The long term wild man of the WWE, George “The Animal” Steele scared audiences for years before wrestling as a beloved Neanderthal type baby face in the twilight of his career.  He rarely won any championships, but his type of character was never designed to be a champion; it was designed to scare opponents and fans alike.  Nobody did it better than George Steele.

The Big Cat was a former professional football player and though many of that sport made their way to professional wrestling none had the gridiron pedigree that Ernie Ladd had, as he was a bonafide star with the AFL San Diego Chargers.  Ladd used his large size to enter wrestling and became the first truly successful African American heels in the industry and was a natural to go against the top face in each territory.  Ladd had many big moments in the WWE and was always a favorite go to heel there.

One of the most popular wrestlers of his day, Antonino Rocca was a spectacular athlete and one of the first to really utilize acrobatics in the ring.  Rocca was a big reason for the wrestling boom in the Northeast and his following among the Italian and Hispanic audiences was especially high. He is one of the few WWE Hall of Famers form the first televised era of wrestling.

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 it has often been criticized that he is only in due to his relationship with the McMahons and not necessarily for his overall contributions to wrestling.  We have to admit, this isn’t our favorite induction either.