WWE Hall Of Fame 2017 Speculation (Keep it in here!!!!)

[Terry Gyimah]

They could always induct Davey Boy by himself as a singles competitor or they could induct him as a member of The Hart Foundation which means he would be inducted and so would Owen by proxy as well as Bret and Neidhart

 

[Terry Gyimah]

As for who should induct Angle into the WWE Hall of Fame since Angle no doubt will headline this class there are a ton of people who could such as:

- Paul Heyman- Angle was a Heyman Guy so it makes sense but would Heyman do it though?
- Triple H- He and Angle had a long standing rivalry way back when back in the Attitude Era
- John Cena- He and Angle too had quite the rivalry
- Brock Lesnar- But Brock I don't think would do it considering Brock doesn't attend Hall of Fame ceremonies and not to mention Brock isn't really a people person even though he and Kurt had quite the rivalry back in the Ruthless Aggression era

- JBL
- Shawn Michaels being another Angle rival who could induct Angle
- The Rock he could be another Angle rival who could induct Kurt

 

[Terry Gyimah]

If Beth goes in it makes perfect sense given her run in WWE but also she was one of the most dominant women in WWE history as far as having size and strength but also she was a multiple time WWE Women's/WWE Divas Champion but also given that her husband is WWE Hall of Famer The Rated R Superstar Edge it is pretty much a guarantee that Beth will go in by herself sooner or later

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's been confirmed via WWE.com that second official inductee into the HOF as part of the Class of 2017 is the Rock 'n' Roll Express. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were massively popular during the mid to late 80s. They were formed in the Memphis territory circa 1983, due in no small part to Jerry Lawler, and were a dominant team wherever they went. They won all the various tag titles in the Memphis territory, the Mid-South Tag Team Championships in Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling 3 times and 4 time NWA World Tag Team Championship in Jim Crockett Promotions. They had some legendary feuds against the Midnight Express, the various Russian heels and the Four Horsemen.

I was always more a Horseman fan as a kid, but I had lots of friends who were rabid fans of the RnR Express. Even though they're not exactly spring chickens anymore, they're still out there on the indie circuit, popping up in NWA promotions now and again, and they were recently part of the Total Nonstop Deletion thing in TNA.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

it's kinda weird that those far, none of the name that got announce to be inducted in the hall of fame we're on the list that the dirt sheet reported. i kinda have a feeling that WWE circulated a fake list around so that it gets leak to guys like meltzer and other so called wrestling journalist to make them look foolish by reporting it before it actually happens.

On a seperate note, i never thought in my wildest dreams that the rock & roll Express or for that matter Kurt Angle would make it into the WWE hall of fame. I guessing that this year theme will be those big surprises that you never thought would happens because yeah i get how the rock & roll express were probably the biggest thing going back in the day, especially in the south but for them to be inducted in the hall of fame is just weird since they barely worked for vince at all and when they did, they really weren'T that over to the northern crowds. Still i'm happy for them because they deserve the accolade. Now if you really want to have hell freeze over, convince Jim cornette to show up to inducted the rock and roll express.

 

[rmp0012002]

The R&R Express were on nobody's radar but they are totally deserving. Their WWE run was sad but they were Elvis huge in the NWA.

 

[rge2010]

There's no surprise that Angle goes in. Maybe the surprise is that it happens in 2017. The big question is wether or not he wrestles a match. Ric Flair and possibly a few others have wrestled post-induction. I'm pretty sure Flair was the only active wrestler.

Basically the induction doesn't necessarily mean he won't wrestle. Undertaker and Goldberg are basically the same age as Kurt, give or take a year. We won't see Angle wrestle full time. I doubt the induction means he will never wrestle in WWE, but you have to think it casts a little bit of doubt on the situation.

Who inducts Angle? Lesnar was one of his biggest adversaries therefore would be quite fitting. Edge also comes to mind. Edge was behind the you suck chant and during Angle's theme. Most likely it's Triple H or Stephanie as they both had pretty big angles with Kurt early in his career.

Unexpected but very deserving recipient. As much interest as there is to see this induction, there is far more interest is seeing Kurt Angle in a WWE ring as a competitor. Angle may be pushing 50, but he has wrestled within the last three months. The HOF nod doesn't necessarily close the door though. We may yet see Angle wrestle for WWE again.

Ricky Steamboat was another inducted and wrestled against Jericho at Mania 24. Jim Duggan was also a HOF member when he appeared at the Rumble in 2012. And you are also forgetting Bret Hart - inducted in 2006 but returned and had 3/4 'matches in 2010'..........so I would say it is very possible Angle will wrestle and that will come down to passing the medical and creative having something for him. No issues with Angle vs Rusev at Mania. More likely an in ring segment of Rusev and Mahal dressing down Americans and Angle comes out......................followed by Hogan. And they clean house.




As for Angles induction, it looks like Kurt wants Stone Cold to induct him.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I don't understand the delay for the Bulldogs.

Davey Boy in particular wrestled for the WWE for the best part of 1985-2000 (bar a couples of hiatuses) and had so many high profile matches with the likes of Bret, Owen, Shawn Michaels.... Vader in WCW... and the Bulldogs tagteam legacy.
You might have a point about Dynamite though.... there might be concerns about wheeling him out in his failing condition.... and it would likely be too much for him to deliver a speech....though surely someone could accept on his behalf?

Like you the Natural Disasters doesn't particularly excite me. Their tag team title run wasn't very memorable.... though to his credit Earthquake did have a top liner run at Hogan in 1990.

Not to say that the Disasters don't deserve it.... just there are still some very clear omissions that are still being bypassed.
But we have this argument every year.

It's not just Tommy Billington's physical condition... his mental state is such that giving him a live mic would be like giving him a shotgun. There are enough bad stories out there of how he treated other wrestlers and his ex-wife, before all the Benoit comparisons. Once he's gone, it's very easy to wheel out Harry and Georgia to accept on the teams behalf. If nothing else, Vince does NOT want a broken down wrestler whose lost the use of one leg and had a stroke...and is also suing them for concussion based injuries, who is known to have held a gun to his wife's head and is cited as the inspiration of another star who DID kill his family.

Sucks for Davey that so much of his legacy is bound up with controversial people like Tommy and Owen - on top of his own problems, which in the main he overcame till the very end of his career but the reality is that unless they are inducting the Hart Foundation as a unit (The best option as it gets Owen, Pillman AND Davey in there), Davey and Owen as a team (Unlikely cos of Martha) or The Bulldogs as a team, Davey probably isn't going in anytime soon alone - again cos of how Tommy would likely react and the shit he'd say publically.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It was announced earlier today that Diamond Dallas Page is officially in, so he joins the Rock 'n' Roll Express, Teddy Long and headliner Kurt Angle as the Class of 2017 thus far.

All in all, it's looking like a good line up. I was never a HUGE fan of DDP but he was a big star during the Attitude Era and was one of the stand out personalities in WCW. Paige also has the unusual distinction of someone who saw the prime of his career begin when he was about 40. He was well into his 30s when he began wrestling, I think he was around 33 when he started as an in-ring guy, and he really became one of WCW's top stars in the late 90s.

Personally, I sorta wish they'd announce just one more inductee, maybe a female, and call it a year. Even though the HOF ceremony is fun, you can't help but get kinda bored at something that's made up entirely of presentation packages and speeches for 4 hours.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

So they announce the second headliner with page and I'm super happy for him because he deserve it not just for his in ring career but for everything he did for the business after he retired because of ddp yoga. I really hope the jake the snake will be the one inducting him because he will have a great speech prepare for him.

So now you got 3 induction left to be announce, the women, celebrity and dead wrestler spot are left to be announce plus they need to also announce who's getting the warrior award this year. So this class is already really interesting and with a month left of announcement this will be a even better class.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Every year, around this time especially, people voice their opinions on who should be in the HOF. One constant is Davey Boy Smith/The British Bulldogs. While I agree that either Davey on his own and/or the team should be inducted, I am curious about another point that I have seen made several times. I have seen a lot of suggestions or theories that as long as Dynamite Kid is alive, Vince will not induct the Bulldogs. While this is a bit morbid for my taste, I do understand the possible reasoning that it is due to all of the trouble Dynamite has caused/the shape he is in.

So, I have a few questions...

1) Does a performer (or the kin of a performer) need to give their permission for induction?

2) Has there been an induction where an inductee (member of a team perhaps) was alive, but not in attendance during the induction?

It may be awkward/odd/"not worth it" to induct, in this example, the British Bulldogs with the only living teammate not in attendance; but, I think this "waiting for ____ to die" theory is terrible. It may very well be true, and I can't change the different ways that different people view death. I'm just saying, personally, the thought of waiting for a person to die to ultimately get a tag team into a Hall of Fame...it just rubs me the wrong way.

I'm not trying to change the world and the different views/opinions of people. I am only basing this off of my feelings. I also realize this is a very rare occurrence, as one might think "If WWE doesn't feel they are worthy of an invitation, why are they worthy of induction?" While, on the surface, that seems like a fair question, I think it is very possible to have had a career worth honoring, despite the current state of the relationship between that performer and WWE.

So, I am wondering, is there any precedent for a living inductee not being invited/in attendance for their induction? If not, is the idea of inducting the Bulldogs without inviting Dynamite to the ceremony feasible?

 

[sikkbones]

So they announce the second headliner with page and I'm super happy for him because he deserve it not just for his in ring career but for everything he did for the business after he retired because of ddp yoga. I really hope the jake the snake will be the one inducting him because he will have a great speech prepare for him.

So now you got 3 induction left to be announce, the women, celebrity and dead wrestler spot are left to be announce plus they need to also announce who's getting the warrior award this year. So this class is already really interesting and with a month left of announcement this will be a even better class.

Dead wrestler spot was rick rude. The first one announced.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Dead wrestler spot was rick rude. The first one announced.

never was announce by WWE only by meltzer and i think another guy from pwinsider.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Every year, around this time especially, people voice their opinions on who should be in the HOF. One constant is Davey Boy Smith/The British Bulldogs. While I agree that either Davey on his own and/or the team should be inducted, I am curious about another point that I have seen made several times. I have seen a lot of suggestions or theories that as long as Dynamite Kid is alive, Vince will not induct the Bulldogs. While this is a bit morbid for my taste, I do understand the possible reasoning that it is due to all of the trouble Dynamite has caused/the shape he is in.

So, I have a few questions...

1) Does a performer (or the kin of a performer) need to give their permission for induction?

2) Has there been an induction where an inductee (member of a team perhaps) was alive, but not in attendance during the induction?

It may be awkward/odd/"not worth it" to induct, in this example, the British Bulldogs with the only living teammate not in attendance; but, I think this "waiting for ____ to die" theory is terrible. It may very well be true, and I can't change the different ways that different people view death. I'm just saying, personally, the thought of waiting for a person to die to ultimately get a tag team into a Hall of Fame...it just rubs me the wrong way.

I'm not trying to change the world and the different views/opinions of people. I am only basing this off of my feelings. I also realize this is a very rare occurrence, as one might think "If WWE doesn't feel they are worthy of an invitation, why are they worthy of induction?" While, on the surface, that seems like a fair question, I think it is very possible to have had a career worth honoring, despite the current state of the relationship between that performer and WWE.

So, I am wondering, is there any precedent for a living inductee not being invited/in attendance for their induction? If not, is the idea of inducting the Bulldogs without inviting Dynamite to the ceremony feasible?

To answer your question, They have to get whoever they want to inducted permission before announcing it, mostly because they want the show to be a feel good show so not having somebody there or inducting him or her without permission would be a nightmare for WWE.

Best exemple that i can give when WWE wanted to inducted honky tonk man before the wrestlemania in phoenix, they asked him if he wanted to comes and turned them down because he had a comicbook convention that weekend and didn't want to no show the event. They could have just say fuck it, will induct him anyway but it wouldn'T have made great TV and honky could have talk shit again them for doing it anyway.

Has for the bulldogs thing, i think at this point, you need to inducted them as a team which let'S face it you could do it without dynamite by having somebody from his family comes in and receive the award, but at the same time, again this will create surely a backlash especially in england since dynamite will surely found a way to bitch about it afterward so might as well just wait for him to die before inducting him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Every year, around this time especially, people voice their opinions on who should be in the HOF. One constant is Davey Boy Smith/The British Bulldogs. While I agree that either Davey on his own and/or the team should be inducted, I am curious about another point that I have seen made several times. I have seen a lot of suggestions or theories that as long as Dynamite Kid is alive, Vince will not induct the Bulldogs. While this is a bit morbid for my taste, I do understand the possible reasoning that it is due to all of the trouble Dynamite has caused/the shape he is in.

So, I have a few questions...

1) Does a performer (or the kin of a performer) need to give their permission for induction?

2) Has there been an induction where an inductee (member of a team perhaps) was alive, but not in attendance during the induction?

It may be awkward/odd/"not worth it" to induct, in this example, the British Bulldogs with the only living teammate not in attendance; but, I think this "waiting for ____ to die" theory is terrible. It may very well be true, and I can't change the different ways that different people view death. I'm just saying, personally, the thought of waiting for a person to die to ultimately get a tag team into a Hall of Fame...it just rubs me the wrong way.

I'm not trying to change the world and the different views/opinions of people. I am only basing this off of my feelings. I also realize this is a very rare occurrence, as one might think "If WWE doesn't feel they are worthy of an invitation, why are they worthy of induction?" While, on the surface, that seems like a fair question, I think it is very possible to have had a career worth honoring, despite the current state of the relationship between that performer and WWE.

So, I am wondering, is there any precedent for a living inductee not being invited/in attendance for their induction? If not, is the idea of inducting the Bulldogs without inviting Dynamite to the ceremony feasible?

As to the first question, while it's not 100% necessary from a technical perspective, the consent of the wrestler or his/her living next of kin is pretty much a requirement otherwise it sort of defeats the purpose of the induction altogether. I remember reading an editorial by Mark Madden on this site several years back in which he was discussing Bruno Sammartino in which he said something to the effect that WWE should just induct him anyway. I remember thinking that would be an extremely douche bag thing for them to do because while WWE may well own the various TV footage of a wrestler, they don't own the wrestler him/herself. They're not indentured servants to WWE and Vince taking it upon himself to induct someone without their or their family's consent would be a huge sign of disrespect that obliterates what a hall of fame is supposed to be about.

As for the second question, nobody springs to mind. The closest thing that would come to mind would be the induction of the Four Horsemen as a group back in 2012. The line up consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham and James J. Dillon; this wasn't the original line up, of course, though this may be considered by many purists to be the overall best of the Horsemen line up. The original line up included Ole Anderson, though I wouldn't be surprised if Ole was asked and declined; I also wouldn't be surprised if he simply wasn't asked because there's a lot of bitter feelings between Ole and a number of the Horsemen, most notably Ric Flair. Lex Luger was Ole's replacement and he wasn't inducted, though I'd say that Luger will be inducted on his own someday as, generally speaking, he's probably considered a bigger singles star than either Anderson, Blanchard or Windham. Then you also have members like Sting, Paul Roma, Steve McMichael, Jeff Jarrett, Benoit, etc. Sting was inducted last year and his time as a Horseman certainly wasn't the biggest part of his career, Paul Roman was a glorified jobber, Steve McMichael was a goon that many fans just didn't like, Jeff Jarrett just didn't really fit in and Benoit...well we all know why Benoit will never be inducted.

 

[sikkbones]

The four horsemen should have been inducted for every member of the group....

Of course that did not happen and its likely becausebof thatvwe will never see the Neo or DX inducted as a group be cause there are
1.) Too many people in the nwo. (Althought its a crime Leno/rodman have not yet been inducted in the celebrity wing "sic"

2. Last I checked at least 3 DX members were persona non grata.... So unless they induct just hunter and hbk what's the point...

The only stable that makes sense to induct at this point is the hart foundation, but its not likely Martha would allow that.

Even though it would answer the Davey boy smith hof question,

 

[tomthebodz]

Drax Shadow and his family to win the Warrior award this year? He seems like the only choice. Unless there's someone else in America who's done something that I'm unaware of.

Not sure who the celebrity inductee will be this year, unless there isn't one. Maybe Kid Rock?

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Vader should go in, if he's healthy enough to be there. Even if he's not, I think it would be a nice moment.

Sable should also go in, unless there's another woman. Actually Beth Phoenix should too. Although Sable should go in first.

That would be a good class - Angle, Rock 'n Roll Express, DDP, Teddy, Vader, and Sable/Beth Phoenix.

 

[d_henderson1810]

When it comes to the celebrity wing of the WWE HoF, I am more accepting of it if the celebrity actually has done a bit with WWE, and not just a one-off appearance (otherwise WWE could put all of the RAW guest celebrity GM's in).

Well, I think that the only celebrity who has left a significant footprint on WWE, who is not in the Hall yet, and thus should be inducted this year is 80's singer Cyndi Lauper.

Now, I am not saying that I am a massive mark for Lauper. I like some of her stuff, but I like other artist's stuff better. However, of celebrities that WWE could induct, Lauper is the last one who definitely needs to go in.

This is someone who managed Women's Champion, Wendi Ritcher, appeared often on "Saturday Night's Main Event", appeared at the first Wrestlemania, and was a significant reason for the "Rock 'N Wrestling Connection", as I heard her involvement got MTV on board, and gave the WWF the mainstream appeal (along with Mr T and Hulk Hogan) to make the first Wrestlemania sell, and thus lead to the WWE being the juggernaut that it is today.

Lauper also featured Capt Lou Albano in her song clip of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and numerous wrestlers appeared in her song clip "Goonies R Good Enough".

I think she should be inducted ahead of any celebrity who hasn't been inducted yet (unless they decide to induct the Rock into the Celebrity wing as movie actor Dwayne Johnson). Lauper should be put in ahead of someone like Maria Menunous or any other celebrity not yet in.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It was announced earlier today that Beth Phoenix is the latest inductee into the Class of 2017. The Glamazon is one of the small handful of women in WWE prior to the past few years, in regards to the main roster, who managed to matter when women's wrestling in WWE didn't. Phoenix is a 3 time WWE Women's Champion and 1 time WWE Divas Champion, she's been married to Edge for about 4 months, though they've been together for several years, and they have two daughters. I wonder if Edge will induct her or if it'll be one of the current female stars.

All in all, it's a good list. They have an unquestionable all time great in Kurt Angle headlining, they have one of the top tag teams in pro wrestling history in the Rock 'n' Roll Express, one of the most recognizable stars from the Attitude Era in DDP, a memorable referee, manager & authority figure in Teddy Long and one of the top female wrestlers in WWE history. I have a feeling it goes downhill from here as I suspect that the next inductee announced will be in the "celebrity wing" of the HOF.

 

[sikkbones]

They haven't done the dead superstar yet... Which better be rude.

 

[Elchicano15]

This year's class so far sounds solid. While I do believe Beth Phoenix is deserving, I thought it was rather too early for her, when there are others such as Sable, or Velvet McIntyre. Perhaps they couldn't get a hold of one of those ladies they decided to go with the next best candidate. I was really anticipating the Natural Disasters, Earthquake and Typhoon but we have the Rock N Roll Express which is a better choice. Still the Natural Disasters should go in very soon, especially since Freddy Ottman isn't doing to well.

So I'll say Rick Rude will be this year's posthumous inductee (about time ) Brutus The Barber Beefcake should go in, representing the golden 80s era, or Vader, while his eyes are still open and this year's celebrity ought to be Shaquille O'Neil or Floyd Mayweather. I'd prefer Cyndi Lauper, Lemi or Mohammed Ali, but I think they may have a touch of some Orlando flavour.

 

[tvcolosi]

Who do you want to see induct the HoF Class?
Kurt Angle - Steve Austin
DDP - Bischoff
Teddy Long - Ron Simmons and Either JBL or Butch Reed
R and R Express - Cornette (pipe dream)
Beth - Edge or Trish

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE announced the 7th inductee, or the 8th if you count the R and R Express separately, earlier today and Ravishing Rick Rude will officially take his place in the HOF. A bit of a bonus was announced in that Ricky the Dragon Steamboat will be his inductor.

Rude was one of the more memorable heels of the 80s and first half of the 90s. The whole "striptease" bit he did before his matches was always a lot of fun and the guy did have a fantastic build, which made it all the easier to hate him. Steamboat inducting him is a nice touch as it's always cool to see the Dragon, though it's also kinda sad considering Rude's son, only 19 years old, died in a motorcycle accident so it'll be a bittersweet thing for his widow I'm sure.

 

[sikkbones]

It would have been nice to have seen DX or hbk or sting induct him.

I honestly dont remeber his major battles with steamboat....

That being said, this proves Vince doesn't hold grudges.... As rude was the first to jump afterbmontreal.