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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 13:35:37 GMT -5
This is a list of the people who were inducted into both the Wrestling Observer and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames, but have yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I was just curious who you thought had a LEGITIMATE shot of getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and completing the trifecta.
1. Bill Longson 2. Billy Robinson 3. Bronko Nagurski 4. The Crusher * 5. Danny Hodge 6. Danny McShain 7. The Destroyer 8. Dick the Bruiser * 9. Don Leo Jonathan 10. Earl Caddock 11. Ed Don George 12. Ed “Strangler” Lewis 13. Edouard Carpentier 14. Emil & Ernie Dusek ** 15. Evan Lewis 16. Everett Marshall 17. Frank Gotch 18. Gene Kiniski 19. Georg Hackenschmidt 20. Giant Baba 21. Gus Sonnenberg 22. Jim Cornette 23. Jim Londos 24. Joe Stecher 25. Karl Gotch 26. Lou Thesz 27. Macho Man Randy Savage 28. Martin Burns 29. Mildred Burke 30. Pat O’Connor 31. Paul Boesch 32. Ray Stevens *** 33. Rikidozan 34. Sam Muchnick 35. El Santo 36. Stan Hansen 37. Stanislaus Zbyszko 38. Tom Jenkins 39. Toots Mondt 40. Wahoo McDaniel 41. "Wild" Red Berry 42. William Muldoon 43. Wladek Zbyszko
* The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser were inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as a tag team ** Emil and Ernie Dusek were inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame together as The Dusek Riot Squad. They were inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame along with their brothers as The Dusek Family. *** Ray Stevens was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of The Blond Bombers along with Pat Patterson
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 13:36:27 GMT -5
Here are some other lists to compare various omissions from each of the Hall of Fames:
Inductees of WWE, Wrestling Observer & Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames: These inductees have completed the HOF hat trick 1. Andre the Giant 2. Antonino Rocca 3. Antonio Inoki 4. Bob Backlund 5. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan 6. Bobo Brazil 7. Bret “Hit Man” Hart 8. Bruno Sammartino 9. Buddy Rogers 10. Captain Lou Albano 11. “Classy" Freddie Blassie 12. “Cowboy” Bill Watts 13. Dory Funk Jr. * 14. Dusty Rhodes 15. Fritz Von Erich ** 16. Gordon Solie 17. Gorgeous George 18. Harley Race 19. Hulk Hogan 20. Jack Brisco *** 21. Jerry “The King” Lawler 22. Killer Kowalski 23. Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon **** 24. Mil Mascaras 25. Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase 26. Nick Bockwinkel 27. Pat Patterson ***** 28. Ric Flair 29. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat 30. The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) 31. Rowdy Roddy Piper 32. The Sheik 33. Superstar Billy Graham 34. Terry Funk * 35. Verne Gagne 36. Vince McMahon Sr.
* Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame together as The Funks ** Fritz Von Erich was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame along with his five sons as The Von Erichs *** Jack Brisco was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame along with his brother Gerald as The Brisco Brothers **** Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as part of a tag team with Paul "Butcher" Vachon ***** Pat Patterson was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of The Blond Bombers along with Ray Stevens
Inductees of WWE & Wrestling Observer Hall of Fames: These are missing the Professional Wrestling HOF to complete the trifecta 1. Abdullah the Butcher 2. Eddie Guerrero 3. Ernie Ladd 4. Jim Ross 5. Mick Foley 6. Shawn Michaels 7. Stone Cold Steve Austin 8. Stu Hart
Inductees of WWE & Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames: Missing an induction in the Wrestling Observer HOF 1. Chief Jay Strongbow 2. The Fabulous Moolah 3. George “The Animal” Steele 4. Gorilla Monsoon 5. J.J. Dillon * 6. Junkyard Dog 7. Mae Young 8. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff 9. Paul Ellering ** 10. Superfly Jimmy Snuka 11. Tito Santana 12. Wendi Richter 13. The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika)
* J.J. Dillon was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as member of The Four Horsemen ** Paul Ellering was inducted into both the WWE and Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames as a member of The Road Warriors
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BRV
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wants him some Taco Flavored Kisses.
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Post by BRV on Feb 3, 2013 13:38:30 GMT -5
The only people on that list who stand a chance of ever being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame are Bruno Sammartino, Macho Man Randy Savage, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel.
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fw91
Patti Mayonnaise
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Post by fw91 on Feb 3, 2013 13:46:33 GMT -5
The only people on that list who stand a chance of ever being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame are Bruno Sammartino, Macho Man Randy Savage, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel. I'd add Lou Thesz to that too
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 13:56:31 GMT -5
The only people on that list who stand a chance of ever being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame are Bruno Sammartino, Macho Man Randy Savage, Stan Hansen and Wahoo McDaniel. I'd add Lou Thesz to that too Lou Thesz is definitely an odd omission from the WWE Hall of Fame. He seems like the perfect candidate for the 1994-1996 classes. Not sure if he'll ever get his chance now.
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Spider2024
Patti Mayonnaise
Dedicated 6,666th post to Irontyger
I believe in Joe Hendry.
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Post by Spider2024 on Feb 3, 2013 14:03:51 GMT -5
Most of the names in that first list are from classic eras, before the days of WWWF or even TV. I doubt any of them make it, mainly because there wouldn't be much to show in the package or talk about. When you think about it, pretty much all of the WWE Hall of Fame inductees had a significant presence on television, and television is pretty much where the WWE Hall of Fame exists, so it all makes sense.
The names that BRV and fw19 named seem about right, though I think it would be cool to see Jim Cornette in the HoF.
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Post by Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill on Feb 3, 2013 14:07:50 GMT -5
I wouldn't be surprised if Toots Mondt goes in either this year or next year, hell Roderick McMahon to for that matter.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2013 14:07:51 GMT -5
I'd add Lou Thesz to that too Lou Thesz is definitely an odd omission from the WWE Hall of Fame. He seems like the perfect candidate for the 1994-1996 classes. Not sure if he'll ever get his chance now. Isn't Cena in the Observer Hall of Fame? Yes, but what exactly does that have to do with the topic here? I thought Cena's name was omitted from the list before noticing it was a list of the guys in both the Observer HoF and PW HoF, not just one or the other.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2013 14:25:44 GMT -5
Bruno and Macho are locks to go in IMO. Santo, Hansen, Wahoo, and Thesz have a shot.
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 14:28:36 GMT -5
Is Giant Baba going in the WWE HOF completely unrealistic?
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Feb 3, 2013 15:20:17 GMT -5
I could see maybe Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher getting the induction if they ever did another WrestleMania around the upper Mid West/Great Lakes region. Maybe Sam Muchnick if they decide they want to start inducting some old territory promoters again.
I'm kinda surprised that Jim Ross hasn't gotten an induction for Danny Hodge yet.
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Post by AnActualBear on Feb 3, 2013 15:27:55 GMT -5
Is Giant Baba going in the WWE HOF completely unrealistic? I would have said no before Inoki and Mil Mascaras went in, but now I could certainly see Baba going in. Would also like to possibly see Misawa go in.
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 15:43:23 GMT -5
Is Giant Baba going in the WWE HOF completely unrealistic? I would have said no before Inoki and Mil Mascaras went in, but now I could certainly see Baba going in. Would also like to possibly see Misawa go in. The inductions of Inoki and Mascaras have certainly opened the doors for Giant Baba, Rikidozan and El Santo to receive their rightful spots in the WWE Hall of Fame. I would say those are the top five most important wrestlers who never made it in the U.S. I know it's a stretch, but there are plenty of other stars who saw their primary success outside of the U.S. (such as El Canek, Genichiro Tenryu, The Great Muta, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, Kenta Kobashi, Konnan, Masahiro Chono, Mitsuharu Misawa, and Ultimo Dragon to name a few) who may have a chance now as well. I know that's wishful thinking, but you never know.
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Jimmy
Grimlock
Posts: 13,317
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Post by Jimmy on Feb 3, 2013 15:46:35 GMT -5
All I know is that Randy Savage and Rick Rude, two of the greatest performers of wrestling history and both men who drew large amount of money, not being in the WWE Hall of Fame is beyond ridiculous.
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 3, 2013 15:48:28 GMT -5
All I know is that Randy Savage and Rick Rude, two of the greatest performers of wrestling history and both men who drew large amount of money, not being in the WWE Hall of Fame is beyond ridiculous. It strikes me as very odd that Rick Rude is not inducted in ANY of these three Hall of Fames.
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mizerable
Fry's dog Seymour
You're the lowest on the totem pole here, Alva. The lowest.
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Post by mizerable on Feb 3, 2013 15:54:43 GMT -5
Gene Kiniski should have gone in while he was still alive. I thought they were going to continue the AWA thing after inducting Gagne and Bockwinkel back to back.
Dick the Bruiser should go in for running one of the most successful promotions. It would be a lot like the Bill Watts induction, only without the tape library since Vince probably already owns it. He'd likely go in with Crusher, which is fine since they were one of the bigger tag team talents that WWF had in it's early days.
Rikidozan should go in for influencing an entire culture of wrestling to what it is today.
El Santo; see Rikidozan
Lou Thesz...why he isn't in already, I don't know. I guess he's too "legitimate" to be considered, I could see Vince only inducting the "entertainment" factors of wrestling, which is why Gorgeous George is in, and Lou isn't.
Ray Stevens, seeing his relationship with Patterson, I don't know why this hasn't happened. I can't remember, was he the guy who was responsible for allegedly trying to have sex with Barry O?
Wahoo McDaniel...I could see this happening sometime down the road. Unless WWE decides to keep inducting people from the current generation. *sigh*
Mildred Burke, another pioneer who should have gone in a long time ago.
Also; Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Georg Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch and Pat O’Connor SHOULD go in, but I think much like Thesz, they fit in that "legitimate era" mold, which doesn't exactly fit to what WWE is now, plus they probably wouldn't do it since 98% of the audience doesn't know who they are, or don't care. At least with Thesz's case, he had a very long and exposed career, which may help his cause. These 4 guys are likely never going in.
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The Heenan Family
Unicron
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Post by The Heenan Family on Feb 3, 2013 15:57:39 GMT -5
NO - Bill Longson, Bronko Nagurski, Danny McShain, Earl Caddock, Ed Don George, Ed Strangler Lewis, Emil Dusek, Ernie Dusek, Evan Lewis, Everett Marshall, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gus Sonnenberg, Jim Londos, Joe Stecher, Martin Burns, Mildred Burke, Rikidozan, El Santo, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Tom Jenkins, William Muldoon, Wladek Zbyszko
As has been explained, most of these guys are pre-television era stars (not much footage) who had little to no connection with WWE/Capitol Wrestling. Even guys like Rikidozan and El Santo are a bit too foreign and a little too dead. To WWE it'll be "why induct Rikidozan and El Santo when we can induct the Great Muta and Rey Mysterio?"
YES - Billy Robinson, Bruno Sammartino, The Crusher, Danny Hodge, The Destroyer, Dick The Bruiser, Don Leo Jonathan, Edouard Carpentier, Gene Kiniski, Giant Baba, Jim Cornette, Karl Gotch, Lou Thesz, Macho Man Randy Savage, Pat O'Connor, Paul Boesch, Ray Stevens, Red Berry, Sam Muchnick, Stan Hansen, Toots Mondt, Wahoo McDaniel
Billy Robinson - He gets mentioned on WWE television from time to time and he's still alive. Though he has a mixed reputation.
Bruno Sammartino - Hopefully he really has agreed to a deal and goes in this year. Otherwise I don't think he'll ever go in.
The Crusher - He was honored at WWE IYH Bad Blood I think. I gotta believe they've considered inducting him in the past.
Danny Hodge - He was just at Jim Ross appreciation night a few months ago and attends RAW whenever they're in Oklahoma. If they take WrestleMania to New Orleans or Texas next year, I can see him going in.
The Destroyer - He inducted Gorgeous George for WWE. Surely they'd return the favor.
Dick The Bruiser - He and the Crusher might go in together eventually. Perhaps when they return to Chicago? I'd say Indianapolis but I'm not sure if WWE would go there again for Mania.
Don Leo Jonathan - Sadly, I think he'll pass away before WWE gets to inducting him. Which is a shame because it seems like they've had plenty of chances to do so. Unless his Mormon beliefs prevent him from doing business with WWE again.
Edouard Carpentier - I don't think WWE ever acknowledged his death, but he did work for them in the 1960s and again decades later as their French commentator in Canada.
Gene Kiniski - Like Carpentier, I don't think WWE ever acknowledged his passing. He too was honored at that IYH with other NWA legends.
Giant Baba - While WWE might be more tempted to induct living Japanese legends, if they induct one posthumously it will be Baba. They own plenty of footage of him when he toured America and competed for WWE.
Jim Cornette - I don't think there's a rush to induct him within the company, but he could go in eventually.
Karl Gotch - Another guy WWE didn't really mention upon passing. He is a former tag champ and Cesaro is currently using his driver. Plus if Frank Gotch is too old and dead, having another guy (no relation) with the name Gotch could be exciting to them.
Lou Thesz - He was another legend honored at that IYH pay per view in the late 90s. He won a legends battle royal for WWE in the late 80s and Vince interviewed him on TNT. A bit surprising that he isn't in already. Hard to believe he hasn't been suggested. Though maybe his estate has blocked induction? He didn't seem to be much of a WWE fan towards the end...
Macho Man Randy Savage - I feel like he would have been inducted within the past few years if he hadn't died. Seemed like slowly but surely Savage was falling back into the WWE fold with action figures and video games. Now there's no rush given Lanny's demands.
Pat O'Connor - He didn't really ever work for WWE but he is another old timer like Kiniski or Carpentier who could could sneak in posthumously.
Paul Boesch - I think he was nominated in 2009 for induction but didn't go in because they had decided on Fritz Von Erich and Bill Watts as promoters. WWE promoted his retirement show before he died. I am sure he'll go in next time they are in Texas.
Ray Stevens - With Pat Patterson's influence, you'd think he'd have been inducted by now. Is it only a matter of time or is his estate blocking induction?
Red Berry - Okay, I really don't think Red Berry has a shot. But it felt weird putting him on the NO list given that he actually worked for WWE. He was a mentor to Gorilla Monsoon.
Sam Muchnick - He too was honored at that IYH in the late 90s. He always had a good relationship with the WWE even after they broke away from the NWA...and later returned. I know if WrestleMania ever went to St Louis (highly unlikely) he'd be inducted.
Stan Hansen - He inducted Antonio Inoki into the WWE Hall of Fame a few years ago. Plus JBL brings him up on commentary a lot. Only a matter of time.
Toots Mondt - There's a history of the WWE dvd coming out later this year. If they are honest, they'd mention Toots and his influence over the formation of the WWE/Capitol Wrestling and the style of wrestling WWE has perfected from his vision. This would be the perfect year to induct him.
Wahoo McDaniel - He and Strongbow once passed the torch on television to Tatanka. I think if Mania goes to New Orleans or Dallas next year, he could very well go in.
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mizerable
Fry's dog Seymour
You're the lowest on the totem pole here, Alva. The lowest.
Posts: 23,475
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Post by mizerable on Feb 3, 2013 16:07:22 GMT -5
I forgot about Stan Hansen. He showed up a few years ago to induct Inoki, so it would seem like he's on good terms.
Oh and the weirdest thing about Hansen's history with the WWF is that he'll probably be most remembered by casual fans as the redneck wrestler in No Holds Barred. Ironically enough, he was by far the best wrestler turned actor in that movie, or most wresters turned actor movies in general.
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Post by Manute Bol on Feb 4, 2013 12:34:46 GMT -5
Inductees of WWE & Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames:Missing an induction in the Wrestling Observer HOF 1. Chief Jay Strongbow 2. The Fabulous Moolah 3. George “The Animal” Steele 4. Gorilla Monsoon 5. J.J. Dillon * 6. Junkyard Dog 7. Mae Young 8. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff 9. Paul Ellering ** 10. Superfly Jimmy Snuka 11. Tito Santana 12. Wendi Richter 13. The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) * J.J. Dillon was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as member of The Four Horsemen ** Paul Ellering was inducted into both the WWE and Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames as a member of The Road Warriors
Will any of these get into the Observer HOF to complete the hat trick? I'm surprised Moolah, JYD, Gorilla and Strongbow never got in. Anyone know why that is?
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Feb 4, 2013 13:11:51 GMT -5
Inductees of WWE & Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames:Missing an induction in the Wrestling Observer HOF 1. Chief Jay Strongbow 2. The Fabulous Moolah 3. George “The Animal” Steele 4. Gorilla Monsoon 5. J.J. Dillon * 6. Junkyard Dog 7. Mae Young 8. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff 9. Paul Ellering ** 10. Superfly Jimmy Snuka 11. Tito Santana 12. Wendi Richter 13. The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) * J.J. Dillon was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as member of The Four Horsemen ** Paul Ellering was inducted into both the WWE and Professional Wrestling Hall of Fames as a member of The Road Warriors
Will any of these get into the Observer HOF to complete the hat trick? I'm surprised Moolah, JYD, Gorilla and Strongbow never got in. Anyone know why that is? Well for Gorilla it might have something to do with Meltzer spending years calling him the worst announcer in the business.
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