Committee Chairman

Rikishi to the WWE HOF

Feb 10, 2015

It was announced today on Monday Night Raw that a member of the legendary Anoi’a family will be entering this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Class. That man is Rikishi, who had a long run under various personas in the WWE, and is the father of current WWE Tag Team Champions, The Usos, and the uncle of Roman Reigns.

Born Solafa Fatu, Rikishi first gained recognition on a national level in a tag team with his cousin, Samu, as the Samoan SWAT Team, a duo that would have success in both World Class and WCW. The then named World Wrestling Federation caught notice and signed the team in 1992, where they would shortly after capture the Tag Team Championship. Following a departure by Samu and a brief run with Sionne (The Barbarian), Fatu would be repackaged for the first time, as a positive inner city role model from the streets of San Francisco, where he was really from, but the gimmick went nowhere and he would disappear for awhile and re-emerge with a different look and identity.

Now as the “Sultan”, Fatu had no a shaved head and a partial mask, and was managed by Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik. He would have an Intercontinental Title Match against the Rock at Wrestlemania 13, but again it was a failed gimmick and he would fade away to come back another identity, though this time he was about to strike gold.

With bleach blonde hair, and a sumo type outfit exposing his ass cheeks, the now named Rikishi looked to be another bust, but this time he was able to make it work and was an instant hit with the fans, winning the Intercontinental Title and reaching the high end of the card. An ill-advised heel turn derailed his momentum but it was still the best run of his career and one that put him on the map.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rikishi for what should be the ultimate accolade to his career.

Brett Favre is coming home

Feb 09, 2015

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It appeared that this was going to be made official at some point in 2015, but this July 18th, Brett Favre will be inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and later in the year, his name and number four will be placed on the hallowed wall in Lambeau Field.

It has not been announced when they will do the official ceremony at Lambeau, but Favre, on his website is looking forward to returning to the “Frozen Tundra” and a place that he reigned as king for sixteen years.

As a member of the Packers, Favre would throw for 61,655 Yards, twice leading the NFL in that category and would throw for 442 Touchdowns, a four time champion in that statistical metric. He would be the consensus MVP in both 1995 and 1996 and would take the Packers to a win in Super Bowl in 1996.

Regarded as one of the premier Quarterbacks of all-time, Favre did not leave Green Bay on the best of circumstances as his wishy-washy retirement did the franchise no favors, and he would leave to have a pair of successful seasons with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, but it is in Green Bay where his greatest success, and dare we say his professional home is.

We are happy for the fans of Green Bay and for Brett Favre. This was a reunion we are glad did not take too long to occur.

Nick Hardwick Retires

Feb 08, 2015

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It may not have received the ceremony it deserved outside of San Diego but former Pro Bowl Center, Nick Hardwick has decided to call it a career.

The announcement came a couple of days ago, and a look at his career shows that Hardwick played 136 Games under the Quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and started every single one if them. Hardwick, who was a 2006 Pro Bowl Selection was also the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award in 2008.

While Hardwick is not really a viable candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it is conceivable that he has done enough for consideration for the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, which currently has 37 members.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Nick Hardwick for his career with the Chargers and wish him the best on the next phase of his life.

Hope for Pete Rose?

Feb 07, 2015

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

An interesting piece of news came afoot regarding Pete Rose and the Baseball Hall of Fame this week.

The new Major League Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred, stated that he would be making a decision to potentially reinstate Rose to Baseball and pardon him from gambling on the sport has a lot of ears raised. Rose has been banned for twenty-five years and throughout the Bud Selig era there was no discernable talk that he would be reinstated. There is now a glimmer of hope that the Hit King of Baseball might make it to Cooperstown after all.

This news came form an interview on ESPN’s Mike and Mike Show, where the new commissioner mentioned that he had been in contact with Rose’s lawyers and that it is a “conversation he was willing to have”. It may not seem like much, but this is by far the best chance that he has had in decades.

If by chance Manfred decides to reinstate Pete Rose to Major League Baseball, this does not mean by any stretch that he would be a lock to get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee for Rose’s era meets next in 2016, but it is made up of many players who have never been quick to induct anybody. If whomever makes up the committee wants to still play the moral card, Rose could still be shunned from Cooperstown.

We will certainly be keeping our eyes on how this develops and are hopeful that Rose will be reinstated and take his place in Cooperstown while he is alive.