According to the very reputable website, pwinsider.com, there will be 10 new entrants in the WWE Hall of Fame via the Legacy Wing.  As per previous years, this came with no fanfare and is a group of names that run the gamut of wrestling history with carrying levels of importance.

The new inductees will be:

Jim Barnett:  Barnett was one of the most successful promoters in wrestling history beginning with Indianapolis and Detroit and in the 1960s would take over the Australian territory and take it to new heights.  He would buy into Georgia Championship Wrestling and raise its profile until he sold his interest to the WWF where he would become a Vice President from 1984 to 1987.  He would later serve as a consultant in WCW and again in the WWE.  Barnett was ranked #127 on our Notinhalloffame.com list.

Bruiser Brody:  If there was anyone who had more of a free and independent spirit in Professional Wrestling we don’t who it is!  Brody was trained by Fritz Von Erich and would be a freelancer throughout the world and an international legend.  The pioneer of the modern brawling style was killed in Puerto Rico by a fellow wrestler (and booker) when he was stabbed over a business dispute in 1988.  Through Brody’s widow, a Legends Contract is in place for Brody and has been for a while so there is little surprise.  Brody was ranked #7 by us on Notinhalloffame.com.

Primo Carnera:  Carnera is actually better known for being the Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1933 but he would wrestle after his boxing career ended and he would receive world title shots against Lou Thesz.  We did not have Carnera ranked.

Joseph Cohen:  Cohen was the creator of the Madison Square Garden Network, which had a relationship with the WWE as they aired their shows at MSG on that channel.

Wahoo McDaniel:  A former member of the American Football League over nine seasons, Wahoo McDaniel would be a stalwart in the National Wrestling Alliance, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic Territory where he was multi-time champion.  He would also hold multiple championships in Texas, Florida and Georgia and among his peers was one of the most respected wrestlers in the business. McDaniel was ranked #44 by us on Notinhalloffame.com.  He passed away n 2002.

S.D. Jones:  Jones cut his teeth in the Mid-Atlantic and California territories and he would join the WWF in the early ’80s.  Jones was originally in the mid-card but as the organization exploded in popularity he would be used as enhancement talent, most notably putting over King Kong Bundy in 24 seconds at the first Wrestlemania.  While he lost the majority of his matches he would be a very popular figure.  Jones was ranked #185 on our Notinhalloffame.com list.

“Playboy” Buddy Rose:  Many remember Rose in his last run with the company where his weight was a punchline with the “blow away diet” but he was a top contender for the WWWF title in 1982 against Bob Backlund and under a hood was the Executioner, the first man to walk down the aisle at a Wrestlemania.  Rose was a major star in Portland where he held their version of the Heavyweight Championship many times.  Rose is ranked #153 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Hisashi Shinma:  Shinma was the figurehead President of the WWF from 1978 to 1984 but he was also a top executive and booker for New Japan and integral to their relationship to the WWE, which would see a lot of talent exchanges between the two.  He was ranked #356 on our Notinhalloffame.com list.

Professor Toru Tanaka:  From Hawaii, but portraying an evil Japanese villain, Professor Toru Tanaka would challenge Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship and along with Mr. Fuji would be a three time WWWF World Tag Team Champion.  Tanaka would also appear in multiple films.  He was ranked #82 on Notinhalloffame.com

Luna Vachon:  This was a little controversial for some as many would think that the induction of Vachon (albeit posthumous) should have taken place on the main stage especially considering her main run in the WWE took place in the Attitude Era.  In an era of Divas, Vachon was a wrestler and she should have entered the WWE Hall of Fame before other women who entered ahead of her.  She was ranked #126 on Notinhalloffame.com.

While we again reiterate that this is a strange group, we are happy for the families of this group and we congratulate them.  

We will now begin work on revising our list and hope to have that up next month.

One of our favorite franchise Halls of Fame belongs to the New England Patriots, who not only have had a better past 20 years than any other NFL franchise but also celebrates their history better than most teams regardless of the sport.  That institution has announced that former Offensive Lineman Leon Gray has been chosen for the New England Patriots Hall of Fame via their Senior Committee.

Drafted in the 3^rd Round in 1973 by Miami, the Dolphins did not see much in their selection from Jackson State and he would be cut.  The Patriots disagreed with that assessment and he was signed where he would become the team’s starting Left Guard.  Gray moved to Left Tackle the following season, which was a perfect fit for his skills.  He would be named to the Pro Bowl in 1976 and 1978 with the latter seeing him earn First Team All-Pro honors.  He would surprisingly be traded to the Houston Oilers the following season where he would go to three more Pro Bowls.

Gray will be inducted along with one more former player, which will be revealed next week.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Leon Gray for earning this prestigious honor.

The Final Four is this weekend and what better way to celebrate that then by having the College Basketball Hall of Fame announce their Class of 2019.  This group consists of six former players and three former coaches.

They are:

Shane Battier:  Battier played at Duke where he would take the Blue Devils to the Final Four in 1999 and 2001.  In the latter appearance Duke would win the NCAA Championship and he was the consensus MVP as well as being the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.  Battier would later win two NBA Championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.

Calbert Cheaney:  Cheaney played for the University of Indiana from 1989 to 1993 where he would take on the role as the team leader for the Hoosiers.  As a Senior, Cheaney would be named a First Team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and the National College Player of the Year.  He is the all time leader in school and Big Ten history.

Ernie DiGregorio:  DiGregorio played college ball at Providence where he would lead the Friars to a Final Four in 1970.  He would after be named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Terry Dischinger:  Dischinger played three years at Purdue and as a Junior and Senior was a First Team All-American.  He averaged 28 Points per Game as a Boilermaker and he would go on to be a the NBA Rookie of the Year and a three time NBA All Star.

Homer Drew:  Drew had an overall coaching record of 640-428 that spanned from 1976 to 2011, and he achieved most of his fame helming Valparaiso from 1988 to 2011 (with the exception of the 2002/03 season).  He took the Crusaders to eight Mid-Con tournament wins and was named the Mid-Con Coach of the Year four times.

Larry Johnson:  Johnson was the NJCAA Player of the Year at Odessa and he would transfer to UNLV where he would help the Runnin’ Rebels win the 1990 NCAA Championship.  They would go undefeated the next season only to be upset by Duke in the Final Four but Johnson was the Naismith College Player of the Year in 1991.  He was the Big West Player of the Year in both of his years at UNLV.

Todd Lichti:  Lichti played at Stanford for four years where he was a Consensus Second Team All-American as a Senior (1989).  Lichti was also a four time First Team All Pac 10 player and after he left the school he was their all-time leading scorer.

Rick Majerus:  Majerus was the five time WAC Coach of the Year and he took Utah to the Final Four in 1998.  His coaching record was 517-215 while helming Marquette, Ball State, Utah and Saint Louis.

Lute Olson: Olson coached from 1973 to 2008 compiling a 781-280 record with Long Beach State, Iowa and Arizona.  He took the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 1980 but it was with the Wildcats where he had his greatest success taking them to four Final Fours and the NCAA Championship in 1997.  Olson was already inducted in 2006 with 179 other people but the College Basketball Hall of Fame is now taking a more traditional approach with those from that class, hence his second induction.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will be announcing their class this weekend.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the members of the Class of 2019.

As been suspected for nearly a month, the WWE Hall of Fame rounds out its Hall of Fame class with the announcement that Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake will be inducted this week.

Known as Ed Leslie on his personal identification, Beefcake got his start as Eddie Boulder the kayfabe brother of Terry Boulder (Hulk Hogan) and he would wrestler on the lower card of multiple promotion as that name and later Dizzy Hogan.  When Hogan was signed by the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983 and quickly became their Heavyweight Champion he was able to exert some influence and get his good friend (Leslie) a spot in the rising wrestling promotion.  

Now named Brutus Beefcake, his gimmick was a self-absorbed Chippendale like character and he would take on Johnny Valiant as his manager.  He would wrestle against David Sammartino in the inaugural Wrestlemania and a few months later with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine he would become one half of the WWF World Tag Team Champions when they defeated Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham. The reign lasted until Wrestlemania II where the lost to the British Bulldogs and they spent the rest of the year chasing them to regain their belts, though they would be unsuccessful.

Beefcake would turn face at Wrestlemania III when Valentine, Valiant and their cornerman Dino Bravo left him in the ring following their win over the Rougeau Brothers.  He would help “Rowdy” Roddy Piper defeat “Adorable” Adrian Adonis and cut the latter’s hair as revenge for Adonis erroneously cutting Beefcake’s hair in a televised six man tag team match.

This would lauch one of the more improbably high card babyface acts in the history of the World Wrestling Federation as Beefcake began cutting the hair of his opponents after he would beat them and the fans alike responded.  He would feud with his old partner and then with the Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title.  He was scheduled to face Honky at the first Summer Slam in 1988 but he was taken out by “Outlaw” Ron Bass who he then feuded with and defeated in a hair vs hair match on a Saturday Night’s Main Event.  

Following Wrestlemania V, he would feud with Randy “Macho Man” Savage and in his highest profile match he teamed with Hogan in the main event at Summer Slam 89 and defeated Savage and Zeus.  He would pin Mr. Perfect at Wrestlemania VI and was scheduled to face him for the Intercontinental Title at Summer Slam 1990 but a parasailing that shattered his face took him out of action and he would not wrestle again for three years until he wrested Ted DiBiase on Monday Night War.  DiBiase and his WWF World Tag Team Championship partner, Irwin R. Schyster tried to reinjure his face and put him out of action but would be rescued by a returning Hulk Hogan.  This led to Beefcake’s last high profile match in the WWF where he and Hogan challenged (and lost by disqualification) to DiBiase and Schyster.

Leslie would join Hulk Hogan in WCW where he would take on a multitude of personas as he was not allowed to be known as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake there due to the WWE’s copyright on the name.  Over a four year period he would appear as Brother Bruti, The Butcher, The Zodiac, The Booty Man and The Disciple which would see mixed success but many televised appearances. 

Ed Leslie may not have been the best wrestler by any stretch of the imagination but in the late 1980’s and in 1990 he was one of the top babyfaces in a high money period in the WWF.  That shouldn’t go unnoticed and his induction reflects this.  We had him ranked #71on our last ranking of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Brutus Beefcake on earning this honor.