QUESTION OF THE DAY: Who are you most looking forward to see get inducted at The Hall of Fame Ceremony and why?
Hi kids!
Wrestlemania weekend is here! I could not be more excited! I think both Takeover and Wrestlemania are going to deliver in a big way.
Here’s Part I of my three Part Wrestlemania Weekend Review. In this edition, I’ll give you my thoughts on tonight’s Hall of Fame Ceremony.
Jeff Jarrett.
Jarrett is one of the inductions that I’m looking forward to the most. He has such a checkered history with the WWE after how he left the company. He’s one of the few guys who burned the bridge so badly that he was never invited back. He’s been around the block since and I really want to see him talk about his adventures with TNA on WWE television.
I’m someone who cares more about the speeches than the individual accolades, so I think The Road Dogg was a great choice to induct Jarrett. Jarrett is the guy who gave him his start, and James is the type of guy who will give an impassioned speech on his behalf.
Ivory.
Ivory’s induction is more or less a bathroom break for me. It’s cool that she was a part of the original G.L.O.W. and it’s cool that she happened to wrestle during a popular period in wrestling, but she was nowhere near the top of her profession at any time in her career.
Molly Holly is even less interesting as a presenter. She’s always been a bland speaker to me, and I really don’t have any interest in hearing her drone for 10-15 minutes. All in all, there were SEVERAL females that were far more worthy than Ivory to be inducted, and far more females that were better suited to induct her than Holly. Chyna and Sable both jump off the page as being the better choice as the female inductee for 2018.
Mark Henry.
I’m all in on this one. Mark Henry is a guy that looked like an ex-athlete with absolutely no future in the business when he first debuted. He was just a “big guy” who couldn’t wrestle or cut a promo. He was the stereotypical monster that would eventually feud with the Undertaker and be gone in a year. Instead, a funny thing happened. He figured the business out. No matter how ridiculous of a storyline he was put into, he turned it into something entertaining.
Every time he speaks out of character, the emotion pours out. He comes off as one of the most genuinely good guys in the business. The Big Show is an excellent choice to induct him, as he too speaks from the heart. I’m expecting this to be one of the better inductions of the night, and probably the one I’m looking forward to the most.
Kid Rock.
I won’t spend a ton of time on this. I don’t have any issues with Kid Rock getting in. He’s clearly not on the level of Mike Tyson but also a better choice than say, Drew Carey was a couple years ago. He’s contributed a lot of music to the WWE and since I don’t watch the Hall of Fame for the celebrity induction, I won’t get bent out of shape over his inclusion. I’m sure his speech will be fine and I’m curious as to who will be doing the honors for him, but I have no real interest outside of that.
The Dana Warrior Award.
This is a nice thing that the WWE does for a non-wrestler every year. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m glad that they do it. With that said, I don’t have nor will I ever have any interest in evaluating the merits or worthiness of the induction. This is the kind of thing that all major companies should be doing – spreading their goodwill and bringing happiness to those who aren’t as fortunate as we are.
HillBilly Jim.
WRESTLEMANIA III STRIKES AGAIN! There’s a laundry list of wrestlers who need to thank their lucky stars that Hulk Hogan showed up in their lives. Because of him, guys that were glorified jobbers became so beloved that they are now members of the WWE Hall of Fame. Hillbilly Jim is Koko B. Ware with a slop bucket and overalls instead of a parrot.
Jimmy Hart does nothing for me as an inductor either. His voice irritates me and outside of a stint together on Legend’s House, there isn’t much of a connection between the two. I foresee strong potential for a train wreck here, and that’s the sole reason that I’ll be watching.
The Dudley Boyz.
This induction is going to be the highlight of the night without question. In a class that is a little light on accomplishments, the Dudley Boyz are far and away the class of the field. They are without question a top three tag team of all time. Many even consider them to be the single greatest team that ever lived. Their accomplishments speak for themselves.
Both men, especially Bubba Ray, have been known to speak from the heart. I am expecting an A+ induction here. Edge and Christian will bring top notch comedy to their induction speech, and it will be a nice moment when The Hardy Boyz join them on the stage. This is the induction that is likely to have the best crowd reaction for the night.
Goldberg.
Everything about this induction is fascinating to me. Without question, Goldberg belongs in the Hall of Fame. He was dominant and a top draw at all times during his career. Very few people can say that. That aside, I don’t think his induction gives anyone a warm and fuzzy feeling. He is a guy whose recklessness ended Bret Hart’s career and a guy who in general had a lack of respect for the business.
Although his speech is likely to paint Goldberg as every big the megastar that he was, why is Paul Heyman doing it? The link between their careers is very loose – a short run last year opposite Brock Lesnar. My guess is that NO ONE wanted to induct the man, and Heyman volunteered to do it. Either way, I expect Heyman’s speech to be rock solid but Goldberg’s overall induction to be a disappointing way to end the night.
Overall.
It’s a little bit of a down year for the Hall of Fame. Goldberg isn’t a great headliner and there are a couple of acts that I’m just not interested in hearing from. Nonetheless, between The Dudley Boyz, Mark Henry and Jeff Jarrett, there will be enough solid speeches to make watching the show worthwhile.
That’s a wrap kids. Tune in later today or first thing tomorrow morning for part II of my Wrestlemania Weekend Preview – NXT Takeover.
Facebook: Dave Fenichel
Twitter: @FFFightLeague