WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2009

Now THIS is a stacked class…..on top at least.Steve Austin

Steve Austin is a yes.  Moving on.

Ricky Steamboat

This is turning into a boring post.  Ricky Steamboat might be the greatest pure good guy in wrestling history and put on some of the greatest matches in wrestling history, including arguably the best match of all time.  I’ve heard people say he might be the best in ring performer ever, and I think I’ve proven my point by now.  Steamboat is a yes.

The Funks

This would be Terry and Dory Jr.  About two and a half years ago, I was lucky enough to get to meet Mick Foley at a book signing.  Someone asked him who he thought was the greatest wrestler of all time and he almost immediately said Terry Funk, based on how he can go from one style to another like it was no trouble at all.  What people often forget is that Terry Funk held the NWA World Title in the 70s for well over a year.  That’s in addition to all the hardcore stuff that he’s done since he first announced his retirement, THIRTY YEARS AGO.  Dory has even more success with titles, as he held the same NWA World Title for over four years, which is the second longest reign in title history.  The Funks are in with ease.

The Von Erichs

No specific Von Erich but rather the entire family (Fritz, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris).   This is where I start to have problems with this class.  At the end of the day, I don’t think I would put any of the individual Von Erichs into the Hall of Fame other than MAYBE Fritz or Kerry.  Some of the other ones barely ever wrestled and when they did it was very low quality stuff.  The Von Erichs were huge in the 80s but after that they (literally) started dying off in a hurry.  I can’t go with this one as there’s just not enough there other than a great run in Texas for a few years.

Bill Watts

This is one of those that I’m really not sure about.  He did indeed have a very solid run as a booker in Mid-South, but when he got to the big time in WCW, things fell apart in a hurry.  As a wrestler he was a solid territory guy and the reports on his racism issues are all over the place to the point where it’s hard to tell how true they are.  Even if he was, that doesn’t really make a difference as far as talking about someone’s greatness.  At the end of the day though, I don’t think I can say yes to him, although it’s not a vehement no.

Howard Finkel

Oh come on.  IT’S THE FINK.  How in the world do you expect me to say no to the guy whose voice is synonymous with with WWF?  If the Fink isn’t in the Hall of Fame, there’s no point in having one.  Easy yes.

Koko B. Ware

This is the name that people point to when they want to show that the Hall of Fame has nothing to do with in ring accomplishments.  Off the top of your head, name something that Koko did that meant anything on a large scale.  He was somewhat something of note in the USWA/Memphis wrestling but other than that, the guy is famous for having a bird as a pet.  Koko is a no, although he did have a SWEET missile dropkick.

This is like an upside down egg: big on top, terrible on the bottom.

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