WWE Hall of Fame 2020-21

[El-P]

1 hour ago, flyonthewall2983 said:

Maybe Tommy Dreamer (is he still with WWE?) or one of the ECW originals.

Dreamer, RVD, Rhino are in IMPACT. Not that IMPACT would prevent them from going in I guess, just like Billy Gunn was already signed to that pissant company last year.

[sek69]

As soon as I saw that exchange my thought was "well I suppose this might show how beholden he is to WWE" since the normal grump Twitter Punk would just steamroll her.

[Brandon-E]

11 hours ago, FMKK said:

I can't see them rushing to have a celebrity inductee who can't actually show up so they can get their shitty TMZ coverage or whatever

How about Cyndi Lauper?

[flyonthewall2983]

7 hours ago, C.S. said:

 

Think this in the wrong thread.

[C.S.]

2 hours ago, flyonthewall2983 said:

Think this in the wrong thread.

Of course it's the right thread - Lana is doing Hall of Fame work right now and is a lock to be the female nomination this year. 

(Thanks for the heads-up. I deleted the post here and reposted it to the weekly WWE thread.)

[rovert]

On 12/11/2019 at 2:00 AM, gordi said:

Forgive my ignorance, but why is it unlikely that they'd let Finlay induct Batista? Did he piss someone off? Is he not a big enough star? Is it because he worked for Tajiri in Japan? 

I'd be interested in hearing Finlay talk about Batista, it might even get me to seek out that segment on Dailymotion or something like that. I enjoyed Vader's introduction for Stan Hansen last year or two years ago or whenever that was. 

Jerry Lawler wanted Gordan Solie and was denied. Jerry inducted by William Shatner instead. 

[Coffey]

Open question for PWO: Should Christian go in?

Edge is already in. The Dudley Boyz are in. I assume when they're finished, The Hardy Boys will go in. Is Christian going to be the odd man out?

Not just the Edge & Christian stuff but he's also a former World Champion & Intercontinental Champion. He's had a lot of great matches.

[PeteF3]

16 hours ago, rovert said:

Jerry Lawler wanted Gordan Solie and was denied. Jerry inducted by William Shatner instead. 

Lance Russell, not Solie. And Finlay was a fixture on WWE television for years, which Lance wasn't. The two situations are not remotely comparable.

[PeteF3]

10 minutes ago, Coffey said:

Open question for PWO: Should Christian go in?

Did he have a wrestling career of any note? Is he persona non grata to Vince? Has he killed anybody? 

These are literally the only criteria for whether anyone "should" go into the WWE HOF. I don't get why we're still asking these questions.

[sek69]

Yeah the criteria seems to be  are they any of the following in descending order:

1. Someone who got mainstream attention outside wrestling and/or a celebrity who once did something wrestling related

2. A major WWF/E star

3. A major star who didn't spend any real time in WWF/E

4. Someone who was around in WWF/E forever and maybe had a notable moment they can put in a video package

5. Female

6. A minority of some sort

[flyonthewall2983]

The one I stand by is 1. Not on the McMahon shitlist (consider everybody still not in). 2. Long-standing relationships with them (only reason Trump is in that makes sense to me). 3. Made an undeniable impression on the business. All in that order. But as to what role they fulfilled in the business, sek69's criteria certainly has merit too. 

[gordi]

I am afraid that I still don't really understand *why* WWE wold be disinclined to let Finlay be the one to induct Batista. 

Finaly is great. He's widely respected in the pro wrestling world, he can tell a tale, he's been an important contributor to WWE for years...

Is it because Batista gives them an opportunity to shoehorn in a non-wrestling Hollywood celebrity type? Is it that obvious that WWE would prefer that to David F'N Finlay?!!? 

I am a very casual follower of WWE. Mostly read recaps and follow the various threads here. Generally tune in during RumbleMania season. 

I am a little baffled by the idea that Finlay wouldn't be "good enough" to appear on the HoF show. Have things gone that far off the rails? Really? 

[sek69]

It was just a joke referring to Jerry Lawler not getting who he wanted to induct him, that since Batista is a big star of Marvel movies now Vince would want one of his co stars to do it instead of Finlay.

[sek69]

7 hours ago, flyonthewall2983 said:

Long-standing relationships with them (only reason Trump is in that makes sense to me).

To be fair, considering he hosted two Wrestlemanias and was a huge draw main eventing another he's more qualified than anyone else in the Celebrity Wing and like half the wrestlers in the normal one.

[gordi]

28 minutes ago, sek69 said:

It was just a joke referring to Jerry Lawler not getting who he wanted to induct him, that since Batista is a big star of Marvel movies now Vince would want one of his co stars to do it instead of Finlay.

 Oh, OK. But now I am going to be disappointed if Finlay doesn't get the gig.

[FMKK]

On 12/15/2019 at 2:42 AM, gordi said:

I am afraid that I still don't really understand *why* WWE wold be disinclined to let Finlay be the one to induct Batista. 

Finaly is great. He's widely respected in the pro wrestling world, he can tell a tale, he's been an important contributor to WWE for years...

Is it because Batista gives them an opportunity to shoehorn in a non-wrestling Hollywood celebrity type? Is it that obvious that WWE would prefer that to David F'N Finlay?!!? 

I am a very casual follower of WWE. Mostly read recaps and follow the various threads here. Generally tune in during RumbleMania season. 

I am a little baffled by the idea that Finlay wouldn't be "good enough" to appear on the HoF show. Have things gone that far off the rails? Really? 

If they can convince Cena to show up for it, let alone Vin Diesel or whoever else is in those movies, then Finlay is getting bumped for the bigger star.

[Log]

They’ll just have Groot induct him. He’ll say “I am Groot” over and over and they’ll cut to the audience to see Big Show cracking up. 

[flyonthewall2983]

On 12/14/2019 at 10:02 PM, sek69 said:

To be fair, considering he hosted two Wrestlemanias and was a huge draw main eventing another he's more qualified than anyone else in the Celebrity Wing and like half the wrestlers in the normal one.

True. I do wonder if his presence in it gives the company's PR department a little, if any, unease however. That aside, I have no real problem with him being in. Certainly being booed by the audience at MSG helped. 

[DMJ]

There's some hubbub online since the rumor that the Bellas are going to be inducted this year started spreading.

I'm on-the-fence/indifferent about it. 

The fans that are bringing up things like "How can the Bellas be in when The Undertaker isn't?" weird me out because, well, that's just such a silly argument/criticism to make for what the WWE Hall of Fame really is. 

A criticism that I do understand and feel more akin to making is (a) the fact that the WWE inducting only one female talent/act a year is obvious tokenism and (b) if that token is going to the Bella Twins in 2020, why them and not someone like Molly Holly or Stacey Keibler? It just kinda seems like they *jumped* from Trish, Lita, and Ivory right to the 2010s and skipped some of the equally worthy talents. (Not to mention Chyna [inducted individually] and Sable* and Terri Runnels and even Debra McMichael who may/may never get in from the Attitude Era)

 

* There's always been speculation that Sable would get in the same year as Lesnar, but I'm not sure that's a guarantee. 

[Al]

You're kind of dealing with the duel problems that they have a form of tokenism along with who is the most high profile person willing to do it. I know Stacey made an appearance last year, but is she willing to go along? The Bella Twins from WWE's vantage are an easy yes.

[Tenese Sarwieh]

The Bellas helped WWE get tons of money from Total Divas/Bellas so you know why their getting in. I still can't understand why some folks get worked up over WWE's hof? It's a money grab. 

Now with Liger being inducted I want them to have a Table for 3 with him and the Bellas, that would be pure gold.

[Coffey]

I'm more confused by WWE's selective choices for non-WWE talent. Like, Liger is going in based on what he's done in pro-wrestling but in WWE he did what, one NXT match against Tyler Breeze? And Abdullah the Butcher is in & I don't think he ever made an appearance for WWF/WWE. Maybe when it was Vince, Sr. in WWWF, but I don't remember.

So if Liger can go in - he did work a lot in the States, especially WCW - what does that mean for other Japanese talents? Do they have to have had a good run in the States, so Muta can go in? Or is it just greats, like Misawa & Kawada can go in now, too? They put in Antonio Inoki. They just put in Tatsumi Fujinami in 2015.

Now they have this "Legacy Division" bullshit & put Rikidozan in there. Which is also apparently where Lou Thesz, Strangler Lewis, Pat O'Connor, Frank Gotch, El Santo & George Hackenschmidt are. So, do they not count as WWE Hall of Fame main division guys? It's all so confusing.

It's like they want it to be both credible & kayfabe at the same time. 

So I assume they can put in Jumbo but he'll go in the Legacy division? Or does he not go into the Legacy part because he wrestled Flair? Are all the divisions supposed to be treated equally, so being in the Legacy division doesn't matter? Or maybe we should only ignore the celebrity division, because otherwise Drew Caray & Rikidozan are on equal footing... 

[Al]

Abby is maybe the one person who NEVER wrestled a match for either of the Vinces. 

[Blehschmidt]

1 hour ago, Coffey said:

I'm more confused by WWE's selective choices for non-WWE talent. Like, Liger is going in based on what he's done in pro-wrestling but in WWE he did what, one NXT match against Tyler Breeze? And Abdullah the Butcher is in & I don't think he ever made an appearance for WWF/WWE. Maybe when it was Vince, Sr. in WWWF, but I don't remember.

So if Liger can go in - he did work a lot in the States, especially WCW - what does that mean for other Japanese talents? Do they have to have had a good run in the States, so Muta can go in? Or is it just greats, like Misawa & Kawada can go in now, too? They put in Antonio Inoki. They just put in Tatsumi Fujinami in 2015.

Now they have this "Legacy Division" bullshit & put Rikidozan in there. Which is also apparently where Lou Thesz, Strangler Lewis, Pat O'Connor, Frank Gotch, El Santo & George Hackenschmidt are. So, do they not count as WWE Hall of Fame main division guys? It's all so confusing.

It's like they want it to be both credible & kayfabe at the same time. 

So I assume they can put in Jumbo but he'll go in the Legacy division? Or does he not go into the Legacy part because he wrestled Flair? Are all the divisions supposed to be treated equally, so being in the Legacy division doesn't matter? Or maybe we should only ignore the celebrity division, because otherwise Drew Caray & Rikidozan are on equal footing... 

I think "Legacy Division" is code for: these guys are dead and not important enough to our version of history to spend any actual time on them, but we feel like we have to acknowledge them or people won't shut up about them.

[Robert S]

1 hour ago, Al said:

Abby is maybe the one person who NEVER wrestled a match for either of the Vinces. 

I also got Stevie Ray and I am sure not all the Von Erichs wrestled for Capitol Wrestling/WWWF/WWF (obviously Mike and Chris did not; did Fritz ever work Capitol or WWWF? cagematch has no results for him there) Jimmy Garvin might also be a tricky one, cagematch only has two results on co-promoted Montreal shows for him.