The WWE Hall of Fame has announced the second member of the Class of 2021, and it is Eric Bischoff, the former President of World Championship Wrestling.

Bischoff first worked in wrestling as an announcer in the American Wrestling Association, and would be hired to announce for WCW, albeit on lower-rated shows.  In 1993, He shockingly won the role of Executive Vice President with WCW, and two years later, he would launch Monday Night Nitro, to run in direct competition with the WWE.

Bischoff used the resources of Ted Turner, to not only sign Hulk Hogan, but Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, and Nitro would beat Raw in the ratings 83 weeks in a row.  As this was occurring, Bischoff honed his skills on camera, and played a dastardly heel authoritarian figure.  Bischoff showed marketing skills, cross promoting with other programs, and he became almost as well-known as Vince McMahon.

Ratings would sag, and a burned-out Bischoff was fired in 1999, but he would be asked back as his replacement, Vince Russo, was struggling.  He left again in July of 2000, and WCW continued to plummet.  Bischoff made a pitch to buy the wrestling company, but once they lost television, there was no reason for Bischoff to pursue ownership. WCW would be sold to McMahon at a steal, who acquired the back catalogue and trademarks.

Hell froze over in 2002, when Bischoff appeared on WWE television as the kayfabe General Manager of Raw. He held that role for three years, and was largely praised for his performance.  Bishoff also later worked for TNA.

Bischoff last worked for the WWE in 2019 when he had a brief run as the Executive Director of Smackdown.  He has since made appearances for All Elite Wrestling.

It was also announced last week that there will be a special that will include the 2020 and 2021 Classes.  The 2020 Class comprised of the New World Order (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and X-Pac), John Bradshaw Layfield, the Bella Twins and Jushin “Thunder” Liger.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Eric Bischoff for his impending induction.

This is an exciting day for us at Notinhalloffame.com.

The United States Athletic Hall of Fame is now open online.

For the first time, a Hall of Fame celebrating the complete breadth of American sports has been created and all inductees will be decided by the public.  Voting begins immediately.  Sports fans will have the opportunity to decide among 130 former athletes, 100 coaches, and 100 contributors to determine the first class.

The Class of 2021 will be comprised of 50 athletes, 10 coaches and 10 contributors.  Future classes will be considerably smaller, as the first group is intentionally large to make up for the vast number of worthy candidates that exist.

To qualify for the USAHOF, a candidate must be at least 50 years old at the beginning of the year and born in the United States or have represented the United States internationally.  The candidates come from auto racing, baseball, basketball, billiards, bowling, boxing, cycling, diving, figure skating, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, horse racing, mixed martial arts, sailing, soccer, skiing, speed skating, swimming, synchronized swimming, tennis, track & field, triathlon and wrestling.

Voting for the 2021 class will remain open until June 15, with voters allowed to vote once per day.  We will be announcing the first class on June 20^th.  Moving forward, Juneteenth will be the date of each class’s announcement. 

Candidates were chosen by a group consisting of former athletes, writers and bloggers.

The United States Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 2020 and created by Kirk Buchner and Evan Nolan, who co-run Notinhalloffame.com, the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame and the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The site can be found here: http://www.notinhalloffame.com/usa

We thank you for your support, and vote often!

When you consider the choice of the best love songs from various artists, it is natural to come up with the ones written by outstanding songwriters nominated in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Since it is known that the 51st Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala postponed till June 2022, we have time to identify the best date night songs from artists who have made great contributions and honored for induction in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Music and Love – the Best Combination

Everyone knows that music has the power to influence love in rather important ways. It can help set the mood, say what you cannot on your own, and do so much more. Music really is the best combination for helping people get closer. And it's really a talent to write not just a catchy song but to develop a thoughtful, meaningful piece of music. For that reason, along with lustylocals users who are focused on romance, we're going to pick out recognized incredible love songs by songwriters announced last year as one of the inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Mariah Carey

Always Be My Baby is one of Mariah's biggest hits that is still played on the radio today. The song is not merely a catchy tune, but it also demonstrates her vocal strength and ability to construct a beautiful, meaningful song with lyrics such as "You'll always be a part of me, I'm part of you indefinitely."

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)

While Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)is not necessarily a song directly about love, it has been interpreted that way throughout the years. It talks about how some relationships are helpful, and others use people. The song has a funky synth beat, too, and it deserves to be immortalized.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo (The Neptunes)

Together, the pair wrote the song U Don't Have to Call, which was then performed by Usher. The lyrics include: "You don't have to call/It's okay, girl/'Cause I'ma be alright tonight," which shows a man moving on from a relationship even though it appears tough.

The Isley Brothers

One of the most popularsongs of the early 1970s, The Isley Brothers' That Ladyis about a man obsessed with a woman, but she rebuffs his advances, and he decides to "keep on keepin' on" and move onto the next part of his life.

Steve Miller

I Love You is incredibly simple and whimsical song, demonstrating the light, airy feelings that love can inspire so perfectly that it stands out from the rest of the album.

Rick Nowels

Nowels co-wrote the song White Flagwith Dido and Rollo Armstrong. The song is about the end of a relationship and how one person can't move on while the other seems to have come to grips with it. The song perfectly encapsulates the desperation that one feels when something important has ended, but you can't give up with the line, "But I will go down with this ship/And I won't put my hands up and surrender."

William "Mickey" Stevenson

He wrote I'll Always Love Youfor The Spinners, and the song was very loving with lines, "Sometimes a man/Has too much pride to see/But losing your love, my darling/Has opened my eyes for me."

It is clear that some bands and people belong in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, even if they didn't sing the song themselves. In this case, the love songs outlined here are transformative and indicate special individuals that made a real difference with their works.

As we are approaching the NFL Draft, our Notinhalloffame.com list of 300 former players to consider for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  

As always, whenever we do a revision, four things take place:

1. We remove the names who were chosen.  This took out six players, Peyton Manning (#1), Charles Woodson (#2), Alan Faneca (#4), John Lynch (#25), Calvin Johnson (#27) and Drew Pearson (#28).

2. We add the relevant players who are now eligible for the Hall of Fame.

3. We take into account your votes and comments.

4. We add any players who we should have had listed before.

So, let’s get to it!

Here is our new top ten:

#1. DeMarcus Ware.  Once again, we have a debut of a first-year eligible at the top, but unlike last year’s #1, Peyton Manning, Ware is not a lock to enter Canton immediately.  The Linebacker was a four-time First Team All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowler and two-time leader in Sacks, and while Ware is mostly known for his work as a Dallas Cowboy, he won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

#2. Randy Gradishar. Gradishar moves up to #2 from #5, and this is the highest ever rank for the former Bronco.  The Linebacker was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, and was also a five-time First Team All-Pro, and in 2020 he was a Finalist in the Centennial Slate Class.  Gradishar was also a Finalist twice before, and is only eligible as a Senior Candidate.

#3. Chuck Howley.  Howley, who is a former #1, moves back near the top from last year’s #6 rank.  The third Linebacker in a row, was First Team All-Pro five times, and a Super Bowl MVP. Like Gradishar, his only path to the Hall is via the Senior Committee.

#4. L.C. Greenwood. Greenwood, who was chosen for the 1970s All-Decade Team, was a key member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain”, and is a four-time Super Bowl Champion.  The Defensive End slid one spot from #3.

#5. Roger Craig.  Craig is our highest rated offensive player, and the Running Back moves up two spots.  The former 49er was the 1988 Offensive Player of the Year and he was the first player to rush for 1,000 Yards and receive for 1,000 Yards.  Like Gradishar, Craig was a Centennial Slate nominee.

#6. Torry Holt.  Holt was a Finalist the last two years, and it should be only a matter of time, following the selection of his fellow Rams Wide Receiver, Isaac Bruce.  Holt is currently 16^thin Receiving Yards (12,382) and has been eligible for the Hall since 2016.  He was slotted at #9 last year.

#7. Ken Anderson. The former Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback was a Finalist in 1996 and 1998, and was the MVP in 1981.  Anderson is one of the best Quarterbacks not inducted, and arguably the best Bengal not inducted.  He moves up from #10.

#8. Lavvie Dilweg.  Dilweg won three NFL Championships with the Green Bay Packers (1929-31) and was also a Centennial Slate Finalist.  He moved up from #12.

#9. Reggie Wayne.  The former Colts Wide Receiver has been a Finalist the last two years and is tenth all-time in Receiving Yards (14,345). Wayne won a Super Bowl with Colts, went to six Pro Bowls but slipped one spot from last year.

#10. Ronde Barber.  Barber played his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where the Cornerback won a Super Bowl.  A three-time First Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl Selection, Barber was a Finalist for the first time last year.

As mentioned, there are many new entries in our top 300.

Steve Smith makes his first appearance at #12.  The Wide Receiver is arguably the greatest offensive Carolina Panther ever, and the two-time First Team All-Pro is eighth all-time in Receiving Yards (14,731).

Another Wide Receiver, former Houston Texan, Andre Johnson, makes his first appearance at #30.  Johnson is currently eleventh overall in Receiving Yards (14,185).

We made a colossal error in overlooking Ken Riley, the former Cincinnati Cornerback who has 65 career Interceptions.  He comes in at #41.  

At #73 is another first-year eligible Wide Receiver,Anquan Boldin.  Boldin went to three Pro Bowls and has 13,779 career Receiving Yards.

Devin Hesterdebuts at #103, and could be the next Special Teams player to enter the Hall of Fame.  He was chosen for his returning acumen for the NFL 100^thAnniversary Team.

Former Colt Defensive End, Robert Mathis, enters at #111.  Mathis has over 100 Sacks, went to six Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl.

Exceptionally popular Nose Tackle and former New England Patriot, Vince Wilfolk, debuts at #145.

Wayne Walker, a former Detroit Lion, who should have consideration on this list before, is ranked at #222.  Walker played at Linebacker and Place Kicker.

Former San Francisco 49er Offensive Lineman, Randy Cross, also should have been ranked last year when we expanded to 300.  The three-time Super Bowl Champion is slotted at #229.

Another former Lion who we overlooked in our expansion is Jim David, who enters at #236.  David was a six-time Pro Bowl Defensive Back.

Seven-time Pro Bowl and two-time First Team All-Pro Center, Nick Mangoldis at #253.  

Defensive End, Ron McDole, also should have been on our list of 300. The two-time AFL Champion with Buffalo enters at #270.

The final new entry in Herman Moore, another Detroit Lion, who we missed out on.  He debuts at #295.

We thank you for your support, and look forward to your feedback.