My Predictions for the rest of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016
So the last night on RAW they announced the first member of the 2016 WWE Hall of Fame, the legendary STING!.
So now the question remains who else is going to join him in the Hall of Fame this year? Well as usual I have some suggestions.
By the way, for those wondering the Undertaker ISNT one of them, not because I dont think hes worthy of it, but because WWE tends to only go with one major star per year, and having both Sting and Taker would cause each ones introduction to over shadow the other...not to mention create an impossible act to follow in 2017.
But you can also take this as my prediction that next years Hall of Fame will be headlined by the deadman.
The New Age Outlaws.
OH YOU DIDNT KNOW?
YOUR ASS BETTER CALL SOMEBODY!!!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages;
D-Generation X proudly brings to you its 6 time WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Road Dogg, Jesse James
The Bad Ass Billy Gunn
THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS!!!!
Honestly one of the greatest tag teams of all times, these guys were all over the top of the card in the attitude era, and thats BEFORE they got hooked up with DX. Seriously as one point these guys trailed only Stone Cold and DX in merchandise sales. In some respects these guys were the perfect combination....Billy brought the "look" and the wrestling skills, and Road Dogg brought the mouth, attitude and ego, and combined they were the equal of any tag team.
Also, its worth noting that on his own Billy Gunn and his 11 tag team title runs, sets a record for most days as Tag Team Champion in the near 50 year history of WWE with 952 days as champion, and it pretty much the only Tag Team Wrestler I can think of to be a part of 3 different popular tag teams that won multiple titles (The Smoking Gunns, Outlaws and Billy and Chuck), and playing a very different version of his character in each (cowboy, degenerate, homosexual) in each, while making it all appear consistant enough to believably be the same person through out
So yea, honestly Id say on his own he merit inclusion in the Hall in my opinion, and it makes him one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all times.
Plus, the every year the Hall of Fame has some trouble staying within its alloted time as everyones speeches run long....and the Outlaws would help with that. In fact the Outlaws might give one of the shortest speech in Hall of Fame history because.....
Demolition
Ok so I get Demolition are widely considered to be Road Warrior knock offs. For the record I disagree (you want Road Warrior knock offs, check out the Powers of Pain, just saying).
In fact, on their own Demolition's resume is kinda impressive. Their first reign as WWF Tag Team champions still holds the record for longest single tag team reign of all time at 478 days, and that doesnt even count their other two reigns......
Like I said, as much as they are unfairly dismissed as LOD rip off's these guys WERE the Tag Team Division in the late 80's and their tag team finisher, the Demolition Decapitation is still one of the more recognizable and ripped off tag team finishes of all time.
Eric Bishoff
So whos the only man in history who can claim to have beaten the WWE in television ratings? How about Eric Bishoff?
As head of WCW he was in responsible for 1/2 of the Monday Night Wars, and arguably hes the one who fired the first shot of that war. You might not have liked his tactics, like giving away WWF's results ahead of time on his show (to stop channel surfing) or having WWF Hall of Famer Alundra Blaze drop the WWF women's title in the trash on TV, but there's really no way around it, without his WCW breathing down the WWF's neck, there would have been no attitude era, no golden age of wrestling. Not to mention his later stint as General Manager of WWE RAW gave WWE the one and only real "over" authority figure they had in decades....people loved to hate this guy when he was "running" the show.
And as Bishoff says, controversy creates cash...and how many network subscriptions do you think WWE could make offering the people the chance to see the WWF fans believed to Satan himself inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Earthquake
Ok so I'll be honest, I cant really defend this one, this is a personal pick for me. Earthquake was the first wrestler I ever "knew" due to his inclusion in the old WWF arcade games, and he just looked like an overwhelming monster.
Which he was if you saw him in the ring as his opponents had a bad habit of being carted out of the match after he crushed them, his run as a monster culminated with a year long fued with Hulk Hogan including main eventing summerslam, before forming a tag team with fellow huge man Typhoon and wining the tag team titles.
Sadly the rest of his career didnt go so well, spending time in WCW as the forgetten Shark and Avalanche Characters before returning to the WWF as Golga of the oddities, a freakshow group.
Still Id say his early run more than earns him a spot in the Hall
Dennis Rodman (Celebrity Wing)
So like it or not, WWE seems hell bent on this whole celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame thing, basically inducting any celebrity who was even slightly involved wit Wrestling. Well it would be nice to see them put more guys in like Pete Rose and Mike Tyson, who you know actually did something beyond showing up.
Enter Dennis Rodman. No celebrity spent as much time involved in Wrestling as Rodman did, spending two years, on and off with WCW as a member of the nWo. He even played a major role in main event of two pay per views.
So yea, if we are going to have the Celebrity Wing, lets at least get a celebrity in that deserves it.
Rick Martel
Ok so to be honest, I am way too young to have seen most of Rick Martel's work, mostly I see him on old WWF pay per views, so Im mostly familiar with his later stuff as half of Strike Force and as "the Model" Rick Martel, and its that second one that I think should get him in the Hall. I tend not to like to many wrestlers from that era cause their gimmicks are kinda dumb and the matches are much slower paced than today, but he's the exception. Basically his run as the Model seemed to be what set the standard for guys like Dolph Ziggler and Shawn Michaels and all the other arrogant pretty boy heels who are also great in ring wrestlers over the year, at least in the WWE so I think its about time he get some recognition for that
The Sandman
ECW ECW ECW.
You still hear these chants today at WWE events anytime someone brings out a table, chair, kendo stick, fights into the crowd ect. And yet as popular as ECW and its style still is, 15 years after the doors closed on the promotion, there still isnt a single ECW talent in the Hall of Fame.
I think its time that changes, and while Paul Heyman would seem to be the obvious choice (and I have no doubt he'll be there someday) WWE tends not to give that honor to still active performers.
So we turn one of the guys who can make a legitimate claim to being the heart and soul of the company, and clearly one of their top guys, the record setting 5 time ECW champion, The Sandman.
Sure he wasnt the prettiest wrestler in the ring, but he had a connection with the fans few can match. Oh and the whole beer drinking anti authority foul mouthed redneck thing Stone Cold did that made him so popular? yea this is the guy he stole it from.
Also, you got to give the guy credit for his dedication to his craft. He once did an storyline where he was blinded....so the guy actually acted blind 24/7 even in his personal life for the whole run of bit, so as not to ruin it for any fans who crossed paths with him on the street.
Sadly his most famous and memorable moment might keep him out of the Hall for good, as he was crucified complete with actual wooden cross and a crown of barbed wire by fellow competitor Raven, in a move that offended (and might still offend) many believers.
Also while it shouldnt impact a decision to put him in the hall of fame, you do have to give the guy credit for one of the most memorable entrances of all time, at ECW One Night Stand 2005 (put on by the WWE 4 years after ECW closed down) when he got the WHOLE crowd to sing along with his entrance:
So now the question remains who else is going to join him in the Hall of Fame this year? Well as usual I have some suggestions.
By the way, for those wondering the Undertaker ISNT one of them, not because I dont think hes worthy of it, but because WWE tends to only go with one major star per year, and having both Sting and Taker would cause each ones introduction to over shadow the other...not to mention create an impossible act to follow in 2017.
But you can also take this as my prediction that next years Hall of Fame will be headlined by the deadman.
The New Age Outlaws.
OH YOU DIDNT KNOW?
YOUR ASS BETTER CALL SOMEBODY!!!!!
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages;
D-Generation X proudly brings to you its 6 time WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Road Dogg, Jesse James
The Bad Ass Billy Gunn
THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS!!!!
Honestly one of the greatest tag teams of all times, these guys were all over the top of the card in the attitude era, and thats BEFORE they got hooked up with DX. Seriously as one point these guys trailed only Stone Cold and DX in merchandise sales. In some respects these guys were the perfect combination....Billy brought the "look" and the wrestling skills, and Road Dogg brought the mouth, attitude and ego, and combined they were the equal of any tag team.
Also, its worth noting that on his own Billy Gunn and his 11 tag team title runs, sets a record for most days as Tag Team Champion in the near 50 year history of WWE with 952 days as champion, and it pretty much the only Tag Team Wrestler I can think of to be a part of 3 different popular tag teams that won multiple titles (The Smoking Gunns, Outlaws and Billy and Chuck), and playing a very different version of his character in each (cowboy, degenerate, homosexual) in each, while making it all appear consistant enough to believably be the same person through out
So yea, honestly Id say on his own he merit inclusion in the Hall in my opinion, and it makes him one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all times.
Plus, the every year the Hall of Fame has some trouble staying within its alloted time as everyones speeches run long....and the Outlaws would help with that. In fact the Outlaws might give one of the shortest speech in Hall of Fame history because.....
Demolition
In fact, on their own Demolition's resume is kinda impressive. Their first reign as WWF Tag Team champions still holds the record for longest single tag team reign of all time at 478 days, and that doesnt even count their other two reigns......
Like I said, as much as they are unfairly dismissed as LOD rip off's these guys WERE the Tag Team Division in the late 80's and their tag team finisher, the Demolition Decapitation is still one of the more recognizable and ripped off tag team finishes of all time.
Eric Bishoff
So whos the only man in history who can claim to have beaten the WWE in television ratings? How about Eric Bishoff?
As head of WCW he was in responsible for 1/2 of the Monday Night Wars, and arguably hes the one who fired the first shot of that war. You might not have liked his tactics, like giving away WWF's results ahead of time on his show (to stop channel surfing) or having WWF Hall of Famer Alundra Blaze drop the WWF women's title in the trash on TV, but there's really no way around it, without his WCW breathing down the WWF's neck, there would have been no attitude era, no golden age of wrestling. Not to mention his later stint as General Manager of WWE RAW gave WWE the one and only real "over" authority figure they had in decades....people loved to hate this guy when he was "running" the show.
 |
| When hell froze over for attitude era fans. |
Earthquake
Ok so I'll be honest, I cant really defend this one, this is a personal pick for me. Earthquake was the first wrestler I ever "knew" due to his inclusion in the old WWF arcade games, and he just looked like an overwhelming monster.
Which he was if you saw him in the ring as his opponents had a bad habit of being carted out of the match after he crushed them, his run as a monster culminated with a year long fued with Hulk Hogan including main eventing summerslam, before forming a tag team with fellow huge man Typhoon and wining the tag team titles.
Sadly the rest of his career didnt go so well, spending time in WCW as the forgetten Shark and Avalanche Characters before returning to the WWF as Golga of the oddities, a freakshow group.
Dennis Rodman (Celebrity Wing)
So like it or not, WWE seems hell bent on this whole celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame thing, basically inducting any celebrity who was even slightly involved wit Wrestling. Well it would be nice to see them put more guys in like Pete Rose and Mike Tyson, who you know actually did something beyond showing up.
Enter Dennis Rodman. No celebrity spent as much time involved in Wrestling as Rodman did, spending two years, on and off with WCW as a member of the nWo. He even played a major role in main event of two pay per views.
So yea, if we are going to have the Celebrity Wing, lets at least get a celebrity in that deserves it.
Rick Martel
Ok so to be honest, I am way too young to have seen most of Rick Martel's work, mostly I see him on old WWF pay per views, so Im mostly familiar with his later stuff as half of Strike Force and as "the Model" Rick Martel, and its that second one that I think should get him in the Hall. I tend not to like to many wrestlers from that era cause their gimmicks are kinda dumb and the matches are much slower paced than today, but he's the exception. Basically his run as the Model seemed to be what set the standard for guys like Dolph Ziggler and Shawn Michaels and all the other arrogant pretty boy heels who are also great in ring wrestlers over the year, at least in the WWE so I think its about time he get some recognition for that
The Sandman
ECW ECW ECW.
You still hear these chants today at WWE events anytime someone brings out a table, chair, kendo stick, fights into the crowd ect. And yet as popular as ECW and its style still is, 15 years after the doors closed on the promotion, there still isnt a single ECW talent in the Hall of Fame.
I think its time that changes, and while Paul Heyman would seem to be the obvious choice (and I have no doubt he'll be there someday) WWE tends not to give that honor to still active performers.
So we turn one of the guys who can make a legitimate claim to being the heart and soul of the company, and clearly one of their top guys, the record setting 5 time ECW champion, The Sandman.
Sure he wasnt the prettiest wrestler in the ring, but he had a connection with the fans few can match. Oh and the whole beer drinking anti authority foul mouthed redneck thing Stone Cold did that made him so popular? yea this is the guy he stole it from.
Also, you got to give the guy credit for his dedication to his craft. He once did an storyline where he was blinded....so the guy actually acted blind 24/7 even in his personal life for the whole run of bit, so as not to ruin it for any fans who crossed paths with him on the street.
Sadly his most famous and memorable moment might keep him out of the Hall for good, as he was crucified complete with actual wooden cross and a crown of barbed wire by fellow competitor Raven, in a move that offended (and might still offend) many believers.
Also while it shouldnt impact a decision to put him in the hall of fame, you do have to give the guy credit for one of the most memorable entrances of all time, at ECW One Night Stand 2005 (put on by the WWE 4 years after ECW closed down) when he got the WHOLE crowd to sing along with his entrance:
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