Committee Chairman

Kurt ANgle to the TNA HOF

Jun 03, 2013

Last night, at their annual Pay Per View, Slammiversary, TNA Wrestling announced their second inductee to their Hall of Fame. That man was Kurt Angle, who was a multi-time champion in TNA as well as the WWE where he achieved his biggest mainstream success.

Angle was a natural in the ring, transitioning effortlessly from the amateur ranks where he was the 1996 Olympic Gold Medallist, and is currently an outspoken advocate of saving the sport from being eliminated from the Olympics altogether.

The TNA Hall of Fame is not exactly a controversial establishment, but with only eleven years of history to draw from, its two members are still members of the active roster, and appearing on the upper end of the card. As such, don’t expect any time soon for us here at Notinhalloffame.com to rank those who should be considered for their Hall, and if we did, it would seriously come down to one: Jeff Jarrett.

Regardless, Kurt Angle appears very happy working for TNA, and we congratulate him on his latest accolade.

Grant Hill Retires

Jun 02, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

As you may have heard, Grant Hill has announced his retirement from professional Basketball at the age of 40. It is a funny statement to make, that injuries prevented him from having the career we thought he should have had, but Hill was able to play until the age of 40, which is a statement only a handful of players can make. With all of this being said, does Grant Hill have the makings of a Hall of Fame calibre player? We would say that he does.

First off the Basketball Hall of Fame encompasses the International and Collegiate accomplishments of a player. Prior to joining the NBA, Grant Hill was a top player for Duke, where he twice won the National Championship and took the Blue Devils to another finals appearance. Hill was voted the defensive player of the NCAA in 1993, and was a First Team Selection in 1994.

Upon turning pro, Hill was the co-rookie of the year (with Jason Kidd), and was one of the most popular players in the NBA in the late 1990’s. He actually led the NBA in All Star Votes in his first two years, an impressive fact considering in his first year he was a rookie, and in his second season, Michael Jordan had returned to the league. As a Detroit Piston, Hill posted his best numbers and showcasing his complete game. He was able to score, defend, steal, pass and rebound, and was essentially a “Point Forward”. In those six years in Detroit, Grant Hill was a First Team All NBA Selection once and a Second Team Selection four times; which is perhaps one of the best accolades that reward elite players in their respective positions. In that span, Hill was part of “Dream Team II” and brought the United States a Gold Medal in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.

With all of that on his resume, Grant Hill could be considered a Hall of Fame player, and those are the years that will be looked at to make his Hall of Fame case. He would be traded to the Orlando Magic, but injuries to his ankle reduced his effectiveness and caused him to miss a slew of games. He would return as a regular productive player eventually, but never to the level that made him one of the most dangerous players in the NBA, though considering how severe his ankle issues were, the fact that Hill made it to the age of 40 is nothing short of a minor miracle.

We would like to thank Grant Hill for a wonderful career, and we wish him the best in his post on court activities.

The 1980 Hockey HOF Class is up

May 27, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Our work on the existing Hockey Hall of Fame Classes continue. We have now made our way to the year of 1980. The Class of 1980 contains:

Gump Worsley

Harry Lumley

Jack Butterfield

Lynn Patrick

Gang you know the drill. Check it out, and cast your votes and let us know whether you think they deserved their Hall of Fame induction. Look for upcoming classes soon!

The UFC HOF adds two names

May 27, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We make no claim to understand the criteria or the process for getting into the UFC Hall of Fame. Best we can tell, the decision is an arbitrary one made by the President of UFC, Dana White. As it is a relatively new sport, the Hall of Fame understandably has only a few members, all of which are relatively young and only out of the sport for a short time. As such, when the UFC announces that it will induct new fighters, they are usually fresh out of the sport, as is the case with the two new inductees announced this past weekend.

Actually, the two fighters in question have been tied together since they both emerged on the scene. Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonnar fought each other in the finals of the first season of the Ultimate Fighter and the two had what is still considered the greatest fight in Mixed Martial Arts history. It was not just a great fight, but a contest that was a landmark in the sport and spiked interest in the UFC organization. Griffin won the decision, and would go on to win the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Championship. Bonnar would also have a solid career in UFC, though he never won a championship. He would finish with an 8-7 record in UFC, where he recently made headlines for testing positive for steroids after a match with Anderson Silva.

As Bonnar was never a champion, we have to wonder how he makes the UFC Hall of Fame, especially a career that observers of the sport have characterized as “up and down”. Again, this is an organization whose Hall of Fame is far from transparent, and probably won’t be any time soon.

Both Griffin and Bonnar will be inducted at the Fan Expo at UFC 162 this July.