History MediaNotes / WWEHallOfFame

Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no fan votes are ever taken[[note]]This is likely done in order to prevent fans from voting for wrestlers who are either too controversial (i.e. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit), are on bad terms with Vince or, in the case of deceased wrestlers, whose families won't allow their induction (i.e. Wrestling/OwenHart)[[/note]]. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. As of January 2024 Vince is gone (and we mean ''[[UnPerson gone]]'') and Wrestling/TripleH has been trying to mend fences wherever he can,[[note]]He even brought back Wrestling/CMPunk[[/note]] so we may see some of the formerly [[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted]] guys like Wrestling/{{Demolition}} starting with the 2025 class. The last few classes seemed to indicate he was using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people[[note]]Now that professional wrestling is not as popular among mainstream audiences as it once was and WWE have struggled to build legitimate stars since the Ruthless Aggression Era ended, the number of HOF worthy talents are diminishing rapidly. They've also pretty much milked the WCW well dry and haven't purchased any other companies to mine for inductees, though WWE and Wrestling/{{TNA}} getting on much friendlier terms over the last couple years may open some possibilities[[/note]], to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.

Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no fan votes are ever taken[[note]]This is likely done in order to prevent fans from voting for wrestlers who are either too controversial (i.e. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit), are on bad terms with Vince or, in the case of deceased wrestlers, whose families won't allow their induction (i.e. Wrestling/OwenHart)[[/note]]. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. As of January 2024 Vince is gone (and we mean ''[[UnPerson gone]]'') and Wrestling/TripleH has been trying to mend fences wherever he can,[[note]]He even brought back Wrestling/CMPunk[[/note]] so we may see some of the formerly [[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted]] guys like Wrestling/{{Demolition}} starting with the 2025 class. The last few classes seemed to indicate he was using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people[[note]]Now that professional wrestling is not as popular among mainstream audiences as it once was and WWE have struggled to build legitimate stars since the Ruthless Aggression Era ended, the number of HOF worthy talents are diminishing rapidly[[/note]], to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.

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Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no fan votes are ever taken[[note]]This is likely done in order to prevent fans from voting for wrestlers who are either too controversial (i.e. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit), are on bad terms with Vince or, in the case of deceased wrestlers, whose families won't allow their induction (i.e. Wrestling/OwenHart)[[/note]]. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. As of January 2024 Vince is gone (and we mean ''[[UnPerson gone]]'') and Wrestling/TripleH has been trying to mend fences wherever he can,[[note]]He even brought back Wrestling/CMPunk[[/note]] so we may see some of the formerly [[PersonaNonGrata blacklisted]] guys like Wrestling/{{Demolition}} starting with the 2025 class. The last few classes seemed to indicate he was using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people[[note]]Now that professional wrestling is not as popular among mainstream audiences as it once was and WWE have struggled to build legitimate stars since the Ruthless Aggression Era ended, the number of HOF worthy talents are diminishing rapidly[[/note]], to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.

Wrestling/RicFlair, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/BookerT, Wrestling/BretHart, Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/ScottHall and Wrestling/KevinNash have the distinction of being inducted twice: first as an individual induction and as part of a group induction (for Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen, Wrestling/DGenerationX, Harlem Heat, The Hart Foundation and the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder respectively). Wrestling/SeanWaltman was also inducted twice as part of both DX and the [=nWo=] and is the first person to be inducted in consecutive years.

Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no fan votes are ever taken[[note]]This is likely done in order to prevent fans from voting for wrestlers who are either too controversial (i.e. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit), are on bad terms with Vince or, in the case of deceased wrestlers, whose families won't allow their induction (i.e. Wrestling/OwenHart)[[/note]]. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. The last few classes seem to indicate he's using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people[[note]]Now that professional wrestling is not as popular among mainstream audiences as it once was and WWE have struggled to build legitimate stars since the Ruthless Aggression Era ended, the number of HOF worthy talents are diminishing rapidly[[/note]], to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.

Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no fan votes are ever taken[[note]]This is likely done in order to prevent fans from voting for wrestlers who are either too controversial (i.e. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit), are on bad terms with Vince or, in the case of deceased wrestlers, whose families won't allow their induction (i.e. Wrestling/OwenHart)[[/note]]. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. The last few classes seem to indicate he's using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people, to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.

Like many things associated with WWE their Hall of Fame is not without controversy, starting with the fact that it technically doesn't exist. Yes, there's a ceremony every year and a page on [=WWE's=] website about it, but you can't actually visit it because it doesn't have a physical location like the [=HOFs=] in [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Cooperstown]] or [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Canton]]. WWE has kicked around the idea of actually building one, but nothing has come out of it.[[note]]Considering their track record at doing anything other than promoting wrestling shows this is probably a wise move, though several current and former WWE employees have mentioned a huge warehouse in Connecticut full of wrestling memorabilia (because apparently Vince never throws ''anything'' out) that fans have been begging to see ever since word of it got out to the public.[[/note]] But the bigger controversy comes from the selection process, which can basically be summed up as "Whoever Wrestling/VinceMcMahon feels should be inducted that year", no committee is assembled and no votes are ever taken. This had led to some pretty... questionable additions (as you'll see below) along with some pretty glaring omissions - anyone on the outs with Vince is basically barred from consideration until they pass away or Vince isn't mad at them anymore. The last few classes seem to indicate he's using a sort of quota, basically consisting of one megastar to headline, one upper midcarder, one tag team or faction, one female wrestler, one person of color, one (but ''only one'') posthumous induction of someone active at some point between 1990 and 2010, and one manager or other non-wrestling personality. Though the last two classes have started to lessen the number of inductees because they're literally running out of people, to the point that they've resorted to inducting people still actively wrestling in WWE. Also, despite being called the ''WWE'' Hall of Fame having actually done your HOF level work in WWE isn't a prerequisite, several inductees are mainly known for their work in Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Japan, or elsewhere, and a few of the legacy guys predate [=WWE's=] existence.