WWE Hall of Fame 2017

[SteveJRogers]

Sting had what would qualify as a memorable WWE run. So did everyone in the Horsemen, except JJ Dillon though he obviously had an important role backstage.

 

There wasn't one bit of footage of DDP's WWE run at all.

 

Would you show the "Sara Undertaker Stalker Angle", the burial with Kanyon, the prescient self help guru run to wrap up the run?

 

So they didn't run any WWE footage, but you know, that's not a bad thing! THAT's A GOOD THING!

[PhilTLL]

Why does DDP sound like he's having an asthma attack? hhhhhhuuu...THE ANGLE I DID WITH SCOTT AND KEV hhhhhhuuu...

 

For that matter, why did Bischoff? Did they all get bronchitis this weekend? Were they all getting high together backstage? (No, I'm thinking of stoned-ass Larry Zbyszko in California 2 years ago.)

 

DDP remains awesome and hilarious and *real*.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Thanks to this thread, I don't feel obligated to watch the HoF. Thanks, Pro-wrestling Only. See you after Takeover.

Or you could actually watch it and then comment on it with your scary funny bits, instead of a useless post about how you aren't going to watch the subject that's being discussed. What sort of maniac needs to go into a discussion to tell everyone he isn't going to watch what's being discussed?

Seek help.

[BigBadMick]

I have never actually sat down and watched a Hall of Fame until now. I've never even seen Trish's or Lita's inductions. But there was nothing on tonight so I gave it a go.

 

I even watched the red carpet. I'm probably the biggest sucker for a red carpet who actually has zero interest in fashion itself. I just like the interviews; in super scripted WWE red carpet interviews come off as incredibly real and genuine in comparison and it's nice to see these people as their real selves, well as real as we will ever get to see them. Alexa Bliss came off as such a sweetheart, between this and other non-kayfabe stuff she's put out it would almost be impossible to hate her if she wasn't such a good heel, and when she gets a run as a face she's going to be so fucking great, I can't wait.

 

I popped for Maryse putting Cena on blast for disrespecting her and the Divas Era girls by saying she'd accomplished nothing in her career even though she is a two-time champion. I forgot about that part when I was ranting and raving about Cena but fucking yeah, he does not get to step to the Divas like that. I know this is kind of the narrative they're pushing now with the Revolution but blame it on the company and institutional sexism, don't blame the girls. Not cool. I am so ready for this match.

 

I also popped for Renee, my sun and stars, moon of my life, interviewing Deano. He's walking around looking like Dean Ambrose and she's brushing crumbs or possibly dirt off him and trying to make him look nice for the camera and he's trying to work this ridiculous suave lady killer thing for no reason and she's just not having any of it and it's all the most adorable thing I've ever seen. I don't watch Total Divas so this may be an uninformed opinion but Renee and Dean seem like the cutest couple ever. If not me, then well done to you sir.

 

Speaking of which, Bayley looked stunning. How fucking lucky is that dweeb she's marrying.

 

I like that Byron and Corey had a moment there where, even though Corey still had to riff on him, they interacted in a way that shows you that they're cool in real life and it's all in good fun.

 

Eve and Maria Menounos having their little reunion made my heart soar. More on that later. Maria Menounos flies under the radar as a celebrity wrestler since she's not a huge celebrity I guess, but honest to God from the couple matches she's had she's probably the most well trained and most enthusiastic non-wrestler they've ever had work a match. She could fair dinkum join the roster tomorrow. And Kelly Kelly! Be still my beating heart. I'm so glad she knows all about her vs Beth Phoenix, I assume she means the Summerslam match but I always preferred NoC, will have to revisit. The Stacey and Elliott Divas Invasion Army is slowly coming together.

 

So, the show. I'm not sure what I expected would be the first thing I saw on this show, but I admit that Eric Bischoff walking out and giving a tearful, heartfelt tribute to Dream sure wasn't it. Bischoff with his tan and white hair looks simultaneously the oldest and yet healthiest he's ever been.

 

DDP was fantastic. I live for impressions so him just having a ball riffing on Dream and Hayes and Savage was awesome. Page seems like the coolest dude on the planet. He was so cool and funny and sincere and humble. By the time he was done I immediately got the appeal of this whole gig and it made me want to watch every single HOF ceremony ever. The guys must live for this.

 

It was cool and surreal to see Jim Cornette on WWE TV again, and the man sure can talk, but it also did feel like he went on for fucking ever. The Rock N Rolls, on the other hand, were AMAZING. Just incredible. Ricky and Robert are just immortal. They go from being Ricky and Robert doing their "we sold this sumbitch out" routine, to making heartfelt thanks to people, to being senile old men who lost their train of thought, then snapping back in and popping the crowd again...brilliant, loved it.

 

Steamboat, God love him, was pretty boring but I did like the bit where he talked about the cage match and Rude coming up with that awesome highspot on the fly, that was badass. Rude's son did pretty well.

 

AND SO. The moment I've all been waiting for, the main event of my evening. Womenfolk.

 

Nattie is so insane and I love it. She seems like the most annoying person on earth but in a way that you'd still totally be best friends with her. You'd just have to learn how to tune her voice out, and probably develop a habit of ignoring the 78 texts she sends you every day until a moment where you're mentally prepared to deal with her onslaught. I have friends like that. She did great here, I loved their little tag team but I had no idea how close they actually were.

 

Beth was magnificent. I lost it the moment she came out and seemed immediately overwhelmed by the reaction she got. What a sweetheart. I'm glad she told the story of Molly Holly paying her tuition because it's a darling story and Molly Holly is all that is light and good in this world. Molly losing it made me lose it again.

 

I was so not prepared for Beth beginning to list the girls she'd worked with and starting with Gail Kim - someone whom she had one 5 minute singles match with on Superstars, but fuck me if Beth vs Gail wasn't my number one most wished for dream match in wrestling for like three years to no avail until they finally had a 5 minute singles match on Superstars and I lost ALL OF MY SHIT in a way that I have rarely ever lost it. I've been thinking about my top 33 moments in wrestling ever since I listened to the latest Supershow episode, and honestly finally getting my dream match out of the blue is probably one of them. So thank you Beth for popping me like that.

 

Speaking of which, Glamarella. I haven't even thought about that stuff in YEARS but Holy Shit did I love Beth and Santino. I can still remember them getting together like it was yesterday, with the match and the waistlocks and the tension and the kiss and Santino biting her biceps and Beth picking him up and just everything, God damn I loved that angle. Finding out that it was actually Beth who came up with it is awesome. That story of Santino ribbing her in Italy was awesome.

 

I popped huge for her name dropping Cherry, even though I have no recollection of them wrestling on the main roster. Maybe it was in development. Vickie Guerrero got a huge reaction, I thought this day might never come but she could probably be a babyface now. Trish...man, Trish coming back on that Raw in Toronto to face Glamarella was probably the most I have ever popped at anything in my life. I'm still mad that I never got a Trish vs Beth singles match. I think the only girl she forgot to mention was Tiffany.

 

I love that she spent so much time in her speech not just talking about other girls and thanking them, but putting them over in their own right. I don't think Eve's own husband could have put her over as nicely and effusively as Beth did here. Eve losing it made me lose it all over again.

 

She's 100% right about Candice Michelle by the way, she worked super hard to get as good as she did, and Beth walked into their feud as a green, clumsy stiff who didn't know what to do with herself, and she walked out of it as a confident, dangerous monster heel who knew exactly what to do. Candice carried Beth in that feud and helped her figure out how to work.

 

LOST MY SHIT when Beth responded to a heckler with "Settle your tea kettle." SETTLE YOUR TEA KETTLE. IT'S MY FAVOURITE PHRASE AND I HAVE NO IDEA EVEN WHY BUT IT IS. Beth and Nattie are like my new favourite best friends, I absolutely loved their 2011 Divas of Doom tag team and now more than ever I wish they could have had a bigger run. I also remember them both looking stone cold fucking gorgeous every week during that run too, holy smokes.

 

HOOOOOOOOOOOLY SHIT SHE BROUGHT OUT TONY CHIMEL JUST TO ANNOUNCE "THE RATED R SooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooPERSTAR EDGE!" ONE MORE TIME AND GIVE HIM A MOMENT MY GOD DAMN SHE IS THE BIGGEST MARK IN THE WORLD OMG EDGE HAS LOST IT SO HARD HE'S CRYING HYSTERICALLY WITH LAUGHTER HE CAN'T EVEN SHUT UP I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING I DON'T EVEN LIKE EDGE WHY AM I CRYING I CAN'T STOP CRYING~~~

 

I howled all over again when she did the bit about the flaming table. That is exactly what a huge wrestling nerd WOULD think. She is totes a gigantic fucking mark and I love it. I love her. I knew I loved Beth in 2008, I knew I loved her in 2011, I knew I loved her when she left and I was sad, but I never truly knew how much I loved her until now. What a total sweetheart, I fucking dare anyone to not like her after that. She was sweet and humble and gracious and funny and charismatic, she had it all. What a great speech.

 

Beth Phoenix will now be the leader of Stacey and Elliott's Divas Invasion Army, sorry Kelly. A small nucleus of it was congregated here: Beth, Kelly, Eve, Candice. Maria Menounos. Onward we march.

 

I don't care if anyone has a problem with the Divas girls or their careers, if I can get moments like this in my life I want them ALL in the Hall of Fame. Put em all in one by one, and every year I can have this big circlejerk of love from the girls, by the girls, for the girls and cry tears of joy into my pillow while I rant and rave on the internet at 4am during Mania weekend like I'm doing right now. If I'm incoherent right now, it's because I'm so tired but I haven't slept and I can't feel my eyeballs. I love everything.

We're on completely different planets as fans Jimmy but I love your writing.

[BigBadMick]

It was interesting hearing Cornette in front of an audience not hanging on his every word. You get used to his podcasts and shoot interviews being a real lovefest.

 

I thought he did fine though. I enjoyed it anyway.

[goc]

 

Thanks to this thread, I don't feel obligated to watch the HoF. Thanks, Pro-wrestling Only. See you after Takeover.

Or you could actually watch it and then comment on it with your scary funny bits, instead of a useless post about how you aren't going to watch the subject that's being discussed. What sort of maniac needs to go into a discussion to tell everyone he isn't going to watch what's being discussed?

Seek help.

 

The same kind of maniac who makes sure to post a dozen times to tell you about how much he doesn't care about the Mania card.

[Loss]

Let's not do this.

[El-P]

Don't worry Charles, I won't reply.

 

(I do hope some do get the irony and humour of this very post, though)

[PhilTLL]

Morton: "...so finally one night I told him, 'Michael, just hit me as hard as you can, because your working punch is gonna put me in the hospital.' "

 

That's the kind of quote that is, in itself, reason enough to have and watch the HOF ceremony. Delicious. And wrapping up by calling Robert the greatest person he's ever met was really sweet.

 

(Some goon catcalling Marissa Rood is reason enough not to have it.)

[cowboy hats]

I've never seen a Beth Phoenix match, but her speech is off the charts good (it's not even over yet)

[PhilTLL]

Oh amen. It's easily the best composed and delivered of the half-show I've seen so far, and I can't imagine anyone topping it. Hilarious and touching and very detailed. Shouting out Candice, Finlay, etc. does a real service too--reminding us that the women's work and effort was outpacing the respect with which they were booked long before the "revolution".

 

And bringing out a retired ring announcer to make sure your husband gets the biggest pop of the night is Most Valuable Spouse material, only topped by the Most Valuable Mom, genuinely inspirational ending for her daughters. Great stuff. Pantheon of great WWE HOF speeches, even.

 

I can't remember off the top of my head--was it already known that she wrote the Glamarella storyline? Great tidbit. Anyway, she always struck me as a smart cookie, just based on her bearing, charisma, character touches, promos. So neither storyline writing nor great speechwriting should be too surprising in retrospect.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

I know some were disappointed at the lack of Cornette just going to town with a live mic, but while it was a bit too long (sort of a way to describe a lot of what goes on over Mania weekend), respect him for concentrating on the fact that it was not about him, but about the people he was inducting.

[Jimmy Redman]

I can't remember off the top of my head--was it already known that she wrote the Glamarella storyline? Great tidbit. Anyway, she always struck me as a smart cookie, just based on her bearing, charisma, character touches, promos. So neither storyline writing nor great speechwriting should be too surprising in retrospect.

 

I don't remember ever hearing that before, and I feel like I'm me so it would have been something I was aware of if it was out there.

 

It's an interesting thing to think about, given that when a male wrestler takes the reigns creatively (Jericho writing his own storylines, etc.) we tend to hear all about it and get to marvel at how clever they are and how this is why we don't need Hollywood writers and so on. Actually if anything I think this is because more men talk to sheet writers than the women seem to. Maybe that will change for the current era since the influx of gigantic marks and indy workers into the women's ranks? Who knows.

 

For example I know that Trish and Jericho basically wrote that whole love triangle angle themselves. I'm now wondering what kind of input, if any, women have had into the major angles over the years. How much of the Trish/Lita stuff in 2004 was Trish? How much of the Mickie/Trish angle was Mickie? How much of AJ Lee's Crazy act was AJ? Did Nattie and Beth have a hand in their Divas of Doom angle vs Kelly in 2011 (from the HOF it seems so)? Was Eve active in her big heel run? How much of the Laycool stuff was just Michelle and Layla fucking around? (I'm struggling to think of major, long term, creative angles the women have done over the years. Who would have thought.)

 

I'm very curious about their level of agency. I hope these girls have done interviews.

[flyonthewall2983]

So...who for next year? Undertaker, obviously. I'm hearing some things that he should be the only one inducted next year, like they did for Andre. I hope not, but I can understand why if they did.

[Hawkeye12]

I'd add One Man Gang, Midnight Express, and Dr Death for the Mid-South vibe (and they are all deserving regardless).

[PhilTLL]

I'd add One Man Gang, Midnight Express, and Dr Death for the Mid-South vibe (and they are all deserving regardless).

Same vein: Terry Taylor! "Multiple and varied contributions to the industry" and all that, plus I have no doubt he would give a good speech.

[PhilTLL]

So...who for next year? Undertaker, obviously. I'm hearing some things that he should be the only one inducted next year, like they did for Andre. I hope not, but I can understand why if they did.

I mean...only if they don't do a show. Or if it's USA-only, 30-60 long (not a terrible idea).

[gingears]

I don't know how the timeline works in relation to his contract but I think Daniel Bryan would make sense given that it is in New Orleans again.

[sek69]

JR being back in the fold for the next couple years would make him a nice fit to induct Dr. Death next year. Pretty sure Gang is a prison guard in Louisiana so he would seem to be a shoo in too if they don't insist on him being Akeem.

[flyonthewall2983]

I don't know how the timeline works in relation to his contract but I think Daniel Bryan would make sense given that it is in New Orleans again.

 

That would be perfect, but so sad too.

 

I could see Midnight Express with JR inducting them. Would be cool if OMG and Dr. Death got in too, but I really doubt WWE would put together such a class specific to a non-WWE company.

[Al]

Magnum T.A. would make a lot of sense.

[brocklock]

I'm shocked British Bulldog isn't in yet. Vader if his health holds up. Molly Holly probably as well.

[Brandon-E]

Will JBL and Christian go in next year?

[fakeplastictrees]

JFC. HARLEM HEAT~! Others I would like to see:

 

British Bulldog

Goldberg

Vader

The Dudley Boys

Jushin "Thunder" Liger

 

I would say Undertaker but I can see WWE waiting 1-2 more years before pulling the trigger on that.

[flyonthewall2983]

I would much rather see The British Bulldogs inducted as a team, since they had more memorable matches. Davey Boy on his own didn't mean as much. That said, whether or not the WWE is on good terms with Billington would probably have a lot to do with them getting in.

 

I could see them not wanting to put Undertaker in next year either.