WON Hall of Fame voting results

[Lord of The Curry 0]

106 votes were required for HOF entry for US & Canada, 68 for Japan, and 44 for Mexico.

 

Shawn Michaels - 119 votes, 67%

Chris Benoit - 108 votes, 61%

Ultimo Dragon - 66 votes, 58% (2 shy of entry)

The Undertaker - 98 votes, 55% (8 shy of entry)

Bob Backlund - 91 votes, 51%

Hiroshi Hase - 55 votes, 49%

Villano III - 34 votes, 47%

Carlos Colon - 77 votes, 44%

Fabulous Freebirds - 77 votes, 44%

Don Frye - 49 votes, 43%

Blue Panther - 31 votes, 36%

Aja Kong - 41 votes, 36%

Jesse Ventura - 62 votes, 35%

Masahiro Chono - 40 votes, 35%

Jimmy Snuka - 59 votes, 33%

Paul Heyman - 57 votes, 32%

Dick Murdoch - 56 votes, 32%

Don Owen - 53 votes, 30%

Fabulous Moolah - 47 votes, 27%

Midnight Express - 44 votes, 25%

Rock & Roll Express - 38 votes, 21%

Tim Woods - 38 votes, 21%

Arn Anderson - 34 votes, 19%

Owen Hart - 34 votes, 19%

Curt Hennig - 33 votes, 19%

Gran Hamada - 22 votes, 19%

Volk Han - 21 votes, 18%

Seiji Sakaguchi - 19 votes, 17%

Atlantis - 12 votes, 17%

Gorilla Monsoon - 28 votes, 16%

Sting - 26 votes, 15%

Wilbur Synder - 23 votes, 13%

Eddy Guerrero - 19 votes, 11%

 

Fuerza Guerrera, Yuji Nagata and Yoshihiro Takayama all received less than 10% of votes from their regions and are dropped from next year's ballot. Jun Akiyama, Kurt Angle, Triple H, La Parka, Kazushi Sakuraba, Great Sasuke, Kiyoshi Tamura and Dr. Wagner Jr. are all added to next year's ballot.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Credit goes to the DVDVR Message Board.

 

Benoit in = Good.

HBK in = Bad.

[Guest MikeSC]

106 votes were required for HOF entry for US & Canada, 68 for Japan, and 44 for Mexico.

 

Shawn Michaels - 119 votes, 67%

Chris Benoit - 108 votes, 61%

Ultimo Dragon - 66 votes, 58% (2 shy of entry)

The Undertaker - 98 votes, 55% (8 shy of entry)

Bob Backlund - 91 votes, 51%

Hiroshi Hase - 55 votes, 49%

Villano III - 34 votes, 47%

Carlos Colon - 77 votes, 44%

Fabulous Freebirds - 77 votes, 44%

Don Frye - 49 votes, 43%

Blue Panther - 31 votes, 36%

Aja Kong - 41 votes, 36%

Jesse Ventura - 62 votes, 35%

Masahiro Chono - 40 votes, 35%

Jimmy Snuka - 59 votes, 33%

Paul Heyman - 57 votes, 32%

Dick Murdoch - 56 votes, 32%

Don Owen - 53 votes, 30%

Fabulous Moolah - 47 votes, 27%

Midnight Express - 44 votes, 25%

Rock & Roll Express - 38 votes, 21%

Tim Woods - 38 votes, 21%

Arn Anderson - 34 votes, 19%

Owen Hart - 34 votes, 19%

Curt Hennig - 33 votes, 19%

Gran Hamada - 22 votes, 19%

Volk Han - 21 votes, 18%

Seiji Sakaguchi - 19 votes, 17%

Atlantis - 12 votes, 17%

Gorilla Monsoon - 28 votes, 16%

Sting - 26 votes, 15%

Wilbur Synder - 23 votes, 13%

Eddy Guerrero - 19 votes, 11%

 

Fuerza Guerrera, Yuji Nagata and Yoshihiro Takayama all received less than 10% of votes from their regions and are dropped from next year's ballot. Jun Akiyama, Kurt Angle, Triple H, La Parka, Kazushi Sakuraba, Great Sasuke, Kiyoshi Tamura and Dr. Wagner Jr. are all added to next year's ballot.

 

Credit goes to the DVDVR Message Board.

 

Benoit in = Good.

HBK in = Bad.

Why is HBK being voted in "Bad"?

 

Because he was a "prick"?

 

Using that logic, most "real" sports would be SERIOUSLY lacking in Hall of Famers.

 

Michaels was the best worker on the planet (yes, better than Misawa et al) when he retired in 1998.

-=Mike

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Your eye for talent has a patch over it, skippy.

 

Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Benoit, Guerrero, Hart, Mysterio...........all better then HBK in 98.

 

And yes, his backstage antics should have some bearing on his voting status, but it obviously didn't. The guy was a glorified cruiserweight and one of the worst drawing champs in WWF/E history.

[Guest Choken One]

U mean Anderson, Sting, Guerrero, Taker, Backlund are STILL not in this?

 

Wow.

 

Pray tell...whom are these lucky HOF's...

[Guest Choken One]

Your eye for talent has a patch over it, skippy.

 

Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Benoit, Guerrero, Hart, Mysterio...........all better then HBK in 98.

 

And yes, his backstage antics should have some bearing on his voting status, but it obviously didn't. The guy was a glorified cruiserweight and one of the worst drawing champs in WWF/E history.

So was Ricky Steamboat and he drew jack shit in NWA with Flair...

[bob_barron 0]

HBK was not the best worker when he retired in 1998- There were many people in WCW who were much better then he was.

 

I'm happy Benoit made it in but HBK does not deserve to go in.

[Guest Choken One]

what are the qualifications for entry according to the rules?

 

Because why was Angle added for next year only being around for 4 years...

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Because Meltzer is all up on Angle's jock and think's he could be the best of all time.

 

Silly Dave.

[bob_barron 0]

Your eye for talent has a patch over it, skippy.

 

Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Benoit, Guerrero, Hart, Mysterio...........all better then HBK in 98.

 

And yes, his backstage antics should have some bearing on his voting status, but it obviously didn't. The guy was a glorified cruiserweight and one of the worst drawing champs in WWF/E history.

So was Ricky Steamboat and he drew jack shit in NWA with Flair...

Ricky Steamboat put on some of the greatest wrestling matches of ALL time. Ricky Steamboat never faked an injury to drop the title. Steamboat also never had to turn heel to freshen up his character and is known as one of the nicest guys in the industry

[Guest Choken One]

Well then explain HHH...

[Guest Choken One]

Your eye for talent has a patch over it, skippy.

 

Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Benoit, Guerrero, Hart, Mysterio...........all better then HBK in 98.

 

And yes, his backstage antics should have some bearing on his voting status, but it obviously didn't. The guy was a glorified cruiserweight and one of the worst drawing champs in WWF/E history.

So was Ricky Steamboat and he drew jack shit in NWA with Flair...

Ricky Steamboat put on some of the greatest wrestling matches of ALL time. Ricky Steamboat never faked an injury to drop the title. Steamboat also never had to turn heel to freshen up his character and is known as one of the nicest guys in the industry

Big Fucking Deal...He was a nice guy what the fuck does that matter?

 

RUTH, COBB, WILLIAMS all three the greatest baseball players...biggest pricks to ever exist...according to your logic that should exclude them.

 

So did shawn...He put on some of the most memorable matches of all time as well

[Lord of The Curry 0]

HHH probably got on the ballot due to his 2000/01 run which is one of the most overrated runs in history. I guess being carried by Austin, Foley, Rock, Benoit, Jericho and Angle is key to being a great wrestler.

[Guest Choken One]

Well...It didn't hurt flair in 1989 to have Sting, Steamboat, Funk, to work with either.

 

Angle never carried Hunter.

[bob_barron 0]

Big Fucking Deal...He was a nice guy what the fuck does that matter?

 

It shows he has character which in a business like wrestling is rare. It also makes people want to vote for him more- rather than a fuckhole like Shawn Michaels.

 

 

RUTH, COBB, WILLIAMS all three the greatest baseball players...biggest pricks to ever exist...according to your logic that should exclude them.

 

You don't understand my logic. HBK has borderline credentials but faking an injury to get out of jobbing the world title is one of the lowest things you can do and he shouldn't be in the HOF.

 

 

So did shawn...He put on some of the most memorable matches of all time as well

 

Steamboat was much better then HBK.

[Guest MikeSC]

Your eye for talent has a patch over it, skippy.

 

Kobashi, Kawada, Misawa, Benoit, Guerrero, Hart, Mysterio...........all better then HBK in 98.

 

And yes, his backstage antics should have some bearing on his voting status, but it obviously didn't. The guy was a glorified cruiserweight and one of the worst drawing champs in WWF/E history.

Michaels worked terrific matches with absolute slugs in 1997 (UT (who was NEVER that great), Bulldog, etc).

-=Mike

[Lord of The Curry 0]

U mean Anderson, Sting, Guerrero, Taker, Backlund are STILL not in this?

 

Wow.

 

Pray tell...whom are these lucky HOF's...

Anderson was never a big draw and was never solidified as a main event guy. Good/great wrestler, great mind for the business but his body of work doesn't warrant an entry.

 

Sting was a (IIRC) decent to good drawing champ in WCW, very charasmatic and very over with the fans. BUT, the guy doesn't have the body of work needed and most of his stuff involves him being carried by somebody.

 

I'm sure Backlund will get in eventually but nobody cares enough to notice.

 

Taker is a shoe-in, it just wasn't his year. Very close, though.

 

Eddy G is probably the biggest debate on the whole list. He certainly has some strikes against him, the biggest ones being that he never main evented (except in AAA) and was never a draw. I don't know how big of a factor things like drugs and booze play into it, but if they do, that's another strike against him. On the other hand, IMO only Benoit and a few AJPW fellas have been better in the ring then him in the last 10 years.

[bob_barron 0]

Bulldog was not an absolute slug in 1997.

 

This is the guy who put on a MOTYC in February of 1997 against Owen, was involved in another MOTYC on RAW in 1997 and had many great matches that year.

 

1998 was when injuries and abuse caught up to him and he became an absolute slug.

 

Bret Hart also got terrific matches out of Taker-and he's better then him.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Well...It didn't hurt flair in 1989 to have Sting, Steamboat, Funk, to work with either.

 

Angle never carried Hunter.

Unforgiven 2000, Royal Rumble 2001. Angle carries HHH. Watch the matches if you want the proof.

[Damaramu 0]

Well they weren't really that great of matches....Angle and Hunter never clicked just like Austin and Jericho.

[CanadianChick 0]

How is it decided who gets an oppertunity to be voted in? Because if Triple H gets to be able to be in this voting because of that year run he had, how come someone like Jericho isn't?

[{''({o..o})''} 0]

I'll just say that I'm glad HBK is in so we won't have to argue this mch longer. It comes down to HBK was a prick and HBK was one of the greatest wrestlers in WWF. The wrestlers of 20 years never had to deal with the scrutiny of the internet to judge their character, so many could have been excluded if the were trying to enter now. Likewise many of the old wrestlers matches are gone with no record visual of them existing so we can never be too sure how good they actually were inring.

 

The counterarguement is did his actions and behaviors outweigh the good that he has done through his carreer. Guys like Rikidozan had yakuza connections and probably wasn't enough nice enough to qualify today even though he basicaly creates the sport out of thin air in Japan. If personaility and unwillingness to job were used against alot of people currently inside the HOF many would have to be removed.

 

Dave said it himself when this much anger and this many arguements happen every year it ceases to be fun which is why he started it. So we got to just be cool with it and look at it as an honoring of people who were good at what they did instead of blocking assholes or people who weren't as good as the wrestlers today. Just feel Da' Meltz's love for all of you flow.

[Guest Loss]

For those who asked, the guidelines are that you've either been in the business for 15 years or are 35 years old. Angle will be 35 next year. No way has he done anything close to deserving getting in.

 

And honestly, while Michaels was a far better worker, I think Sting has a stronger case for the Hall of Fame. He was one of the biggest stars in the US from 1988 until the day he retired. He headlined countless PPVs against a wide variety of opponents. His drawing power is spotty, but he was second only to Flair as the company's biggest draw in 1989. He headlined what was at that point the biggest PPV in company history against Hulk Hogan at Starrcade '97, in front of a crowd of around 24,000, which was also the biggest PPV crowd in company history up until that point. He was a headliner for most of 1998 when the company was in its most successful period ever.

 

I don't think Sting deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, simply because I ultimately think his legacy is that of a can't-miss superstar who missed several times, but he does have a stronger case than Shawn Michaels.

 

With Shawn, you had a terrific worker that lost countless titles without doing business in the middle of the ring. He had a reputation for dogging house shows and throwing temper tantrums when he didn't get his way. Being an asshole is not enough reason to warrant omission from the HOF, but being an asshole who refused to go along with plans that were ultimately best for business and ended up delaying the turnaround in the long run is enough reason not to go in.

 

Yeah, Brody's in and he often refused to do jobs too, but Brody was a bigger star in Japan than Michaels was in the US, and also a bigger draw. Yeah, Bret Hart is in, but Bret was a professional for the most part with very few exceptions. He was also a much bigger international draw than Michaels, especially in Canada, Germany and Japan.

 

As for Steamboat, I personally don't think he does deserve entry, despite his body of work being so strong. I'd place Benoit over him simply because Benoit has only sporadically been put in a headlining position and he never did any worse than anyone else on top whenever he was in that spot, although admittedly he didn't do any better either. With Steamboat, you have a guy that took frequent breaks and had lots of great matches, but I don't think he had *enough* great matches to go in on workrate alone. If you're looking at the sheer number of ****+ matches, I think Benoit is an easy pick over Steamboat. Add to the fact that others are in the Hall of Fame who weren't in Benoit's league like Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid are already in.

[CanadianChick 0]

So, how would Triple H be able to get in? He's not 35 yet, is he? Because I know he hasn't been in the business for 15 years yet.

[bob_barron 0]

He'll be 35 next year

[CanadianChick 0]

Oh, well there you go. Shows what I know. Guess you learn something new everyday.

[Guest Anglesault]

So, how would Triple H be able to get in? He's not 35 yet, is he? Because I know he hasn't been in the business for 15 years yet.

He's Angle's age.

 

And look at the baseball HOF. It's littered with drunks and womanizers.

 

Mickey Mantle drank himself to death. Should he have been barred from the Hall for his off field antics and ignore his actual career?

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

HHH probably got on the ballot due to his 2000/01 run which is one of the most overrated runs in history. I guess being carried by Austin, Foley, Rock, Benoit, Jericho and Angle is key to being a great wrestler.

Yep, just like Benoit is the most overrated wrestler. Ever since he's been in the WWE, I've never heard of a good Benoit match that didn't involve, Jericho, Angle, HHH, or Austin. Not exactly slugs by any means there.

[Damaramu 0]

I still think it's funny when people say that HBK is the greatest worker to ever step foot in a WWE ring....yeah right.

The guy was a bumper and that was it. He spent the majority of his matches getting tossed around and then he kipped up for the big no sell at the end. He's just as bad as Hogan...taking a truckload of offense and then finishing the enemy with one fell swoop. I mean yeah his matches could be exciting but that was just because he was willing to murder himself. If you look at the matches overall they weren't that good. So no I don't think Michaels deserves to be in there. He's one of the most overrated workers ever.

[CanadianChick 0]

Well, he's had pretty damn good matches with Eddie too. And he had a couple good ones with Rock.

[bob_barron 0]

Ever since he's been in the WWE, I've never heard of a good Benoit match that didn't involve, Jericho, Angle, HHH, or Austin

.

 

What about Benoit's good matches with the Rock, Edge, Eddy, Rey, RVD.

 

Benoit even got a good match out of Albert.