WWE Hall of Fame Speculation

I haven't done a wrestling post in a while, so I figure now is as good a time as any. So if you haven't heard, WWE has announced that the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame's class of 2007 is "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. I'll admit that I haven't seen too many of Dusty's matches, but what I've seen of him has been really entertaining, and I think he's a great choice.

But it does make me wonder who else will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Bob Uecker and Mr. T would be excellent inductions into the "celebrity wing," but I'd have to put some thought into actual wrestlers that I personally would like to see inducted. There's already a lot of big names in the Hall of Fame, but I've noticed a few sticking out that have yet to be added. Take Bruno Sammartino, for example. His two WWWF World Title reigns total just over eleven years, and I'm sure he'd have been in the Hall of Fame already if he'd accept an induction. And I think that Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat are definitely big names worthy of induction too, and adding them to the Hall of Fame's roster this year would be neat, especially since this year's WrestleMania marks the twentieth anniversary of their huge match at WrestleMania 3.

But who else belongs in the Hall of Fame? A lot of big-name talent from the old WWF are already in there, and I think it might be too early to induct guys like Steve Austin, The Rock, or The Undertaker. So why not induct someone whose greatest fame came from other promotions? If they can induct Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, and Verne Gagne, certainly they can induct someone that isn't primarily known as a "WWF Guy." Ric Flair and the Road Warriors are definitely deserving of the honor, and guys like Gordon Solie, Arn Anderson, the Freebirds, and the Von Erich family have earned that recognition too. And since he's had a lot of impact on the business, Stu Hart could be worthy of induction as well.

Or they could include some lesser-name candidates as well. People like Bob Backlund, Mr. Perfect, Ted DiBiase, Jake Roberts, and the British Bulldogs are definitely worth nominating, and if it were up to me, I'd even add guys like Jim Neidhart, Jim Duggan, Rick Rude, Big Boss Man, and the Honky Tonk Man. And just to be humorous, I'd induct the Brooklyn Brawler too. I think he's earned it.

WWE's only announced Dusty Rhodes so far, and I'm sure there'll be several more names announced between now and WrestleMania. But it doesn't hurt to speculate, does it?