It was announced today that WWE Hall of Famer, Rocky Johnson, passed away today at the age of 75.  

Born Wayde Bowles in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Johnson was a natural athlete who had initially trained to be a boxer.  While he once sparred with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, his true calling was professional wrestling, which he began in 1964.  

Taking on the name of (which he would also legally change his name to) of Rocky Johnson, he would wrestled across North America, breaking out in 1970, when he won the NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship in Los Angeles.  Throughout the 1970s, he performed for various NWA promotions.  In 1971, he wrestled in San Francisco, where he was their United States Champion and later four-time Tag Team Champion, three of those reigns held alongside Pat Patterson.  “The Soulman” would also win other major singles titles in the United States, among which were the NWA Georgia Heavyweight (1974), NWA Florida Heavyweight (1975), NWA Texas Heavyweight (1976), and NWA Mid-America Southern Heavyweight (1976).

In the early 80s, a run in Mid-Atlantic would precede the WWF, where he teamed with Tony Atlas to defeat the Wild Samoans for the Tag Team Championship.  He would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008, and prior to that his last major appearance for the company was appearing from the crowd to help his son (Rocky Maivia) at Wrestlemania 13.

In his personal life, he married Ata Maivia, the daughter of “High Chief” Peter Maivia, and the oldest member of the famed Samoan wrestling clan.  They had a son, Dwayne Johnson, who followed in his father’s footsteps in wrestling, becoming “The Rock”.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Rocky Johnson at this time.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com are trying to think if there has ever been a busier Hall of Fame related day. On the same day that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2020, the Pro Football Hall of Fame (coincidentally, also based in Ohio), unveiled their Blue Ribbon Centennial Class.  This is the first time that the Canton based institution has ever had a panel dedicated to producing this many Hall of Famers, who were not part of the Modern Era pool.

There were 20 Finalists named to Centennial Slate of former players.

The 10 that got in were:

Harold Carmichael:  Carmichael was a superstar with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would lead the NFL in Receiving Yards in 1973, and was a four-time Pro Bowler.  The Wide Receiver would be named to the 1970s All-Decade Team.

Jimbo Covert:  The Chicago Bears Offensive Lineman (1983-91) won a Super Bowl with the Bears in 1985, and he was also the NFLPA Offensive Lineman of the Year. Covert would also be selected for the 1980s All-Decade Team.

Bobby Dillon:  Dillon was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and is still the all-time leader in Interceptions for the Green Bay Packers, the only team that he ever played for.  He passed away last August.

Cliff Harris:  Playing his entire career at Safety for Dallas, Harris was a Super Bowl Champion, and six-time Pro Bowl Selection.  He was also chosen for the 1970’s All-Decade Team.

Winston Hill:  Hill was a four-time AFL All-Star and four-time Pro Bowl with the New York Jets, and was an integral part of New York’s Super Bowl III Championship. 

Alex Karras:  The legendary Defensive Tackle played his entire career with the Detroit Lions, and he was a four-time Pro Bowl and 1960’s All-Decade Team member.

Duke Slater:  A pioneer in every way, Duke Slater was the first African-American Lineman, joining the league in 1922.  He was a First Team All-Pro four times.  

Donnie Shell:  The Steel Curtain gains more representation with the induction of Shell.  A member of all four of their Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, Shell was a five-time Pro Bowl recipient at Safety.

Mac Speedie:  Speedie was with the Cleveland Browns for seven seasons, where the End helped take the team to all four AAFC Championships.  He would later go to two Pro Bowls, and overall he was a four-time leader in Receptions.

Ed Sprinkle:  The career Chicago Bear (1944-55), “the meanest man in football” is now in the Hall of Fame.  He was a member of the 1940s All-Decade Team and was an NFL Champion in 1946.

Those who did not get in were Cliff Branch, Roger Craig, LaVern Dilweg, Ox Emerson, Randy Gradishar, Cecil Isbell, Verne Lewellen, Tommy Nobis, Drew Pearson and Al Wistert.

In the Contributors Section, Steve Sabol of NFL Films enters.  He was at the helm of that division from 1964 to 2012 and he won 35 Emmys. 

Sabol is joined by former NFL Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, who held that post from 1989 to 2006.  The NFL shot up in overall popularity and revenue over his tenure, and expanded by four teams.  The third Contributor was George Young, who was he General Manager of the New York Giants from 1979 to 1997 whose moves led them to two Super Bowls. 

The Contributor Finalists who were not chosen were Bud Adams, Ralph Hay, Bucko Kilroy, Art McNally, Art Modell, Clint Murchison and Seymour Siwoff 

Two former coaches, Bill Cowher, and Jimmy Johnson, had already been announced this past weekend.  As there were only two to be selected from the eight who made the list of Finalists, there were no Coaches announced today. Those that did not make the cut were Don Coryell, Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves and Dick Vermeil.

We hope that that this will lead to the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducting a higher annual number of Senior Candidates in the future.

This group will be joined by five Modern-Era players.  They will be announced the day before the Super Bowl.

Before we congratulate the class, we have to openly take issue with the NFL Network’s broadcast this morning for dragging out the announcement.  While we understood this makes for compelling television, this was not laid out to those viewing, many of whom tuned in at 7:00 EST, for the specific purpose of watching to learn who was chosen.  It was never mentioned that this would be spread out over two hours to those watching. It was also learned that some of the new class who were still alive were told ahead of time (obvious, when Carmichael appeared in studio), and some were waiting by the phone.  While we are sure that no disrespect was intended, we are certain that this is how some of those felt who were not chosen.

All of these players were ranked on our latest Notinhalloffame.com list, and will be removed in February.  We will then remove all were inducted, re-rank those based on your comments and votes, and input those who are now eligible.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Some people have Christmas. We here at Notinhalloffame.com have the annual announcement of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class.  

This isn’t an exaggeration. As we have discussed before, the idea for the website originated from a bar discussion about the glaring omissions to the Rock Hall.  This begat a list, and another, and another, to where are the go-to site to discuss all things Hall of Fame related.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame houses the most hotly debated assortment of entries and snubs, and when you have something as subjective as music, how can it not?

We’ll go one step further. Unlike the sports halls that we regularly discuss, the words Rock and Roll, are even debated.  While people might debate the origin of baseball or football, nobody debates what it is.  With Rock, not only is the origin mudded, the definition of rock music varies depending on who you ask.  The only rule they have is that an artist is eligible 25 years after they recorded their first album, and they even broke that when they inducted Smokey Robinson as a solo well under that threshold, this leaving out the rest of the Miracles: who had to wait decades later.

Clear as mud, right?

Regardless, of that quasi-critical into, we do this because we care, and you are here because you care. Let’s look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Depeche Mode: Eligible since 2006, Depeche Mode has been a Finalist three of the last four years.  This induction helps open up the door for other 80s Alternative groups, namely The Smiths and New Order/Joy Division

The Doobie Brothers:  The Class Rock band have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1996, and it took until this year before they finally got nominated.  

Nine Inch Nails:  Approximately 18 months ago, Trent Reznor trashed the Rock Hall, but then he was an inductor for the 2019 Class.  Eligible since 2014, NIN enters in its third nomination making it the first (and likely only)

The Notorious B.I.G.:  This is the first year of Biggie’s eligibility and many expected him to enter immediately.  This will be a posthumous induction, as he was shot and killed in 1997.

T. Rex:  It took until this year for the glam rockers to receive their first nomination and after being eligible since 1994, Marc Bolan and company finally got in.

Whitney Houston:  Like Biggie, this is a posthumous induction.  The diva was first eligible in 2010.  Houston’s selection help artists like Mariah Carey get in later.

While fans of any of the other group/artist will point that the omission of their respective favorite is a snub, some are a little more surprising than others.

The Dave Matthews Band won the fan poll, but did not advance through marking the first time in five years that this has transpired. They have only been eligible for three years, and this was the first time that the popular jam band was nominated. 

It was widely speculated that Pat Benatarcwas going to get in (including us), but that didn’t happen. The 80’s rocker has been eligible since 1999, but this was her first nomination.  If any artist will elicit a backlash for a perceived snub, this is the one. 

Many pundits thought that comments made about the Heavy Metal genre being underrepresented by new Hall of Fame CEO, Joel Peresman, could result in Judas Priest entering.  This did not happen.  This was their second nomination, and the British rockers have been eligible since 1999.

The other Finalists who did not make the cut are:

Kraftwerk:  Eligible since 1995, this was their sixth nomination, and fourth in the past six years. In terms of influence, there is no greater act left who belongs in the Rock Hall, though their music does not make most music fans think of rock at all.

MC5:  The proto-punk band fails to get in on their fifth nomination, and they have been eligible since 1991.

Motorhead:  It took until this year for Lemmy and company to be nominated after being eligible since 2002.  The failure to induct Judas Priest this year, likely makes this a longer wait for them.

Rufus and Chaka Khan:  Chaka Khan has been nominated multiple times both as a single and with Rufus.  She is a clear favorite of the nominating committee and this could very well be a potential Nile Rodgers situation.

Soundgarden:  After being eligible since 2011, Soundgarden received their first nomination this year.

Thin Lizzy:  The Irish rockers have been eligible since 1995, and this was their first nomination.

Todd Rundgren:  We had speculated that he might enter via the Ahmet Ertegun Award for Musical Excellence, but this went to Irving Azoff and Jon Landau instead. This was his second straight nomination, and he has been eligible since 1995.

We also expect that there will be more articles published how the Hall has snubbed women (they haven’t, and we are working on a giant piece about that), and others comments that begin with “It’s a joke that ___ is not in the Hall.”  We will continue with our opinions, and we certainly encourage all of yours.

All of this year’s group of impending inductees will be removed from our core Notinhalloffame.com Rock and Roll list.  We will add those who are now eligible, and redo rankings based on the new entries, and the votes and comments that we have received.  Look for our revised list by early March.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the new members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we are looking forward to the ceremony this spring.

Following the somewhat expected retirement of Antonio Gates, a shocking one took place this evening as Carolina Panthers Linebacker, Luke Kuechly has announced his retirement from the NFL.  He is only 28 Years old, but has had issues with concussions in recent years.

In a video shared by the Panthers, Kuechly cited that it was “the right time” to retire and that it was the “right time to move on.” Kuechly was the best Linebacker in the NCAA in 2011, where the Boston College player would win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy.  He was drafted ninth overall in that year’s draft by the Carolina Panthers, and he would immediately establish himself as one of the best interior lineman in the pro ranks. 

Kuechly started originally but was playing at the exterior until Jon Beason was injured, and Kuechly would take over at his natural Middle Linebacker position.  He would win the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and astounding as that was, this was arguably the weakest of his career.

From 2013 to 2019, he would be named to the Pro Bowl, with five of those seasons, seeing Kuechly be named First Team All-Pro. In the two that he didn’t win that honor, he was a Second Team All-Pro.  Kuechly would win the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2013.  With the exception of this rookie season, he had an Approximate Value of at least 10, and he was a two-time leader in Tackles.

Keuchly did it all.  He was an excellent pass rusher, could stuff the running game, and dropped back at ease.  Also, an exemplary tackler, he was the leader of the Panthers defense almost from the time he got there, and few players ever matched his natural instincts on the gridiron. The Panthers were a successful team while he was there, and he was a huge reason that they reached Super Bowl 50.

He retires with 18 Interceptions and 1,092 Tackles, the latter being the most by any Linebacker since 2012.  Kuechly becomes another player in recent years to retire at the height of their game.

In our pre-season ranking of active players for Hall of Fame consideration, Kuechly was ranked at #17, and based on his 2019 season, he would have entered the 2020 season even higher.

Barring a comeback, he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Luke Kuechly for all of the moments he gave us on the field, and we wish him the best in his post-playing career.