The 7 Most Inexcusable Omissions From The WWE Hall Of Fame

The WWE Hall of Fame as of 2018 consists of 183 inductees encompassing some of the biggest names ever in the sport such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.

However, there are many more that are conspicuous by their absence. The following slides show the 7 most inexcusable absentees from the Hall of Fame and possible reasons why these major superstars have yet to be inducted.

#7 Eric Bischoff

The man who at one time beat Vince McMahon at his own game and more than anybody else came close to putting the WWF/E machine out of business.

Eric Bischoff was appointed the WCW head honcho after a revolving door of bookers such as Bill Watts, Dusty Rhodes, Jim Herd and others had failed to make WCW a profitable entity and serious competition for McMahon.

Bischoff though was different from those old timers. He looked to Japan for inspiration and happened upon a storyline with which he would base the revolutionary new World Order (nWO) upon, as well as light-heavyweight stars such as Jushin Liger and Chris Jericho who he brought to his company.

Through these stunning athletes, he developed the Cruiserweight division which brought high flying action that American audiences had never seen before.

In combination with aggressively pursuing former and current WWF talent such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to main event the shows, Bischoff’s WCW became a financial juggernaut and hot-bed of creativity not seen in the sterile family friendly WWF programming of the mid-nineties.

Although Bischoff lost his grip on the promotion in 1999, he remains one of the most influential figures in wrestling history, one which beat the WWF in the Monday night ratings war for 18 months straight.

That is the reason why his induction hasn’t yet happened. WWE would have to admit that Bischoff was good at his job during that famed 1996-1998 period and wasn’t only defeating WWF/E in the ratings due to Ted Turner’s money. Don’t doubt it though. Bischoff is currently on good terms with WWE and he will be inducted one day.

#6 Jerry Jarrett

Will Jerry Jarrett follow his son into the Hall of Fame?

His son, Jeff was inducted this year, in 2018. Perhaps, in 2019, the patriarch of the Jarrett family will get his due.

Jarrett founded the Memphis based wrestling promotion, the Continental Wrestling Association in 1977 with Jerry Lawler as his star and the likes of the Fabulous Freebirds on the card too. In 1989, the CWA merged with the Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling promotion to form the United States Wrestling Association. Memphis was an excitingly booked and hugely profitable territory for two decades, one of the last to succumb to Vince McMahon’s national expansion.

So well respected was Jarrett as a booker, that during Vince McMahon’s 1994 steroid trial, Jarrett was lined up as McMahon’s replacement should he have been convicted and incarcerated.

Jarrett along with his son established NWA:TNA (the current Impact Wrestling) as an alternative to the WWE in 2002.

It is quite incredible Jarrett has not been inducted already. Most likely, this was due to his son’s continued involvement with TNA/Impact Wrestling.

His legacy is assured, hopefully his enshrinement will be imminent too.

#5 Owen Hart

This man may never be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

The youngest of Stu and Helen Hart’s 12 children, Owen Hart won every major title in WWF/E apart from the WWF Championship, in which he most famously challenged his brother, WWE Hall of Famer, Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1994. This came after his famous victory over Bret at WrestleMania X earlier that year.

Hart reigned as Intercontinental, European and Tag Team Champion in a glittering career which was tragically cut short at the age of 34 in a horrific accident that occurred at the 1999 Over The Edge pay per view event, when, during an entrance wherein he was being lowered from the ceiling via a harness, it prematurely opened, sending Hart falling ninety feet to his death.

Make no mistake about it. WWE would like to induct Hart into the Hall of Fame, and likely would have done so many years ago were it not for one factor; Hart’s widow, Martha.

Martha Hart understandably sees WWE as accountable for her late husband’s death and refuses to give her consent for the company to use his likeness and career for their own monetary gain.

Unfortunately, Martha’s stance means that WWE fans likely will not get the opportunity to say goodbye to their hero.

#4 Vader

Vader tragically did not live long enough to experience induction into the Hall of Fame

It is a great shame that Leon “Vader” White died before he had the opportunity to stand in front of his peers on the Hall of Fame stage. He openly campaigned for induction, which conversely may have counted against him in the petty world of WWE politics.

Vader was one of the highest paid stars in wrestling in the early-nineties when he reigned as WCW World Champion. Vader contested sterling matches with the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, Cactus Jack and Hulk Hogan.

For many long-time WWF/E fans though, their lasting impressions of Vader are that of his less than stellar 1996-98 WWF run, in which he ended his tenure in the company, losing to the likes of Blackjack Bradshaw and Mark Henry, a full decade before either were singles stars.

This unfortunately is Vince McMahon’s lasting impression of White also. As Vader’s success was outside WWE in WCW and Japan, he doesn’t share the same affection for “The Mastodon” that many others in wrestling do. However, with his untimely passing earlier this year, one would think he may be a leading contender for induction in either 2019 or 2020.

#3 British Bulldog

The British Bulldog - Still the most famous British wrestler of all time

Over a decade and a half after his death, the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith is still the most famous and revered British wrestler of all time.

Beginning his career on the original ITV World of Sport programme, Smith began working for Stu Hart’s Calgary promotion before signing with the WWF in the mid-1980s. Initially one half of the legendary British Bulldogs tag team with the Dynamite Kid, Tom Billington, Smith was repackaged as a singles star in the early 1990s which culminated in a famous Intercontinental Championship victory in the main event of SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium.

Smith was shockingly fired just months later, after failing a drug test, and signed for WCW. He resurfaced back in the WWF at SummerSlam 1994 and finished runner-up to Shawn Michaels in the 1995 Royal Rumble match.

The British Bulldog became the first European Champion in WWF history when he won the brand new title in a tournament, defeating brother in law, Owen Hart in the final.

Smith won every single title in the WWF apart from the World title, despite numerous opportunities wrestling for it. Regardless, he remains one of the biggest names still not in the Hall of Fame.

His omission is simple. The manner of his death. WWE are very careful about inducting deceased wrestlers due to the alarming death rate of wrestlers decades before their time. Smith died due to a heart attack, likely linked to decades of steroid and human growth hormone abuse. However, hopefully this will not prevent him from entering the Hall of Fame in the very near future.

#2 Bruiser Brody

Will Brody be part of the 2019 Legacy Wing?

The man born Frank Goodish did not wrestle that much for Vince McMahon Jr. or Sr., but no Hall of Fame is complete without the man who popularised the wild brawling style of wrestling.

Brody won a wide range of championships for the NWA and All Japan as well as several regional promotions, however what he was most famous for was his extreme reluctance to losing.

Brody very rarely lost and when he was booked to do so, he was likely to be extremely uncooperative. One famous incident occurred during a 1986 cage match with Lex Luger when Brody abruptly stopped selling for Luger's offence.

Believing Brody had gone mad and fearing for his safety, Luger exited the cage to the car park and drove away from the arena as quickly as he could!

Restricting Brody's admission to the Hall of Fame is likely due to two reasons. The fact that he is not well known amongst the current fanbase and the tragic circumstances regarding his death. Brody was murdered in 1988 by fellow wrestler Jorge Invader Gonzalez prior to a card in Puerto Rico. It is difficult to see that matter addressed on stage at the Hall of Fame, which largely tries to portray the business in a positive light.

Brody will be inducted one day but it might well be as part of the Legacy Wing.

#1 The Rock

The Rock - Hall of Famer 2019?

Without doubt, the man better known to movie audiences as Dwayne Johnson, is the greatest star ever to come out of wrestling. So much so, he turned his wrestling fame into a multi-million pound A-list movie career.

The Rock’s in-ring wrestling tenure was relatively short by Hall of Fame standards, only being a full-time superstar for six and a half years, from November 1996 to April 2003.

However, in that time, “The People’s Champion” won nine World Championships (7xWWF/E, 2xWCW/World), as well as Intercontinental and Tag Team gold.

The Rock headlined three consecutive WrestleManias from 1999 to 2001 and returned in 2011 to headline both the 2012 and 2013 editions. The Rock’s comeback also encompassed a tenth World title reign when he ended CM Punk’s mammoth 434-day run with the belt at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

An absolute no-brainer of an induction. It’s amazing it hasn’t happened already. Perhaps it will in 2019.