The next choice generated more debate from us in terms of their genre and not so much in terms of the band itself. Mötley Crüe was one of the many Metal bands to come out of L.A., but they were likely the band most closely associated with Hair Metal, and the debate we had is just how worthy that genre is. 

Anyone who has heard the Iron Sheik lately should be amazed that there was no set incident during his induction speech from 2005.  All jokes aside, the Iron Sheik may have been a surprise WWF World Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Bob Backlund, but the Sheik brought to wrestling a very legitimate amateur background that he parlayed into a fluid wrestling game.  Excellent on promos, the Iron Sheik was easily among the best rule breakers of his day.

It is common on this list to talk about how important being a great live act is. Perhaps there is no other group on this list that had their career defined by that strength than Cheap Trick; whose take on Power Pop made them a must see attraction in the late 70’s.

After the infamous Montreal Screwjob, this was an induction that appeared could never happen.  But as they say, “anything can happen in wrestling”, and time appeared to heal the deepest of wounds.  Bret “Hit Man” Hart would become a five time WWE World Heavyweight Champion and the greatest technician of his day.  He was an amazing in ring story teller, and his quiet brand of cool captured the imagination of fans.  As much as fans thought that Bret’s induction would never come, you can believe they are all glad that it did.