hall Of Fame.

Thers 6, I know 3 possibly will never be inducted, but the point of the thread is to name guys who should, not wont due to Vince problems. Thers plety of others like Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Barry Windham, but to legitimise the HOF, I believe the 6 ive mentioned should be inducted before anybody else.

Your thoughts

 

[RendarSelin]

You gave great reasons for all your listed wrestlers. However, there are plenty of wrestlers/managers deserving the Hall of Fame nod.

Miss Elizabeth: If Randy Savage gets in, Miss Elizabeth must be considered a shoo-in as well. She was the All-American girl-next-door valet, and should easily be considered the first Diva.

The Honky Tonk Man: The man held the Intercontinental Championship for a record 64 weeks. He was a good heel, plus he had a catchy entrance theme.

Paul Bearer: One could argue that Paul Bearer was the reason that Undertaker's gimmick went over so well. His facial expressions alone played into the gimmick and role perfectly.

Chyna: The Ninth Wonder of the World is the first woman to ever hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship, enter the Royal Rumble, and a one time WWE Women's Champion.

Trish Stratus: She holds the current record with 7 Women's Championship wins, as well as a Hardcore Championship reign (although that's not too noteworthy...). Memorable feuds and matches with Molly Holly, Lita, Victoria, and Mickie James helped bring attention and excitement to a currently stale division.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

I definitely agree with everyone you mentioned. There are rumors that The Ultimate Warrior could possibly get inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in '10.

He definitely is deserving of an induction.

I know the WWE pretty much tried to bury him with that DVD they released a few years ago. Maybe Warrior and Vince are willing to let the past be the past.

I know the Induction Speech is sure to be interesting.

Another sure fire should definitely be in the Hall of Fame is Owen Hart. I don't know what his family's relationship with the WWE is at this moment.

Another definite induction should be the British Bulldogs. Either together as a team, or separately inducting Davey Boy and Dynamite.

 

[wrestler36]

Razor Ramon. First 4 time intercontinental champion of all time. Competed in the the first televised WWF ladder match with HBK. Was always in the IC title hunt and a solid wrestler. My favorite growing up.

New Age Outlaws--backbone of HHH's DX. Re-ignited tag division of the late 90s and became one of the most popular tag teams ever. Its too early for them, though.

Demolition--may not be as technically sound as the Hart Foundation or the Bulldogs, but they were 2 time tag champs and were some of the most original characters.

This may be a stretch, but I would put the Big Boss Man in there too. He had a good feud with Hogan, a run as the Twin Towers with Akeem, a good feud with Dibiase and Heenan. He was repackaged in the late 90s with the Corporation. Always a good, solid character. RIP. I say, if they put in Koko B. Ware, why not the Bossman?

 

[Grizzly0u812]

People who deserve to be in the HOF

King Kong Bundy, part of Heenan family, fought hogan many times with big john stud.

JBL - multi time champion, part of the APA, minstry

Jack Roberts, fueds with Audrea, Rick rude

Hack Saw Jim Duggen, fued with Nikcoli and Iron shrek

Randy Savage, fueds with Hogan, Mega Powers, putting out steam boat, multi time champion

Barber beef cake, team with the Hammer

there are many people who can be considered, these guys all have done many things for wrestling

 

[Daratedrsuperstr]

Owen Hart for sure deserves to get in, he was very good at everything he did

 

[gauthier1181]

first and foremost, BRUNO SAMMARTINO. he held the wwwf title for 7 and a half years and he isn't in the hall? come on, vince. also, bob backlund, ivan koloff, randy savage, owen hart, davey boy smith, and ken patera. as far as tag teams go, the road warriors, demolition, the hart foundation, the fabulous freebirds, the midnight express, the rock and roll express, the steiner brothers, and the british bulldogs. i also think that japanese legends antonio inoki and giant baba should be inducted as well.

 

[BigAdz]

Here's a bag o' worms: Jim Cornette.

Jimmy might not have anything nice to say about the WWE now but he was a pretty big part of the pre-Attitude era days and his work in SMW yielded some pretty quality talent. This'd be an induction I would fall backwards at if it ever happened.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

the hall of fame in wrestling is a funny thing since success in wrestling is different than any other sport. Wrestlers aren't judged by championships or statistics. We can either base it on who the fans loved and who drew money, or who paved the way whether reaching the ultimate level or not, or vinces whim...it seems like basically anyone who we can still really remember from the 80s/90s who wasn't a complete joke like bastion booger or damien demento should be in there...guys like rick martel, powers of pain, or earthquake, etc should all be in the hall of fame...really any one who was in those WWE Superstars facebooks they used to sell a while back should be in the Hall of fame whether they are wrestlers like the guys mentioned or managers like Slick. Also, I think anyone who feuded with Hogan pre-WCW should be in there since without someone to feud with hulkamania would have never existed.

 

[MasterShakeIz4Real]

My Picks

Bruno Sammartino: I agree with the posters suggestion; just induct him regardless if he wants to accept it. He'll get over it.
Owen Hart: With Bret comin' back next week, maybe this is a possibility
Randy Savage: I dunno Savage's relationship with the WWE honestly, I've never bothered checking but, it would be great to see him inducted.

ALSO: If Savage were to actually ACCEPT the award, it would almost be like Bret Hart's induction; all the excitement behind seeing him there again after all these years. ((I don't mention Bruno because, c'mon, he's not gonna accept it lol))

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I think with Bret's return the entire Hart Family as long as Neidhart shows up its enough... If Bruno don't want it then he doesn't deserve it in my book... ditto for Rock...

As for who really deserves it...

Rick Rude: Best heel of the late 80's, his feud with Warrior alone gains him admission, add in his US title reign in WCW (longer than Honky Tonk's IC reign) and that he was the guy on RAW and Nitro at the same time... it was a pivotal moment of the Monday Night Wars.

Brian Pillman: To induct him as part of the Harts is fine... but this was the real pioneer of Attitude. Without him, no Austin 3:16, Whoop ass... His promo at KOTR 96 came before Austins... and it almost foreshadowed it... The "booker man" moment... his part in perhaps the greatest tag team of the 1990's... Plus, Austin will induct him... if they want Stone Cold at the HOF this year it'll be for this!

Chris Jericho: Induct him already... He has been the most consistantly entertaining guy in WWE for the best part of 10 years... he has his place in "history" as the first unified champ... I know that Taker, HBK et al all should go first... but imagine the angles and mileage they could get out of having heel Jericho in his current gimmick as the only active Hall of Famer...it'd be heat hotter than hades...

Arn Anderson: Apart from Davey Boy the best Tag specialist ever...Arn was the glue that held the Horsemen and the NWA territories together... also one of the best talkers ever.

Shane McMahon: Sadly his falling out with Vince will probably prevent this, but I would hope class prevails and Shane is given a spot this year, cos he has put his body, heart and soul into WWE... and he was one of the most underrated performers ever...

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

My feelings on this are simple. Owen Hart. A gifted-beyond-belief in-ring performer, worked brilliantly as either a face or heel, by all accounts that I've ever read or heard a consummate professional and dedicated friend and family man, and frankly one funny son of a bitch. If Owen Hart doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame (and he does as he was one of the best of the best), then the HOF is simply a crock of it. He belongs there waaaay more than Savage does, Warrior does, and many who are actually already in there.

Just my view, though.

 

[Cogman]

Call me crazy, but I gotta go with Jobbers from the 80's. I'm talking about Iron Mike Sharp, Steve Lombardi a.k.a "The Brooklyn Brawler", and Dale Wolf! They all deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, in my opinion.

These guys were probably the most entertaining jobbers for WWE every Saturday Afternoon on WWE Superstars and Sundays on WWE Cavalcade. I mean these guys took beatings and never won a match as long as I can remember. You figure, jobbers serve as a great punching bag for the superstars to showcase their moves and strength and power, all leading up to their big match at a Wrestlemania or a major PPV against another great superstar who destroyed another jobber that same episode.

These guys got Powerbombed so many times from guys like Psycho Sid and Diesel, or a Razor's Edge from Ramon, Tombstoned, Sharpshootered, Pile Driven, Helicopter Spun ON A WEEKLY OR EVEN DAILY BASIS! I thought for sure...career ending injury coming! But no!

These 3 Jobbers in particular deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for so many reasons, particularly for allowing the superstars to be pushed in the company, exaggerate their wrestling abilities and moves, and take beatings each and every week so the WWE could showcase their future stars. Without them, superstars who we marvelled and gauked at in the 80's especially, wouldn't be as famous or as popular or just plain pushed.

THE JOBBERS - Iron Mike Sharp, Steve Lombardi, and Dale Wolf....2010 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES!

 

[Jetspete]

The first group of guys who should be in the hall of fame should be guys that controlled era's. Bruno and Backlund come to mind. But Savage played such an important role in wrestling history that he HAS to be in.

From the tag team division, the one that comes to mind is Demolition (they're not in right?). Again, held down belts during a critical era, feuded with the Harts, Giant/Haku, Strike Force and other great tag teams.

 

[gbaby_steve25]

I agree with most of you completely. One big problem is some of the people you have listed will not join the hall of fame as long as there still involved with TNA. Betting Vince could take Hogan out right now if he could. But here is my list, and no Bruno cause he could care less and if he dont care, i dont care:

1) Owen Hart- The most derserving wrestler to get into the Hall of Fame. With Brett now back in the WWE he could come in and give an awesome induction speech the night before Wrestlemania.

2) Shawn Michaels or The Undertaker- its obvious one of them is close to leaving the biz. So why not induct the one who is looking at leaving first. It sets up a great moment at Wrestlemania and even gives credit where credit is due.And the best part is have the person not being inducted induct the other. But my dream, how big of a draw would it be to induct both of these guys this year and then have the biggest rematch ever the next night.

3) Randy Savage- yes he and Vince do not get along, but unlike Bruno, Savage I beleive could handle one night of Vinces BS. The only thing is who would introduce Savage. He doesnt have many friends in the business anymore, and I can't think of any one who could induct him. It would make for a great spot in what could be a huge night for most, if the right person was found to induct him.

4) Lex Luger- Yes Lex may not be up for it but come on. If you go back in time, Lex's arrival at WCW in 1995 really was the beginning for the Monday Night Wars. He paved the way for all the WWF stars to head over to WCW. He had awesome feuds with Hogan and the NWO, and was the first person to win the WCW Heavyweight title back fromthe NWO. It has to count for something. And who can forget the Lex Express tour and his classic battles with Yokozuna. Did i mention he is one of two men to bodyslam him as well. The other is in the HOP.

5) Road Warriors (LOD)- This one is a no brainer for the tag team honors this year. Won gold in WWF and WCW, and how great was it when Laurnitas came Hiedenrich. They actually had some pretty entertaining matchs in the old days and even then. And who can forget the fall from the top of the titan tron. This is my tag team for this year.

Now here are some honerable mentions that you wont see in the Hall until, some until they depart from TNA.

1) Kevin Nash (Diesel)
2) Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) this two deserve to be in based on singles work in the WWF/E and for the work in the NWO as the Outsiders and for Nash carrying the company towards the end of its run.
3) Kurt Angle- why not?
4) JBL- was great as Bradshaw in the APA and made a great He was also a great heel champion and help carry the Smackdown brand when they needed it.
5) and last but not least, STING! yes i know he will never be in the WWE Hall of Fame. But who deserves it more. He has wrestled almost as long as Ric Fleir and Hogan. He has one numerous World Championships. He was the flagship of WCW. He put asses in seats. He was a great technical wrestler. He left us wondering and wanting to watch more every Monday Night. He is one of the reasons WCW beat WWF for 82 straight weeks. We didnt watch WCW just for the NWO we watched to see when Sting would show up to take them on. He even tolerated a Vince Russon running down of WCW in the end. He also wrestled the last WCW match ever against Ric Flair showing he was WCW! With the WWE owning the WCW name and everything around it, they have the right to induct him, but they wont. Even if Sting wouldnt accept (which im sure he wouldnt as he was very adamant about his dislike for the WWE) it make WWE seem legit in wanting the best in the HOF. And think about the impact it would have if the WWE did invite Sting this year. Could TNA handle the WWE reaching out to one of its largest Stars? Well thats my list. Destroy it, rip it apart, do what ever you like, but thats my list.

 

[brochester8]

I feel this should be this year Hall of Fame

1) Randy Savage - I feel he should be the main ballot, as they now have a dvd, hopefully they can go ahead and induct him. As he is one of the greatest of all times.

2) Mrs. Elizabeth - With Savage being inducted I'd say Elizabeth should go with him.

3) "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase - I feel that with the involvement he has had this year, he should be a good choice as hall of famer. He was a great heel and his gimmick was great. In my opinion he is the perfect choice for his son's manager to better make jr. a star.

4) Jake "The Snake" Roberts - The man was a great worker and entertainer. He may have had personal issues but that doesn't overlook his ability to perform. HIs mic skills were great. The Snake Pit was entertaining, his feud with Undertaker was great. His feud with Sting was great. I just feel he deserves a spot in the HOF this year.

5) Roadwarrior - THey should have really been inducted a long time ago but I feel they deserve it and should be inducted this year.

6) Earthquake - I feel this guy was great and deserves to be in the HOF. He was a great Big Man Wrestler. Unless they are going to wait and induct both he and Typhoon. I think he is ready to be inducted.

7) "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - I think it's about time. He won the first Royal Rumble. He had a great feud with Iron Shiek. He is still seen around at times. His american gimmick is great and I feel he should finally be recognized.

8) Mike Tyson - I feel with him hosting an upcoming raw they may induct him as the celebrity. I would rather see MR T but I don't think he's interested.


Other possibilities
Ron Simmons
Ultimate Warrior - If Savage doesn't get inducted I think he will be leading ballot.
Honky Tonk Man
Paul Bearer
Yokozuna
Arn Anderson
British Bulldogs - I think if LOD doesn't get inducted they should be tag-team this year.
Trish Stratus - If Elizabeth isn't inducted.
Owen Hart - With Brett coming back, It is now somewhat possible.
Brian Pillman

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

I think Owen Hart should be the lead candidate for this current class. Especially since Brett Hart is back in the WWE for the time being and will probably be the one to induct Owen. I also cannot believe Sanmartino and Backlund are not in the HOF yet. These guys have a couple of the top title reign lengths ever. Backlunds return and feud with Bret Hart. I also like the idea of more managers to be inducted. The "Doctor of Style" Slick was one of the top managers in the 80s and 90s. The should have a managers wing of the HOF and start inducting more of them. I think Sting could be inducted because there are a few guys already in that were not WWWF/WWF/WWE. If I am not mistaken, Cowboy Bill Watts, or Dory Funk did not wrestle for the McMahons. My last pick is Savage. Macho Madness ran wild for about 20 plus years.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

Given that it is a Hall of Fame rather than a hall of championships, I think it fair to say that one classic character who's done some inducting but has never managed to get in himself should get in. I'm speaking of Doink the Clown. Okay, perhaps he didn't have much in the way of championships, but I think it fair to say that he is one of the most famous of the historic world wrestling characters (even if he's remembered with a bit of a cringe by many) and is perhaps in the top five of wrestling's underground icons. He was quite a mat technician (when allowed to be) was excellent in his commitment to character in his promos and vignettes, and was perhaps among the most distinctive in his gimmick, on par with The Undertaker in that category. Way I see it, if Pete Rose, Koko B. Ware, and "The King" Lawler can get in, there's no reason why Doink should be left outside in the cold honking his big red nose.

 

[Taker123]

I think there are a number of superstars who deserve to be in the HOF..and many of them have been listed above!! However I would like to see the following be inducted into the HOF:

Paul Bearer- one of the greatest wreslting managers of all time
Mick Foley- won't happen due to his affiliations with TNA however it could happen in the next decade...like it or not he was great ot watch...and got the audience buy in in his story lines

However thats a small list of people I would like to see inducted ...oo yes...Brian Pillman too.. (unless he's in there already and I made a mistake)
Trish Stratus- greatest womens champion in the DIVA era
Owen and Stu Hart- inducted by Bret (this year)!!!!

Maybe my list does not contain the same headliners as your lists do however you guys all stole them before I got my chance to read the thread lol

 

[Iamawesome]

No one mentioned Booker T.... Benoit, Finley, Mick Foley,
Booker- can come in as a tag team(Harlem Heat)
Benoit- Say what you want.... WWE has changed for the better w/o Steroids!
Finley- he wrote the storylines for Trish and Lita
Mick Foley- LoL "On the other show the wrestler mick foley who used to wrestle for us as Cactus Jack, Just won their world title" The end of the monday night wars!

Others are Undertaker and Paul Barrer(Possibly Kane too) HBK(Possibly HHH, X-pac,Chyna..... ALL of DX too!) Tommy Dreamer, Paul Heyman,

And something NEW!!!! Remove Hogan from the list! Being the worlds biggest douchebag(next to vince) should remove your name!

 

[Cogman]

As for Randy Savage, if he does not get inducted into the Hall of Fame EVER....then the Hall of Fame is INCOMPLETE. Regardless of his relationship, or lack there of with Vince, WWE, etc etc etc....AS A WRESTLER....He was one of the greatest all around wrestlers of our time. His aerial, technical, and promo skills were one of the best I've seen. Every single match of his had the fans believing what was happening. The way he moved, wrestled, and his uniqueness on so many levels will forever be remembered.

Not to mention....he was involved in what I still believe is the GREATEST MATCH EVER....WM 3 with Ricky Steamboat. That match was flawless and as real as wrestling gets from start to finish. He stole the spotlight from the Hogan-Andre main event that night. I still find time to watch it from time to time. And his feud with Flair, culminating at WM 8. Fantastic. Again, stealing the spotlight from Hogan-Sid main event. Every feud Savage had, had a Main Event feel to it. Even at WM 7 facing probably the worst wrestler in the Ultimate Warrior. Savage made him look like an absolute star.

It just seems like all wrestlers who feuded with Savage got more popular. Even George The Animal Steele was more popular than Roddy Piper at one point. Why? Because he feuded with Savage. Fans loved and hated to watch him win or lose whether he was a face or heel. For me, Savage made the WWE and Sports Entertainment "real".

 

[Grizzly0u812]

Of all names to not be in the hall of fame, please someone tell me why the hell is Owen Hart not in the HOF and the likes of pete rose and william perry are in there, these guys are not even wrestlers, Owen Hart died doing what he loved doing, the one pay-per-view I never got was the one he died in.

this guy lived and breathed wrestling, mutiple time champion, slammy winner, among other accomplishments, putting football players and baseball players in and this guy was a wrestler that is a slap in the face.

Vince, shame on you, this is one guy who died for the business doing what he loved and years after his death you never inducted him, its a sad day.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Of all names to not be in the hall of fame, please someone tell me why the hell is Owen Hart not in the HOF and the likes of pete rose and william perry are in there, these guys are not even wrestlers, Owen Hart died doing what he loved doing, the one pay-per-view I never got was the one he died in.

this guy lived and breathed wrestling, mutiple time champion, slammy winner, among other accomplishments, putting football players and baseball players in and this guy was a wrestler that is a slap in the face.

Vince, shame on you, this is one guy who died for the business doing what he loved and years after his death you never inducted him, its a sad day.

The Hall of Fame is a joke and has been for a long time. Even if the HOF were legitimate, I don't think Owen would be in even though he died. He was a good wrestler but not a great wrestler. He did beat Bret Hart at Wrestlemania but other than that, what did he accomplish that was anything great. He won some IC and Tag titles but there have been a lot of superstars who have who are not going to get in the HOF. I thought Guerrero shouldn't have been in the HOF and felt he was overrated after his death than before but that's a different story. Don't know why they haven't put Owen in the HOF but I'm not losing any sleep over it because I know what the HOF stands for.

 

[Zeedeevel]

Owen is not in the Hall because his widow Martha will not allow it. As long as she doesnt want him in Vince can not induct him. With Bret back perhaps he can talk her out of it and allow her husband to recieve the honor he deserves

 

[ccotreau1]

Here are the ones I would like to see in the HOF (despite issues with Vince or whatever the issue may be) and why I feel they belong (and if not in 2010, within the next few years):

1. LOD-Best tag team of all time
2. Ultimate Warrior-Had a great following in the early 90s
3. Paul Bearer/Undertaker-Bearer for bringing Undertaker to the WWE and managing great superstars, Undertaker for his WM streak, and for being in the game for as long as he has with success
4. HBK-He's been in the game a long time too, with success
5. Chyna-Being the first female to hold a title held by men (IC title) and being the only woman to be in the Royal Rumble
Honorable Mentions:
1. Yokozuna-Great big man wrestler
2. Owen Hart-great wrestler, like his brother, notorious for his abilities as a "cruiserweight" but weighing over the weight limit of a cruiserweight.
3. Miss Elizabeth-one of the first females I ever noticed in wrestling (next to Sherri)