96. Finlay

There have been a plethora of excellent wrestlers from the United Kingdom, but few of them have made a serious dent in the American Market. Dave Findlay was one of those rare exceptions; a fact that becomes even more remarkable as he really didn’t make an American impact until his late 30’s.

For the first fifteen years of his professional career, Finlay wrestled in Ireland and the United Kingdom winning a myriad of titles. It was not until he began to venture off to the Austrian based Catch promotion that he truly tested the International scene. He was brought into WCW in a feud with Steven Regal that instantly put Finlay on the American radar as a tough no-nonsense competitor. He was entrenched in the mid card there and eventually joined the WWE as a road agent. The wrestling bug wouldn’t die and at the age of 48, Finlay made a successful comeback as the man who loved to fight!

With a successful International resume, a solid run in both WCW and the WWE and his reputation as a teacher in the business, the Hall of Fame could do a lot worse than Dave Findlay.

Should Finlay be in the Hall of Fame?

Definitely put him in! - 77%

Maybe, but others deserve it first. - 15.5%

Probably not, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. - 6.2%

No opinion. - 0.6%

No way! - 0.6%

The Bullet Points

Other Aliases: Dave Findlay (Real Name)
Fit Finlay
The Belfast Bruiser
Billed From: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Key Championships Held: British Heavy Middleweight (5)
British Light Heavyweight (2)
All Star British Heavyweight
Catch World Tag Team w/Marty Jones
Catch World Middleweight
Catch Intercontinental Heavyweight
WCW Television
WWE United States
Why they will get in: Although he is no longer with the WWE, his reputation is solid there.
Why they won't get in: Mid-carders will always be borderline for the Hall.
Five Greatest Matches/Moments: 1. Won his first title in Britain (6/14/82)
2. Won the Catch Intercontinental Heavyweight Title (7/3/93)
3. Loses a Parking Lot Brawl to Lord Steven Regal but shines in the match. (4/29/96)
4. Won the WCW Television title defeating Booker T (5/4/98)
5. Wins the WWE United States Title defeating Bobby Lashley (7/14/06)