WON Hall of Fame

After finishing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s yearly Hall of Fame issue, I can’t help but feel that this year’s small amount of inductions (Paco Alonzo and Martin Karadagian) are a sign of things to come in the future years of the hall. It seems that the bar is being slightly raised each year for wrestlers, where a 1996 induction (like Vader for instance) would have a hard time making it in now. Thus, the only two entering the hall are there because of their business prowess. Although one can argue that all legitimate histories of professional wrestling are marginalized in one way or another, the induction of Martin Karadagian represented the WON’s most obscure and fascinating one to date. I felt that it was one of the most interesting reads of all the hall of fame bios throughout the years and I can’t see anyone finishing it without conceding that Karadagian diserves to be in the hall and probably should have been voted in much sooner. In a lackluster year for inductions, Karadagian’s bio helped this year’s issue stay on par with ones from the past. Most of the credit should probably go to Kurt Brown and Steve Sims who helped recover a history (for the U.S. readers at least) that diverts from the dominance of US, Japan, and Mexico in even the most comprehensive accounts of the business. Now I want to dig up all the footage and gimmicks from Titanes en el Ring that I can find.

This year was the closest that Fabulous Moolah came to being inducted. In the future, I really hope that she stays below the 60% needed to be voted in. A monopoly does not constitute a legacy. Also in the upper echelon were the Midnight Express, Jesse Ventura, Carlos Colon, and perennial borderline pick Dick Murdoch. This could have been the easiest year for any of these five to be inducted, but it seems that voters want to stick to a high standard that is increasing every year. Sasaki Kensuke may very well be the last active Japanese worker with a chance to be inducted, yet was 23 votes shy of induction. Yes, Japanese wrestling isn't drawing well right now and may never will again. But, Sasaki was a name throughout a boom period for New Japan, headlined several Tokyo Dome shows, has been voted MVP in the puroresu magazines, and still is one of the few bona-fide draws left in Japan. Still, there is a great chance that Sasaki will never be voted in. Thus, any of the current young stars (Tanahashi, Nakamura, Morishima) probably have no chance at all in the future. This may also be a trend in other regions as well. If voters keep to a standard that worked until the late-90s, but really is obsolete now, does any worker from this era have a chance? Career longitivity and drawing power are entirely different standards now. I’m not saying that the Cenas, Batistas, or Tanahashis deserve a place in the hall (they obviously do not right now), but Rey Misterio does. And it's a shame that he isn’t in there already.

My 2008 ballot (if I was given a chance to vote):

1) Rey Misterio – if we use the example of Dynamite Kid, then Misterio is a no-brainer. Misterio is a bigger draw than Dynamite Kid was and his work is arguably on par with Dynamite. Although, Tom Billington helped revolutionize the business in Japan with his series with Tiger Mask, the same could be said of Misterio’s work in the late-90s.

2) Sting – I still don’t understand why he gets so few votes every year. He was one of the top babyfaces in the US for years and was a decent worker. Although in the early-90s there was a question of his ability to draw, can Sting really be wholly blamed for WCW’s small crowds during that era. What I think it comes down to is that during the hottest period in the modern era, with WWF and WCW competing for supremacy, Sting drew WCW’s highest ppv buyrate and was the focus of the company’s biggest angle.

3) Dick Murdoch

4) Paco Alonso

5) Kenuske Sasaki


Btw, I would have voted ‘yes’ to remove Chris Benoit from the WON hall of fame. If this hall should be on par with others, a double murderer cannot be in it. That said, with Chris Benoit still in the hall of fame (as he received less than the 60% of the vote to remove him) – I see no justification for not voting Carlos Colon in.