gold star for USAHOF

Wrestling fans, get ready to rumble! The WWE Hall of Fame honors the most prestigious wrestlers for their remarkable accomplishments and contributions to the wrestling world. Year after year, we eagerly anticipate the announcement of the newest members of this exclusive group. It's time to make a case for five wrestlers who merit inclusion in the illustrious Hall of Fame.

Before delving into our top selections, let's take a moment to appreciate the unique connection wrestling has with its audience. Fans find solace and inspiration in the sport, relating to wrestlers' struggles and drawing motivation from their journeys. Adding to the excitement, bookmakers featured in some of the best online sportsbook reviews offer competitive odds and intriguing prop bets, like predicting the next Hall of Fame inductee.

There are countless talented wrestlers with remarkable careers, but here, we will focus on our top five picks and why we believe they should join the WWE Hall of Fame.

 

1.    Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson: The Charismatic Sportsman

The Rock's enthralling charisma and hypnotic orations seized the WWE Universe throughout the Attitude Era and beyond. As a leading Hollywood luminary, his seamless transition to the silver screen extended the WWE's mainstream prominence. Boasting a 10-time world champion status, The Rock's unforgettable clashes with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and John Cena solidify his legendary status.

The reasons listed below clearly show his claim to a place in the Hall of Fame.

  • Entrancing charisma and hypnotic orations
  • Stellar silver screen success and crossover prowess

Transitioning into a flourishing Hollywood career, he rose to become one of the top-grossing actors.

  • Illustrious championship pedigree

He accomplished a lot in the ring, being a 10-time world champion and having memorable rivalries with Stone Cold.

2.    Big Show: The Colossal Ring Conqueror

Big Show's enormous stature and versatility across wrestling styles rendered him an unbeatable opponent. With a career spanning over two decades, his accolades include numerous championships and memorable moments. As a guiding light for emerging wrestlers, his seasoned expertise continues to mold future superstars.

The following points make a strong case for his rightful inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

  • Titanic's presence

Big Show is a wrestler with an imposing 7ft stature and 400lb weight who has been in the industry for over two decades.

  • Longevity and respect

He has held multiple championships, was highly agile and versatile, and earned his peers' respect.

  • Role model and mentorship

He mentored many young wrestlers, providing knowledge and invaluable experience.

 

3.    Vince McMahon: The Ingenious Orchestrator

As WWE's Chairman, McMahon transformed wrestling into a global entertainment juggernaut. Moreover, his enthralling on-screen identities and conflicts with industry titans made him an unforgettable wrestling figure as he pioneered concepts that have indelibly influenced the sport.

Vince's work ethic and relentless commitment to the sport have enabled him to reach the highest levels of management excellence, and the following reasons make him a Hall of Fame-worthy candidate.

  • Visionary promoter and industry pioneer

His visionary ideas, promotional insight, and drive for success have transformed WWE into a global entertainment powerhouse.

  • His on-screen characters

He has also made an impact playing the villainous character "Mr McMahon" and has been the driving force behind events such as WrestleMania.

4.    Sable: Women's Wrestling Vanguard

A cherished icon during the Attitude Era, Sable revolutionized women's wrestling through her pioneering matches and bewitching charm. Gracing Playboy magazine's cover twice, her widespread appeal underscored her significance. As a Women's Champion, Sable's imprint has elevated generations of female wrestlers who have emulated her path.

These reasons support Sable's deserving status as a Hall of Fame inductee.

  • A trailblazer in women's wrestling and her immense popularity
  • Women's Champion and impact on future generations

She broke barriers by competing in match types previously reserved for men, and her reign as WWE Women's Champion raised the championship profile.

5.    Owen Hart: An Unforgettable Heritage

Renowned for his prowess and skill, Owen Hart's matches against wrestling greats like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H remain timeless classics. His character and sibling rivalry with Bret Hart forged some of the most interesting narratives. Despite his untimely demise in 1999, Owen Hart's imprint on the wrestling world perseveres, with many advocating for his WWE Hall of Fame inclusion.

Here are the compelling reasons that validate his Hall of Fame worthiness.

  • Striking technique

Owen Hart was a famous wrestler known for his technical and in-ring prowess and innovative high-flying moves.

  • Memorable conflicts

He exhibited a funny and naughty demeanor and was involved in unforgettable rivalries, notably with his sibling, Bret Hart.

  • Abiding legacy

His tragic death in 1999 shocked the wrestling world, but his legacy lives on through those he inspired.

Wrestlemania season also means it is WWE Hall of Fame season.

Last week, the Undertaker was announced as the headliner for the 2022 Class.  Yesterday, on Pat McAfee’s podcast, Vince McMahon announced that he would be the Undertaker’s inductor.

It is not often that McMahons, the owner of the WWE since 1982, to makes an on-camera appearance during the ceremony, so this adds to the honor of the induction.  The last time McMahon inducted a performer was in 2009 when he presented “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with his induction.

We are looking forward to see who else joins the Undertaker into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Class.

First off, our apologies as this took longer than anticipated, but we are finally ready to unveil our new WWE list of those to consider for their Hall of Fame. With the exception of our Rock and Roll list, the 375 wrestling performers we have ranked are the largest that we have here at Notinhalloffame.com.

While the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame saw twelve of our ranked wrestlers (28. Bill Goldberg, 36. Stan Stasiak, 40. El Santo, 43. Jim Londos, 45. Jeff Jarrett, 65. Mark Henry, 84. Lord Alfred Hayes, 104. Hillbilly Jim, 180. Ivory, 182. Sputinik Monroe, 188. Hiro Matsuda and 191. Boris Malenko) selected however nobody from our top 25 was chosen. As such there is not much of a difference between last year’s list and this one.

Still, we always adapt and we have made some changes that we are excited to tell you about!

Here is the new top ten:


       1. Vince McMahon. Love him or hate him, he is the WWE and the reason why many of us watch professional wrestling. McMahon was ranked #1 last year and will likely hold this spot until he is  
       dead. Triple H said that the only reason he isn’t in is because Vince wouldn’t let him! Literally this is the case of “over his dead body”.

      2.  The Undertaker. Speaking of the dead, The Undertaker returns at #2. The “Deadman” is certainly on the last leg of his career though we don’t know how many matches he has left in him. This
           is only a matter of time as he will likely go in as soon as the WWE feels that he is finished.

  1. The Rock. From one of the most popular professional wrestlers to one of the most successful movie stars, Dwayne Johnson likely has a standing invitation for the WWE Hall of Fame. The only question is if he can fit it into his busy schedule!
  1. Triple H. Because of his position as COO, it would be hard for it not to be considered shady if he gets into the Hall of Fame, but his body of work in the ring is worthy and just on his work in the re-creation of NXT alone he has won over many of his harsh critics. We think he is likely to take the Vince McMahon approach in that he won’t let himself get inducted…at least for now.
  1. Ivan Koloff. Born in Quebec but representing the Soviet Union, Ivan Koloff wrestled for decades and was the man who ended Bruno Sammartino’s eight year run as the WWWF World Heavyweight Champion. Koloff wrestled everywhere in the U.S. and Canada and was a bona fide headliner everywhere. Sadly any induction for him now would be posthumous, as he died a couple of years ago.
  1. Chris Jericho. Jericho may be very much active (he just recently won the IWGP Intercontinental Title) but we have a rule on our Notinhalloffame.com wrestling list that once you reach the age of 46 you automatically move from the futures to the main list. Jericho likely still has many more small runs in him in the WWE but will be a main event inductee when he is ready.
  1. Bruiser Brody. Brody famously died when he was stabbed by a fellow wrestler in Puerto Rico, which ended the career of the best brawler in professional wrestling history. Brody was a true rebel of the industry and while he was not associated with the WWE his legend fits in that institution.
  1. Kane. Notably the above seven have the same ranking as last year. Kane however has moved up from #11 to #8. Like Jericho, Kane is still somewhat active in the WWE, though the man named Glenn Jacobs is focusing more on his political career. Like Chris Jericho, Kane’s age places him on our main list as opposed to the Futures.
  1. Batista. Batista dropped one spot from #8. While his last run was not a career highlight the former multi-time WWE Champion has been vocal about wanting one more run followed by an official retirement. Hopefully he succeeds in obtaining that wish.
  1. Owen Hart. Hart moved up from #12 but as long as there is Martha Hart the odds of Owen making the WWE Hall of Fame seems slim. Owen remains one of the locks that the WWE is afraid to pull the trigger on. Honestly, who can blame them?

While there were no additions in our top 100 there are certainly new names on our Notinhalloffame.com WWE list.

The highest new entry is R-Truth, who based on our mandatory age limit (discussed above with Chris Jericho) is now on our main list. Truth debuts at #189.

As always we here at Notinhalloffame.com continue to look at others who we may have missed. As such we have some new entries on our now Notinhallofame.com WWE 375.

Former AWA World Heavyweight Champion, The Mighty Igor debuts at #244. Former regional faux Japanese headliner Kenji Shibuya makes his first appearance at #271. Former Cleveland legend Johnny Powers debuts at #313. The final three entries, which are new are Count Billy Varga #373, Neff Maivia #374 and Akira Taue at #375.

Notably Daniel Bryan who was ranked #9 has been put back into our futures.

You know what we want you do to!

Take a look at our new list and cast your votes and offer us your opinions.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thanks you for all of your support!

Another Hall of Fame Class equals for us another Hall of Fame revision.

Approximately seven weeks ago, the WWE Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2017, which took many off of our list.  This included:

Kurt Angle (Ranked #6)

Toots Mondt (Ranked #17)

“Ravishing” Rick Rude (Ranked #20)

Haystacks Calhoun (Ranked #32)

The Rock and Roll Express (Ranked #41)

Diamond Dallas Page (Ranked #47)

Rikidozan (#68)

Dr. Jerry Graham (#80)

Teddy Long (#134)

June Byers (#199)

Beth Phoenix (#240)

With the removal of these wrestlers, we have moved one wrestler from the future candidates section (The Big Show), and have added more additional performers who we may have forgotten before.  Rankings have changed based on your votes and comments and continuing career analysis.

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

While it is a controversial choice for some of you, we just can’t move the owner of the WWE, Vince McMahon out of the top spot.  Love him or hate him, most of you who started watching professional wrestling did so because of the marketing brilliance of McMahon. 

The Undertaker returns at #2.  With his recent retirement at Wrestlemania it is widely speculated that he will be inducted next year.  Frankly, we are hoping that is the case.

The Rock also returns at the same position, #3.  Like the Undertaker, when the Rock gets in, he will without question be the headliner. 

Triple H returns at #4.  While the resume of Triple H is certainly Hall of Fame worthy, though with him being a high ranking executive, it is actually a lot harder to induct him.  Maybe this is “Vince 2.0”, and he will be on this list for years to come. 

The late Ivan Koloff moved up two spots from #7 to #5.  There was talk about inducting him two years ago, but now any induction for the former WWWF World Heavyweight Champion would be posthumous.

Chris Jericho had a huge jump from #8 to #6.  While he is coming off of one of his most entertaining years in the ring, Y2J is 46 years old and older than the mandatory age of 45, which we placed to move Futures to the main list, even if they are active competitors. 

Bruiser Brody took a bit of a tumble as he dropped from #5 to #7.

Dave Batista, whose Hollywood run tells us he won’t be returning to the WWE anytime soon climbed one spot to #8.

Recently retired Daniel Bryan went up one spot to #10.  Bryan currently serves as the Smackdown General Manager.

Rounding out the top ten is The Big Show, our lone transfer from the Future Candidates Section to our main list.  While Show is in the best shape of his career, he will be 46 in February and is clearly on a reduced schedule.  He has been hinting retirement for years.

Here are the other new entries:

Seiji Sakaguchi at #153.

Alfonso Dantes at #186.

The Von Brauners at #197.

Jun Akiyama at #216.

Angelo Poffo at #292.

The Missouri Mauler at #314.

Bill DeMott at #338.

Dan Severn at #343.

Justin Credible at #353.

Pak Song at #355.

Stevie Richards at #359.

Duke Keomuka at #361.

Earl Hebner at #363.

Judy Martin at #367.

Ray Mendoza at #369.

Balls Mahoney at #370.

Hayabusa at #372.

Perro Aguayo Jr. at #373.

Al Madril at #374.

Bill Alfonso at #375.

Tony Anthony at #376.

Jamie Noble at #377.

The Disco Inferno at #378.

Velvet McIntyre at #379.

Sweet Daddy Siki at #380.

We have also increased our list from 365 to 380, and will likely add 20 more by the year’s end to bring it to an even 400.

You know what we want you to do!

Take a look and cast your votes and offer your opinions as those help us shape our future Notinhalloffame.com WWE List.

1. Vince McMahon

Do we have to explain this one?