WWE Hall of Fame 2020-21

[KawadaSmile]

Wasn't Great Khali like a huge draw in a huge market? More than worth it.

[Alucard]

I thought the Batista/Khali feud was a blast and produced some fun Khali matches. Cool for him and Kane.

Sabu said in an interview that RVD is supposed to be added to this class.

[NintendoLogic]

Khali's a worthy candidate in the sense that it's a fake hall of fame with no real criteria beyond "not currently suing the company" and "wouldn't create a PR nightmare." But even from a WWE-centric standpoint, there have to be dozens, if not hundreds, of wrestlers worthier than him. Really though, Vince and the WWE HOF can fuck off forever for not inducting Vader while he was still alive knowing how much it meant to him.

[SteveJRogers]

1 hour ago, NintendoLogic said:

Khali's a worthy candidate in the sense that it's a fake hall of fame with no real criteria beyond "not currently suing the company" and "wouldn't create a PR nightmare." But even from a WWE-centric standpoint, there have to be dozens, if not hundreds, of wrestlers worthier than him. Really though, Vince and the WWE HOF can fuck off forever for not inducting Vader while he was still alive knowing how much it meant to him.

I guess you don’t want to know why certain New York Yankees’ numbers are retired, and others aren’t

[Rah]

'Taker giving the news to Kane made me question why both Kane and Khali are getting in before he is.

[SteveJRogers]

46 minutes ago, Rah said:

'Taker giving the news to Kane made me question why both Kane and Khali are getting in before he is.

Wants to go in in front of the Dallas, TX crowd?

[Ricky Jackson]

Yeah, I think you would want to save Taker for a Mania when things are "back to normal" or whatever post-pandemic will be 

[flyonthewall2983]

Rob Van Dam is next

[C.S.]

46 minutes ago, flyonthewall2983 said:

Rob Van Dam is next

Sabu recently buried the WWE HOF as a "fake Hall of Fame," so he may have ruined RVD's big moment for the second time in their careers.

[El-P]

He should do his infamous Shawn Michaels impersonation. That would get over well.

[SirEdger]

2 hours ago, C.S. said:

Sabu recently buried the WWE HOF as a "fake Hall of Fame," so he may have ruined RVD's big moment for the second time in their careers.

Sabu seems to have stolen Taz's gimmick of being the most miserable son of a bitch on the face of this Earth.

[El-P]

6 hours ago, SirEdger said:

Sabu seems to have stolen Taz's gimmick of being the most miserable son of a bitch on the face of this Earth.

Sabu is the perfect illustration than "working hard" equals nothing in the big picture (as opposed to be lucky, knowing the right people and knowing how to navigate through politics). He's easily one of the hardest working guys ever and also easily one of the most influential pro-wrestler in the last 30 years (really, if he had a cent by broken table spots). 

Also, the WWE HOF is indeed, a fake HOF (whatever a HOF means anyway) because the criteria is "Vince said so".

[SteveJRogers]

52 minutes ago, El-P said:

Sabu is the perfect illustration than "working hard" equals nothing in the big picture (as opposed to be lucky, knowing the right people and knowing how to navigate through politics). He's easily one of the hardest working guys ever and also easily one of the most influential pro-wrestler in the last 30 years (really, if he had a cent by broken table spots). 

Also, the WWE HOF is indeed, a fake HOF (whatever a HOF means anyway) because the criteria is "Vince said so".

FWIW, try telling specific non-scripted sports team’s fanbases that their team’s HOF/retired number roll call/statue roll call is fake and meaningless due to ever changing criteria that at times can be at the whim of the squeaky wheels of a fanbase, especially when it comes to honoring living and/or former team employees healthy enough to enjoy the ceremonies (New York Met baseball fans still curse their former owners for announcing statue plans for an iconic ex-player after it was publicly announced he was no longer healthy enough to attend public appearances).

Hell, sometimes an induction can be a petty shot at a sport wide HOF’s bow in terms of “we’re honoring this person, so you should as well!”

Not arguing the point, but it’s interesting that in more subjective, and less quantifiable forms of entertainment (including music and acting), any sort of “Hall of Fame” concept gets shat upon as being meaningless more so than not.  

[El-P]

16 minutes ago, SteveJRogers said:

Not arguing the point, but it’s interesting that in more subjective, and less quantifiable forms of entertainment (including music and acting), any sort of “Hall of Fame” concept gets shat upon as being meaningless more so than not.  

Well, the WWE HoF really is Vince saying who gets in, so honestly I don't see what's the big deal. Plus, you really want to get into the same club as Donald Trump and Jimmy Snuka ?

But to me all awards like these are just meaningless. Just like Academy Awards and the likes (really, a HOF is just a bunch of honorary awards). I guess it's nice to be recognized by your pairs, but you get recognized by your pairs in criminal organization too.  I've always got more sympathy for the directors/actors/artists who don't give a fuck about anything but their actual work and don't participate in such social events (where everybody is a great happy family and everyone loves everyone of course). The whole "prize" business in general is kind of a shady affair anyway. 

To go back strictly to pro-wrestling, the WO HOF is much more real because actual people from different generations who watch a lot of pro-wrestling actually vote. It's only representative of *this* group's opinion of course, much like our GWE final list is only representative of a limited bunch of people arguing to death on an internet board at a specific time (even though we like the idea that we known better than every other pro-wrestling fans out there !). But that's the way it goes. Whatever float's people's boat. Like I said, the fact they induct Bischoff *now* is kinda hilarious to me.

[SteveJRogers]

BTW, Sabu isn’t wrong about selling tickets.  

For example, in recent decades (say since the 1990s) the New York Yankees add former employees to Monument Park that fans have recently seen perform for the team, recently enshrined into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, or iconic employees that either just retired (stadium PA announcer (their Howard Finkle) Bob Sheppard) or passed on (announcer Mel Allen, owner George Steinbrenner).  

So certainly regency bias, and getting a big gate is very much a key factor in who gets honored by the franchise.

Lone exception being a HOF ace pitcher from the mid 1930s, who had been deceased since the mid-1980s.  And that was only because his family had garnered so much support for him to get some sort of recognition after all those years in the mid-2000s.

But try going on forums of Yankee fans and say their Monument Park, retired number roll call, or even a statue is pretty meaningless due to the same selection committee of pretty much one that the WWE Hall has!

[DMJ]

The Hall of Fame Ceremony itself would also be more exciting, at least to me, if it was a tighter run show and there wasn't already a glut of podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. where most of these guys have spoken - often much more candidly - about their careers in great details.

Like, what is the draw of hearing Rob Van Dam thank colleagues and tell stories for 20+ minutes? You can find interviews and podcasts with him everywhere.

Kane? Not exactly a guy I'm curious to hear speak for a half an hour. (Though it could be worse, I guess, if we were somehow all forced to listen to his Libertarian podcast.)

 

In years past, there was some intrigue in hearing guys like Austin and Bret and whoever talk because, even just 5-10 years ago, there was considerably less exposure and content. But, in this age, where we literally are getting hour-long documentaries about guys like Ron Simmons and Yokozuna where we have dozens of talking heads waxing nostalgic? I don't need any more trips down memory lane with these same narrators.

A tighter run show that was more segment-based with maybe pre-taped speeches would make it more interesting to me. Or, I dunno, maybe they can guarantee one crazed fan run-in every year and people can bet whose speech will be interrupted and who will take them out.

[C.S.]

12 hours ago, El-P said:

Also, the WWE HOF is indeed, a fake HOF (whatever a HOF means anyway) because the criteria is "Vince said so".

I mean, no one is saying otherwise, but Sabu opening up his fat tuna can of a mouth about it the year his uncle's other major protege is getting inducted is a dick move. 

[El-P]

BTW, no one has dug up the story about Great Khali being reckless with a concussed guy during a training session in APW, with the ending result being the guy actually died ? I'm amazed. 

[Robert S]

20 minutes ago, El-P said:

BTW, no one has dug up the story about Great Khali being reckless with a concussed guy during a training session in APW, with the ending result being the guy actually died ? I'm amazed. 

From what I know and remember about that story, Khali was the last guy to blame there. Whoever was in charge of heading training that day was to blame, not Khali.

[RingoPlaysDrums]

Here's a group photo from the 2020 HOF ceremony that they filmed last night. Jushin Liger and William Shatner weren't there in person. Since there's no fans present and they're filming them now anyway I think they should just have aired the HOF ceremonies this week rather than next. There's already a lot on next week and I'd imagine a lot of people would've been more able to watch it rather than trying to squeeze it in alongside Takeover/WM.

[El-P]

Hey, Diana looking good ! DBS Jr. wanted to return to WWE apparently, I wonder if this will lead to something for him. Considering his political views, he would be at home. Is that her sister ? Because she looks exactly like him. 

Waltman sporting every other guy's beard & hairstyle is kinda funny. Ohhhh, conformism....

 

[cm funk]

10 hours ago, El-P said:

Hey, Diana looking good !

 

No shit!  I did a double take.  I'm sure she wanted to look her best for this, but she was on WWF TV 25 years ago and looks like she's barely aged

[sek69]

14 hours ago, El-P said:

Hey, Diana looking good ! DBS Jr. wanted to return to WWE apparently, I wonder if this will lead to something for him. Considering his political views, he would be at home. Is that her sister ? Because she looks exactly like him. 

Waltman sporting every other guy's beard & hairstyle is kinda funny. Ohhhh, conformism....

 

Yeah that looks like  his sister who was doing a backstage interviewer gig for MLW, who always makes me double take because she looks so much like him.

[MoS]

Wait, this makes me look like a complete idiot, but where is Diana? Apart from the Bella twins, I see only Davey's daughter with his son, so clearly poor her (Davey's daughter) doesn't deserve all of this rage that ppl have earmarked this for her dad?!?!?! 

EDIT: Wow, DBS Jr. responded to this. So clearly something even more shameful happened to the Harts that we cannot even think of, right? Hopefully the 2021 version affects all of us without making things different and difficult for various groups, specifically those of them who just wanted 2020 to be really successful!!!! 

[NintendoLogic]

5 hours ago, MoS said:

Wait, this makes me look like a complete idiot, but where is Diana? Apart from the Bella twins, I see only Davey's daughter with his son, so clearly poor her (Davey's daughter) doesn't deserve all of this rage that ppl have earmarked this for her dad?!?!?!

She's in between DBS Jr. and JBL.

Quote

EDIT: Wow, DBS Jr. responded to this. So clearly something even more shameful happened to the Harts that we cannot even think of, right? Hopefully the 2021 version affects all of us without making things different and difficult for various groups, specifically those of them who just wanted 2020 to be really successful!!!! 

I'm sorry, what?