The WWE Hall of Fame brings a lot of decisive argument with it, from fans who see it as a sham since it has neglected some of the most deserving former WWE/WWF/WWWF roster members (Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Randy Savage, etc.), while others celebrate it for what it is in their eyes: A celebration and appreciation of the workers who do get inducted. Either way, one aspect has long been derided by pretty much all sides: The “Celebrity Wing” of the HOF.
Now, I’ll probably be the first person outside of Titan Towers to say this in public, but I’m personally in full support of the Celebrity Wing. It makes sense in many ways – there’s a lot of crossover history between pro wrestling and the mainstream superstars of Hollywood and other pro sports. What I’m NOT really a fan of is the current line-up that has already been inducted into the Wing. It has been announced that “Iron” Mike Tyson will be this year’s induction and, honestly, I have to say it’s probably the first “of course” induction to date. Like him or hate him, Tyson’s role in the Attitude era and the launch of Stone Cold as a worldwide phenomenon is unquestionable.
But let’s look at who precedes him in the Wing: Pete Rose, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Drew Carey and Bob Uecker. Nothing against any of those four, but they aren’t what I would consider the front line of the celebrities that have contributed to the industry of pro wrestling.
For the Celebrity Wing to mean something (I know, I know…), let’s take a look at the actors, athletes and other folks from outside the business that be in there. As with any of these sort of lists, everything is opinion, but I think it’s at least safe to say MOST below deserve a spot more than Drew Carey.
10. David Arquette
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. I truly think that, given the standards set by the HOF so far, Arquette more than should be in. A former WCW World champion – like it or not, he was – who donated his earnings from this period to the family of Brian Pillman; plus, the way McMahon thinks, the induction would carry the extra bonus of showing how inept WCW was yet again.
9. Lawrence Taylor
Plenty of football players have made special appearances in the ring. A good number even turned to the business full-time. But very few ever main-evented a PPV, much less THE PPV of the year. LT did just that, headlining against Bam Bam Bigelow at Wrestlemania XI. It was even a halfway serviceable match.
8. Kevin Federline
Don’t even get me started on the last few years’ worth of continuous C-list celebrities that have been parading through WWE’s revolving “Look at us!” door. But one a few years back took the ball and ran with it, and dammit, much as I hate to say it, K-Fed was pretty damned good in his role. A smarmy all-mouth foil for John Cena’s all-brawn stand-up man. And the former Mr. Spears gave it everything he had and it worked.
7. Mickey Rourke
Not – I repeat – NOT for his actual involvement with WWE. Rourke should be in just for the stunning performance he turned in for The Wrestler. Every ounce of this film is Rourke totally understanding the bizarre behind-the-scenes life of the professional wrestler. Just one of the most amazing and heartbreaking fistpumps to the biz.
6. Tiny Lister, Jr.
Zeus, dammit! Zeus! This man deserves to be in a Hall of Fame somewhere, and since the Academy snubbed his riveting and powerful supporting actor role in The Dark Knight, this is probably the best chance he has. Dude main-evented three WWF PPVs (and technically, one WCW one). He should be in.
Zeus.
5. Donald Trump
Like him or hate him, Trump has been a presence in the WWF/WWE for far too long for him to not be part of this. From hosting two consecutive early Wrestlemanias, to many promotional spots over the years, to what seemed like an unending on-air “feud” with Vince McMahon…hell, didn’t he even “own” the company for about three seconds? Goes without saying.
4. Muhammad Ali
Simply, The Greatest. Ali’s career already owed a lot to pro wrestling, as legend has it he took a lot of his persona from such over-the-top wrestlers as the original Gorgeous George, adopting their theatrics to great success that was backed up by the best boxing skills of the era. Late in his career, and after it, Ali continued to pay tribute to the sport. In 1976, he and then-active wrestler Gorilla Monsoon got into an in-ring scuffle soon before Ali was scheduled to fly to Japan to face Antonio Inoki in a wrestler-vs.-boxer match (a match that, ironically, led to Ali’s retirement due to the injuries inflicted, but that’s a story for another time. Or Wikipedia.). Ali would help kick off the inaugural Wrestlemania as well, refereeing the main event. If this induction ever happens, hopefully McMahon will find a way to get hold of the hard-to-find footage from Mid South of Ali and Jake “The Snake” Roberts getting into it. Yes, that happened.
3. Andy Kaufman
While it’s true Kaufman never stepped foot in a WW(W)F/E ring, the legacy he left behind on the industry is, I think, in and of itself enough to get him inducted one day. Kaufman’s foray into the world of pro wrestling was, at the time, almost unheard of. Big name celebrities (and Kaufman was definitely one at the time) simply did not do this sort of thing. Especially in places like…wait for it, and imagine it in your best Andy voice…Memphis, Tennessee. Kaufman’s feud with Jerry Lawler was unique, bizarre and engrossing. True, it was an oddity at its time that didn’t truly get the credit it deserved until long after it was over and Andy was no longer with us, but it paved the way for every actor, athlete and reality show star we’ve seen since.
2. Cyndi Lauper
I think these last two go without saying. Lauper was as integral to the massive Rock N Wrestling Connection popularity surge as anyone involved not named Hulk Hogan. She was the bridge that brought the smoke-filled arenas over into the MTV generation and made sure the kids knew it was okay to like this stuff. She was the rock, Hogan was the wrestling (yeah, stop laughing, I know). Everybody else involved…Albano, Piper, Richter…probably could have been entirely other people and it probably wouldn’t have mattered, we would have seen the same result. Okay, well, there was definitely ONE person they couldn’t really replace…
1. Mr. T
Word has it that T refuses to be inducted after feeling slighted that Pete Rose got in on the first round instead of him. To a degree, I sort of see his point. Mr. T was one of the lynchpins for that first Wrestlemania. Sure, his WM2 match blew, and no one really remembers his 1987 return as ringside enforcer..or his cup of coffee in World Class…or his occassional appearances in WCW, but that’s not the point. Far as a Hall of Fame goes, if Mr. T isn’t in the Celebrity Wing, then it isn’t what it says it is. And that’s a pity.
Fool.