Pages

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Staying Informed

2010 HOF (My 123 Cents)
By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter


For me, the Hall of Fame ceremony is one of the highlights of Wrestlemania weekend.  Chad and I have been to 5 of the last 6 events.  We plan to be in Miami as the Class of 2012 gets inducted too.


And while I think it's way too early to be writing about this, something came to my attention today, and I thought I'd just weigh in.  Typically, I try not to speculate on things as it relates to the world of wrestling, but I'm going to indulge.  This is from the WWE Magazine column called, "The Informer."


"A trusted source managed to sneak me the short list for the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame, and I can tell you that a lot of old wounds are about to be reopened!"


This of course could be a number of people.  It seems like there are plenty of guys who have left the company on bad terms, but they always seem to make their way back into Vince McMahon's good graces and get inducted into the Hall of Fame.


From WWE
My gut tells me it's one of three guys.  The Ultimate Warrior is my top suspect.  I say that because the WWE seems to have (or at least had) a great deal of heat with the Warrior in the past.  The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD did nothing to help repair any strained relationship between the two sides.  However, there was a rumor circulating that Warrior was to be inducted in the Hall of Fame back in 2010 in Phoenix.  That never happened, but his image has been added to that open that runs before each show.  


From WWE
I also today happened to stumble across something related to the 1991 Royal Rumble, you know, the one where Ultimate Warrior lost the WWF championship to Sgt. Slaughter.  That event was held in... Miami, Florida, the same place as Wrestlemania 28 and the Hall of Fame ceremony.  Warrior's recent Twitter war with Hulk Hogan would also perhaps indicate that he's ready to call a truce with Vince and reestablish a relationship with the company.


From WWE
Someone who I hadn't put much thought in, but a friend pointed out is Owen Hart.  The reason I never thought it was Owen was because of Bret Hart making amends with Vince.  BUT, Owen's widow has a huge axe to grind with the WWE, Vince McMahon, and the Hart family.  So, old wounds related to Owen's tragic 1999 death in the ring could be reopened with Martha Hart if the WWE does induct "the King of Harts."


From WWE
My final thought on someone who has old wounds would be Randy Savage.  Of course there has been all kinds of speculation on Savage being inducted since his untimely death in the spring.  The relationship between the Macho Man and Vince was strained to say the least after Randy headed to WCW in 1994.  Things were never the same again between the two.  But I suspect Randy isn't the one being referred to in this article simply because I read something the other day that Lanny Poffo said the only way Randy wanted to be inducted was if Lanny and their father Angelo Poffo were inducted with him.  I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.


From WWE
Actually that wasn't my final thought, Bruno Sammartino is someone else the WWE has been trying to get into the Hall of Fame for years.  The former champion has refused constantly and publicly waged war on Vince McMahon and his company.  Has Bruno finally come to an agreement to work with the WWE again?  


We're a few months away before the official announcements start.  For me, I'd love to see ALL four of these guys inducted.  I don't think they'll all go in the same year though.  The WWE has to spread out the big names to attract fans to the event.


So, who do you think the Informer is referring to?  Or will it end up being nothing more than a ploy to generate interest in the event?  Post your thoughts here or on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Kevin, long time…
    I completely agree that the HOF is one of the biggest highlights of wrestlemania weekend, and I’m sure next year won’t disappoint, however, I think this comment from the magazine is nothing more than a ploy to get guys like us talking and looking forward to next year’s festivities (didn’t tickets go on sale not too long ago?) Not to mention, judging by RAW the last couple weeks, it doesn’t seem they’ve put very much thought into their current top storylines, let alone what they may do next year.
    With those names you mentioned, it would make the most sense to induct Randy Savage. It’s been a shame to have left Macho out this long, plus didn’t he always “hail” from Florida?
    With whatever happens next year, how’s this for a HOF line up for WM29 in St.Louis (wishful thinking of course) Lou Thesz, King Kong Brody, Sam Muchnick, and Larry Matysik. How bout it?
    Keep up the good work, always a good read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That would be great to see all those guys inducted. I'd also love for Mania to be in St. Louis. Here's to hoping! Thanks for reading the blog.

    ReplyDelete