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The WWE Hall of Fame acknowledges wrestling icons who have made an impact in the wrestling business. Andre 'the Giant' was the inaugural inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993. Since then, there have been 164 inductees,111 wrestlers inducted individually and 11 group inductions consisting of 31 wrestlers within the groups. 36 members were inducted posthumously.
The women wrestlers have also been represented albeit not as much as their male counterparts. There have been only ten former female wrestlers inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with Fabulous Moolah being the first woman inductee in 1995.
The WWE women wrestlers have come a long way in establishing themselves as WWE Superstars. Their popularity has resulted in various cross-promotions with other brands featuring WWE Divas. More deserving women should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a result of the huge contributions they have made to the industry and also for leading the way for the women superstars of today.
Here are the top five women wrestlers who should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:
#5 Melina
Melina was the first woman in WWE history to become a multiple-time champion with both the Women's and Divas titles. She is a three-time WWE Women's Champion and a two-time WWE Divas Champion. She was also popularly known as the manager of the tag-team duo of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury.
Melina made her first Raw appearance on November 29, 2004, to host a Diva lingerie fashion show and made her official debut in WWE as manager of MNM, on April 14, 2005, on Smackdown! She won her first WWE Women's Championship when she defeated Mickey James On February 19, 2007. She last competed in a WWE ring on August 1, 2011, in a #1 contender's battle royal.
Her multiple championship wins and her ability to manage a successful tag-team cement her legacy. For these reasons, she deserves to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the near future.
#4 Victoria
Victoria made her WWE debut in 2002 and competed against Trish Stratus in her first pay-per-view at No Mercy. The following month at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Victoria defeated Stratus in a hardcore match, to win the WWE Women's Championship for the first time.
She defended her title at Wrestlemania 19 in a triple threat match that included Trish Stratus and Jazz. One year later at Wrestlemania 20, she competed in a hair vs title match against Holly and won the match, thus shaved Holly's head bald.
Victoria made her last WWE televised appearance at Wrestlemania 25 where she was part of the 25 Divas battle royal. She eliminated Maria but was eliminated by The Bella Twins.
Upon leaving the WWE she signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on May 24, 2009, where she became a five-time TNA Knockouts Champion, making her a seven-time Women's Champion overall.
#3 Ivory
Although not remembered as a big name in the Women's division, Ivory had much success as a female wrestler in WWE. She made her WWE debut in January 1999 when she accompanied "The Godfather" to the ring and made her Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania 15 on March 28, when she accompanied D'Lo Brown and Test to the ring for their WWF Tag Team Championship title match against Jarrett and Owen Hart.
This was the era where the likes of Sable and Debra were popular for their physical appearances. However, a trained wrestler in her own right, Ivory won the Women's Championship on June 14, 1999, by defeating Debra and went on to successfully defend her title against Tori the same year at Summerslam.
Also, Ivory served as a trainer in the second series and third season of Tough Enough and further spent eight weeks working as a trainer at WWE's then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. Her contribution to the wrestling business cannot be disputed and for this reason, she deserves to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
#2 Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool is the first woman to have held both the Divas and Women's championship. She is a two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion and also a one-time Diva of the Year. To add to her legacy, she was ranked No. 1 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Female 50 in 2010.
McCool defeated Natalya to become the inaugural Divas Champion at The Great American Bash on July 20, 2008. With this win over Natalya, Michelle Mccool created history. At WrestleMania 27 on April 3, 2011, she competed in a six-person mixed tag team match alongside Layla and Ziggler against Snooki, Stratus, and Morrison in a losing effort.
Her final match was against her former friend turned foe Layla at Extreme Rules in 2011 in a loser leaves WWE match. She was pinned by Layla, forcing her to leave WWE. She is married to WWE legend The Undertaker and together they have a 5-year-old daughter.
For all her accomplishments and history-making feats, she deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame.
#1 Chyna
Chyna was a founding member of D-Generation X and held the Women's Championship once. She is also remembered as the only woman to have won the Intercontinental Championship. Furthermore, she boasted singles victories over several male wrestlers including multiple-time world champions Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Jarrett.
Chyna was the first woman to ever participate in the Royal Rumble in 1999. She also participated in the 2000 Royal Rumble making her a two-time participant, a feat that has never been accomplished by any other woman wrestler.
Her final match in WWE was at Judgement Day in 2001 where she successfully defended her Women's Championship against Lita. She left the WWF on November 30, 2001.
Chyna died on April 20 of an overdose of alcohol, combined with other drugs. Despite living a reckless life after WWE departure, her legacy cannot be duplicated. She was a once in a lifetime competitor who was a big contributor to the wrestling business. A posthumous induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is inevitable and well deserved.
