Current WWE Inductees
Nowadays, a fan pandering “good guy” might struggle to gain fan approval, but we have a feeling that even with the outdated Hillbilly gimmick, Jim Morris (Hillbilly Jim) could still get over as a face.
Hiro Matsuda was a very good wrestler and fairly successful both Japan and in the Florida territory. Like other Japanese wrestlers, he played the stereotypical foreign heel and fans delighted in booing him. However, it was not his in ring performances that he is most known for. His contributions as a Professional Wrestling trainer is…
Hisahi Shinma, the figurehead President of the WWE before Jack Tunney was “elected” to that post, but he is on this list for the way he brokered talent from New Japan to the WWE during the late 70’s and early 80’s. That brokerage helped get Tatsumi Fujinami inducted this year.
The first official employee of the World Wrestling Federation and the main Ring Announcer for decades, Howard Finkel’s signature voice bellowed countless match results and title changes. Many times we wish he was still the main ring announcer, though we never wish for a resumption of the feud with Harvey Whippleman.
Although we have stated that it is difficult to have a WWE Hall of Fame without Bruno Sammartino, we imagine it is no different to have a Hall without Hulk Hogan in it. If you were a wrestling fan in the 80’s you knew who Hulk Hogan was, and even if you were not a…
He may have stood only 5’ 6”, but Ivan Putski packed considerably more muscle on that small frame than wrestlers who stood much taller. Putski was immensely popular and the legitimate strongman had multiple successful runs on the upper mid card for the WWE in the 70’s and 80’s. That alone made him a legitimate…
The only person ever to come out of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling promotion with a decent career in the industry, Lisa Moretti had a decent run as “Ivory”, where she showed off a solid balance of beauty and skill and was a welcome addition to the Women’s division in the WWE. She would hold…
Long before she set foot in the WWE, Jackie Moore was kicking ass and taking names fighting more men than women in the USWA. Jacqueline had proved herself to be a top flight wrestler and finally received her due on the national stage competing for WCW. She wouldn’t stay there long, and she would soon…
The highlight of a Jake Roberts match wasn’t usually what happened inside the ring, but often what happened before it. His bone chilling, cerebral interviews would set him apart from the traditional bellowing that most wrestlers would do.
The first African American to manage a sports arena (Turner’s Arena in Washington D.C.), James Dudley served as an on screen manager of Bobo Brazil. He was also a long time executive and close associate of Vince McMahon Sr. Many have called this induction as one of the more bizarre entries to the Hall, as…
First off, how the hell did TNA Wrestling start a Hall of Fame WITHOUT Jeff Jarrett as the first inductee? That aside, with the way Jeff Jarrett left the WWE (he held them up for a quarter of a million when his contract ran while still the IC Champ), the WWE Hall of Fame seems…
Placed in a mask in WCW and vastly misused in the WWF, the career of Jerry Lynn was thankfully salvaged by the period in between at ECW. Lynn was a high flying hardcore superstar there, and became a natural fit in Paul Heyman’s promotion. Still wrestling today with the same aggressive style despite being near…
A legend in Memphis wrestling, Jerry “The King” Lawler did it all in the Mid South Coliseum. Finally entering the WWF in 1993, Lawler continued to wrestle and would eventually become the main color commentator for the company. Lawler was not the most athletic wrestler, but he was a master of storytelling in the ring…
Considering the acrimonious post WWE dealings he had with Vince McMahon it was a little surprising that this induction occurred. Jesse Ventura was easily the best heel commentator in wrestling history and was the reason that many fans were entertained. He very well may have defined the term “cool heel”. Jesse Ventura is also a…
Jim Barnett was not a successful wrestler, but as a promoter he had few equals. Barnett first struck gold promoting in Australia and would return to the United States as a very successful promoter of Georgia Championship Wrestling. He does have a tie with the WWE as he used to be an adviser for the…
If the WWE Hall of Fame is truly going to go old school with their Hall of Fame than so are we!
The long time announcer for the UWF, NWA, WCW and the WWE is considered by many (us included) to be the finest announcer in wrestling history. Why Jim Ross isn’t announcing on a regular basis now is a crime to us and a multitude of other wrestling fans. This is one of our favorite inductions.
We remembered one of Jim Neidhart’s last WWF appearances when Shawn Michaels courted him to join DX. He told Neidhart about how he used to carry Bret Hart and he became overlooked. This may have been a scripted line, but in the early years of the Hart Foundation, it was actually true.
When discussing the case of Jimmy Garvin the NIHOF committee openly discussed placing him in the Freebirds page. In future editions, we may do that (or we may witness Garvin get inducted with the Freebrids) but for now we will concentrate on his career before his association with Michael Hayes and company which was a…
A very successful manager in the Memphis area, Jimmy Hart entered the WWF in early 1985 and quickly became one of the top managers there guiding a unique stable of wrestlers for years. With his loud suits, obnoxious megaphone and willingness to do anything to entertain the fans, Jimmy Hart was a great addition to…