My WWE Hall of Fame vote goes to ...
I put up a poll last week that posed the following question: If you had just one vote for the WWE Hall of Fame, who would you vote for? The five choices – all significant performers who have yet to be inducted – were Bob Backlund, The Rock, Bruno Sammartino, Randy Savage and Lou Thesz.
Savage ended up winning by a comfortable margin. While the voting was going on, I was asked who I would cast my vote for. Well, it depends on what we’re really voting on.
When WWE started the Hall of Fame in the mid-1990s, it was WWE-centric. The first inductee was Andre The Giant, and subsequent Hall of Fame members included the likes of Chief Jay Strongbow, Bobo Brazil, Gorilla Monsoon and Pedro Morales.
Beginning with the induction of legendary AWA wrestler and promoter Verne Gagne in 2006, however, WWE’s Hall of Fame has morphed into a pro wrestling Hall of Fame. Over the past few years, wrestling figures who had little or no impact in WWE such as Nick Bockwinkel, Eddie Graham and Gordon Solie have been honored.
So here’s my answer: If it was literally a WWE Hall of Fame, my vote would go to Bruno Sammartino. In fact, he – not Andre The Giant – should have been the first person inducted. Sammartino carried the WWWF/WWF on his broad shoulders for about 17 years and was world champion for 11 of those years. Even when Sammartino was in his 50s, WWE would call on him on occasion to spike house show attendance.
However, since WWE’s Hall of Fame is now open to any wrestler regardless of whether they ever worked for the McMahons, Lou Thesz gets my vote. The late Thesz is regarded by wrestling historians as perhaps the greatest world champion of all time. Between 1937 and 1966, Thesz won the NWA world heavyweight title six times and his combined reigns totaled nearly 13 years.
Thesz, by the way, finished next to last in the poll, which really isn’t surprising considering most fans under the age of 50 probably aren’t familiar with him.
To see the final results of the poll, click here
Comments
In deciding how to cast my "vote," I considered that the person I believe most deserves to be in the Hall of Fame isn't necessarily the same as the person I would most like to watch being inducted.
Posted by: Stephen | March 27, 2010 1:35 AM
Bruno Sammartino was honored by the Dapper Dan Group in Pittsburgh on March 25,2010. Very nice article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on March 21st about his career. Check it out.
A Pittsburgh Legend.
Posted by: Dave Lamoureux | March 27, 2010 6:14 AM
I vote for George W. Bush. He wrestled his way into the White House, wrestled the nation of Iraq into a shambles, and managed to persuade moat Republicans that what he was doing was the real thing.
Posted by: David Robinette | March 27, 2010 8:14 AM
It's my understanding that Sammartino wants no part of the WWE Hall of Fame.
If the WWE goes to all the trouble to have a ceremony why isn't there an actual Hall of Fame facility the fans can visit?
Posted by: Aaron Goldstein | March 27, 2010 2:34 PM
Hey Kev I may not be familiar with Lou Thesz but I am surely familiar with Lou Thesz Press........
Posted by: SajidM | March 27, 2010 7:28 PM
A name thats more than deserving, when he finally does call it a career Sting. Maybe even Kevin Nash?
Posted by: Tom | March 28, 2010 4:54 AM
Great choice, Kevin. As I wrote when you first asked this question - Lou Thesz was a real world champion in that he actually travelled the world with belt and definitely went everywhere in the US not like that regional promotion called the WWWF. NYC, Philly, Boston, etc is one heck of a region but it was regional all the same.
Posted by: Johnny Vaentine was great | March 28, 2010 9:04 PM
Ken Patera and Ivan Koloff are also no brainers in my opinion. Patera was an early Intercontinental Champ and challenged Bruno, Graham (you read that right), Backlund and Hogan for the belt. Koloff also was a huge mainstay over the years and him being chosen to end Bruno's 7 and 1/2 year reign alone makes him more worthy than many already in.
Posted by: Ed Stylc | April 18, 2010 9:31 PM