The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is a staple of WrestleMania weekend. Every year, all the WWE superstars and fans gather to honor the legends that paved the way for the current wrestlers today.
The concept of the Hall of Fame is great. Much like every other professional sports league in America, inducting legends into the HOF is a great way to recognize their importance to the sport.
Is it time for the WWE Hall of Fame to take a hiatus, though?
When you look at this year’s HOF class, it’s a mixed bag of entries. The headliners, the Dudley Boyz and Goldberg, are more than deserving of going in. Ivory and Mark Henry are also strong picks for the hall of fame as well, as both were world champions in their respective eras.
But as you keep on looking at the rest of the class, a lot of question marks get raised. Hillbilly Jim? Jeff Jarrett? Kid Rock? The HOF candidacy of those last three is left up to interpretation.
The WWE Hall of Fame class of 2012 takes the stage. Photo credit: Simon Q – Under Creative Commons License.
Jarrett, while an entertaining character, was only a 2-time Intercontinental champion. Hillbilly Jim never won a championship during his run in the company. Kid Rock, well…it’s the celebrity wing, I guess.
My point here is that I think it’s time we look at the WWE Hall of Fame and assess where we’re at with it. WWE is running out of people to induct, especially on the men’s side. In recent years, guys such as Koko B. Ware, Rikishi, The Bushwhackers, and The Godfather have all been inducted into the hall of fame. Now, all of those men definitely had memorable careers. But Hall of Fame worthy? I don’t know about that.
We’ve reached a point with the WWE HOF ceremony where they have to do it. There’s been a ceremony every year since 2004, and it’s become one of the marketing staples for WrestleMania weekend. Some of the inductees, though, haven’t been as worthy as others, which is hurting the credibility the HOF wants to have.
Have there been good classes in the recent history? Absolutely. Last year featured the likes of Kurt Angle, Diamond Dallas Page, and Beth Phoenix. It was a very worthy list of superstars to go in, all earning their place amongst the legends of the sport.
WWE, though, needs to tread lightly with who they pick for the HOF every year. If more people go in who fans deem “unworthy,” then the event may be forced to take a hiatus to allow more superstars to retire. Only time will tell what WWE does with its Hall of Fame ceremony.