Friday, March 31, 2006

The Class Of 2006

Tomorrow night on the eve of Wrestlemania 22 the WWE are going to induct some more stars into their Hall of Fame..

The list includes;

WILLIAM PERRY

'The Fridge' was a Super Bowl winner for the Chicago Bears in the 1980's and is being inducted into the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame. He appeared at Wrestlemania 2 in a battle royale that was won by the late Andre the Giant.

THE BLACKJACKS

This tag team existed before my time but were said to have been ruthless heels from Texas who wore cowboy hats and boots to the ring. The legacy of these two was passed on in recent years with Blackjack Mulligan's son being Barry Windham.

TONY ATLAS

Tony Atlas was a bodybuilder before he became a professional wrestler. In 1972 he won Mr. USA and used that moniker in his wrestling career. He became the first African American tag team champion, a feat he accomplished alongside Rocky Johnson (father of The Rock).

VERNE GAGNE

In the 1980's there was the WWF, the NWA and the AWA. By the end of the decade there was WWF and NWA / WCW after the AWA shut down due to its inability to compete with the World Wrestling Federation. Verne Gagne was the owner of the AWA and is now being inducted in the Hall of Fame of his predatory rival.
Personally, I think this induction is a slap in the face to the Gagne family after Vince McMahon used the climate of television expansion to lure the likes of Hulk Hogan from the grasp of the AWA. A move that may have been the beginning of the end for the company.
Verne was also a popular wrestler in the Minnesota area and is believed to have been responsible for training the legendary Ric Flair.

GENE OKERLUND

'Well, you know something Mean Gene..' Would be the start to any Hulk Hogan interview back during the boom period of the WWF.
Gene was one of the commentators that Vince McMahon lured away from the AWA back in the 80's and is possibly one of the faces well remembered from that time in wrestling.

SENSATIONAL SHERRI

Another person who left the AWA and found a home in the WWF. Sherri Martel, despite being one of the best women wrestlers in the 1980's will best be remembered for her managerial career alongside performers such as Ted Dibiase, Shawn Michaels.and Randy Savage.
In the early 1990's Martel went to WCW where she spent a long time as manager to Harlem Heat.
On a personal note, I have sent emails back and forth to Sherri over the years and believe that she is one of the most down to earth celebrities in wrestling who deserves a place in the Hall of Fame.

EDDIE GUERRERO

In November of last year Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room after suffering a heart attack. Guerrero was one of the most popular stars on the Smackdown roster and it is possible that on the day he had died he was set to reclaim a world championship in a triple threat match against Batista and Randy Orton.
If you had told me 10 years ago that would be writing that Eddie was a former world heavyweight champion then I would have laughed but in 2004 he achieved this feat becoming one of the smallest champions in history.
Becoming world champion is a testament to how good you are at what you do and Eddie Guerrero overcome addictions to reach the pinnacle of the business.
It appears that his death has not been in vain, either, as the WWE have now instituted a wellness program and will surely help save the lives of other performers. He changed the business in his life and did so in his death and deserves the spot.

BRET HART

The Hitman has not appeared on WWE television since the Survivor Series 1997 where he was double crossed out of the world title by Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels in a real situation where Bret had refused to lose the title to Michaels in Canada.
The bad blood that existed between Bret and Vince was cooled when Bret suffered a life threatening stroke a few years ago and the WWE owner contacted Bret.
In August Bret Hart arrived at the WWE headquarters and agreed to work on a DVD that chronicled his career because he didn't want hsi legacy to be rewritten to suit the WWE. He has agreed to be inducted and give a final speech to the fans on his terms.

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