WWE Hall Of Fame 2016: Pimpin' Ain't Easy!!!

[Jack-Hammer]

It was announced a few minutes ago that WWE has announced the 2nd inductee into the 2016 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. Just in case the title isn't enough to figure out who it is, it's the Godfather, WWE's resident "pimp" during the Attitude Era.

Now I enjoyed his various antics back in the day, never particularly cared for him as a wrestler, but he was a fun character. The problem facing WWE right now is how to incorporate a character known for coming to the ring each week with about half a dozen "hos", who were usually local strippers hired for the night, in a much more PC WWE and society.

The Godfather was a persona and nothing more but we've all seen modern fans via social media get all bent out of shape over far less controversial and provocative angles in recent years. They ignore that it's as scripted as any other show on television, bitch about it on social media and then go watch some chick get raped on the latest episode of Game of Thrones.

 

[FightOwensFight]

Yeah, I got a kick out of him and his "Ho Train" during the Attitude Era, but was certainly surprised to hear that we was heading to the HOF. As others have said, you don't need to have a large class go in each year just to fill up the entrance ramp at Wrestlemania. If there aren't people worthy of being added, keep it small.

I just can't see The Godfather being mentioned in the same sentence as HOF people like Flair, Austin, etc.

Hell, I can't even see him being in the same library that the book with the sentence about Flair, Austin, etc. is located.

 

[MCMG]

Very weird to be announced second. Sure Sting was big but the momentum needs to continue and The Godfather, whilst enjoyable, doesn't really fit the bill.

He had a solid career. I have no issue with him being inducted but I do feel there are more pressing inductees but the WWE probably want to keep the names current.

One headline name. Attitude era. Dead guy. Old guy. Foreign guy. Tag-team. Women. That is you Hall of Fame template. They can pretty much pick anyone for 5 of those categories and there is a long list of headline acts available.

Godfather, a little underwhelming but...Sting!

 

[rmp0012002]

Chyna won't get in because of her sex tapes and people want to throw Sunny out for hers but you will induct a guy who's character was a pimp and his ho's. That's the world of Vince for ya.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Chyna won't get in because of her sex tapes and people want to throw Sunny out for hers but you will induct a guy who's character was a pimp and his ho's. That's the world of Vince for ya.

There's the keyword for you. It was his character, one that Vince more than likely had a hand in creating. Chyna & Sunny are out there getting hammered by every Tom, Dick & Harry in the porn industry and that will not fly in Today's PG & publicly traded WWE. Don't lump Godfather in with those 2 because there's a huge difference.


As for him getting in I'm fine with it. Sting is headlining the HoF class this year so the order everyone else is announced doesn't matter. People are also forgetting that The Godfather is only 1 of his characters. If guys like Koko B Ware can get in then I have no problem with Godfather getting in.

 

[d_henderson1810]

In the words of Miz:- "REALLY! REALLY!"

Papa Shango, Kama, the Godfather, is going into the HoF. In what universe is

 

[justinept]

Very weird to be announced second. Sure Sting was big but the momentum needs to continue and The Godfather, whilst enjoyable, doesn't really fit the bill.

Disagree. The Hall of Fame is a ticket-selling event. The order in which wrestlers are announced primarily has to do with how well ticket sales are doing. If the WWE wants to bump sales, they announce a bigger name on their list. If ticket sales are doing well, then they announce a smaller name on the list and save the bigger name for another day.

Typically, the biggest name is announced first to drive an initial surge when tickets go on sale - and the next biggest name is announced last so as to give one last surge toward a sell out.

That the Godfather is announced second tells me that sales are doing just fine.

 

[Azane]

Papa Shango, Mustafa and Godfather, man Charles Wright was a great character portrayer.

Papa Shango alone is one of those characters that people bring up all the time.

Koko B Ware fallacy aside, I think the mans done plenty between those 3 characters to warrant being celebrated.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I...guess?

Personally, inducting him is a bit of a stretch. He had a long run and one gimmick out of several that was popular for a couple of years, but I honestly feel like there are so many others worthier. Guys like the New Age Outlaws or even X-Pac. I mean, The Godfather is going to be in the Hall of Fame. That just sounds so weird feels like they're scraping towards the bottom of the barrel. Maybe they can spice up his induction by bringing back every girl that's ever accompanied him, including Victoria/Tara.

Though by inducting Koko B. Ware, they've created an easy qualifier for themselves. Just being comparable or better than him can justify a Hall of Fame spot.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Papa Shango, Mustafa and Godfather, man Charles Wright was a great character portrayer.

Papa Shango alone is one of those characters that people bring up all the time.

Sorry about my other post. Must have pressed the button too early.

So, the Godfather is in the Hof! WTF!

The Godfather is a joke character, who might have had a couple of minutes of entertainment, but he is hardly worth winning an award that goes to the greats.

It is the same as the Bushwhackers last year, and to all those who complain about Koko B. Ware.

What massive achievements have the Godfather brought to wrestling? A couple of IC title wins, bringing out strippers, (usually one who was always very tall). Is that all it takes to make the Hall now?

Furthermore, it is a gimmick being inducted. It is like when they inducted Razor Ramon, not Scott Hall. The difference being that Scott Hall made a contribution to wrestling, Charles Wright has made little contribution to wrestling.

Decisions like this make me worry that they will put that joke, the Honky Tonk Man, into the Hall.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

There's the keyword for you. It was his character, one that Vince more than likely had a hand in creating. Chyna & Sunny are out there getting hammered by every Tom, Dick & Harry in the porn industry and that will not fly in Today's PG & publicly traded WWE. Don't lump Godfather in with those 2 because there's a huge difference.

Didn't Godfather work at a strip club?

I mean I am happy Charles Wright is Inducted since he has been part of the WWE for so long and has done a good job with his various gimmicks and characters but I don't see why there's a double standard that avoids Chyna from being Inducted.

 

[dsotm5150]

Sting should have been announced last unless they've got a major surprise up their sleeve, from the rumoured list I've seen Sting's the headliner this year.

 

[justinept]

Sting should have been announced last unless they've got a major surprise up their sleeve, from the rumoured list I've seen Sting's the headliner this year.

Can you name one year where the headliner was announced last?

Seriously, the headliner ALWAYS gets announced the week tickets go on sale. How do people not realize this? They announce the headliner the Monday before tickets go on sale, which gives people a reason to buy tickets the second they're available. This gives the WWE a gauge in to how much more work needs to be done to make the event a sell out.

This is event marketing 101 --- Unless you're dealing with a cultural phenomenon like the Super Bowl or WrestleMania, you ALWAYS let the public know what they're paying to see before asking them to pay to see it!

 

[Sean Valjean]

Didn't Godfather work at a strip club?

I mean I am happy Charles Wright is Inducted since he has been part of the WWE for so long and has done a good job with his various gimmicks and characters but I don't see why there's a double standard that avoids Chyna from being Inducted.

What double standard? Godfather was a CHARACTER. As in something WWE thought up, was green-lit by Vince, and was completely under their control. He was a cartoony pimp toned down enough to be TV friendly but still with some edge. It's not like there were segments of the girls raw fucking the entire roster and Godfather beating the tar out of them for not making enough money.

Godfather was a role Charles Wright was given to play. Controversial or not, the character has nothing to do with him as a person. He was just doing his job. Chyna, on the other hand, did legit porn. A quick Google search produces videos of her for reals fucking a bunch of dudes, among other things. Chyna as a person is a controversial figure and is a bad look for the company. That's why she's not in the HOF.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

Didn't Godfather work at a strip club?

He owned it if I'm not mistaken but that's not my point

I mean I am happy Charles Wright is Inducted since he has been part of the WWE for so long and has done a good job with his various gimmicks and characters but I don't see why there's a double standard that avoids Chyna from being Inducted.

The only way there's a double standard is if he was banging all the workers and taping it. If kids today who don't who he is Google Charles Wright based on him getting into the HoF won't come across hardcore pornography.

The same can't be said for Chyna. Google her name and the first thing that pops up is in fact hardcore pornography.

 

[wwe fan2009]

yeah Godfather was a gimmick, Chyna actually did porn thats why she wont be in. as far as him getting in, sure hes not a big name like flair, savage etc, but if you had a good career you are likely to get in. I mean Koko b ware was in and godfather did more than him

 

[Elchicano15]

Can you name one year where the headliner was announced last?

Last year. Kevin Nash was announced last, and he closed the HOF show as the headliner. To your point though with the ticket sales, they announced Randy Savage first as a posthumous inductee, but he/Lanny didn't close the show. 3 years ago in New York, Bruno was announced 2nd or 3rd last and still closed the show. Mick Foley was the first announcement but he didn't headline that year. Bruno did.

As for The Godfather/Charles Wright. I'm ok with him going in. Quite frankly when I saw JBL's picture next to 2nd Inductee announced on this I was kinda hoping that it was indeed JBL. There's so many other guys I think that should go in this year, but I did read the possible list of inductees this year and am not that surprised. Seeing how his character kinda is a double standard to today's PG environment, I think he should be inducted just as Charles Wright for all the various characters he played and his contributions. He can come out to the Godfather music once announced. But I guess that was his more popular character which is why they'll induct him.

 

[boozinjedi]

I remember him one time as Kama...Showed one of the most remarkable displays of just pure raw strength in WWE history.
He was in somesort of tag match against Bam Bam Bigelow,
Bigelow went for a some sort of crossbody move and Kama I think was supposed to turn it into a slam...BUT he lost his grip and couldn't carry any momentum/energy..so he had to just use brute force to get that guy up!!
I was like..WOW
THAT IS POWER!!!

 

[FromGlasgow]

I knew the IWC would all start b*****g about this as soon as a I heard the Godfather hall of fame announcement, He's totally deserving, He may not have had 5 star matches and done triple summersaults off the top rope etc but he was entertaining, I enjoyed seeing him and his character was a nice comedic distraction from the 5 star matches giving it a great all round card during his era which made the attitude era so successful and its a pro wrestling hall of fame its not the nobel peace prize get over it!
Can't believe Drew Carey and William Perry are in but the IWC complains about The Godfather who had so many memorable entertaining gimmicks.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

A surprising induction, if I'm honest. But not one I am particularly disappointed with. Godfather was in WWE for a long time, in a variety of different characters and was extremely popular with fans. He's one of the "company guys" who are always going to get inducted at some point, especially now the HOF ceremony is a proper event.

I consistently have this argument with a friend, who is adamant that the WWE Hall of Fame should only have 1 or 2 inductions a year, and didn't understand why mid-carders and celebrities go in, that it should be for the elite only. It totally see his point of view, but I try to explain that each "HOF class" has it's biggest names- the icons, it has a tag team usually, a female, a celebrity and then a couple of popular mid-carders/upper mid carders who've either had alot of success or are there due to longevity- as Goldust will be. Godfather is one of those midcarders who was popular with fans who'll have a fun HOF speech and was loyal to WWE.

I'm alright with this induction, it's just weird how it's before the likes of Bulldog, Rude and others.

 

[Dave]

The Godfather has always been very popular. Well, I should say, that the company he keeps has always kept him very popular.

Regardless, it's a massive honour for a man who never really lived up to the potential or the billing that he had. For the life of me, I can't remember one match that I seen him in that I actually enjoyed. But he was a unique character for sure and one that everyone seemed to like. He's still recognisable at this point to many wrestling fans, so it also makes sense to put him in now before his legacy is entirely forgot by new wrestling fans.

As an aside. Does anyone else think it's funny that the WWE is putting The Godfather into their HoF when his gimmick was, basically, that he a pimp for multiple prostitutes? Not very PG...

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Atrocious wrestler but the guy was Papa Shango. That legend never died. Nearly 25 years later I'd mark out for a cameo. In fact, I'm petitioning him to replace Shane McMahon at Mania.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

At his absolute apex, he was no more than a mid card novelty act.


Meanwhile, Rick Rude, Owen Hart and The Freebirds (not to mention Rock N Roll Express, The Fantastics, Midnight Express) still wait.


Boggles the mind. I guess if the Bushwhackers are in though, fuck it right

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Decisions like this make me worry that they will put that joke, the Honky Tonk Man, into the Hall.

They've asked Honky a couple of times and he's turned them down, so I don't expect they'll be asking him again anytime soon. While I personally agree that the HTM was horrible, he is still the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in history; it's hard to fathom an Elvis impersonator as the having held the IC title longer than anyone else in its 35+ year history but, regardless, as far as accolades go, it's certainly more than the Godfather.

While the Godfather wasn't exactly the epitome of wrestling excellence, he was a highly memorable character that people do still talk about to this day. That does count for something I suppose, so it doesn't really bother me to see him inducted. It wouldn't really bother me if he isn't inducted either.

If nothing else, maybe we'll get a surprisingly moving speech from him that'll at least portray him in a classy light for once.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

At his absolute apex, he was no more than a mid card novelty act.


Meanwhile, Rick Rude, Owen Hart and The Freebirds (not to mention Rock N Roll Express, The Fantastics, Midnight Express) still wait.


Boggles the mind. I guess if the Bushwhackers are in though, fuck it right

There's talk of the Freebirds being inducted this year. If what I last read is accurate, they're pretty much in this year.

I agree that Rude should definitely be in, he's someone that's pretty underrated in a lot of ways. Owen won't go in by himself because his widow has a conniption every time WWE even mentions his name; she essentially wants the wrestling world to forget that Owen was ever in WWE, or wrestling for that matter, and blasts WWE whenever anything regarding Owen comes up. She tried to stop a Hart Family DVD compilation several years back because Owen was featured on it, I've read that she fumed about the Owen Hart DVD WWE released late last year so WWE is going to get criticized no matter what in this situation. If they don't induct him, some fans and family members will rake WWE over the coals for not honoring someone who, while noteworthy, has, in all fairness, had his legacy greatly exaggerated since his death. Still, I do agree he should be inducted. If WWE went ahead and did so without his widow's consent, they'll be accused by some of not respecting Owen's memory and disregarding the wishes of his wife and children so they can sell some tickets to the HOF ceremony. So, as is usually the case with WWE, they're screwed in the eyes of fans no matter which way they go.