WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2013
Since the class is inducted, I might as well wrap up my series on the classes and whether each member belongs in the Hall of Fame or not.Bruno Sammartino
Yes. Next.
Bob Backlund
This is going to be a short post it seems. Backlund is another guy you barely even have to bother explaining. He was WWF Champion for six years and then came back with a completely new character to win the title again in a shocking moment. Backlund is one of the most interesting people you’ll ever hear and is every bit as out there as he comes off on TV. This is another layup and one of many on this list.
Mick Foley
Again, what is there to say here? He’s a three time WWF Champion and was the second most popular wrestler in the company for a good portion of the Attitude Era. Above all else for Foley, this is what makes you realize how great he was. Austin, Rock and HHH’s first major feuds as WWF Champion? All against Foley. It was Mick Foley who was trusted with making these new top stars look like something special in the ring. That says a lot about the trust Vince had in him and is one of his many reasons for being in the Hall of Fame. This is another easy yes.
Trish Stratus
If there is a woman who had a bigger impact on modern women’s wrestling, I don’t know who it is. Trish was the Divas division for a long time and made everyone she worked with look WAY better than anybody else could. Think of the Divas of today and then think that Trish vs. Lita was the main event of an episode of Raw. Not the last match to go on, but the match that was built up all night and closed the show. That’s unthinkable today but it happened in 2004. The greatest Diva of all time is another yes.
Booker T
When a guy with thirty three titles in WCW and WWE is by far the weakest candidate for the Hall of Fame, you know you have an outstanding class. Booker was the only guy in this class that is even remotely questionable as I don’t think Hall of Fame when I think of him, but his resume is more than strong enough to go in. He’s won everything there is to win in WWE and was even bigger in WCW, where (I believe at least) he was one of four guys to win every possible title (along with DDP, Sting and Benoit). That’s some fine company and another reason Booker should go in.
Donald Trump
Like him or not, this guy has been a big supporter of WWE over the years. He hosted two Wrestlemanias, appeared at #7 and #20 and was the focal point of Wrestlemania 23. How many other celebrities come close to that kind of involvement? I have no problem with putting Trump in the celebrity wing. He’s certainly more appropriate than someone like William Perry.
This is the best class ever. From top to bottom, you have nothing but legends and huge names. When the weakest name you have is either Booker T or Trish Stratus, the lineup is clearly stacked. Bruno was the great white whale of the Hall of Fame, as without him you can’t have any kind of credibility. Now if they can only get Demolition and Randy Savage in there, everything will be complete.
Who else would you place in the Booker T “camp” of guys who won a bazillion titles and were constantly popular enough/on TV but still seem a step back from the inner circle Hall of Famers? Randy Orton?
RVD comes to mind. Good, but doesn’t make me think Hall of Fame.
Did you watch the TV special? There are some really awkward edits in there but the Punk/Jericho segment from Foley’s induction was probably the greatest thing I have seen in any of these HOF inductions.