We are trying to think of a time when Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat had a bad match with anybody.  We couldn’t.  When you combine that fact with a near twenty year body of work, you know you are talking about someone special.  He never won the world title for the WWE, but he did capture the NWA version which is thankful as nobody as talented as Ricky Steamboat should go throughout his career without a World Heavyweight Championship.

Many (including us) were surprised by this induction.  “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware did have a long tenure in Stamford, but it was mainly as a “jobber to the stars” and though he was a good hand, he did not have a career that seemed to scream Hall of Fame.  With all due respect to the Birdman, we wonder if this is just a case where Vince was looking to be nice.

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.

A major star in the Mid-West, “Cowboy” Bill Watts was a tough no nonsense wrestler in the ring.  It should there be no real surprise that Watts took the same attitude behind the scenes where he was a very successful promoter for the Mid South Promotion and later a successful executive for both the WCW and WWE.  This induction is more likely due to his post in ring career than inside of it.