WWE Hall Of Fame 2016: The Rest Of The Class

[Jack-Hammer]

According to an article at wrestlinginc.com, the final inductees for this year's WWE Hall of Fame have been announced and this year's class will be made up of:

Sting
The Fabulous Freebirds
The Godfather
Jaqueline/Miss Jackie
Regis Philbin

Jaqueline is someone that if she was about 25 or so years younger and involved in wrestling today, she has the potential to be a top female star. She was seriously in shape, too much so for me to find sexy personally, but if she were in her mid to late 20s today in wrestling, her look would give her a definite badass vibe rather than the sex pot look many of the women have. She's a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo and has a lot of experience in boxing and kickboxing. She's a 2 time WWE Women's Champion and while that might not exactly be saying a whole helluva lot, when you take into consideration women's wrestling as a whole in WWE's history, she was also part of Tough Enough for its first few seasons. I'd say that one reason Jackie is going in is because she's also from the Dallas area with the Von Erichs & Freebirds being among her favorites when she was growing up, so it could well be a special thrill for her to be part of the same class as the Freebirds.

Regis Philbin is set to be inducted into WWE's "celebrity wing" of the Hall of Fame so let the hating commence. Philbin was an interviewer & guest commentator for WrestleMania VII, was one of the guest hosts for Raw back in 2011 and he's had a number of WWE stars from back in the 80s & 90s on Live with Regis & Kathy Lee, which is now Live with Kelly & Michael.

So if this is accurate, it's definitely Sting and the Freebirds carrying the load this year in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

The Fabulous Freebirds for the win...IMO. The Godfather is as important to wrestling as Koko B. Ware was, just a midcarder who had a gimmick and that's it. Michael P.S Hayze and Jimmy Jam Garvin were awesome, heat creating tag team heels that for years had great matches in NWA-WCW. Michael P.S Hayze was like wrestling's version of a chubby David Lee Roth or Poison lead singer, totally screamed 80's Rock Band lead singer. The entrance music was great, the movements were cheesy as hell but it was entertaining. Most memorable feuds for me was vs The Steiner Brothers. Jim Ross always made a big deal of P.S Hayze's left hand to the jaw that he'd usually deliver outside of the ring for some reason.

Bad Street Atlanta P.A....Bad Street in the whole U.S.A!

 

[Navi]

Other than Sting and the Freebirds it's a lackluster class this year. I don't even remember Miss Jackie, she might have come along at a time when I took a break from wrestling. The Godfather, well who am I to say who goes in or not.

I really wish there wasn't a celebrity wing of the HOF. Nice to see them acknowledge people outside the industry, but I would rather see a wrestler who worked for the WWE full time go in. Rather than someone who showed up did one or two shows and then was never seen again. Do other sports HOF's have celebrity wings? I have no idea that's why I'm asking.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Nah... TOO lacklustre... there is a sting in the tail... it's not gonna be Taker, but they will thrrow another fan friendly name in there... most likely is Ravishing Rick Rude...

Sure it's awkward on the dead body count with Gordy and Roberts gone... but they can bring Jesse/Terry's son back at least... Rude being a "late addition" would fit the Texas thing, as WCCW was where he first hit, and also give the fans one less "name" to rue not being in there...

Rude really is an easy add in ANY year, but when he goes in will get the fan interest immediately... and Kudos from the more net savvy fans... "The Boys" want it... the fans do, and as Rude was Sting's greatest enemy... that US title feud was more over than they WWE title at the time, then it makes perfect symmetry... Wouldn't be shocked for it to be Sting inducting him right after himself...

 

[EastCoastFan]

Rob, I agree Rick Rude does deserve to be inducted but 1) WWE usually limits the number of posthumous inductees each year (Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts being this year's) and 2) from what has been said, Vince took it very personally when Rude jumped to WCW and appeared on both shows the same night.

As for Jacqueline, she had a very long wrestling career. She started as Miss Texas in Memphis long before she got to the WWF, and went to TNA afterwards. She was the first woman to make the PWI 500 in the mid-90's. She was the first woman to win the WWE Crusierweight title, as well as being a 2X WWE women's champion. Most importantly, she was a wrestler, not some talentless piece of eye candy who over entirely on her looks, but that may also be why people don't remember her.

 

[The Brain]

I think it's safe to say there will be another name or two added to this list. And I'm not buying the Freebirds until I see Michael Hayes giving his speech on stage. I got tired of incorrectly predicting them every year.

If they're looking for another big name this year, how about Kurt Angle? It looks like he's done with TNA and may be available. I don't want to take anything away from Sting as the headliner but it might be nice to have a big WWE name to go in with him.

Nah... TOO lacklustre... there is a sting in the tail... it's not gonna be Taker, but they will thrrow another fan friendly name in there... most likely is Ravishing Rick Rude...

Sure it's awkward on the dead body count with Gordy and Roberts gone... but they can bring Jesse/Terry's son back at least... Rude being a "late addition" would fit the Texas thing, as WCCW was where he first hit, and also give the fans one less "name" to rue not being in there...

Rude really is an easy add in ANY year, but when he goes in will get the fan interest immediately... and Kudos from the more net savvy fans... "The Boys" want it... the fans do, and as Rude was Sting's greatest enemy... that US title feud was more over than they WWE title at the time, then it makes perfect symmetry... Wouldn't be shocked for it to be Sting inducting him right after himself...

I see Rude going in next year if WrestleMania goes to the Vikings new stadium in Minnesota. I can't imagine Sting giving his speech and then inducting Rude. That would be really weird.

 

[Elchicano15]

It'll be an ok line up. Small Class, if this is in fact the final list of inductees. I would throw in an international guy like Stan Hansen and put in a manager like the Slickster. I'm surprised there's no mention of the Warrior award. Not that I care, but I wasn't sure if they were gonna go that direction every year.

I am looking forward to the Sting, Freebirds, and I'm not going to lie The Godfather speeches. I think I'll be entertained, when he talks about stories on the road with JBL and SImmons, some Undertaker stories and even though he's going in as the Godfather to me it'll be Charles Wright going in and making that speech. The class sounds all right to me, it just seems very small if we actually have only 5 inductees this year.

 

[Navi]

Yes I wonder why we haven't heard about a Warrior award this year, unless it's not something they plan on giving out every year. I'm sure there are a lot of behind the scene's people that deserve it and it would be nice to see them recognized for their contributions to the industry.

 

[Elchicano15]

Yes I wonder why we haven't heard about a Warrior award this year, unless it's not something they plan on giving out every year. I'm sure there are a lot of behind the scene's people that deserve it and it would be nice to see them recognized for their contributions to the industry.

For sure. I would imagine they would give nods to behind the scenes people or even Referees for that matter. I'd sooner recognize a ref than most celebrities they choose each year.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I really wish there wasn't a celebrity wing of the HOF. Nice to see them acknowledge people outside the industry, but I would rather see a wrestler who worked for the WWE full time go in. Rather than someone who showed up did one or two shows and then was never seen again.

This, a thousand times, this.

I detest the celebrity wing. It's a big part of why the WWE Hall of Fame is a joke. It was infuriating when Drew Carrey went in. Regis is almost as bad. Only employees and former employees of the WWE (or WCW/ECW since the WWE owns their stuff) should ever go in. As for the wrestlers.... Miss Jackie and The Godfather aren't the best names that they could have gone with, but it's not like worse names haven't already gotten in. Completely agree on Sting and the Freebirds though. They deserve it.

 

[OYDK]

I was wondering just the other day if the Jackie's and Ivory's of the Attitude Era were going to get in. If true, I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that Jackie's getting the nod this year. At the time, she may not have been a vital part of the Women's Division, but she was a workhorse for years and as has been mentioned, a two time Women's champion. I also get the feeling that the entire careers of potential inductees are being considered nowadays, instead of just the gimmick with which they're being inducted with. Which is smart, considering that there are very few wrestlers left who merit induction based solely on one specific run in their WWE careers.

For instance, The Bushwhackers. A lot of people called them a comedy jobber tag team during their WWE careers, which may have been true. But they also tagged together for over 35 years in over 15 different promotions around the world, and were the Tag Champions in most all of them. They may not have been one of the top tag teams during their time in the WWF, but they were pretty over with the fans during their 8 year run. In other words, Butch and Luke may have gone in as The Bushwhackers, but that's only because "Bushwhackers" were their most recognizable name. With their entire careers taken into account, very few would argue that they're not worthy of their spot. Similarly, a lot of people were wondering why a guy who's best known for the Stinkface deserved a HOF induction last year. Rikishi may not have had a HOF career, but if you take into account his 19+ years in the business and his time in the SST and Headshrinkers, and than consider how over he was with the fans, I think an argument could easily be made.

This year, the same stuff is said about Godfather and probably will be about Jackie. For her part, Jackie had a 13 year pro career (not taking into account her time in TNA or the indies) and was a 14 time USWA Women's Champion before coming to the WWE. The Godfather was a USWA Heavyweight Champion and played two of the most notorious characters in the history of the WWF in Godfather and Papa Shango. He too, was very over with the fans.

Clearly Sting and The Freebirds will be carrying this class and names like Jacqueline and The Godfather aren't going to sell tickets, but that doesn't necessariy mean they don't deserve their spot. Also, seems like a pretty small class. Aren't there usually a lot more than 5? As others have said, expect at least one more big name to help carry the load.

 

[FromGlasgow]

Regis Philbin? WTF? and everyone on here complains about The Godfather? A guy who had a strong 10 year plus run in the WWE and a big memorable character from the Attitude era one of the most successful periods in wrestling? and still mentions of Koko and Bushwackers who had like a 30 year successful run as a tag team all over the world but Regis Philbin he's deserving? Who has as far as I know had only one wrestling appearance at a Wrestlemania?
I also heard Bradshaw was meant to be one of the names along with the 5 you mentioned don't know how true that rumour was, More often than not wrestling rumours I hear usually all turn out to be b******t, But happy I'm with the names if they are right except for Regis.

 

[laodaron]

I'm pretty sure that we're still waiting for the headliner: Daniel Bryan or Undertaker. It could be someone else, but those are both really easy choices to make. Sting is big, but not WWE big. He's industry huge, but since his WWE accomplishments can't be touted as the most important part of his career, I can't see Vince letting him be the headliner.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think Jacqueline is deserving of going on, and as shes a Texas native, I reckon it's the right year to induct her. Jackie was tough, and very solid in the ring on top of having the sex appeal that everyone seemed to need in the Attitude Era. I'm fine with that induction.

But, I have no idea who Regis Philbin is. Apparently he's made a few appearances for WWE over the years, so I can;t really comment on him being the "celebrity" inductee. I just hate the whole Celebrity Wing (apart from a few exceptions like Mike Tyson), it's just a cheap way of getting more mainstream media attention. I was hoping that they'd induct Lemmy from Motorhead after his passing this year, unfortunately they haven't. I'd like to see him going in next year, being inducted by HHH.

I reckon we'll see another big name singles star going in as we've only got Sting and The Freebirds as the "big" names, perhaps another Texan like JBL? I've seen rumours that he'll be going in, and I don't think he's a big enough to headline a class but a number 2 entrant would be fine for him.

 

[Elchicano15]

Wait a minute, something just occurred to me. Which Jackie are we talking about? Jackie Hass or Jacqueline Moore. Both are from Dallas and were around roughly at the same time. If it's Moore than that wouldn't be too bad. She became the first the first women's champion when it got revived in the late 90s and the first African American female champion. Hass, I really don't remember much. I mean I do remember her, but not enough to have a HOF worthy career. She's still quite young to.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I think Jacqueline is deserving of going on, and as shes a Texas native, I reckon it's the right year to induct her. Jackie was tough, and very solid in the ring on top of having the sex appeal that everyone seemed to need in the Attitude Era. I'm fine with that induction.

But, I have no idea who Regis Philbin is. Apparently he's made a few appearances for WWE over the years, so I can;t really comment on him being the "celebrity" inductee. I just hate the whole Celebrity Wing (apart from a few exceptions like Mike Tyson), it's just a cheap way of getting more mainstream media attention. I was hoping that they'd induct Lemmy from Motorhead after his passing this year, unfortunately they haven't. I'd like to see him going in next year, being inducted by HHH.

I reckon we'll see another big name singles star going in as we've only got Sting and The Freebirds as the "big" names, perhaps another Texan like JBL? I've seen rumours that he'll be going in, and I don't think he's a big enough to headline a class but a number 2 entrant would be fine for him.

Wait a second.....did you say you didn't know who Regis Philbin is? I know the celebrity wing of the HOF is a big joke but.....you really never heard of Live with Regis Philbin and Cathy Lee ?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Regis makes sense as he's done a lot of promo work for WWE over the years... guys have been going on his shows for 25 years... and of course he's shown up a lot too... still no love for Bob Barker though...

The celeb wing has it's place... every few years they can get a BIG name in there like Arnie last year but they have to cool that down... I'd bet the next major celeb to go in at some point will be Ozzy Osbourne, potentially Hugh Jackman down the line... but if they put the big names every year it quickly would leave the dross like Rhonda Shear or Jeremy Piven.... in fact, I can see that now... "I'm very proud to be inducted into the Wall of Fame..."

 

[Piss Bucket]

Regis Philbin? What the fuck?! WTF connection do they have to wrestling? Oh yeah, they appeared at a Wrestle Mania a LONG time ago! Smh.

 

[Sean Valjean]

If this list is true, one positive is that it's small. That's something the HoF has suffered from years now is inducting too many names each year. Sting and the Freebirds are undisputed shoe-ins, but let's look at the others.

I said everything I needed to about Godfather in his induction thread, so I'll paraphrase that here: just no. Yeah, he was in the company for a long time and had one gimmick that was over for a couple years, but does that really put him on the same level as STING and the FREEBIRDS?

Jackie Moore was a solid and respected veteran, but Hall of Fame worthy? This feels like they needed A) a Texan and B) a woman, and she happens to be both. Not a terrible choice, but far from a great one. I'd prefer Ivory over Jackie, as she at least had more memorable moments (like the Right to Censor stuff).

Regis...yeah. I'm no fan of the celebrity wing either. There's very few celebs that made a true impact in WWE (guys like Mr. T or Mike Tyson). Whatever, I guess. Maybe Big Show inducts him and chokes him ala Andre.

Also, no JBL? Obviously this list isn't confirmed, but I'd be genuinely surprised if they didn't induct him in Dallas.

 

[Navi]

Wait a second.....did you say you didn't know who Regis Philbin is? I know the celebrity wing of the HOF is a big joke but.....you really never heard of Live with Regis Philbin and Cathy Lee ?

Naitch doesn't live in the US, so it's not hard to assume he has never watched the Regis and Kathy Lee Live show. I used to watch it in the morning, just to get the days news before I went to work. I don't even think the show is broadcast in the UK or Europe.

 

[Goldie]

Agree that it looks a little lacklustre so far besides Sting and the Freebirds.

As great as these 2 entries are.... (and I'm a massive Sting fan) they mainly achieved their success in other promotions. Though Sting is still worthy of being the headline inductee.

Charles wright/Godfather- here is a guy who happily went along with whatever gimmick they gave him without complaint. Godfather was a moderately successful gimmick.... though Papa Shango, Kama, and the Goodfather?
He doesn't scream HOF material to me.... but theres always these types of inductees.

Some of the omissions I'm still surprised at are Rick Rude, Davey Boy Smith (who could go in either solo or with Dynamite as the Bulldogs), Vader and Owen.
Yeah some of these guys are no longer with us- and WWE do tend to limit posthumous inductions but all of those guys were bigger stars than the Godfather?
Owens widow hating the WWE may be a factor for his induction- though they brought out an Owen DVD last year, and with Rude.... if Vince can induct Savage he can let his personal feelings rest for anyone.

Undertaker is a cert to go in when he retires.... and the Rock is a also a shoe in.
But both of those guys would be headline acts

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I think it's safe to say there will be another name or two added to this list. And I'm not buying the Freebirds until I see Michael Hayes giving his speech on stage. I got tired of incorrectly predicting them every year.

If they're looking for another big name this year, how about Kurt Angle? It looks like he's done with TNA and may be available. I don't want to take anything away from Sting as the headliner but it might be nice to have a big WWE name to go in with him.



I see Rude going in next year if WrestleMania goes to the Vikings new stadium in Minnesota. I can't imagine Sting giving his speech and then inducting Rude. That would be really weird.

Agreed. Why in the hell would they have their headliner Sting immediately induct a dead guy who's name hasn't even been mentioned by them in close to 2 decades? Because at one time they had a cool feud in another company? Would Rude's family even appreciate that, considering it was a Sting botch that ended his career in the first place?

Such a weird prediction.

Rude will be in eventually, and he absolutely deserves it. You can only do so many posthumous inductions in a year though, and with the Freebirds being the bigger Texas draw, and both Jack and Bam Bam not being with us anymore, it just makes for too depressing a show to add another. Especially when you have to assume that Kevin Von Erich will likely be doing the Freebird induction (there's no one else who should). Looking at that induction alone, reliving all the great memories of the Freebird/Von Erich wars, then realizing that there's only 2 guys left alive from those times? That's depressing, so no, you can't add another dead guy, and you have to balance out that show with something lighter. That's probably why the Godfather got tapped to enter this year.

If they do go to Minneapolis next year, then that's the perfect place to induct Rude. I believe he's the last of that great group from Minneapolis to make it (him, Hennig, Road Warriors). That crowd would be super into it. And you could make him your featured posthumous induction.

I don't know that they need another big name though. They've already got a fun little Texas theme running through the inductees. Jackie used to go by the name Miss Texas. Charles Wright got his start in USWA when they were promoting both Memphis and Texas. Sting got his start in UWF when they were stealing talent from WCCW (Texas). The Freebirds are obvious. I actually like what they've done there, and yes if Rude was alive, he'd be the perfect compliment. Sadly though, he's not. RIP.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Wait a second.....did you say you didn't know who Regis Philbin is? I know the celebrity wing of the HOF is a big joke but.....you really never heard of Live with Regis Philbin and Cathy Lee ?

Oh now you've said the show title it does ring a bell, but, but being in the UK I haven't ever seen it or have any idea what it's about. Is it a chat show? I recognised the name Regis Philbin but if you'd asked me to tell you what he does, then I wouldn't have been able to answer.

 

[#HELLNO]

First off let me start by saying that the Godfather, does not deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I mean he is like another Koko B. Ware. Why does WWE keep insisting that they have to induct people like this. Next it will be Bull Buchanan or Val Venis going in, it makes no sense.

Sting is most definitely the head-liner this year, along with the Freebirds in tail. Although I believe that they need at least one more male to be inducted to round out the class. My call would be The Honky Tonk Man, why you ask? Well he did more than someone like the Godfather did, also he fits with the Dallas theme, saying that he is Southern, as well as being the 'Longest Reigning IC Champion of All Time'. The man is someone who paid his dues for years, and is deserving of going in. I know that this will 'garner some heat' but I don't care, it's my belief.

Regis Philbin, just NO!

 

[Navi]

First off let me start by saying that the Godfather, does not deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I mean he is like another Koko B. Ware. Why does WWE keep insisting that they have to induct people like this. Next it will be Bull Buchanan or Val Venis going in, it makes no sense.

Sting is most definitely the head-liner this year, along with the Freebirds in tail. Although I believe that they need at least one more male to be inducted to round out the class. My call would be The Honky Tonk Man, why you ask? Well he did more than someone like the Godfather did, also he fits with the Dallas theme, saying that he is Southern, as well as being the 'Longest Reigning IC Champion of All Time'. The man is someone who paid his dues for years, and is deserving of going in. I know that this will 'garner some heat' but I don't care, it's my belief.

Regis Philbin, just NO!

We go through this every single year and will continue to go through it. The Godfather is a filler, you can't have a whole group of headliners every year, you would run out after a few years. We need fillers in order to make up the numbers, and the guy had a decent career, so big deal. Everyone's favourite will someday make it, people just have to have some patience.