Hall of Fame 2009: Who Should Be In?

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[MolotovMocktail]

Bruno Sammartino: the first mega-face in WWWF/WWF/WWE history. His first title run lasted 8 years, a record not even Cena will surpass. Several people come to mind just having a natural connection with the fans. These include Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Ric Flair. Bruno is in that category too. Unfortunately, displeasure with the current WWE product and steroid use has led him to decline as recently as this year. Still, he is too important not to have. WWE has to make the offer, even if Vince has to step aside and let Shane, Steph, HHH or JR convince him.

Ted DiBiase: arguably the greatest heel in wrestling history, and definitely the greatest heel in WWWF/WWF/WWE history. His success in the Mid-South territory was incredible, and working as a face with Vince McMahon Sr., he became the first WWF North American champion, the precursor to the IC Title. But it was his success as the Million Dollar Man that led him to be one of the most recognizable characters in wrestling history. The tuxes, the Million Dollar Belt, Virgil, the evil laugh, the music, there is nobody more deserving who has been overlooked for so long.

Bob Backlund: The WWF's third major star after Sammartino and Pedro Morales. Often compared to Bret Hart in his prime, Backlund has the second-longest title reign in history. His amateur background led him to have awesome matches until a back injury sidelined him and let him pass the torch to an up and coming superstar named Hulk Hogan. After 9 years, he returned to the ring, eventually turning heel and becoming an outstanding crazy old man/moralistic presidential candidate. Whether you remember him for closing out the WWF's territorial era as their champ or for his wacky shenanigans during the New Generation, Mr. Backlund deserves a spot.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat: Arriving just as the WWF was going national, Steamboat's martial-arts expertise and high-flying ability gave the company some much-needed momentum. Two feuds in particular come to mind when describing the Dragon: his battles with Ric Flair in the old NWA and later in WCW, and his show-stealing IC match against Randy Savage at Wrestlemania III. While he was never a heel, he was one of the best-beloved faces and a dedicated family man.

Owen Hart: the brother of legendary Bret Hart, Owen made a name for himself by turning on his sibling and starting the WWF's first-ever brother vs. brother feud. His battles with Bret, including one of the best cage matches ever, were a high point of an otherwise dry spell in the WWF. However, he also matched up against the likes of the British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, and the 1-2-3 Kid at the time, with all being outstanding matches. His alliances with Jim Neidhart, Yokozuna, the Bulldog, and Vader also made for some highly entertaining moments on WWF TV. He was also part of the awesome Hart Foundation stable of 1997. Throughout his career, he won the Intercontinental, European, and Tag Titles, but could not capture the big one, due to his life cut short in a tragic accident. This accident has kept his widow from allowing his induction, but it will only be a matter of time before he gains his place in history.

Randy Savage: The Macho Man made a huge splash from almost the moment of his debut. Managers were tripping over each other to sign him, though he eventually shunned them all for his beautiful wife Elizabeth, the first crush of nearly every wrestling fan (unless you started watching when Sunny debuted). He was a memorable IC champion, holding onto the belt for over a year before dropping it in grand fashion to Owen Hart. He later won 2 WWF championships, with a heel turn in between. Said turn saw historic feuds with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. He returned in grand fashion with awesome feuds with Jake Roberts and Ric Flair. He slowly became relegated to the announcer's table until leaving for WCW, where he again picked up and won the World Title on several occasions. We can only hope that one day Vince will bury the hatchet and decide to induct him.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts: While he never won a title in WWE, he is certainly one of the most memorable characters ever. Feuds with Steamboat, Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Rick Martel, Earthquake, Randy Savage, and the Undertaker all defined his career. The highlight of a Jake appearance was of course the introduction of a gigantic python, whether it be Damian, Lucifer, or Revelations. He was one of the few who could play both a face and a heel with equal relish and convinceability. Drug problems have kept him down for years, but hopefully, he has rebounded enough to earn his rightful spot among the greatest.

Brian Pillman: The greatest example of what could have been. He started off as an amazing high flyer in WCW, almost on the level of a Jimmy Snuka. He soon took an egotistical turn, and became a reviled heel, teaming with Steve Austin to form the Hollywood Blondes. Later, he developed an edge to him, when he joined the prestigious Four Horsemen. This edge led him to snap on everyone, including a shoot on Kevin Sullivan ("Bookerman") during his final match. He then surfaced in ECW, where he gave an incredible debut shoot, which launched him into a feud with Shane Douglas. Unfortunately, an ankle injury sidelined him throughout his short-lived ECW career and into the beginning of his WWF career. When he recovered, he became the Loose Cannon, and joined the Hart Foundation as their only American member. His tenure saw him feud with Goldust and win Marlena's services, which he put to use in his XXX Files. Sadly, he was found dead in a hotel room the morning of a ppv show. He had nowhere to go but up, especially as the WWF was moving away from family-friendly programming, and into the Pillman-esque Attitude Era, where he certainly would have been one of the most controversial figures even for that show. He should be honored for the contributions he certainly would have made had he lived on.

[vampyur]

Apr 2, 2008 3:07:24 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

Bruno Sammartino: the first mega-face in WWWF/WWF/WWE history. His first title run lasted 8 years, a record not even Cena will surpass. Several people come to mind just having a natural connection with the fans. These include Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Ric Flair. Bruno is in that category too. Unfortunately, displeasure with the current WWE product and steroid use has led him to decline as recently as this year. Still, he is too important not to have. WWE has to make the offer, even if Vince has to step aside and let Shane, Steph, HHH or JR convince him.

Sammartino: Was offered an induction when the Hall opened (or shortly after); he flat out refused it.

[Rocky Van Heineken]

Rob Conway or Barry Darsow. Two men who revolutionized pro wrestling and made it what it is today.

[spinachchin]

Apr 2, 2008 3:28:02 GMT -5 @vampyur said:

Apr 2, 2008 3:07:24 GMT -5 MolotovMocktail said:

Bruno Sammartino: the first mega-face in WWWF/WWF/WWE history. His first title run lasted 8 years, a record not even Cena will surpass. Several people come to mind just having a natural connection with the fans. These include Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Ric Flair. Bruno is in that category too. Unfortunately, displeasure with the current WWE product and steroid use has led him to decline as recently as this year. Still, he is too important not to have. WWE has to make the offer, even if Vince has to step aside and let Shane, Steph, HHH or JR convince him.

Sammartino: Was offered an induction when the Hall opened (or shortly after); he flat out refused it.

I think they call Sammartino like every year...but they may have given up on him by now.

[Johnny Danger (Godz)]

Same guys I say every year

1 - Randy Savage
2 - Jake Roberts
3 - Ted DiBiase
4 - Terry Funk
5 - LOD
6 - Miss Elizabeth

[Captain Spaulding]

Definitely Austin.

[Rockhound]

As much as I love Liz I don't think she belongs. She never cut a promo. She was never an in ring performer and as manager, does she really rank up there with Blassie, Capt. Lou, Bobby Heenan, or the Grand Wizard? No. She represented one wrestler. 2 if you want to count the Mega Powers. Put it this way: She did no more than what Sable did before she became an in ring performer. There are many who wouldn't induct Sable for all the tea in China regardless let alone for her time as eye candy for the Wildman and that's all Liz ever was, eye candy. Nothing wrong with that it's just how it is. Believe me, if she was still alive we wouldn't even be considering her.

[Veladus Jobs To Dead Computers]

Apr 2, 2008 1:39:15 GMT -5 Raja Lion said:

Apr 1, 2008 18:16:19 GMT -5 Veladus Jobs To Dead Computers said:

If killing someone was all it took to keep someone out, Jimma Snuka would never have gotten in.

Big difference between allegations and someone killing their wife and son. Benoit will never be in the hall of fame, unless (as its been previously stated) something comes along that completely admonishes him of murdering his wife and child.

The burden if evidence against them is pretty much the same. The police thought Snuka did it, but they couldn't convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt so they had to drop it. The police also thought Benoit did it, but fortunately corpses don't have the same rights as people and they didn't need to convince a jury of anything. In both cases, the investigators thought they were guilty. The only difference is with Snuka they had to be able to PROVE it so they dropped it. Would Benoit have been convicted if he were alive? Probably. But it never happened, so we can't be sure. There's very little actual difference in the cases except that Benoit didn't have a pulse or rights anymore.

[chunkylover53]

I agree Austin should headline the 2009 Hall of Fame, and The Von Erichs and Funks being in there is a lock. But knowing the WWE(this is not necessarilly a knock) they will induct a bunch of people the fans don't know or care about. It could change though.

[Bub (BLM)]

Apr 2, 2008 9:19:53 GMT -5 Johnny Danger (Godz) said:

Same guys I say every year

1 - Randy Savage
2 - Jake Roberts
3 - Ted DiBiase
4 - Terry Funk
5 - LOD
6 - Miss Elizabeth

I have nothing to add to this. After Hennig getting in last year, these are the only ones left that I really have a strong feeling about getting in.

[M. Dirrty]

Honoring Paul Bosch would mos def pack any venue here in Houston


Booker T inducting him would be nice as well.