WWE Hall of Fame 2011 Hopefuls

Today is the second Monday of the year, so as expected, tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW will feature the announcement of the first inductee into this year's WWE Hall of Fame class... well, I have a list of legends I would love to see inducted this year(or at least soon)...

Join Me...

Let's run through the facts about the WWE Hall of Fame.
1) The magic number is 7. No more than 7 inductees each year(unless there is a tag team)
2) The ceremony is the night before Wrestlemania
3) Almost all inductees must be in good standing with Vince McMahon
4) Almost all inductees must have had some link to the WWE in some way(whether it be Vince Sr or Jr, WWE, WCW, or AWA)

Facts about this year
1) Wrestlemania 27 is in Atlanta, GA this year
2) Atlanta, GA is the former home base of World Championship Wrestling(WCW)
3) WCW was bought and completely bled into the WWE

With the past history of the WWE, their Hall of Fame, and the location of Wrestlemania, it's easy to assume that this year's class will be all WCW legends... and I wanted to give you a list accordingly... with a handful of others...... so here are the ones I think should be in the Hall of Fame that aren't yet...


Owen Hart: the youngest of the famous Hart kids, tragically fell to his death on May 23, 1999. After his older brother, now Hall of Famer Bret "the Hitman" Hart defected to WCW, Owen is the only one of his extended family to not follow suit(as The British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart both left to join Bret in WCW)... he gave his life doing what he loved, and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The biggest obstacle is his widow's disdain for Vince and the business, blaming them for everything.


Chris Benoit: my opinion on this tragic case is worthy of another blog(and I think it's still on my myspace)... it's extremely tough to deny the impact Benoit had on the wrestling world. He is the ONLY grand slam champion in two of the big 3: WCW(US, TV, Tag Team, World) & WWE(US, IC, Tag Team, World). His influence is apparent in WWE and even in TNA, and he was a part of some of the greatest technically sound matches in wrestling history. No matter whether I believe the tragedy was actually Chris Benoit's fault or not, I'm not suggesting induction based on the man(so the media doesn't bitch), but based on the legacy that will live on for generations. Will he be? Not likely, which is really sad...


Shawn Michaels: quite possibly the greatest WWE performer of all time... one of the most decorated champions in WWE history, HBK is the definition of WWE legend/icon... he will be in the Hall of Fame... I just hope it's not this year, to make way for the WCW legends

Now, the WCW Legends I believe should be in the Hall of Fame that aren't

Ron Simmons: simply put, the first black World Heavyweight Champion, after beat the Icon Ric Flair in WCW. Odds: Extremely likely this year


Arn Anderson: also a venerable legend, his name is included with some of the best, and one if the founding member of the considered greatest stable in wrestling history, The Four Horseman. Odds: Extremely likely this year


Lex Luger: his recent issues not withstanding, Lex Luger is also a legend in both WWE and WCW, being a two time WCW World Champ, and one of the seemly numerous members of The Four Horseman... in WWE, he co-won the 1994 Royal Rumble(with Bret Hart) Odds: Likely, but not sure about this year


Barry Windham: Though not as famous as some, he has been an integral part of WCW's history, as a two time member of The Four Horseman, and feuds with Dusty Rhodes and Sting make him a deserving WCW legend. Odds: Likely, but maybe not soon


Big Van Vader: Vader... It's Vader Time. A 3 time WCW World Champ, Vader is famous for being a 350lbs+ man able to do a moonsault from the top rope. Feuds with Sting, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Kane, and was Mick Foley's opponent the night Mick's ear was ripped off. Odds: Eventually


Sid Vicious: Sid, one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. I've seen him as Sid Vicious, Sid Justice, and Sycho Sid... but we all knew him as the big man with the blond mullet... he is one of the few legends to have held the WWF Championship(2) and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship(2) before the WWE/WCW merger. Sid suffered a horrible leg injury at WCW's next to last PPV, and the exploitation of this injury on TV is what I think was WCW's final nail in the coffin. Sid has since recovered(10 years later), and I hope WWE let's him return in at least some capacity. Odds: Extremely likely(they better)


Road Warriors: Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history. If you don't know who Hawk and Animal are, then you don't know legends. I, for one, miss the red and black shoulder pads that are symbolic for WCW and WWF history. Though Animal teaming with Heidenreich was pretty cool after Hawk passed away, no one can replace Hawk, mainly because Hawk and Animal are ICONIC Odds: Eventually, hopeful for this year

Steiner Brothers: Just like the Road Warriors, Rick and Scott Steiner are also the epitome of legendary tag teams, and even though Scott Steiner broke away and eventually became World Champion, nothing Scott ever did will compare to what the Steiner Brothers did as a team. Odds: Eventually, hopeful for this year


Harlem Heat/Booker T: Harlem Heat, Booker T & Stevie Ray, is another one of those legendary WCW tag teams. Though Harlem Heat had many championships, Booker T is one of those rare examples of a tag team wrestler able to survive without his partner, eventually becoming World Champion. Harlem Heat Odds: Hopeful... Booker T Odds: Eventually, but not this year


Diamond Dallas Page: DDP is also one of my favorites of all time. Possibly one of the biggest success stories in wrestling history(my opinion), going from driver(see Honkytonk Man's pink Cadillac WM3), to a manager, to a singles wrestler, to eventual 3 time WCW World Champ... and along the way, being so popular to be called The People's Champ(DDP was the original, not The Rock), though he wasn't in WWE long after the WCW/ECW Invasion, DDP was important enough for his first WWE feud to be against the franchise wrestler, The Undertaker. Of any WCW wrestler, DDP is one of the two I would say deserves to be in the Hall of Fame than 33% of the ones in there already... Odds: They'd be stupid not to


Sting: Quite possibly the most popular name in WCW's history, so much so that if you even mention the name Ric Flair, you instantly think Sting as his opposer... if you think nWo's Hollywood Hulk Hogan, you instantly think Sting as the man who took him down. During his tenure with TNA, Sting was referred to as "The Icon", and that was appropriate for him. And I can guarantee you that if Sting walked out on stage during a Raw, Smackdown, or WWE PPV broadcast, or came through the crowd and into the ring, EVERYONE there would know who he was......though he's never wrestled a match in WWE... ever. Sting is the embodiment of what the good guy was in WCW, and Sting is the embodiment of the legacy that WCW represents. If Hogan can be in the Hall of Fame, Sting more than deserves to be there. And if you hadn't figured it out, Sting is the other mention in DDP's section. Odds: They'd be stupid not to, and they WILL eventually put him in there


Bill Goldberg: Goldberg is most famous in this business for being the man who holds the record for longest undefeated streak in wrestling history, capping at 173-0, while winning the WCW United States Championship, and then the WCW World Heavyweight Championship(beating Hogan in Goldberg's hometown), all while still unbeaten. He eventually joined WWE, and won the World Championship there... feuding with The Rock, Triple H, and Chris Jericho... Odds: Likely, but too early


And hopeful...


Kanyon: One of the greatest innovators in wrestling history, Kanyon made a huge impact on the business during the nWo era in WCW, though he was never a member of the nWo. His matches were fluid and seamless, mainly in part to his ability to innovate and create moves on the fly, good enough for him to be the stunt coordinator on WCW's horrible movie, Ready to Rumble. Kanyon tragically took his own life last April, after suffering from bi-polar disorder. Kanyon left this world had given the wrestling world more than they ever gave him. Odds: What's the odds of Vince admitting he was wrong? Remember, Vince is a pussy when it comes to that...


I have a few more, but these are the ones that I think are possible this year from WCW...

Now, we wait on who the first announced is gonna be...

Have any you might want to add? Comment down below...


And for those who didn't see it, the first announced was Shawn Michaels... I expected that... oh well, there are 6 more slots(5 if you count the celebrity slot)