The Natural Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Ballot: Spoiler It's time for the 2021 Hall of Fame elections. This ballot is being sent out to major wrestling stars, past and present, major management figures in the industry, writers and historians. If you are getting this, you are being asked your opinion on who should be inducted into this year's Hall of Fame class. The criteria for the Hall of Fame is a combination of drawing power, being a great in-ring performer or excelling in ones field in pro wrestling, as well as having historical significance in a positive manner. A candidate should either have something to offer in all three categories, or be someone so outstanding in one or two of those categories that they deserve inclusion. The names listed below are those under consideration for this year. To be eligible, a performer must have reached their 35th birthday and completed ten years since their debut as a full-time performer, or be someone who has been a full-time pro wrestler for at least 15 years. Longevity should be a prime consideration rather than a hot two or three year run, unless someone is so significant as a trend-setter or a historical figure in the business, or valuable to the industry, that they need to be included. However, just longevity without being either a long-term main eventer, a top draw and/or a top caliber in-ring performer should be seen as relatively meaningless. The election is broken down into a number of categories. You should check each category for wrestlers that you feel you are familiar enough with based on geography that you've either traveled or are familiar with, and based on the time you have followed pro wrestling. You do not have to vote for a wrestler in every category you've checked. The ballot is also broken down to wrestlers and those who are not pro wrestlers but have been valuable parts of the industry. The maximum number of wrestlers that you can vote for all the categories is ten. You can pick as few as zero if you don't believe anyone on this list deserves inclusion. For wrestling executives, managers, announcers and other outside the ring performers, you can vote for them and they are not counted against the ten. You can vote for as many as five of them. All responses are confidential. There is nothing to worry about politically about any involvement in this process. Your selections will not be revealed unless you choose to do so yourself. Anyone who receives mention on 60% of the ballots from the geographical region and time frame (broken down as Continental United States & Canada; Mexico; Japan; and the rest of the world) will be added to the Hall of Fame in the class of 2021. If you are unfamiliar with any of the candidates due to geography of having never seen them, that is fine. Ballots are sent to many people from all over the world and from different wrestling cultures so that everyone has as fair a shot at possible. The breakdown for modern and historical performers is 30 years ago, or 1991. So if the last year the person was a headliner, or was a key figure in the industry, was prior to 1990, they would be in the historical class. All performers who receive mention on 10% to 59.9% of the ballots from their geographical region or era will remain on the ballot for consideration next year. All those who receive less than 10% of the vote will be dropped from next year's ballot. They can return in two years based on if there is significant feedback from voters who say they will vote for them. This is mostly for wrestlers who are still active who may improve their career legacy, but can be for retired wrestlers if voters believe they should be put on or returned to the ballot. In addition, in following the lead of the baseball Hall of Fame, which is the model here, we have a 15-year-rule. The following candidates have been on the ballot since 2007. In baseball, this would be their last year of eligibility. Here, if they don't get at least 50% of the votes in this year's election they will be removed from the ballot. If they are modern candidates, they can be brought back in the historical performers era in two years if it is more than 30 years since their career as a Hall Fame level performer is up: The following candidates will be dropped from next year's ballot unless they are elected in or garner 50% of the vote: Don Owen Sgt. Slaughter Jim Crockett Jr. Enrique Torres Johnny "Wrestling II" Walker Please return this ballot by December 2nd. You can e-mail the ballot back to [email protected] or fax it to 408-244-3402 or mail (please do so by November 25th) to Wrestling Observer, P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228. Please check by every category you are familiar with I FOLLOWED THE HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA CANDIDATES Ole Anderson Bob Armstrong Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts & Jerry Brown w/Sir Oliver Humperdink) Jerry Brisco June Byers Buddy Colt Wild Bull Curry Cowboy Bob Ellis The Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane & Steve Keirn) Pampero Firpo Black Gordman & Great Goliath Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie Rocky Johnson Sputnik Monroe Blackjack Mulligan Johnny Rougeau Enrique Torres Von Brauners & Saul Weingeroff Johnny "Mr.Wrestling II" Walker I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson w/J.J. Dillon Nikki Bella Junkyard Dog Bill Dundee Edge Charlotte Flair Bill Goldberg Matt & Jeff Hardy Kamala Rick Martel Jon Moxley/Dean Ambrose Paul Orndorff Randy Orton C.M. Punk Seth Rollins Sgt. Slaughter Trish Stratus Rick & Scott Steiner Ultimate Warrior I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES Cima Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan Yoshiaki Fujiwara Hayabusa Kota Ibushi Kyoko Inoue Tomohiro Ishii Naomichi Marufuji Tetsuya Naito Kazuchika Okada Meiko Satomura Katsuyori Shibata Takashi Sugiura Akira Taue I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN MEXICO CANDIDATES Los Brazos (Brazo de Oro & Brazo de Plata & El Brazo) Sangre Chicana Psycho Clown Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras & Mascara Ano 2000 & Universo 2000) Dorrell Dixon Pirata Morgan Mistico/Caristico Octagon La Parka AAA Huracan Ramirez Rito Romero I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN EUROPE/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/PACIFIC ISLANDS/AFRICA Sypros Arion L'Ange Blanc (Francisco Pino) Big Daddy John Da Silva Roger Delaporte & Andre Bollet Dominic DeNucci Billy Joyce George Kidd Killer Karl Kox Kendo Nagasaki Jackie Pallo Rollerball Mark Rocco Johnny Saint Ricki Starr Adrian Street Jose Tarres Otto Wanz NON-WRESTLERS Lord James Blears Dave Brown Bobby Bruns Bob Caudle Jim Crockett Jr. Bobby Davis Joe Higuchi Jim Johnston Takaaki Kidani Larry Matysik Stephanie McMahon James Melby Don Owen Reggie Parks Morris Sigel Tony Schiavone George Scott Mike Tenay Ted Turner Stanley Weston Grand Wizard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 (edited) Interested in seeing the percentage Kazuchika Okada will get as a first ballot Hall of Famer, what the comeback does for CM Punk candidacy and the performances of Akira Taue, Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi and Tomohiro Ishii. I can see Punk, Taue and Naito getting in at some point. Edited November 3, 2021 by The Natural Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Kazuchika Okada is a slam dunk. It's going to be interesting when Sasha Banks' is added to the ballot. Knowing this time of year was coming and reading this thread back, I miss @OSJ. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E. Dynamite Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Big Daddy still isn't in the WON HoF? Shirley you can't be serious. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoBaltimore Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Yeah, you knew this was coming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Has anyone see the reasoning why only Nikki Bella is eligible? (Assuming that Dave didn't just forget Brie - which is always entirely possible) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Also, why are Tully and Arn as a tag team In the Modern category (91-) when they last teamed in 1989? Awaiting Dave’s answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technico Support Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 (edited) I’ll research it myself at some point, but are there any teams in the HOF who were together as briefly as Tully and Arn? (Edit: I checked. No, there are none). They only teamed for a little over two years. I loved watching them work, and they won titles in two national promotions, but that’s a really short run, relatively speaking. Edited November 3, 2021 by Technico Support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 3, 2021 Share Posted November 3, 2021 Agreed. Thats why i dont vote for them, even though I love all three of them (Since JJ is included) separately. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happ Hazzard Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 There's a lot about the Hall of Fame that doesn't make sense and the whole situation with tag teams is one of them. Dave's only recently started to say that guys can get in twice through being in a tag team and a singles, or through being in two tag teams, and there's plenty of tag teams made up of two HOF guys that realistically should have gone in in the inaugural class but didn't - Ray Stevens should be in thrice over between his singles career, team with Patterson and team with Bockwinkel. Stan Lane should also be in twice for being in the Fabs and the Midnights. I don't think Tully and Arn as a team are HOF worthy just because of how briefly they teamed but they are both HOF worthy in their own right. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 The Fabs are on the ballot this year. I was having a discussion with Karl Stern last night about who should go in first (as both are deserving): the Fabs or the Steiners. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 Taue should be in twice for singles and the Holy Demon Army. Not sure how many Misawa teams qualify, but at least Misawa/Kawada and Misawa/Kobashi. Not Misawa/Ogawa though. Ratboy ain't deserve it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 Just as a clarification, can voters only vote for 10 nominees total or 10 from each section? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 13 minutes ago, elizium said: Just as a clarification, can voters only vote for 10 nominees total or 10 from each section? 10 for all wrestlers total and 5 for the non wrestlers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 On the radio show today - Dave said he thinks Okada and George Kidd are the two "no brainers" on the ballot So that says to me that Dave is just gonna put George Kidd in no matter how people vote 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 I can say neither will be getting 100% of the vote. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted November 4, 2021 Share Posted November 4, 2021 Meltzer puts in a wrestler with no available footage from the '40s? Say it ain't so! Of course, I had to look up who the fuck George Kidd even was 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2021/11/04/the-case-for-tetsuya-naito-in-the-wrestling-observer-hall-of-fame/ A case for Tetsuya Naito in the WON HOF. I know @OSJ will have voted for Naito and Kazuchika Okada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Most disgusting promotional tactic - Bruce Mitchell on Observer Radio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabremike Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 31 minutes ago, TheVileOne said: Most disgusting promotional tactic - Bruce Mitchell on Observer Radio. What exactly does this have to do with the topic of the WON HOF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVileOne Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 7 hours ago, sabremike said: What exactly does this have to do with the topic of the WON HOF? It's a WON Awards category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Didnt we used to have a separate thread for that? Or was it always just in the omnibus thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 4 minutes ago, odessasteps said: Didnt we used to have a separate thread for that? Or was it always just in the omnibus thread? This is the thread now I made the mistake a few years ago of making a dedicated thread for one year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Akira Taue is overdue a WON HOF induction. When do we find out who gets in? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 On 12/7/2021 at 5:08 AM, The Natural said: When do we find out who gets in? Thanks. Whenever Dave feels like it And I don't mean that to sound flippant but it very much is whenever Dave gets around to it. For example - the ballot only went out at the beginning of the Nov. Last year the results were posted before the end of Nov. So he is already behind last year's schedule I am sure there is a "due date" on when ballots need to be submitted but after that it is when Dave has the time to finish the writeups. There was one year he didn't post them until like April. Usually he will randomly say on a radio show or in the WON "okay the HOF issue is the next one". If I had to guess - it will be mid-January at the earliest. (I think Dave was supposed to go to Japan for the 1/4 show but I think that is off now due to COVID protocols.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now