Between NXT TakeOver, Axxess, and the WWE Hall Of Fame, WrestleMania is, of course, the grandest week of events all year. As far as the Hall Of Fame goes, most fans know that there is no actual voting done to decide who will be going in. Just like the rest of WWE, it’s all really at the whim of Vince McMahon.
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Sometimes the Chairman will listen to his advisors. Sometimes he tells guys like Finkel and Prichard to shut their yaps and stop suggesting certain names (that’s why guys like Randy Savage took years to get in). Some of the headliners over the years have been a little less than compared to others.
10 Best - Bret Hart (2006)
It took nearly ten years after the events of Montreal, but Bret Hart was finally able to take his rightful place amongst the hallowed halls of the WWE Hall Of Fame. In between Hogan and Austin, there was Bret. His legacy has endured over the years through his nieces, nephews, and most of all his loyal fans from all over the world. His induction was just the first grand step towards Bret once again being a fixture in the WWE.
9 Least Important - Goldberg (2018)
From “The Best There Is” to the guy that kicked his head into 87th row and ultimately ended Bret Hart’s career. While not every Hall Of Famer can move the needle and be considered top-notch, genre-defining superstars, they can be far more important than Bill Goldberg.
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His intensity in the ring helped make him a superstar and helped WCW stay afloat, but as a headliner...there’s far more deserving. Even during his speech, the fans seemed perplexed about what he was doing there.
8 Best - Ric Flair (2008)
While he didn’t cross over as huge as Hulk Hogan might have, the influence of Ric Flair might never be able to be fully measured. Like folk heroes of old, he’s been an influence to nearly every wrestler on the card. Superstars would mime gimmick, lifestyle, ring work, sometimes all at once. Pop culture caught to the Nature Boy recently in rap songs and strange Hummus commercials. In the ring, there really weren’t better storytellers.
7 Least Important - Ultimate Warrior (2014)
It’s ok to admit it, you were a big Ultimate Warrior fan as a kid. The neon, the face paint, the insane gibberish promos - how could you not be? But time has not been kind to the Warrior’s legacy. Nostalgia and Rose Colored Glasses go hand in hand. At this point in history, wrestling fans have heard from several superstars and personnel over the years about the guy and performer Warrior was, quite frankly it doesn’t cut the mustard to headline a Hall Of Fame.
6 Best - Shawn Michaels (2011)
To a lot of fans and those in the business, the difference between Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair is so nominal. It’s 1A and 1B depending on the day. Even before HBK took a sabbatical in ‘98 he was heralded as one of the GOATs. When he returned, he somehow came back better than ever. HBK without any of the backstage or personal drama. He gave all of the fans 110 percent every time and gave us all eight more years of entertainment.
5 Least Important - Jesse The Body Ventura (2004)
Jesse The Body Ventura was able to break through the wrestling bubble and become the Governor of Minnesota. He’s also one of the most memorable commentators of all time. He also headlined the 2004 induction ceremony. Had he stayed healthy, The Body could have had a successful run in WWE.
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But that wasn’t in the cards. However, how many people would have remembered that he headlined the ceremony?
4 Best - Hulk Hogan (2005)
Whether you like him or not, every single wrestling fan owes a debt of gratitude to the work Hulk Hogan did in bringing wrestling to the main stage and out of bingo halls and dirty gymnasiums. He’s the biggest star ever in the history of the business. There wouldn’t be a WWE without him, therefore there wouldn’t, couldn’t, or shouldn’t be a WWE Hall Of Fame without him.
3 Least Important - Kevin Nash (2015)
No, this isn’t going to be some critic’s overly critical take on Diesel’s career as WWE Champion in 1994. Big Daddy Cool is certainly a deserving Hall Of Famer for everything he did inside and outside the ring. But the year he was inducted would have belonged to the Macho Man had Randy Savage not passed away a few years earlier. The way the Ceremony is set up, fans are supposed to be able to leave on a high note. Nash and the Kliq standing triumphant was a better lasting image than a grieving brother accepting an award on his brother’s behalf.
2 Best - Stone Cold Steve Austin (2010)
In case you forgot or weren’t around back then, go put on the WWE Network and watch some old Attitude Era Raws. Stone Cold was all over the place. Steve Austin had a fire burning under him that catapulted not just the WWE, but the industry. The Austin-McMahon rivalry almost single-handedly brought the company back from the brink and helped overcome WCW.
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Once WCW started to falter, they tried to recreate some of the Rattlesnake magic with a similar-looking bald man, goatee, black trunks wrestler in Goldberg. Hogan might have brought the business out of the shadows, but it was Austin that helped make Vince a billionaire and shot the industry to new uncharted heights.
1 Least Important - Superfly Jimmy Snuka (1996)
For most fans post-Territory Era, Jimmy Snuka had two big-time moments, at best. Flying off the cage onto Don Muraco and being the first victim of The Streak. The monumental leap has become a legendary story, with several superstars including Mick Foley and Bubba Ray being in attendance that night. But do two standout moments make for a Hall Of Fame Headliner?
