2014 WWE List Revision Ideas

I would put Saint ahead of Rocco, but that doesn't mean Rocco has to be completely bumped just yet. We'll see at the end of the audit.

The current list of YES and MAYBE's.

Roy Shire
Larry Sharpe
Johnny Barend
Danny Davis
Johnny Saint
Paul Boesch
Bobby Davis
Tony Parisi
Bart Gunn
Killer Khan
Sean Mooney

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Next 10

Whipper Billy Watson
Kurrgan
Willie Gilzenberg
Aja Kong
Frank Gotch
Joe Stecher
Steve Mongo McMichael
Joey Styles
Bill DeMott
Skull Murphy


Whipper Billy Watson's career went from the mid 30s to the early 70s. So it is the television era. He defeated Lou Thesz. He's basically a legend in the Toronto area which means if Mania goes back there, he might be considered for induction. I vote YES

Kurrgan had some success as a member of the Oddities but nothing more. His film career is bigger. So I vote NO.

Willie Gilzenberg was President of the WWWF from 1963 to his death in 1978. He was a close partner of Vince Sr and Toots Mondt. As far as I'm concerned, if James Dudley can get in the Hall of Fame, Gilzenberg should at least be considered. Vote YES

Aja Kong... God made the Devil just for fun. But when he wanted the real thing, he created Aja Kong. Plus she is tied with Roman Reigns with the most dominant Survivor Series performance ever. She had great success in Japan, but had Alundra Blayze not walked out at the end of 96, I have no doubt she would have been champion. Votes YES

Frank Gotch is before the television era and thus like Lewis isn't on WWEs radar. Vote NO.

Joe Stecher is the same as Gotch and Lewis. Vote NO.

Steve "Mongo" McMichael was part of the Four Horsemen during their second prime. Unfortunately he stunk. Let's just hope he is never considered for the celebrity wing. Vote NO

Joey Styles was the voice of ECW and that's a product WWE still likes to market today. He also currently works at WWE headquarters for their web content department. While he's not a top 100 kinda guy, I could see him being inducted one day. Vote YES.

Bill DeMott aka Hugh Morrus trains WWE wrestlers down in Florida. They seem to use him a lot for Tough Enough which apparently might be returning to their network. Can't say his wrestling career was anything special though. Vote NO

Skull Murphy is often forgotten since he died over 40 years ago. But he was a seasoned competitor who traveled the world. He won the WWWF United States tag championship. He's one of those guys who wasn't an all time great, but because he competed so often in the early WWWF, he helped build it. I'm comfortable with him being a bottom feeder. Vote YES

Ah Toronto! I was trying to peg where you were from. But did you move? Seemed like a long distance to close for that interview with Chavo Sr. Which by the way was great. When you revise the list in a few months, I hope you can get another old timer to count it down. I found his comments fascinating.


I honestly think there's a giant gap between James Dudley and the other associates of Vince Sr. Gilzenberg was a promoter in a key location for the WWWF and Mondt owned 50% of the company. I only mentioned Dudley because he's considered a "builder" of the WWE and if he could get in, someone like Gilzenberg who had far more influence over the company should at least be on the table. If WWE won't ever induct him because he's dead and minimal footage exists of him, we can at least pay him the honor of being remembered. Personally I'd feel better with Gilzenberg getting a nod than someone like Mike Graham.

Styles is young, but he's essentially retired from announcing. Plus WWE inducts so many young people now (specifically divas) that I don't think they'd care if he gets inducted at 42 or 45 or 48. I think he's beyond the Future List by now.

With Kong I figured since we had Hokuto, the Crush Gals, and the Jumping Bomb Angels on the list, then Kong might as well have a spot given her popularity and performance at Survivor Series on the team Faye captained.


The YES and MAYBE (to be revisited at the end) list

Roy Shire
Larry Sharpe
Johnny Barend
Danny Davis
Johnny Saint
Paul Boesch
Bobby Davis
Tony Parisi
Bart Gunn
Killer Khan
Sean Mooney
Billy Watson
Skull Murphy
Willie Gilzenberg
Joey Styles
Aja Kong

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Next 10

Bertha Faye
Jim Londos
Barry Horowitz
Red Bastien
Jim Crockett Jr
Ray Steele
Justin Credible
Miguel Perez
Bill Apter
Linda McMahon


Bertha Faye aka Rhonda Singh was on my list coming up. She did win the womens championship and she was fearsome...at least outside of WWE. I will never understand why they made her such a joke. In terms of the womens division, I think she has more claim than a Judy Martin or Heidi Lee Morgan. Yet my brain tells me Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler will go in long before her and they're already at the back end of the list. Plus being dead doesn't help. She would certainly be a bottom feeder. I'll go with YES for now.

Jim Londos is too old and too dead. Vote NO.

Barry Horowitz is probably the second most famous jobber behind Brooklyn Brawler. Actually, he had a bigger push than Brawler ever had. If it came down to a choice between Horowitz and Kamata, I'd go with Horowitz just for his WWE success. But...being the second biggest jobber is probably not the best credential. So I will say NO.

Red Bastien is another one of those seasoned traveling guys who picked up plenty of tag championships by defeating the Graham Brothers and the Fabulous Kangaroos.amongst others. He is credited with discovering The Ultimate Warrior (Warrior mentioned him at the ceremony) and Sting. I think he fits right in with Ox Baker, Billy Red Lyons (former tag partner), and the Butcher Vachon. I say YES.

Jim Crockett Jr was at one point Vince's biggest rival. They've inducted the heads of WCCW, CWF, AWA, Mid South, Stampede, and so on. WWE recently purchased more Crockett videos with one tape that includes Flair versus Buddy Rogers. They had him film stuff for one of their history dvds years ago. I say a certain YES.

Ray Steele is another too old and too dead. Though often forgotten. Vote NO.

Justin Credible aka Aldo Montoya had some success in ECW when everyone left. Can't say his WWE career amounted to much but people recognize him. Still, more like a 301 to 400 guy and that's no mans land. Vote NO.

Miguel Perez actually was one of Capitol Wrestling's biggest attractions. Especially when he teamed with Antonino Rocca. You know you've made it when you get to headline MSG. Though he gets largely overlooked. Mainly because WWE basically lost all footage of him. However they just recently purchased World Wrestling Council tapes when they inducted Carlos Colon. I'm thinking he's all over the early years of that library given that he was their first champion. I vote YES.

Bill Apter is a unique mention. Much in the same vein as Jim Johnston. If they were ever to inducted someone from the magazine trade, it would be him. In fact, he is currently working for WWE by writing articles for WWE.com. Many would say Apter helped WWE get their wrestlers over across the country. I say we tack him on to the list somewhere. Vote YES.

Linda McMahon could very well be inducted with Vince. She's another builder and I won't deny her influence over the years. Her on screen character was weak but her backstage role as CEO for 20 years is hard to overlook. Especially when WWE won't let you forget it in any historical venture they undertake. I wouldn't say she deserves it more than Mondt, but I say give her a spot. Vote YES.

No problem. Figured there had to be something going on. Summer gets busy for me too. Congrats on the new opportunities.


The YES and MAYBE (to be revisited at the end) list

Roy Shire
Larry Sharpe
Johnny Barend
Danny Davis
Johnny Saint
Paul Boesch
Bobby Davis
Tony Parisi
Bart Gunn
Killer Khan
Sean Mooney
Billy Watson
Skull Murphy
Willie Gilzenberg
Joey Styles
Aja Kong
Bertha Faye
Joey Styles
Jim Crockett
Red Bastien
Bill Apter
Linda McMahon
Miguel Perez

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Next 10


Sam Muchnick
Debra
Les Thornton
Wild Bill Longson
Apache Bull Ramos
Lance Russell
The Orient Express
George Hackenschmidt
Virgil
Hans Mortier




Sam Muchnick - Well I figure if we give mentions to the rest of the big time promoters, Muchnick is obviously near the top of the list. WWE honored him at that IYH pay per view in 97 along with Thesz, Kiniski, Race, and so on. He always had a good working relationship with Toots Mondt which helped the WWWF once it broke away...and then rejoined the NWA. Because Gordon Solie got in, I think there's an actual chance Muchnick could get inducted. I'd say the main thing holding him back is that he was based on St Louis which is a city that Mania likely won't visit anytime soon. VOTE YES

Debra - At the height of the attitude era, she had a spot. She wasn't the first major diva, nor the strongest, nor the most successful, but she was in the thick of things. Lawler certainly made a career out of her "puppies." The events leading up to Mania X-Seven (generally considered the greatest Mania) had her heavily involved in the storyline. Plus there are other credits which put her above the likes of the Kat or Tori. That all said, I don't think she was THAT talented and nor do I think they have any real desire to induct her. Granted I think she's in a better position than Eric Embry, but I doubt there will be any room for her at the end of the audit. VOTE NO

Les Thornton - You mentioned him so here we go. He had skills, longevity, and he had championship runs all across the world. Though none of those championships included any in the WWE. He might be the best example of the jack of all trades, master of none. He might be good for the back end of the list, but he's also 80 and once he passes, there is absolutely no chance of induction. VOTE NO.

Wild Bill Longson - Like all of the greates from the pre television era, he just won't ever be considered unless WWE makes some old timers deal when they open their physical Hall of Fame. VOTE NO.

Apache Bull Ramos - He had a main event feud with Bruno Sammartino in 1968, but has since passed away. If the list went to 400 then I'm sure he'd have a spot, but I don't think he'll survive the audit. VOTE NO

Lance Russell - He is the legendary announcer of Memphis Wrestlingwho seems to be beloved by anyone I've ever heard speak about him. Well...maybe not Kevin Dunn. Jerry Lawler wanted Lance Russell to induct him in 2007 and Dunn said no because he didn't think people would know who he was. Just to stick it to Dunn, I say put him on the list. Plus Jerry seems to think the Memphis wrestling library is nearly sorted out so they'll have plenty of footage of him soon enough. VOTE YES.

The Orient Express/Badd Company - They were actually a solid tag team which had good matches with the Rockers. Helped by the fact that in WWE they had Mr Fuji as their manager. Will they ever get inducted? No. Do they deserve induction? No. Are they good at being a bottom feeder. Maybe. But I VOTE NO.

George Hackenschmidt - Like Longson, just from an era that WWE will likely never acknowledge. VOTE NO.

Virgil - He had poor mic skills and wasn't a great wrestler. The majority of his career he was used as a jobber. But people do remember him because of his association to Ted DiBiase Sr. Hell they even brought him back for Ted Jr. There is one other thing, he was over in 1991. Much in the same way that Batista was over while facing HHH. It's weird, but it happened and I think about it in relation to someone like Ken Shamrock who spent 3 years in the business. Is that one year enough to get Virgil spot #300? VOTE NO.

Hans Mortier - If Bruno Sammartino ever saw this list, he'd be upset that Hans Mortier wasn't on it. He believed him to be one of his greatest challengers. He feuded with Sammartino in the early 60s and came back again for another go in the late 60s where they main evented all of the WWWF territory. Not much footage of him exists though sadly but I think he's worth a 201 to 300 spot for his work helping to build the WWF in the 60s. VOTE YES.

A column talking about the past Hall of Fame classes, upcoming classes, and general thoughts about guys who will never be inducted or should have been inducted yesterday? Very tempting.


Alberta? Aside from Bret Hart, your only other option is Les Thornton........




The YES and MAYBE (to be revisited at the end) list

Roy Shire
Larry Sharpe
Johnny Barend
Danny Davis
Johnny Saint
Paul Boesch
Bobby Davis
Tony Parisi
Bart Gunn
Killer Khan
Sean Mooney
Billy Watson
Skull Murphy
Willie Gilzenberg
Joey Styles
Aja Kong
Bertha Faye
Joey Styles
Jim Crockett
Red Bastien
Bill Apter
Linda McMahon
Miguel Perez
Sam Muchnick
Lance Russell
Hans Mortier
LES THORNTON?

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Next 10

Dick Ebersol
The Warlord
Danny McShain
Paul Roma
Crusher Verdu
Phil Zacko
Dan Severn
Alex Wright
Mickie James
Ray Morgan



Dick Ebersol - He isn't a celebrity and he's not a wrestling promoter in the usual sense, but he was largely responsible for the success of WWE programming on the NBC networks. Saturday Nights Main Event being his biggest brainchild. He appeared on the leaked Hall of Fame short list in 2007. He also inducted Bob Uecker into the Hall of Fame in 2010. We'll just skip over his wife, Susan St James appearing at Mania 2 as a favor to him. If we consider Johnston and Apter, I suppose he's on the table too. VOTE YES

The Warlord - Now I already know you're not for him breaking the top 300, but you have to give the guy props for having the shortest experience in a Royal Rumble until... Santino Marella? Plus as one half of the Powers of Pain, he was a notable tag team during the era of tag teams. Just not as great as the Hart Foundation, British Bulldogs, Demolition, Fabulous Rougeaus, Rockers, Nasty Boys, Dream Team, Twin Towers, and so on. It is so strange that a guy who clearly represents steroids has survived this long. So I'll VOTE NO.

Danny McShain - At first I was ready to say "too old and too dead" but now I'm not sure. Most of his greatest opponents appear on this list like Johnny Valentine or Wild Red Berry. His career spanned from the early 30s to the mid 60s and thus footage is scarce. His main downside is that he never worked for WWE. He's a Hall of Famer, but not at all a priority or necessary to complete the WWE Hall of Fame. Tough call. Er.... VOTE MAYBE?

Paul Roma - He was supposed to be Glory of Power and Glory. He had the body that Vince loves but not the charisma. Not many like him and he has a bit of a mouth. His biggest accomplishment was replacing Tully Blanchard as a Horsemen when Tully failed a drug test. VOTE NO.

Crusher Verdu - He was the first wrestler Captain Lou Albano ever managed. That was around 1970. Verdu did challenge Sammartino for the championship. Aside from that, he has nothing really of note in his career before passing a few years ago. VOTE NO.

Phil Zacko - So he might be the final Vince Sr business associate yet to get in the Hall of Fame or seriously be discussed here. He wasn't the favorite guy backstage because he was the treasurer and thus handled pay. I have heard him described as a short, fat, and grouchy man. Was it Wahoo McDaniel that flipped the table over on him in anger? That all said, he eventually owned a percentage of the WWE. Somewhere between 10 and 15 percent. He did more for WWE than James Dudley. He's a bottom feeder, but one that would make sense. VOTE YES.

Dan Severn - Former NWA champion, UFC Hall of Famer, and MMA star. Little success in WWE however. Perhaps a bottom feeder spot isn't out of the question though. But he certainly won't go in before Ken Shamrock and Ken and HHH do not get along. That said, VOTE YES

Alex Wright - He was a solid wrestler but was given a dancing gimmick. Then of course like so many, he was crushed under the weight of old timers in WCW. Currently he runs a wrestling school in Germany and recently was a special guest trainer down at NXT. If he ends up training a hugely popular wrestler or makes a come back at age 39 (he has hinted at it), this might be something to revisit in ten to twenty years. It would be surreal if he joined Jack Swagger as the Real Americans 2.0. But for now, VOTE NO

Mickie James - I can't believe this is on the table already, but it apparently is according to the news sites. They are considering inducting Mickie James next year. She has spent 15 years in the business but I'm not even sure she's retired at age 34. I believe she's pregnant right now. Of course this would be a giant leap ahead of the likes of Madusa, Elizabeth, Vachon, Nakano, Kai and so on. She certainly didn't have the level of success that Trish or Lita had. Though I guess I wouldn't deny her a spot back there with Victoria. VOTE YES

Ray Morgan - He got a mention (and was shown) on the history of the WWE dvd released last November by J.J. Dillon. I almost had a heart attack when I saw them acknowledge him. He was the WWE match commentator for almost 15 years from the late 50s to the early 70s. Sadly Vince uses the firing of Ray as a lesson about standing up to people. When really Ray realized he should get more money for the extra travel he was doing, brought it to McMahon Sr, and lost because Sr wanted to give his son a job. Though I've also heard Ray had joined a union and this was a big no no in McMahon land. If you've watched the matches he called, he was a straight shooting commentator. Mainly because he did radio at the time too. But to many in the northeast back then, he was your guide into wrestling. Calling the matches of Sammartino, Rogers, Monsoon, Strongbow, Kowalski, Blassie, Brazil, Koloff and so on. If nothing else, we could at least shed light on his existence. VOTE YES

Haha That sounds about right with Crusher Verdu.

I completely agree about Mickie James. It's ridiculous how fast they are moving with the Divas. Legends like Ivan Koloff and Dominic DeNucci just get older and older but somehow there's a rush to get James and Victoria inducted? But if Mickie is retired, then I guess it's time to add her.

Zacko was also one of the chief promoters for the WWWF. While Gilzenberg handled New Jersey, Zacko dealt with Hamburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore and so on. Basically east Pennsylvania and Maryland. To me being part owner, being a substantial promoter for the company, and being treasurer puts him in the running as a bottom feeder. Maybe we can revisit him at the end.



The YES and MAYBE (to be revisited at the end) list

Roy Shire
Larry Sharpe
Johnny Barend
Danny Davis
Johnny Saint
Paul Boesch
Bobby Davis
Tony Parisi
Bart Gunn
Killer Khan
Sean Mooney
Billy Watson
Skull Murphy
Willie Gilzenberg
Joey Styles
Aja Kong
Bertha Faye
Joey Styles
Jim Crockett
Red Bastien
Bill Apter
Linda McMahon
Miguel Perez
Sam Muchnick
Lance Russell
Hans Mortier
Les Thornton
Dick Ebersol
Mickey James
Phil Zacko
Ray Morgan

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Next 10

Steve Blackman
Tony Altomore
Carl Oullet
Angelo Poffo
Gene LeBell
Bull Curry
Dr David Schultz
New Jack
Bill Cardille
Missy Hyatt



Steve Blackman - I can see him as a bottom feeder. On the other hand I can see him just not making the list entirely. He had a great story. WWE was ready to hire him in 89 until he got malaria. It took years to recover and reinvent himself. But while he had a much better run than Severn in WWE, it still didn't amount to much more than lower to midcard in an era of greats. He is remembered fondly by fans though. I just keep picturing him with that silly foam cheese head. VOTE MAYBE

Tony Altomare - He trained Blackman. But he also was Lou Albanos tag partner for years and a WWWF mainstay. He and Albano held tag titles in various territories including the WWWF. Vince Sr made Altomare Hulk Hogans handler. Then he went on to work for the front office of the WWF being responsible for Merchandise sales at arenas. For a bottom feeder, I VOTE YES

Carl Oullet - The Quebecers had a good run in 1993 and 1994. Can't say much about his singles career though as Jean Pierre Lafitte. Figured he was worth a mention since Samu is on the list, the Headbangers, the Godwinns, and we're discussing Bart Gunn. I do have a soft spot for forgotten tag partners. On the other hand, I am not nominating Sir Mo. So VOTE NO.

Angelo Poffo - He shouldn't go in the WWE Hall of Fame. There are too many more deserving posthumous inductions on the table for WWE to be considering Randy's dad. There are promoters who helped build WWE and promoters who ran major territories. Angelo Poffo was neither of them and has passed. Yet it's a real possibility if WWE caves to the Poffo family demands. But I VOTE NO

Gene LeBell - He's alive and did an interview with wwe.com a few years ago because Daniel Bryan uses the LeBell lock. Though now they call it the Yes Lock. He is rather influential in terms of inventing or making certain submissions prominent. He and his family promoted for NWA out in Hollywood. While WWE is going to the San Francisco area next year, it's entirely possible for them to induct California promoter. He isn't necessary for the WWE Hall of Fame to but he choked out Steven Seagal! VOTE YES

Bull Curry - They say he invented hardcore wrestling. He certainly was one of the most hated wrestlers in his era and worked the Capitol Wrestling circuit plenty of times. He had a unique look to him with his crazy eyebrows that no doubt helped draw money. I've only ever read praise about him. While footage exists of his career because it was so long, he's not exactly vital to the WWE Hall of Fame. Bottom feeder though? VOTE YES

Dr David Schultz - The Stone Cold that never was. He had a good career before entering the WWF and was poised for a sustained push had he not hurt Stossel and threatened Mr T. Then of course he testified against Vince in the steroid trial. VOTE NO

New Jack - I can only imagine what a HoF speech of his would be like. They own the best parts of his career in ECW. Yet he's probably not someone WWE would like to associate with. That and being the 15th most over guy in ECW doesn't amount to much for WWE unless you're Tommy Dreamer. But maybe you have a different view on him? For right now I VOTE NO.

Bill Cardille - Personally I would love it if WWE brought in Chilly Willy for a cameo. He hosted Studio Wrestling from Pittsburgh which was a territory of Toots. All WWWF talent went through there and of course Bruno Sammartino. He was still appearing on the Jerry Lewis telethon a few years back and is in great shape for his mid 80s. There's a Studio Wrestling reunion show from a mall that is currently on youtube. Might want to check that out. But sadly footage of Studio Wrestling was taped over. He would be good for inducting someone like Johnny DeFazio or even Ray Morgan. I VOTE yes for now. Though he might not survive the audit.

Missy Hyatt - She actually worked for the WWE in 1987 with her own talk show called Missy's Manor. But she got canned. In fact her stints in any promotion didn't last long. She's more remembered for events outside of the ring including lawsuits. VOTE NO.






I have about 30 more names but maybe I'll just condense them into one final group of 10.

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Regarding a column or article for the site...

If I were to do one it would probably be WWE related. Unless I cross promoted with the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. I read your piece on Savage and the Von Erichs when it came out. Great stuff btw.

How about we finish this up over the next month (or however long it takes) and maybe in that time I'll be able to think of something interesting and worthy to write about.