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As I mentioned in my previous article, the Hall of Fame is one of the weekend’s festivities I was looking most forward to. I love the recognition of these men and women who have given their bodies and their time from their lives for our entertainment. I enjoy hearing old stories and insider references. The chance for that performer to thank those who helped them and meant something to their career.
There is often someone who rambles on way too long, putting wrestlers to sleep at the end of a long day. We have awkward speeches where Mr. T spent more time talking about his love of mothers than his time in professional wrestling. It’s subjective on who makes the cut and is deserving, and some of the old stars are so out of touch they have no understanding in communicating with the modern audience.
It’s different having lived through the entirety of many of the inductees at this point in life, so I’m reliving versus learning. There’s also so many podcasts out there now where you can hear old timer stories without these events. So how did this year’s ceremony go?
The Stephanie Show
Stephanie McMahon even mentioned in her speech that she didn’t realize how different her life experience differed from others. A phrase I’ve absolutely stolen from our fearless leader, Wade, is “Born on third base and thought they hit a triple.” Having all three daughters was understandable, but did we also need Linda McMahon? Hearing lines where she had to work extra hard to get her foot in the door because she was a woman in a male dominated field landed wrong. Maybe an editor could have advised against that one.
With that criticism out of the way, does Stephanie belong in the company’s Hall of Fame? Absolutely! She did work extremely hard to grow the brand, was a great performer, and has truly made changes for the company’s benefit. Worthy inductee and a beautiful speech that ended with a heel edge. I did appreciate that when she commanded the applause of the audience, she did it tongue-in-cheek instead of adding to the self-indulgence.
A side note: The line about loving Shane and his family was both telling and vulnerable. Family is hard sometimes.
The Legacy Wing
If the wrestler did enough in their career to warrant a Hall of Fane induction, we deserve a speech. With these performers no longer with us, we should at least have someone accepting on their behalf. A family member or a talent who meant a lot to their career. In previous years, they basically got a mention in a video package, so I guess their own packages is a type of an upgrade.
With that said, I’m not sure either were big parts of the Hall of Fame. Bad News Brown is a mostly forgotten member of a bygone era, and sadly was there to fill a quota. Sid was a very inconsistent main event player who got by on his look. There are performers who are inducted that water down the prestige of induction, and I felt these for that criteria.
Demolition Are Finally In
Bill Eadie and Barry Darsow had a few memorable runs with different gimmicks, but what they will always be known for is Demolition. Fans have been calling for their induction for years, but rumored behind-the-scenes conflicts kept that from happening.
In many ways, they were put together when Vince McMahon wasn’t able to sign The Road Warriors. I found it interesting when mentioned in their speech, that the two partners were put together without having teamed before. They grew out of simply being a clone team into a legendary tag act.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Screen Your Celebrities
Dennis Rodman’s entire speech was a train wreck. Walking away from the microphone, using profanity in a setting where it’s frowned upon, and telling about his love for the WWE organization that he’s never worked for. His line about how the company had never turned its back on any performer definitely showed that he was out of his element. Write the speech ahead of time and don’t let them deviate with punishment of a loss of pay for the evening. My assumption was there was hope that since it aired on ESPN’s service, they wanted The Worm to draw. I’m not sure how well that worked out.
What we were left with was mostly insulting to performers and fans who spent money to see this. There have been fun and deserving celebrities recognized. Snoop Dogg, for instance, knows what his role is. Let’s showcase more of those.
A.J. is a Special Human
It’s tough to find any enemies that A.J. Styles has. Universally thought highly of as a performer and as a man. I enjoy seeing a good guy get his flowers. From the independent scene in Georgia to the brief WCW Cruiserweight Division, Styles then went to be the face of TNA Wrestling, then a legendary run in New Japan, and then a decade in WWE. It wasn’t his size or natural talking ability that made people take notice. In world centered around simulated in-ring combat, there was simply none more exciting and naturally gifted as A.J.
It’s great to see him go out on his terms, with his body mostly healthy. He spent his time as a performer and sacrifice was a massive part of his life to become the absolute best and to provide for the family he missed at home. Much respect.
(Griffin is a lifelong fan of wrestling, superheroes, and rebellious music of all forms. He is the owner of Nerdstalgia, and you can shop online, learn about visiting the store in Colorado Springs, or catch him at a comic con in the Rocky Mountain area by going to http://nerdstalgia.shop.)
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