2004 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES!

[Guest Suicide King]

Here we go kids. 2004 inductee Hall of Fame class is as follows! You all came together to vote in 3 singles competitors and 2 tag teams, and I think we can all agree that everyone who was voted in is very deserving of this honor. After much debate CC finally decided on someone to use the veteran's committee induction on, and I think you all will understand why. After the proud inductee's name will be some comments on each of their accomplishments as written by you. After all of the nominees are praised, you will see a voting breakdown to see how your favorites did, and who all was written in. And finally at the very end you will see a very special one time honor that the new CC will bestow upon someone vital to the fed's survival this past year. Please reserve the rest of this thread for congratulations to the winners and to victory speeches as appropriate.

 

 

 

Singles

 

"The Superior One" Tom Flesher = 24 out of 27

 

-Didn't really follow this much during his era, but from what I can tell, and based on his record, he was damn near unbeatable, and he was in a TON of matches. The length of his title reigns prove he was no joke. From what I can tell...and this may be incorrect since I don't follow the SWF as much anymore...the last GREAT World Champion.

 

-Nothing I can say here could possibly be adequate. There's just no way to put into words how goddamn awesome Tom Flesher is.

 

-Again, a no-brainer. Tom was a force of nature, able to bring very subtle characterization to a very non-subtle character. Add in the fact that he just dominated whatever division he happened to be in at the time and I think you just have to admit that Tom was, perhaps, the best ever.

 

-Speaking of best ever, this is probably the man on the top of the list. Tom has the SWF's all-time victory record by over 25 wins, and his total time holding a title is nearly two full years. That is absolutely disgusting by e-fed measurments. Everyone knows Tom's great accomplishments as a matchwriter, but there's two other things that seperate him from everyone else and make him into the greatest ever. His greatest influence on the fed is the way he's helped 'change' the way matches are written, putting a focus more on the ability to tell a story through the wrestling, using the written medium as an advantage, instead of simply writing matches that do little more than describe moves. For better or for worse, the way writers look at matches now is dramatically different than what it was just two years ago. His greatest impact, however, is the fact he was an outstanding member of the fed and its community every moment that he spent here. Everything about Tom is typically awesome.

 

 

El Luchadore Magnifico = 24 out of 27

 

-Well, duh, dude. I worry that a lot of people will forget him because he wasn't perceived as a strong promo guy, but his farewell promo ranks up there with the best promos of all time. That, combined with the ungodly title reigns (all three of them), and, well... duh, dude.

 

-Quite possibly the most versatile person to ever exist. He was in monster heel stables. He was in a monster face stable. Sometimes a joker. Sometimes a relentless bastard. A lightheavyweight champ. A tag champ. A world champ. I am absolutely convinced that there is nothing Magnifico can't do.

 

-This is a no-brainer. ELM is one of the best ever in the Fed. I think the reason he was in so many stables is that people wanted him to be on their side.

 

-Just like it is in real wrestling, it is difficult to make a lightweight character into a believeable force in the upper card, especially in a fed that, for all intents an purposes, has been dominated by 'big' characters. ELM was the first truly respected, and truly feared, LHW character to break into the top of the card and win the world title. What's more is that his focus, and success, was evenly split between his time in the main event and his time essentially making the LHW division into what it was. While his record setting world title reign was somewhat dubious because of scattered defenses, and you could make a case for Wildchild supplanting him as the best pure cruserweight writer ever, he is an SWF legend and one of the best ever.

 

-The greatest Cruiserweight ever… of course I’m going to vote for him!

 

 

Thoth = 19 out of 27

 

-You can't argue with success. Longevity plus an interesting character plus good, solid writing equals Hall of Fame career in this case. Not putting the guy with the most belts in the history of the Fed in the HoF would be simply wrong.

 

-Thoth's indescressions as a booker aside, I don't think you can deny his ability as a writer. His style and general approach to his character and everything else he wrote was completely unique, if an acquired taste. There's a lot of things you can hold against him, I guess, but I'll never fault his dedication -- when the Clan was reduced to just himself as the only active writer, Thoth kept it at the forefront of the fed's mind and singlehandedly kept it alive. I regret a LOT about my writing career, but one thing that always really bothered me was the fact I never got to have a competitive match with him.

 

-Brilliant writer. One of the best.

 

 

 

Chris Raynor = veteran's committee

 

-In my mind, no one person changed the way people viewed how this Fed worked than Raynor. First, he made the Tag division his bitch, then set about writing some spectacular promos in his time with the Carnival, leading many people to think he only brought the funny. He then proved them wrong with one of the most effective, heart-wrenching heel turns in Fed history. For all that and more, Chris Raynor deserves the Hall of Fame.

 

-A difficult pick, given that there are only a few sure things on this list and a whole lot of maybe's. If you excuse Raynor's promo abilities, he's absolutely everything you want in a typical writer. He may have lost just as often as he won, but he was dedicated and hard working, and a clear team player. This is evident in four tag team titles, and though all of the original members of the Midnight Carnival got tons of praise, I think Raynor was the real cornerstone of the whole group. When you factor in his promo abilities, it's really what puts him into the HoF. He wrote virtually all of the Carnival's most memorable promos, and things like Operation POOFNAR and Chicken McNuggets For the Soul were defining moments of the fed. It only seems fair that all of the key members of the Carnival are in the hall anyway.

 

-the most underappreciated man in the fed's history, maybe, once we all started appreciating Sacred. His best match was the last one he wrote. And he ruled. CHRIS SMASH THE HALL!

 

-Chris was the bridesmaid last year as he fell short to a talent-packed list. I am afraid this year will be the same. This is a shame, because if we're going to have a Tag Team HoF, there is no justification for keeping Chris out of it. Raynor MADE the tag division.

 

Tags

 

The Fallen = 19 out of 24

 

-The first vote I'm putting in because it is the most important. If there is going to be a tag team Hall of Fame, These guys need to "own that bitch." They are the single greatest, most dominant tag team of what can undoubtedly be considered "the old guard" by now. Just to make a point: These two guys held the belts for 84 days (or whatever) BEFORE word limits. They always rose to the challenge. They beat the best to win those belts and deserve to reign among them. That said...I did beat them both on my own. Heh heh...

 

-I think the term "legendary" applies quite well here. Held the "longest tag title reign" for a ridiculously long time, and very early on established themselves as that team that you prayed you wouldn't be fighting against on the next card.

 

-I wish I had something witty to say here. They get my vote because they are The Fallen. Having been around at that time, I can tell you that nothing struck as much fear into a writer as being set against the Fallen. Just sheer domination...

 

-Though not the first great tag team, they were the first to become truly immortalized in the minds of people. Angelous and Molock were the pride and joy of Prime Evil, the toast of the tag division, and reigned over it during its first true height. They still shine pretty brightly underneath Judge and Ejiro's shadow.

 

-Old school, bitches.

 

 

 

Justice and Rule = 23 out of 24

 

-There's this law, see. I call it Raynor's law - the quality of a tag team is directly related to how awesome their name is. If they have a good name, they'll be a good team. Wild and Dangerous - Great name, great team. Chilly Chilly Bang Bang - Great name, great team. See how it works? Well, Justice and Rule is the single greatest tag team name ever devised. That should tell you how awesome they were.

 

-A no-brainer by any means of measure. JnR were so complimentary to each other that there was no way this team didn't have gold in their future. And then we saw them write. Let me just say this, when I booked JnR, I booked them assuming they would win. That says a lot, I think.

 

-This is obvious. Probably even more obvious than Tom on the singles ballot. Justice & Rule are the single greatest tag team in fed history, bar none, and they will probably never, ever be eclipsed, even in spite of their tag record falling. The tag team titles have always been the also-ran belts of the fed, and J&R came in at a time when tag teaming was especially dead and simply led the tag division to rise from its grave. No other tag team in history has been able to do that, and no other tag team faced more competition because of it. Because of J&R, some of the most talented tag teams ever challanged them for the belts... and they crushed them ruthlessly! Outstanding.

 

 

 

 

Final tallies for all voted for

 

Chris Raynor = 16 out of 27

 

Ejiro Fasaki = 1 out of 27

 

Divefire = 1 out of 27

 

Frost = 6 out of 27

 

TNT = 2 out of 27

 

Pimp Daddy Sarp = 12 out of 27

 

Judge Mental = 1 out of 27

 

Silent = 4 out of 27

 

Chris Wilson = 10 out of 27

 

Fallout = 1 out of 27

 

Frisco = 2 out of 27

 

Dace Night = 1 out of 27

 

Danny Williams = 4 out of 27

 

Neilsen of the Jungle = 4 out of 27

 

Mr. Galatea = 1 out of 27

 

and tags

 

Y2Chris = 8 out of 24

 

DVD = 8 out of 24

 

Chilly Chilly Bang Bang = 10 out of 24

 

Double Jeopardy = 3 out of 24

 

 

Last, but not least... I more than anyone can understand what it takes to run this fed. Everyone who has come before has had their own style, had their own victories, and alienated their own particular brand of punk. You can never make everyone happy. But what you can do is try to the limit of your ability and desire to help the fed maintain and grow beyond its borders. This man presided over one of the most difficult periods in federation history as he inherited a newly unified SWF/SJL. For nearly a year he basically single-handedly kept the fed afloat, and he deserves all the praise in the world for it. At the end of the day this is a very silly little hobby of ours, and if it weren't for his time and consideration we wouldn't be able to do it today. And at the end he did the very best thing any commissioner can do... he hung it up before he burnt out completely so that someone new could give the fed the energy it needs to survive. You don't get any better than that.

 

The final member of the Class of 2004, inducted on the Commissioner's fast track by unanimous approval of CC, is Z.

 

Once again, congratulations to the 2004 Hall of Fame!

"The Superior One" Tom Flesher

El Luchadore Magnifico

Thoth

Chris Raynor

The Fallen

Justice and Rule

and...

Z

Edited November 7, 2004 by Suicide King

[Ace309 0]

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me.

 

I think everyone made some very good choices this year. I'm thrilled to see the people on the list who made it, and particularly Justice & Rule. Nothing against the other people on the list, but I was there to see J&R rise to glory, and I knew I was watching history being made.

 

I also like the distribution of the votes, with one exception that just makes me roll my eyes. It was difficult paring my votes down, because there were so many people who deserved votes that I just couldn't give them to... in particular, I'm sorry that Danny Williams was a casualty of an unbelievably stacked year. I have no doubt that he'll be at the top of the ballot next year.

 

Once again, thank you for your votes, and thank you for making good decisions about the other slots as well.

 

CC: Unbelievably classy and accurate move, putting Z into the Hall of Fame. He deserves it.

[Guest Suicide King]

I agree Tom. This was a talent-packed list that spanned the fed's whole history. I can think of at least two of the guys on the list who will almost certainly make it in next year, barring a sudden explosion of overwhelming dominance by anyone other than Toxxic.

[Thoth 0]

I'm just shocked I got voted in.

 

I don't think I ever did anything to stand out, so to be acknowledged like this, ahead of people like Danny Williams, PDS, Nielsen, and hell, even G, is truly an honor.

 

I have been with this fed since the spring after Genesis I. I was a senior in high school. But only now, after all these years, do I feel like I "belong".

 

I don't feel like I have a lot to boast about; I have faults both as a booker and as a person to talk to for outside-the-fed things. For that I do sincerely apologize.

 

Again, thank you very much.

[Toxxic 0]

These people all rock in various ways, even though I have hardly seen any of them write. Congratulations to all, I fervently hope that I may too be admitted some day in the distant future.

 

What's happened to the Awards Polls, btw?

[Guest Suicide King]

Rumor has it that Tom is compiling the nominees now. You'd have to ask him though.

[Ace309 0]

Yeah, I'm just running into time issues digging up the match links. It should be easy enough, but frankly I'm always doing something and I just don't really have the hour or so it would take consecutiverly.

 

I'll try to take care of them ASAP though.

[chirs3 0]

Vet's Committee, your checks are in the mail.

 

Honestly, I'm just a teensy bit (whole freakin' lot) surprised that I got as many votes as I did - never did I expect I'd outdo the likes of PDS, Wilson, Frost, Silent, and so on.

 

I suppose I could read this as everyone hating PDS, Wilson, Frost, Silent, and so on... but instead, I'll just take the compliment.

 

But seriously guys, thank you. This means a lot to me.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Well..No Danny Williams vs. Suicide King for you guys.

[Ace309 0]

... blast.

[Guest Suicide King]

::chuckles:: That would have been fun too. I daresay I would have been elbowed in the face until the crowd saw brainstem.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Out of curiosity, if you're putting Z in for running the fed, why doesn't Divefire get it for running the fed and winning the world title and being in the most successful tag team in IGN/SWF history (DVD)?

 

I'm pushin' for my friend and all, I know, and I don't want to cause trouble or anything. But you should give the guy his props by the same logic you gave it to Z. Maybe next year.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Okay, I'm speaking from a lack of knowledge of the IGNWF, so can someone who's been around a while give me a strong argument for DVD > J&R?

 

...

 

I <3 Karl Rove? 'Splain, please.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

They were the second titlehoders for the tag straps (I believe) and were essentially unbeatable for a period of about a year in the fed's first year. Before J&R came around, they were easily the most dominant team to ever grace the federation. Both went on to have pretty damned successful singles careers, as well.

 

Divefire's allure, though, is that he was the only person to straight up, without controversy, defeat Stubby. He was the world champion for about three months before he gave up the title to run the fed when Jayson G quit, and he went on to hold the world title again, I believe, but I may be mistaken on that fact. His legacy was marred by a few mini-comebacks when he didn't have enough time to write, and also by our Savior/Prophet angle which never panned out and ended up making the 10 stupidest moments in SWF history. But nonetheless, his accomplishments in his prime -- including running the fed and running it well for four or so months after the first owner/commissioner quit -- should make him a shoo-in for the hall of fame. The current voters, however, don't know enough about him to actually vote for him, it seems.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

I'd have voted him in had I known he wasn't already a member of the HoF.

 

As for Danny V/Spider, I suppose he had a decent singles run, but I'd say Divey was better.

 

But, yay for the days of a lot of tag competition.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

If I remember correctly, I actually did vote for Divefire; I may be mistaken.

[muzz 0]

If I remember correctly, I actually did vote for Divefire; I may be mistaken.

Must have been difficult not voting for yourself.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

What makes you so sure I didn't?

 

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I know, I'm just pitching for him