Class Of 2009

WWE will be inducting another selection of names into its Hall of Fame tonight.

The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on the eve of WrestleMania each year and a portion of the event is aired on television in the USA.

The complete evening will more than likely appear on the WrestleMania XXV DVD when it is released in a few months.

It has become an annual tradition for me to write about the Hall of Fame on the morning of the event. Here is the 2009 version.

Koko B. Ware

Koko B. Ware is an odd name to appear on the list. He was never more than a lower-midcard act and that is being generous to him. A lot of people are said to be scratching their heads at this induction and so am I.

Bill Watts

'Cowboy' Bill Watts was a wrestler dating back to the 1960's but his greatest mark on wrestling was as a promoter. He ran the UWF territory and made stars out of the likes of Ted Dibiase and the Junkyard Dog.
In 1992, he took over as executive of World Championship Wrestling where his maverick attitude became his downfall.
During an interview with the Pro Wrestling Torch, the promoter made several racial comments regarding the employment of black people.
As WCW was owned by Ted Turner and his Time Warner company the comments made its way to Henry Aaron who was an executive of Turner's baseball team the Atlanta Braves. It led to Watts being fired in early 1993.
Watts was not made for the politics of Time Warner. Stories of him having peeing contests from the window of the CNN Center can attest to that.
Actually, now that I have written this - it has dawned on me that Koko B. Ware's name being listed in this year's Hall of Fame alongside Watts' could be a way to have a token black name inducted in the same year as a way to avoid controversy. Of course, this is just speculation on my part.

The Funks

Dory and Terry Funk are Texas legends and - as WrestleMania is taking place in their home state - it would have been scandalous to overlook them for the evening. Both are former NWA World Heavyweight champions and have made a mark in the current climate of professional wrestling.
Dory has trained a number of people in his 'Funking Conservatory' and Terry has continually retired and unretired throughout his career meaning his name has been associated with hot territories and companies like WWE, ECW and WCW over the years.

The Von Erichs

I've written about the Von Erich family a lot on this blog. They were a major name in Texas so - just like with the Funks - them not being featured would have been an oversight.
Their story is a sad one and I know that WWE were worried about announcing their induction as it coincided with the news that Andrew Martin had died. Still, it is Texas and these names have to go in.

Howard Finkel

Did you know that Howard Finkel is important to WrestleMania more than anyone?
This gentleman was the ring announcer for WWF for years and has since been pushed away from the ring because of how cosmetic the industry has become. They feel he doesn't have the look despite the fact he was, and still is, excellent at his job.
As far as the opening question I asked - Finkel was the man who coined the term 'WrestleMania' in a meeting with the McMahons when they were thinking of a name for a supercard they had planned. Had it not been for Finkel's ideas there could be a possibility that I wouldn't be here writing this today and the world of wrestling could have been a lot different.
It's the name that draws and WrestleMania is a good name.

Ricky Steamboat

Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat was one of my favourite wrestlers back in the day. He had one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history when he faced Randy Savage at WrestleMania III.
In recent years, I have had the fortune to catch his classic bouts against Ric Flair in the NWA/WCW. These matches were unavailable to me back then as the UK only got WWF television. I'm glad to have been able to have seen these.
One of my favourite memories as a wrestling fan was seeing Steamboat in the second match of my first ever live wrestling event in October of 1993.
He wrestled Maxx Payne on that night. Less than a year later, Steamboat's career was cut short by injury and he hasn't wrestled since. I was lucky to have caught him that one time.

Steve Austin

If Ricky Steamboat holds the distinction of being in the second match I had ever witnessed live, Steve Austin gets the nod for being in the first.
On that same evening in 1993, Austin and Brian Pillman - as the Hollywood Blondes - faced off against 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell in the opening match of the Halloween Havoc event at the Cardiff International Arena.
Austin's star rose in 1996 and beyond.
He became a household name during the Monday Night Wars and is possibly one of the main reasons why WWE managed to overcome the financial difficulties they were treading in during 1997.
The fact that Vince McMahon himself is inducting Austin speaks volumes for how important Austin was to not only WWE but to wrestling itself.