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WRESTLING COLUMNS

WWE Hall of Fame Hopefuls
February 3, 2005 by Scott Latham


For my second column, I wanted to touch on a subject that will be getting a lot of attention as Wrestle Mania approaches, The Hall Of Fame. I could be mistaken, however I have not heard that WWE has announced the inductees for the coming year. So with that in mind, I am going to single out a couple of wrestlers whom I feel should be given the nod this year.

Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect) - Hennig was with out a doubt, one of the greatest intercontinental champions of all time. With what seemed to be natural arrogance, he made a great heel. Hennig had it all, personality, technical skill, and great charisma. I feel, the Curt Hennig / Bret Hart match (Summer Slam 91) was one of the greatest matches in history. However, I am sure Vince will not allow Curt on the ballot. The Perfect One will be left out of the "Hall", just as he was left out of "50 greatest wrestlers" in WWE history magazine.

Macho Man Randy Savage - Next to the Hennig / Hart match, the Steamboat / Savage (Wrestle Mania III) match ranks number two on my personal list. Savage was a complete wrestler and a great entertainer who worked hard for many years until his defection to WCW. This defection, will probably keep him out of the "Hall" as well.

Bret "Hit Man" Hart - I don't think anything even needs to be said about the "Hit Man". Bret was a great showman, a role model for many, and a wrestler that had done it all. King of the ring winner, Royal Rumble winner (co-winner), Tag Champion, IC Champ, and Heavy Weight Champ, enough said.

I welcome comments and ideas from others as to who should make the ballot this year. The three wrestlers I have chosen all left WWE under questionable conditions. Hennig was fortunate enough to make a return run after an impressive performance in the 2002 Royal Rumble, however after the altercation with Brock Lesnar (plane trip from hell) that run was cut very short. Vince McMahan seems to have a long memory, note Superstar Billy Graham, how long did it take for him to get back in good graces and be inducted in the Hall" Bret Hart seems to have patched up his past problems with Vince and stands the best chance out of the bunch to get on the ballot.

Some honorable mentioned wrestlers that would be good additions, Hulk Hogan (even thought I could never stand this guy), Ultimate Warrior, British Bulldog, and Shawn Michaels.

by Scott Latham..


Brad Dykens wrote:
I said it time and time again, the Hall of Fame doesn't mean anything if Bruno Sammartino isn't in it. All inductees up until this point are pointless if Sammartino is not there with them. I think they should have a small class of three inductees this year - Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. Then the Hall of Fame will mean something.
Kirsty Quested wrote:
I think Curt Hennig is a sadly overlooked wrestler and is worthy of a mention on the ballot. Unfortunately, it would be posthumous... As would another of your suggestions, Davey Boy Smith.

Bret Hart has said that he would never accept a Hall of Fame induction because Owen died in a WWE/WWF ring (to say nothing of that-which-we-shall-no-longer-mention). Perhaps he would change his mind someday, who knows" I quite seriously doubt it though.

I agree with you about Hulk Hogan. He should be on the ballot because love him or hate him, his charisma was what helped ignite the international WWF explosion in the early 80's, and since then they've not looked back. I don't think any other wrestler, at any other time, has been as well known as Hulk Hogan. Such a shame he couldn't really wrestle. ;)

Ultimate Warrior" Let's not feed that ego anymore... (Brad shut UP about the jacket!!!!)

I think if I had to add anyone else to the list, it would be Jake "the Snake" Roberts. I mean, just for the eyes alone. And the snake of course ;)
Brad Dykens wrote:
You mean... the "ULTIMATE" jacket" hhahahah.. PS: Tonight on SD! they offically announced Paul Orndorff, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Bob Orton and Jimmy Hart as part of this years inductee list. Another wrestler I feel has been injustly overlooked is Bob Backlund. I mean look, Sammartino, Backlund, Hogan, and Hart all held the title longer than anybody and are not included. What up wit dat"
Rhey wrote:
The WWE Hall of Fame needs Ted DiBiase like a blind man needs sight. I consider him one of the absolute greatest to EVER step into a ring, and his gimmick was so good and so successful that there's been TONS of crappy rip-offs of it since he left (my personal favourite is JBL). Also, add Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Curt Henning, Roddy Piper, Owen and (I'll grudgingly admit) Bret Hart, and you'll have a Hall of Fame with some true meaning.
William McCracken wrote:
Two more who belong in the WWE Hall of Fame: Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. However, as seen on SmackDown! this week, none of those mentioned in the column or feedback thus far are being inducted this year (unless WWE announces more inductees as the ceremony approaches), which really is quite sad.
Dan I. wrote:
I agree it's a travesty that Sammartino is not yet an inductee. I would also personally like to see guys like Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper and Dynamite Kid find a place in there as well. And what about 'Mean" Gene Okerlund and Rick Rude"

One thing though - don't hold your breath waiting for the Ultimate Warrior to be inducted. His reputation alone will most likely keep him out.
Daniel Blake wrote:
I would love to see Ravishing Rick Rude. To me he was a heels heel and the true orginator of the era of attitude. He was the man you loved to hate, but deep down wished would win.
LazyJoeD wrote:
agree with brad! sammartino should be inducted but question is would he accept it or even show up cause if memory serves didn't he a while back have harsh things to say about vince mcmahon for some reason" but! there is one thing i have allways been curious about since i don't know if this has happened or not, if you were not originally with the wwe but have a legendary impact on the company can you get elected into the hall of fame regardless" like for example jim ross but as for guys that should be in it i think the lat owen hart should be put in after all he literally gave his life to the wwe and to all us fans to keep us entertained and make them money. and i meant no disrespect by that and apologize to anyone who might be offended and truth be told and i know this will sound dumb but i will say it anyway, i think the wwe should do something for the fans since without us the wwe would not exist period.
shea gillbanks wrote:
my list of hall of famers: stone cold steve austin ravishing rick rude ric flair (please leave so you are remembered as a legend not an asskisser) mick foley randy savage ricky steamboat

each of these wretlers has given so much to the business and its questionable whether wwe would exist without them. they shouldn't be forgotten. they are all legends in my books.
Curtis McMullen wrote:
I agree with the nominations that you mentioned. And Brad, stop being so obsessed with Bruno.
Craig Lewis (Wales) wrote:
I would never put the Ultimate Warrior in the hall of fame.It dosent matter how much of a legend he is.I think they will wait a couple of more years before they put HBK in there.

Bret Hart is the man at the top of my list, but I can't see him or Vince coming to an agrrement.Its a shame they never put the differences aside and had a one-on-o9ne clash at WrestleMania...Imagine the buys thee would have for that.It would go through the roof.It would be great to here the hitmans music hit one more time!
Chris Parcella wrote:
Cowboy Bob Orton>Ya we know he already got inducted but he deserves it so I am mentioning him.

Hulk Hogan>No explaination needed

The Hart Family> Ok this one is easy if one member goes in they all go in. Bret, Owen, Stu, Hellen, Daveyboy, Dynamite, Jimmy Hart. If you are a professional wrestler and are part of that family in you go bottom line. (By the way I was and will never be a bret fan. But im not blind he deserves to be in the hall)

Curt Henning, Honkytonk Man, Rick Rude>Three of wrestlings greatest Intercontinental Champions and they eaisly deserve to be in the hall no doubt in my mind. If it weren't for injuries I truly believe that Henning and Rude both would have held the WWF World Heavyweight championship.

Legion of Doon>No explaination needed here.

Ted Dibiase> The greatest wrestler in WWE history to not hold a major singles title.

Ricky the Dragon Steamboat and Randy Macho Man Savage> The Greatest match ever these two should induct eachother and go in together. IF it weren't for them Wrestlemania III wouldnt' have been as great as it was(but i feel it to be the greatest Wrestlemania ever)

I don't mention Gordon Solie only because I never saw him on a WWE broadcast. He was maybe one of the best announcers ever but wasn't in the WWE and this is the WWE Hall of Fame.
XtremeFalls43 wrote:
WWE in my opinion should have yet to put in someone who deserves to be added Mr. Fuji who gave years of service to The McMahon as both a wrestler and Manger winning many Tag titles in the company and managing Yokozuna and Demolition. I also think WWE should consider adding someone like Arn Anderson Former WWE Champion and great WCW and NWA career .
Al 'The Fuze' Fucsko wrote:
I just want to know what Bob Orton or Nikolia Volkoff ever did to get into the WWE Hall of Fame" I honestly did like the guys, but when you overlook Bob Backlund, Bruno, Hulk, Piper, Owen, Rude, DiBiase, Bret, Flair... I mean is Hillbilly Jim or Outback Jack gonna be in there before these guys just because Vince doesn't like them anymore"" Honestly, once they put ete Rose in there last year, how much does the WWe Hall of Fame mean anyway""
Tunzafun61602 wrote:
Bruno will never get in because he won't kiss Vince's ass. It's the sad truth, you kiss Vince's ass you get into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Brqd Dykens wrote:
Bruno & Vince have been back on good terms; Bruno has been doing some things for the WWE 24/7 channel.
Anthony Mcmullen wrote:
i would like to see andre the giant, pedro morales, dibiase in the hall
Dave Johnston (Ireland) wrote:
I think Iron Sheik would be a great addition to the hall of fame.He was one of the most technically gifted wrestlers.....ever!Former olympic gold medal winner ,"Master of the suplex".He was the original Kurt Angle but Sheik was far better.Another gifted man was Hennig it would be great to see him amongst the elite of the hall of fame.Although i don`t have much time for him, Bob Backlund ,deserves a shout,particularly for his title reign at the end of the 70`s (which Sheik ended in that famous match).So these would be my choice,along with Jimmy Hart and the legendary Ted DiBiase.
jdoe jdoe wrote:
Bob Backlund should definitely be in the hall in recognition of his numerous title defenses for 5 long years. It probably won't happen though, as it's common knowledge that he would not play Vince Jr's game after the passing of Vince's father in 1983, and the ensuing set up of Backlund to lose the belt to the Sheik is the only reason his title reign didn't last longer. I'm sure he is to this day still not in the good graces of Vince, but only because Backlund's success was a result of his technical abilities vs. the gimmicks of modern-day superstars, which Backlund refused to subscribe to.
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