Although he was best known as the promoter of the Kansas City territory, St. Louis territory and multiple time president of the National Wrestling Alliance, Bob Geigel was a very successful wrestler in his own right and held multiple championships in various territories across the United States. Geigel would mainly focus on the Central States area, where he would hold titles and later become part of the management group. Although this is a WWE Hall of Fame, they have recognized outside promoters, though one who is a past president of the NWA? This might be too tall an order.

Jim Johnston may not be a name that is known well among the fans of the WWE, but his work certainly is. Johnston has been the main composer for WWE music and entrance themes for well over two decades. Indirectly, it could be argued that Johnston as responsible for more pops, as when his music hits, fans immediately know who the wrestler is that is coming out. Johnston’s music is so successful that it has sold well, and has occasionally appeared in the top ten in album sales. This has to be the definitive wildcard entrant on our list.

As “The Man You Loved to Hate”, Mick McManus was one of the first major stars of European Wrestling and did so while performing the majority of his career as a dastardly heel. Amazingly, he would become a huge celebrity in his native England, and though he had a conniving sneer and broke the rules often, he elicited such a strong reaction from the fans that they could not get enough of him. McManus also was the booker (which may explain why he rarely lost), but British Wrestling is better off for having him. What that has to do with the WWE is limited, but a British legend is not the worst induction.

A wrestler himself from the carnival days, Joseph “Toots” Mondt joined the camp of the legendary Ed “Strangler” Lewis and became a jack of all trades in the business. He would help develop a new style, stars of the business and would become an active promoter; especially in the Northeast.   In time, he would become the first major wrestling promoter to gain access to Madison Square Garden and he would eventually join forces with Vince McMahon Sr. and form Capital Sports, which would be the NWA Territory in the New York area.