Thinking Out Loud About The WWE Hall Of Fame
By Jason Delacey
The 2018 WWE Hall Of Fame Class is pretty stacked. Goldberg, Jeff Jarrett, The Dudley Boyz, Mark Henry, Hillbilly Jim, and Ivory are the WWE Superstars to be inducted. Already the WWE Hall Of Fame has many of the biggest stars of all time. Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Mr. Perfect, Ted Dibiase and many more, but there are some wrestlers who many are shocked are not currently in the WWE Hall Of Fame.
Let's start by saying "we get it" you cannot induct every big name under the sun in one year or you are shortchanging yourself for future Hall Of Fame events. For example, it would be insane for the WWE to induct The Rock and The Undertaker in the same year, two guys who are certainly future Hall Of Famers, but also two guys who will be the main inductee of whatever the respective year they eventually go in.
Planning a Hall Of Fame class is far harder than many of us fans realize. For example, any wrestling fan can rattle off a bunch of deserving names off the top of their head without thinking. British Bulldog, Vader, Chyna, Bam Bam Bigelow, Owen Hart, Miss Elizabeth, Sable and many more. Each fan has wrestlers that they personally feel that should be in the WWE Hall Of Fame and then there is a list like the one we just did that features wrestlers and personalities that all contributed to the WWE in a major way.
Wrestlers Who Are Still With Us
It is not just a case of looking at a performers career and saying that they main evented various shows, had lots of great matches, sold a ton of merchandise. There has to be a lot more thought put into it than that. If the wrestler in question is still alive they can deal with them directly, but what if there are "personal issues" that could prevent them from being put into the WWE Hall Of Fame. We are talking issues with their personal life that could shine a negative light on the WWE. It is harsh to wipe away a performer's contributions to the WWE because of something they have done in their personal life, but from the WWE's point of view, it is understandable as it is a PR nightmare, just look at the Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal.
Also just because the wrestler is alive, it does not mean that they are on good terms with the WWE. Triple H has done a great job in mending some bridges that many felt were forever burnt, Ultimate Warrior (passed away days after being inducted) and Bruno Sammartino for example. But it can be tough when there is a lot of baggage that has built up over the years to come to an agreement and for everyone to move on.
WWE: Ultimate Warrior at the WWE Hall Of Fame event.
Wrestlers Who Have Sadly Passed Away
What if the wrestler in question has passed away? British Bulldog and Owen Hart are two guys that 100 percent of wrestling fans surely would agree deserve to be in the WWE Hall Of Fame. Owen Hart's wife clearly does not want anything to do with the WWE, but who knows maybe one day his kids would love to see their dads legacy celebrated? British Bulldog is a very strange one as he went back to the WWE in the late 90's and he is a wrestler that you never really hear anyone say a bad word about, plus his son Harry, performed in the WWE for a few years too.
Owen Hart (Left) & British Bulldog
Then you have someone like Chyna. Chyna accomplished so much in the WWE. She is the only female Intercontinental Champion and she had major crossover appeal during the height of her WWE career. Without a doubt, Chyna's WWE resume could actually make her a headline attraction in a WWE Hall Of Fame class. Sadly, she had many personal problems outside of the ring and her career as an adult film star may also make the WWE nervous.
The WWE has shown that if a wrestler who has had problems in the past, Jake Roberts and Scott Hall, for example, can get clean and turn their life around, that the door can always be opened. Sadly for someone like Chyna, she passed away before she could do that so it makes things from a PR point of view so much more tricky. If the WWE though, embraced the positives, while talking about her troubles and using that as a way to show others to get help when they need it, it could be done.
While some people are a little jaded and see the WWE Hall Of Fame as nothing more than an extra special TV event that showcases legends to sell more merchandise, there are many of us who feel it is a great way to celebrate the wrestlers and personalities of the past. If they are alive it is great to see them have the spotlight shine on them once more. If they have passed away it is fantastic that their families can see how much they meant to the fans.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the WWE Hall Of Fame in general and also let us know who you feel should be inducted and who you feel could also headline a WWE Hall Of Fame Class.