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WWE Hall of Fame: Are Future Classes Hurt by How Loaded 2013's Class Is?

WWE Hall of Fame: Are Future Classes Hurt by How Loaded 2013's Class Is?

Posted: Mar 25th 2013 By: mikeiles

The WWE Hall of Fame has been much maligned over the years for not necessarily honoring the very best professional wrestling has to offer. No such criticism has been made regarding the 2013 class, but with so many strong candidates being inducted at the same time, there is some concern that future classes will be hindered.

It seems like there are usually one or two guys who go into the Hall of Fame on a yearly basis, only for the fans to scoff at their inclusion.

That isn't the case this time around, though, as the 2013 class is arguably the most star-studded class of all time. Bruno Sammartino, Mick Foley, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus, Booker T and Donald Trump are all deserving of their spots in one way or another.

Sammartino is arguably the greatest grappler of all time and still holds the record for the longest WWE Championship reign.

Backlund happens to be No. 2 on that list.

Foley is a hardcore legend who helped push WWE over the top during the Attitude Era. Stratus may be the greatest Diva ever.

Booker is a former WCW and World Heavyweight champion.

Trump was never a wrestler, but his impact on the business as a celebrity supporter is undeniable.

Such a solid class should go a long way toward convincing fans that the Hall of Fame is the real deal, but it obviously creates some issues moving forward. Pretty much all of the people who are being inducted this year could have headlined a class themselves any other year. They'll have to share the spotlight, though, and other deserving inductees will have to be found.

Based on how many all-time greats have graced the WWE over the years, I can't imagine that the company will have any trouble finding deserving inductees moving forward.

The WWE as we know it has been in existence since 1963, so countless wrestlers, managers, announcers, referees and others have graced a WWE ring over the past 50 years. The precursor to the WWE was the Capitol Wrestling Corporation which began in 1952, so the WWE has a long and storied tradition.

Professional wrestling's popularity really kicked into another gear in the 1940s, thanks to Gorgeous George and others.

There are a number of wrestlers whom the WWE can put in the Hall of Fame from that time period as well. Also, consider the fact that the WWE owns the licensing rights for WCW and ECW, so any wrestler who did great things for those promotions is eligible regardless of their WWE impact.

When you take all of that into account, it is essentially impossible for the WWE to run out of Hall of Fame-caliber performers.

Among the top-level stars who have yet to be inducted are Randy "Macho Man" Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, The Honky Tonk Man, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and even Lou Thesz. There are plenty of mid-level guys who deserve consideration in addition to them as well.

Even the current roster is stacked with future Hall of Famers, so the WWE will have a large pool of guys to draw from for many years to come. John Cena, CM Punk, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Big Show, Kane, Undertaker, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio are all lead-pipe locks to be inducted some day.

Also, while I realize that some fans hate the notion of celebrities being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, there is no doubt that they have played a big role in the product over the years.

With that in mind, there are plenty of potential celebrity inductees for the WWE to call upon down the line. Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Lawrence Taylor, Floyd Mayweather and a handful of others wouldn't seem out of place in the Hall of Fame at all.

I understand why some fans are concerned about the 2013 Hall of Fame class taking away from future ones, but it's better to have star-studded classes than ones that contain questionable choices. At least most would agree that all six of the people who are being inducted this year are worthy of the honor, and that is really all that should matter.

If nothing else, it seems as though the WWE has finally decided to start taking its Hall of Fame seriously. Perhaps, this will lead to a physical building at some point, which would really go a long way toward making the Hall of Fame seem credible.

If and when the building comes to fruition, it had better be quite large because there is no shortage of men and women waiting in the wings who have earned the right to be called WWE Hall of Famers.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1954 Johnny Valentine def. Joe Christie for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 2002 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 2012 Tim Storm became the NWA-TXO Heavyweight Champion
  • 2012 Kyra Maya became the NWA-TXO Rose Champion
  • 2013 Nasty Swag (Robert Lee & Ace Archuleta) became the UWE Tag Team Champions
  • 2019 Slice & Kill (Skylar Slice & Killista) def. The Proclamation (Ethan Cole & Reed) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 2024 Brandon Warhawk def. Seth Daniels for the UWE Apex Title
  • 2024 Fuel def. Killbane for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 2024 Party Bird Crew (Smitty & Birdman) def. Black Flag Rising (Anarchy [2nd] & Faded Ghoul) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 2024 Super Crash Brothers (Badger James & Trench Blythe) def. Party Bird Crew (Smitty & Birdman) for the UWE Tag Team Titles

Week of Sun 09-20 to Sat: 09-26

  • 09-20 1978 Jose Lothario def. Assassin 1 for the TSW Louisiana Title
  • 09-20 1985 The Von Erichs (Kerry Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich) def. The Dynamic Duo (Gino Hernandez & Chris Adams) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 09-20 2008 Michael Barry def. Angel Williams for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-20 2008 New Canada (The Canadian Red Devil & The Canadian Luchadore) became the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 09-20 2008 The Gentlemen Thugs (Cast-Iron Cothern & Shane Morbid) def. New Canada (The Canadian Red Devil & The Canadian Luchadore) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 09-20 2009 Jermaine Johnson def. Ky-ote Joe for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 09-20 2013 Mike Foxx def. Tim Storm for the NWA-TXO Heavyweight Title
  • 09-20 2013 Genesis (Carrion Arcane & Kristopher Haiden) def. The Rock Star Mafia (Dane Griffin & Armani) for the NWA-TXO Tag Team Titles
  • 09-20 2013 The Rock Star Mafia (Dane Griffin & Armani) def. Genesis (Carrion Arcane & Kristopher Haiden) for the NWA-TXO Tag Team Titles
  • 09-20 2014 Kevin Morgan & became the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 09-20 2014 Jordan Jacobs def. Drake Gallows for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 09-20 2014 Claudia def. Bree Ann for the NWA-TXO Rose Title
  • 09-20 2014 The Brotherhood (Kyng Benjamin & Akuma Jones) def. A. C. Slaughter (Aaron Anders & Clint Cassidy) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 09-20 2014 Fuel def. Tim Rockwell for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 09-20 2025 Gideon Vane became the EPW International Champion
  • 09-20 2025 Miles Bane became the NAW Openweight Champion
  • 09-20 2026 Neo Genesis def. T. J. Spade for the ASP WTF Title
  • 09-21 1954 Johnny Valentine def. Joe Christie for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-21 2002 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 09-21 2012 Tim Storm became the NWA-TXO Heavyweight Champion
  • 09-21 2012 Kyra Maya became the NWA-TXO Rose Champion
  • 09-21 2013 Nasty Swag (Robert Lee & Ace Archuleta) became the UWE Tag Team Champions
  • 09-21 2019 Slice & Kill (Skylar Slice & Killista) def. The Proclamation (Ethan Cole & Reed) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 09-21 2024 Brandon Warhawk def. Seth Daniels for the UWE Apex Title
  • 09-21 2024 Fuel def. Killbane for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 09-21 2024 Party Bird Crew (Smitty & Birdman) def. Black Flag Rising (Anarchy [2nd] & Faded Ghoul) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 09-21 2024 Super Crash Brothers (Badger James & Trench Blythe) def. Party Bird Crew (Smitty & Birdman) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 09-22 1971 Bill Watts def. Dusty Rhodes for the TSW North American Title
  • 09-22 2001 Jenna Love became the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 09-22 2001 Justin Lee def. Dexter Hardaway for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 09-22 2012 Crossfire Morrison def. Drake Gallows for the SWCW Hardcore Title
  • 09-22 2012 Kareem Sadat def. Crossfire Morrison for the SWCW Hardcore Title
  • 09-22 2023 Tommy Prince became the TexPro Dynasty Champion
  • 09-22 2023 Nashoba became the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 09-22 2023 Skidz def. Nashoba for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 09-22 2023 Oscar Amazing def. Skidz for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 09-23 1974 Tex McKenzie & Johnny Valentine def. The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan & Blackjack Lanza) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 09-23 1975 Jose Lothario def. Billy Graham for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 09-23 2000 Grenade def. Ichiban [2nd] for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 09-23 2016 Xavior became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 09-23 2016 Nikki Knight def. Skylar Slice for the MSWA Ladies Title
  • 09-23 2016 Psycho Mike def. Brock Landers for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 09-23 2017 Kikutaro def. Ryan Davidson for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 09-23 2017 Dusty Gold def. Randy Price for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 09-23 2017 Erica def. Paige Turner for the IZW Womens Title
  • 09-23 2017 Double D def. Kevin Morgan for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 09-23 2017 Drake Gallows def. Sam Stackhouse for the BCW Buzzsaw Title
  • 09-23 2017 Xavior def. C. J. Ward for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 09-23 2017 The Omega (O’Brien & O’Malley) def. The Cursed (Blade [2nd] & Kuda) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 09-23 2023 Skidz def. Oscar Amazing for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 09-23 2023 Koko def. Dan Webber for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 09-23 2023 Sweetness (Cappuccino Jones & Romeo Reese) def. Southern Aristocracy (Eddie LeVaughn & Anthony Wild) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 09-23 2023 Killbane def. Leo Fox for the UWE Apex Title
  • 09-24 2002 The Professionals (John Zorthos & Julian Wolfenbarger) became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 09-24 2016 Ricky Starks def. Ky-Ote for the IWR Revolutionary Title
  • 09-24 2022 London Calling (Dutch Hagen & Richie Adams) def. Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 09-24 2022 Martin Justice def. Tyler Watts for the EPW International Title
  • 09-24 2022 Logan Knight def. Kareem Sadat for the EPW All-American Title
  • 09-24 2022 Olivier Vegos def. Danni Bee for the NCWO Women's Title
  • 09-25 1965 Don Kent def. Red McKim for the TSW Missouri Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 09-25 1981 The Great Kabuki def. Kerry Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 09-25 1999 Big Daddy Moore def. Rocco Valentino for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 09-25 1999 The Casualties of War (Malice & Shrapnel) def. Red Eagle & Night Hawk for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 09-25 1999 Kid Flash def. Tarantula for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 09-25 2004 Michael Barry def. Brandon Groom for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 09-25 2010 Wage def. Bernie D for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 09-26 1978 Terry Latham & Ricky Fields def. Seigfried Stanke & Kurt Von Hess for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
  • 09-26 1984 Adrian Street def. Terry Taylor for the MSW Television Title
  • 09-26 2004 John O'Malley def. Mr. Brown for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 09-26 2009 Jeremy Quinn III became the ACW Heavyweight Champion
  • 09-26 2014 Paul Puertorico def. Matt Majestic for the SRPW United States Title
  • 09-26 2020 Brian Dixon def. Ethan Cole for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 09-26 2020 The Ritual (Samedi & Shadow Gemini) became the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
  • 09-26 2025 Riley Grinn def. Tommy Dean for the BUW No Pressure Title
09-21
  • Connor Jones Sep 21st Today!
  • Ricky Morton Sep 21st Today!
  • Jack Brisco Sep 21st Today!
  • Mike Chacoma Sep 22nd
  • Doug Somers Sep 22nd
  • Harley D Sep 22nd
  • Satine Sep 22nd
  • Red River Brawler Sep 22nd
  • Rocco Valentino Sep 23rd
  • Cole Crittenden Sep 23rd
  • O'Malley Sep 23rd
  • John J. Bishop Sep 24th
  • Kai Fayden Sep 24th
  • Jason Bruce Sep 24th
  • Joe Jones Sep 24th
  • Len Rossi Sep 24th
  • Clayton Bloodstone Sep 24th
  • Connor Crunk Sep 24th
  • Chief Mike Sep 25th
  • Jimmy Garvin Sep 25th
  • Toots Estes Sep 25th
  • Angel [2nd] Sep 25th
  • BB Sep 26th
  • Kendo Nagasaki Sep 26th
  • Chris Matthews Sep 26th
  • Lone Eagle Sep 26th
  • Jhamil O$Neal Sep 26th
  • Clifton Clinstock Sep 26th
  • Ka$haNova Sep 26th
  • Ben Miller Sep 27th
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  • Angel Camacho Sep 27th
  • Alec Bisogno Sep 27th
  • Scott Lee Sep 28th
  • Rip Tyler Sep 28th
  • Tommy Prince Sep 28th
  • Billy Ray [2nd] Sep 28th
  • Kamille Sep 28th
  • Trey Count Sep 28th
  • Skandar Akbar Sep 29th
  • Ann Casey Sep 29th
  • David Sammartino Sep 29th
  • Bang Bang Bennett Sep 29th
  • Raymon Downey Sep 30th
  • Marlboro Slim Sep 30th
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  • Hector Guerrero Oct 1st
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  • Funnybone Oct 2nd
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  • Don Fargo Oct 3rd
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  • Bobby Fulton Oct 4th
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  • Jay Strongbow, Sr. Oct 4th
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  • Dick Hutton Oct 4th
  • Violent V Oct 4th
  • Tim Geohagen Oct 4th

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