Shawn Michaels was announced as the first inductee in the 2011 Hall of Fame class back in January. Naturally, I'll first address it almost a week after the induction happened!
I've never been one to shy away from the truth, so I'll give you just that in regards to this situation. Instead of speaking about each inductee after their induction was announced (which looking back I should have done), I decided to wait until the week of Wrestlemania so as to use it as extra hype for the weekend. Given all of the other pieces and lists going on, it took a back seat......until now. I still feel like my thoughts on the inductees should be heard and that is exactly what is going to happen.
Keep in mind these thoughts have nothing to do with the actual induction ceremony. I did not see it yet and I heard the one hour version on USA was edited quite poorly. What I suggest for all wrestling fans is what I do, get the DVD and watch the whole thing on there. At that point, we'll do a DVD review and you'll get my thoughts on that night. For now, let's talk about the people that have been inducted:
Shawn Michaels
No brainer right? The guy is one of the greatest superstars of all time in terms of his ability to perform, but was it the right move to induct him so early? An argument could be made that not every incredible superstar will be inducted "first ballot" so it cheapens them in a sense. I feel the need to remind people that the idea of the Hall of Fame exists so that people can be brought back for the ceremony. That's literally the main reason it exists in the first place. Thus, HBK still draws a crowd and is deserving of such an hour, so why not pull the trigger. The other thing here is that Shawn is pretty hell bent on being retired. If he doesn't pull a Flair, that would make this pretty legit. I had no problem with him being inducted as it brought interest to the class right away and I've heard it delivered quite well.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
For those that only know Duggan as the goofball in his 50's that gets the crowd to chant "USA", do your research! Better yet, I'll give you a start. This guy was a big star in the territories and had an incredible rivalry with the guy that inducted him into the Hall of Fame, Ted Dibiase. He was very accomplished by the time he got to the WWE and while his biggest accomplishment there was probably winning the inaugural Royal Rumble (which was an honor and nothing more at the time), he did enough in his career to warrant this honor. We have to remember that although it is the WWE Hall of Fame, entire careers are taken into account. Thus, even guys who have never worked for the WWE make it in sometimes. Case and point, there is one this year that I will get to in a minute.
"Bullet" Bob Armstrong
This one I'm not so sure about. I feel like he was chosen so that the WWE could justify hiring his son back as a referee and to get his other son Brian (Road Dogg) to come back and induct. It's Peter Maivia on a smaller scale in that both guys were good, probably not Hall of Fame worthy, but inducted so that their sons could make an appearance and make people watch for that reason. He's good, but I'm not so sure he's HOF worthy. I did my research on this one, too. He got an NWA title shot once and that's about it. He's more famous for training his kids and their success probably. In that sense, he's mini-Bruce Hart with way less success. This is the one I'd question most in this class.
Abdullah the Butcher
I learned most of what I know about this guy from reading Bret Hart's autobiography. He's a guy that is well respected in the wrestling world and one that very few actually wanted to get in the ring with. He was brutal and probably the inventor of "hardcore" wrestling, something that may or may not have been a good idea. You can see Balls Mahoney for why it wasn't. As for Abdullah, the respect he gained throughout his years makes him worthy in and of itself. He never worked for the WWE but his reputation basically superceded that fact. He is a true legend and if people outside of the business have heard of you without working for WWE, that is name power. This guy has it and absolutely deserves this honor. Today's fan will probably just see a battered man and wonder what he's doing there but trust me, read Bret Hart's book to start your education on him. You'll thank me later.
Sunny
Her tenure was short, but her impact was great. It is because of Sunny that we see today's Diva that is smart, sexy, and powerful (thanks Cole for reminding me EVERY SHOW FOR TWO YEARS!). She was gorgeous and people took notice, specifically men. She paved the way for everyone and is often called the first Diva. Granted, she never wrestled, but if you want to measure someone's legacy on the business, very few women compare to Sunny. If for nothing else, she gets in the Hall of Fame for being every male wrestling fan's fantasy for the latter part of the 90's.
Drew Carey
If you are a wrestling fan and are complaning about this induction and how it "cheapens" the Hall of Fame, SHUT UP! Every year there's going to be a celebrity and it is treated as a different entity than the rest of the Hall of Famers. It doesn't cheapen the inductions of anyone else and it is done completely for publicity purposes. In this case, Drew Carey's participation in the Royal Rumble was memorable and as far as celebrities go, he is one that is truly gracious about the honor. If you have a problem with it, watch the videos on him backstage. He treats this like a true honor and has treated any appearance he's done with WWE as something he is honored to do. You can't ask for much more from a celebrity and I certainly have no problem with his induction given this attitude. I'm wondering when Donald Trump will go in, but Carey will suffice for now.
The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering
YES. This is the best tag team of all time in my opinion and should have been done years ago. I would have loved to have seen it in about 2005 right after Hawk's death as it would have been a fitting tribute at the time. Years later, it loses its luster a little bit but it is still every bit as right. This was an amazing team and absolutely deserves the induction. My hope is that this leads to other tag teams getting in each year. There have been a couple of true renaissance periods for tag team wrestling and it would be nice to see the teams of those eras get their due. This is a great start, as nobody was better in their prime than The Road Warriors.
Am I fair? Unfair? Completely ridiculous? Leave comments and let me know.
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