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19 Candidates for the WWE Hall of Fame

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With the great news that the “Macho Man” Randy Savage is finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame it brings some legitimacy to the Hall now. Seeing him, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and the Ultimate Warrior being inducted over the past few years I think a few others deserve that nod. I’ve compiled 19 performers who need to be paid the ultimate respect by being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

 

Owen Hart

 

We all know how his life came to a tragic end and that his wife doesn’t want anything to do with the WWE or have Owen inducted into the Hall of Fame. Owen was the younger brother of Bret Hart and he was an amazing wrestler and overall character whether he was a heel or face. Owen was a 2-time Intercontinental Champ, European Champ, 4-time tag team champ and 1994 King of the Ring winner. To see how good he really was check out the 1994 Summerslam PPV where he main evented against Bret for the WWF Championship because it’s a classic and received a 5 star rating.

 

Ravishing Rick Rude

 

Here’s another wrestler who died way too young at the age of 40 in 1999. He performed in WCW, ECW and WWE during his time as a wrestler before retiring from in-ring competition in 1997 because of a back injury but still served as a manager. He was an original member of DX, was a part of the nWo and appeared on both Nitro and Raw on the same night because at the time Raw was recorded. He was one of the most charismatic wrestlers ever while having some legendary feuds with Sting, Ultimate Warrior and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. He was a 4-time World Champ, Intercontinental Champ and United States Champ.

 

nWo

 

What can you say about this group that hasn’t been said? Everything started when Razor Ramon aka Scott Hall showed up on an edition of WCW Nitro then he brought Diesel aka Kevin Nash a couple of weeks later. At the Bash at the Beach PPV Hall & Nash was wrestling Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage when Hogan showed up and turned heel by hitting his leg drop onto Savage which stunned the crowd and wrestling world. They dominated WCW for a couple of years and in the process changing the industry so much it spawned the Attitude Era in WWE. Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan have already entered the Hall individually, why not again as the nWo.

 

The Rock

 

The most electrifying man in all of sports entertainment is probably one of, if not the best talker ever in the wrestling business. People might just know him as one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood Dwayne Johnson, but many of us know him as The Rock. He was a 3rd generation wrestler whose grandfather was Chief Peter Miavia and father was Rocky Johnson. He debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series as Rocky Miavia in honor of both his father and grandfather. He went on to become a 10-time WWE Champ, 2-time Intercontinental Champ, 5-time tag champ, 2000 Royal Rumble winner, the 6th Triple Crown winner and headlined Wrestlemania 5 times while having one of the most legendary feuds with Stone Cold Steve Austin.

 

Sting

 

This is my favorite wrestler of all-time and he was basically the face of WCW for so many years while going from the bleach-blonde surfer Sting to the darker Crow gimmick Sting. He was the guy in WCW and his first major feud with Ric Flair put him on the map when he wrestled Flair to a 45 minute time limit draw at the Clash of Champions. Afterwards, he torn his knee and was out a long time where he was written off by saying that the Horsemen put him out. He came back and challenged Flair for the title at the Great American Bash in 1990 and won the title in a classic bout. He was a 9-time WCW champion that included the NWA, WCW and International championships. He was always called the greatest wrestler to never step foot in a WWE ring but that changed on Nov. 23rd when he debuted at the Survivor Series by taking out Triple H and helping Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins in the Team Cena vs. Team Authority match. It is rumored he will wrestle @ Wrestlemania 31 and then go into the Hall of Fame.

 

The Undertaker

 

The Undertaker is one of the most legendary figures in the history of the wrestling business. Before becoming to the WWF he wrestled in WCCW as Texas Red and then later on in WCW as “Mean” Mark Callous. Undertaker has won 7 World Championships and has feuded with some of the biggest names ever in the business from Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Diesel, Triple H, Mick Foley, Randy Orton and many others. He is probably most known for winning 21 matches in a row at Wrestlemania before losing to Brock Lesnar last year.

 

Kurt Angle

 

To me, Kurt Angle is one of the best all-around wrestlers of all-time and of course, he was a gold medalist in the 1996 Olympics. Currently, he’s still wrestling for TNA Impact Wrestling and has said this is his last year of being an active competitor. While he was in the WWE he was an intricate part of the Attitude Era where he had legendary feuds and matches with everyone from the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Shane McMahon, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar. He was a 6-time World Champion, United States, Intercontinental, Hardcore and Tag Team Champ. He was the 10th Triple Crown champ and only the 5th Grand Slam Champion.

 

Degeneration X

 

While WCW was running while with the nWo the WWE needed to counter with a group that could draw fans and that’s when DX was created. While the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock started to pull viewers to Raw, DX definitely increased that viewership with their crazy antics. The original DX was Shawn Michaels, Triple H and later on Chyna and Rick Rude joined the group. Later on they added Billy Gunn and Road Dogg to the group and when X-Pac was fired from WCW he joined them also. The group ran wild over all over the WWE over the years and if you’re going to induct them to the Hall, who would go in from the group?

 

The British Bulldogs

 

One of the best tag teams of all-time, The British Bulldogs were one of the top tag teams in an era that produced great teams like the Road Warriors, Demolition, The Dream Team, Power of Pain and the Hart Foundation, whom they’re related to and had a legendary feud with over the years. It’s crazy they held the WWF tag team championships once but one of the biggest things I remember them for is having Matilda, the bulldog they brought to the ring. Due to a back injury to the Dynamite Kid the team didn’t have a long run that they deserved but Davey Boy Smith continued as a singles competitor in WWE and WCW before passing in 2002 and the Dynamite Kid is confided to a wheelchair.

 

Edge & Christian

 

Edge & Christian is one of the best tag teams in history. Since their debut in the WWE they have feuded with a who’s who as far as tag teams. Edge debuted before Christian but when Edge was feuding with Gangrel that’s when Christian joined Gangrel and they eventually recruited him to the Brood. They had their first big feud with the Hardyz in the Terri Invitational Tournament to get his managerial services. That feud was elevated when they included the Dudleyz to create magic on those 3-way matches for the tag titles including the TLC match @ Wrestlemania. They won multiple tag titles and multiple singles championships in their career and Edge retired about 3 years ago from a neck injury and it’s been rumored that Christian has retired from multiple concussions. In 2008, they were named the 4th greatest tag team in history and in 2012 they were named the greatest tag team of all-time.

 

Ax & Smash Demolition

 

In the era of great tag teams, Demolition held the tag titles 3 times and was one of the most dominant teams during that time. They consisted of Ax and Smash then later on they added Crush to their team. They feuded with legendary teams like the Road Warriors, The Killer Bees, Hart Foundation, Brain Busters and several others while holding the record for the longest reign with an astounding 478 days.

 

Triple H

 

What can you say about Triple H that hasn’t been said with so many people hate on him for whatever reason but I’ve always been a fan of his work. He is a founding of DX and was a big part of the success of the Attitude Era. Triple H is 13-time World Champ, 1997 King of the Ring winner and 2002 Royal Rumble winner. Not only was he a part of the legendary DX, but also a part of the legendary Evolution faction that made stars out of Batista and Randy Orton. Triple H has feuded with of the best ever in Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley.

 

Dudley Boyz

 

The Dudley Boyz, also known as Team 3D is recognized as one of the best tag team ever with them holding 23 tag championships all over the world including ECW, WWE, WCW, TNA and IWGP titles. They started out by making their names with ECW where they feuded with the Eliminators, The Gangstas, Dreamer & Sandman and RVD & Sabu. They became household names when they jumped ship to the WWF/E and had some legendary feuds with DX, The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. The feuds with the Hardyz and Edge & Christian is legendary that resulted in one of the most brutal and exciting TLC matches in history for the tag team championships. Those feuds took the tag titles to new heights and made all teams legendary.

 

Kevin Nash aka Diesel

 

Kevin Nash became a household name in the WWF when he debuted as the bodyguard of Shawn Michaels. Before that, he had a less than memorable run in WCW as Steel, Oz and Vinnie Vegas before heading up north where he became Diesel aka Big Daddy Cool. He was a part of the Kliq in the WWF where people basically said they ran the show and they consisted of him, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Triple H and Sean Waltman. He had a great run with the WWF before jumping back to WCW on a huge contract and it started the legendary nWo that rocked the wrestling world. Between WCW and WWE, Nash won 6 world championships, multiple tag titles and if Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon gets in then I believe Nash aka Diesel should to.

 

JBL

 

JBL went through many different characters during his active days as a wrestler that included his earlier days before arriving in the WWF/E. He was a part of the GWF until 1994 then he showed up in the WWE in 1996 where he debuted as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw where he was a tough cowboy. Later on, he team with Barry Windham to form the New Blackjacks but with Windham being injured that didn’t last long. He eventually teamed with Ron Simmons to form the APA (Acolytes Protection Agency) and they were one of the most popular teams in the WWE history. They went on to win multiple tag championships while feuding with Edge & Christian, Dudleyz and Hardyz. After the APA, JBL went on to become a singles competitor and the European title, U.S. title, 17-time Hardcore champ and the longest reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown history holding the title for 280 days. He is recognized as the 20th Triple Crown winner and the 10th Grand Slam Champion.

 

The Steiner Brothers

 

Rick & Scott Steiner have definitely earned the title of being one of the best tag teams of all time. They won a total of 11 world tag team titles all together from WCW, WWF, NJPW and ECW and also winning the United States tag team titles also. They feuded with everyone from the Outsiders, Road Warriors, Harlem Heat, Freebirds, Doom and many other tag teams. Scott has had heat with the WWE for many years but if guys like the Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage and many others can make a mends I don’t see why they can’t because the fans deserve it.

 

Fabulous Freebirds

 

The Fabulous Freebirds was consisted of Michael P.S. Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy and Buddy Roberts and later on Jimmy Garvin took the place of Roberts. They fought in damn near every territory imaginable from WCCW, NWA, GCW, WCW, WWF and the AWA. They always were a 3 man team and now the term “Freebird Rule” is implemented when there’s a 3 guys to a team because wither 3 could go after the tag titles. They were also famous for their entrance music Badstreet U.S.A. They feuded with several teams like the Von Erichs and the Road Warriors.

 

Midnight Express

 

The Midnight Express originally was “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey managed by Jim Cornette but later Condrey were replaced by “Sweet” Stan Lane. They traveled the world winning championships, but were mostly known for their time in the NWA/WCW. They won multiple tag titles and United States tag titles while engaging in legendary feuds with the Rock-n-Roll Express, Road Warriors and the Fantastics.

 

Rock-n-Roll Express

 

The Rock-n-Roll Express consisted of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson is also regarded as one of the best tag teams ever. They’re known for their signature finishing maneuver, the Double Drop Kick. They wrestled all over the world including Memphis, UWF, WCW, NWA and the WWF. They held multiple tag team championships and were part of the legendary feud with the Midnight Express throughout each other careers.

 

 

There are other guys that deserve to be in the Hall and some of them should be retiring in the next few years like Chris Jericho, Christian (rumored to be retired already), Diamond Dallas Page, Goldberg and some older guys who need to be inducted like King Kong Bundy, Vader, Bruiser Brody and many more.

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