Prior to his career in the squared circle, the “Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez played football at West Texas and was a legitimate tough guy.  He took this manly resume into the world of pro wrestling where he proved to be a natural for the business.  He looked tough, acted tough and could cut a mean promo when needed.  Fernandez became a star in Mid Atlantic and parlayed that into a NWA World Tag Team run with Rick Rude.  Had Fernandez ever had a WWE run, it is possible that he could have done something special there, but those who saw him perform knew they were seeing a star.

Masa Saito was not your typical Japanese wrestler.  Many of them will never compete outside of Japan, and those that do may do so only for a run or two in the United States.  Saito competed often in the U.S. for various promotions often competing in tag teams with other foreign born heels.  Saito was a compact powerhouse with a legitimate amateur background (he competed for Japan in the 1964 Olympics).  This allowed him to wrestle virtually any American style.  As a former co-holder of the WWE tag belts with Mr. Fuji, Saito does have WWE experience under his belt and a large amount of American exposure with other promotions.  This could make him a dark horse candidate to become the next Japanese wrestler for the Hall.

When the Barbarian received a WCW World Heavyweight Title shot at 1992’s Halloween Havoc Pay Per View, a lot of wrestling fans wondered aloud how a life long mid carder could be on the semi main event of a major PPV.  Looking back, Sionne Vailahi (The Barbarian) had every physical gift imaginable and the skills and if booked differently could have been the top card monster that many of his co-workers thought of him as.  As a member of Paul Jones’ Army, one half of the Powers of Pain, a Headshrinker, a member of the Dungeon of Doom and a Face of Fear, the Barbarian may not have been a main eventer, but he was a dependable heel and a valuable asset on any roster.

Quite often in the 1980’s, the WWE was able to take regional stars and break them into a National audience.  Dick Slater was not one of those fortunate ones, as the “E” totally whiffed on him turning him into a happy redneck nicknamed “The Rebel”.  Outside of Stamford, Slater was at his best as a rough heel, and he headlined regional promotions for years.  He did have multiple mid card runs in WCW and proved to be a dependable hand there.  Regardless of his misuse in WWE, Slater’s personal issues will likely prevent him from ever being considered by WWE brass.