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WWE: The Four Horsemen Finally Receive the Much Deserved Hall of Fame Honor

Posted: Jan 11th 2012 By: mikeiles

Finally, The Horsemen have arrived.

On this past Monday night Raw, the announcement was made that Ric Flair?s elite group of wrestling greats will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Wrestlemania weekend. The Nature Boy, along with Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham and JJ Dillon, will finally receive their due as the most decorated, most legendary wrestling faction of all time.

And, it?s about time.

Flair?s individual induction back in 2008 was so well done, especially in conjunction with his last match against Shawn Michaels, that it seemed a fitting end to his ring career.

Of course, Flair ultimately ended up in TNA, where he has laced up the boots numerous times. In the minds of many fans, he has done nothing but tarnish his legacy, as popular opinion is that he returned for nothing more than a payday.

But, say what you will about Flair, at his core, he is a pro wrestler, and that will never change. He eats, breathes, and lives, the business, twenty four hours a day, much like the other three men who will now be immortalized with him.

Barry Windham is in many ways one of the most underrated wrestlers of his generation. Though he won his fair share of championships, the fact is he was surrounded by some incredible talent in Jim Crockett Promotions.

Dusty Rhodes, The Road Warriors, the Rock-N-Roll Express, Magnum T. A., The Midnight Express, Wahoo McDaniel, Nikita Koloff, Sting, and of course, the other three Horsemen. With all of that talent around him, Barry?s name does not always come up in the conversation of all time greats.

For me, that is a real shame, as Barry is one of the best to ever step into a wrestling ring.

He had the look, he had the charisma, and he had the mic skills it took to propel him to the forefront of the company.

The most important part of the equation? He worked lights out, every time the bell rang. His ability to tell a story in the ring was unequalled in many ways, and he was one of the most naturally gifted athletes of all time.

Barry deserves this honor, no doubt about it.

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. How good were these guys? As a duo, they were so good, that they are on the list of greatest tag teams ever. They?re in some very good company, and they more than belong there.

As individual performers, Arn and Tully each redefined what it meant to be a successful heel in the business.

Arn was the Enforcer, the go-to guy of the group. He was the one who carried out the dirty work, the man who stayed extremely focused on the task at had, never allowing anything to stand between him and his chosen target.

Barry may have been an underrated wrestler, but Arn is the one who has consistently worn that title.

Next to Roddy Piper, Arn was the most talented pro wrestler to have never held a World Championship in this business. Arn had everything it took to get over, and at any given moment could have been the top dog in the NWA. His level of ability was second to only Ric and Dusty, and the guy was the epitome of a great heel.

The most renowned trait that Arn possessed was his ring psychology. When Arn looked into the camera to cut a spine chilling promo, it was as if he was looking right through you. His intensity was incredible, and he truly inhabited his character in every way.

Tully Blanchard was every bit the perfomer that Arn was, with a red hot arrogant streak to go along with it.

Along with JJ Dillon, Tully provided the corporate greed aspect of the Horsemen. To him, the business was just that, a business, and the ring was the corporate boardroom in which he and the rest of the group executed the hostile takeover of Jim Crockett Promotions.

Tully was a true original, whose technical style was infused with a mean streak that allowed him to go places that fans did not expect from him at first glance. His I Quit match against Magnum TA was one for the ages, and is remembered for its bloody viciousness.

Tully was an invaluable member of the group, and after he was out of the picture, the dynamic was forever changed. The Horsemen never again had that certain spark that it made it work from the beginning.

I?m an old school pro wrestling fan, an NWA mark from the very beginning. So when it comes to the Horsemen, and Flair, I am of the mind that this induction is long overdue. All four men set the bar for every heel faction that would follow them, and they blazed a path that few ever truly were able to live up to.

For those other old school fans out there, the only question that remains is what about Ole?

Ole Anderson, the original Horseman, the man whose punishing bruising style was a sharp contrast to the technical prowess possessed by Ric, Tully, and Arn. He was as tough as they come, and surely he deserves to be inducted with the sport?s most legendary quartet.

But, Ole sealed his own fate after years of criticizing the WWE product, and Vince McMahon personally. His overall opinion of the company and its product has likely stopped him from being included in this momentous occasion for the Horsemen, and that?s a shame.

The Four Horsemen underwent several ill advised facelifts during its years in the business, but the combination of Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and Barry Windham, were the best version that ever existed. And, now, after years of being written about, praised, and utterly ripped off, the Horsemen are getting the recognition they deserve.

The Horsemen have arrived. Next stop, the Hall of Fame.