9 Very Debatable WWE Hall of Famers
Who are wrestling fans on the fence about?
The WWE Hall of Fame sparks debate and outrage every year as wrestling fans question why certain performers are enshrined on Vince McMahon’s imaginary mantle.
Fans are frustrated because although the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame and Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame do exist, they’re not as mainstream as WWE’s HOF. Yet, unlike other professional sports and entertainment halls, WWE doesn’t offer any criteria for how people are inducted. It’s simply at the whims of the McMaster.
Therefore, wrestling fans are left to argue for or against inclusion of certain wrestling characters. As a matter of fact, John Corrigan and David Gibb did just that on a recent episode of Corrigan’s Corner on Team LeftJab Radio.
Here are the WWE Hall of Famers they’re on the fence about. (The following has been edited and condensed for your reading pleasure.)
You can check out the WWE Hall of Fame Roundtable here. You can see the five pillars of the WWE Hall of Fame here.
Teddy Long
Corrigan: “He should be in the hall not for being a referee or manager, but for his longevity as an authority figure on WWE TV. He played a role in big angles, has memorable catchphrases and is still remembered fondly today.”
Gibb: “I don’t think you’re watching enough Doom. You need to watch yourself some late 80s and early 90s WCW. He was really an effective heel manager.”
Edge
Gibb: “I don’t have a problem with him in the hall – I have a problem that he went in before Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino or Randy Savage. To me, he had more of a career on the same level as a Rick Rude. And it took Rude years and years to make it into the hall of fame. If it took Edge five years to get in after he retired, that would be fine.”
Corrigan: “I’m an Edge fan, but you’re right. In the pantheon of all-time greats, he definitely shouldn’t have been a first-time ballot.”
Gibb: “I always really loved Edge and Christian as a unit. I always thought their best matches were so much better than Edge as a single’s best matches.”
Corrigan: “Would you consider Edge and Christian as a package a first-ballot hall of famer?”
Gibb: “Yes, 125,000%.”
Rikishi
Corrigan: “I consider him the same as Godfather, just with more credentials. Plus, he and Too Cool were a super popular act during 2000.”
Gibb: “I have him, too! As stupid as those dancing spots were, they were such a huge part of those shows.”
Jacqueline
Gibb: “I feel better about Ivory than I do about Jacqueline. But I also know she is such a legendary character within the business. People talk about her in such a hushed voice like they’re hoping she’s not waiting around the corner to kick their ass. Considering she was supposed to be this great, tough wrestler, you can’t really point to that great Jacqueline match.”
Corrigan: “What I think keeps her on there is longevity. She wrestled in USWA, WWE and then a lot of people forget she wrestled in Impact for a while. Maintaining such a lengthy mainstream career is pretty impressive for a woman in pro wrestling.”
Gibb: “Oh, yeah. When you talk about her and James Storm, they were a really good package. Even in the early days of Beer Money, her standing behind them, being their female counterpoint, definitely gave Roode and Storm that Attitude Era rub that helped them get over.”
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Gibb: “He stays in based on his accomplishments in Mid-South. He really saved that company after they lost JYD. Once he got to WWE and discovered the “HOOO!” and double DQ and double countout finishes, I hate watching those matches.”
Baron Mikel Scicluna
Corrigan: “He has two titles to his name, both are with tag teams and only three months apiece. He would be fodder for Pedro Morales or Bruno. But he was world champion in Australia.”
Gibb: “Yeah, I do know the IWA in Australia, that’s when Barnett was getting Australia really, really hot. That’s definitely a run I’d say anybody deserves credit for. He, Nikolai Volkoff and a couple of other guys who are in there because they’re friends of Bruno. Even though he wasn’t in the hall of fame until later, every couple years it seems like they made a concession to Bruno.”
Carlos Colon
Gibb: “I know Carlos Colon is a huge figure in wrestling and Puerto Rico was a really important territory to work, but he seems like someone who is in there because they had his sons under contract at the time. But I can’t kick him out because he is like a real cultural hero in Puerto Rico and that territory meant something for so long.”
Corrigan: “And he had that great run in the 1993 Royal Rumble.”
Arnold Skaaland
Corrigan: “Backstage, he was a pivotal figure in helping Vince’s father expand the company. I’d kick him out because he was apparently a shitty wrestler. The only title he ever received was half of the Tag Team Titles…and that was handed to him by Tony Parisi! He was the manager of Bruno and Backlund, which you would think means he was tremendous, but he barely talked. I can’t even find a promo of his on Youtube.”
Gibb: “He also threw in the towel on Backlund, so how good of a manager could he have been?”
Wendi Richter
Gibb: “Wendi Richter could have been anybody. You could have slapped just about anybody into that spot who was a capable athlete and they would have gotten over like Wendi Richter did. She was the right person at the right time. She stays because she was a huge part of the Rock N Wrestling Era and the first WrestleMania, but there was nothing unique or special that makes her stand out as a performer.”
You can listen to the full episode here.
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