The WWE Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of a wrestling sports-entertainment career. It is a sign you’ve made it and made a lasting contribution to the wrestling community. But, like all Hall of Fames, there are omissions and controversy. There are a lot of well-known, influential wrestlers who are not in the Hall of Fame. Some of them for political reasons, petty differences, or long-standing feuds.
We found the 25 best wrestlers and wrestling personalities who have been left out of the WWE Hall of Fame. We detail why they were left out and the chances of their induction ever really happening. Join us, won’t you?
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[tps_title] Undertaker[/tps_title]
The Case For: Longevity. The WrestleMania Streak. One of the few universally respected workers in wrestling history. Took a silly early-90s gimmick and turned it into the ultimate symbol of darkness and bad-assery.
The Case Against: There is none. However, he has yet to officially retire. There are rumors he is preparing for one more match. However, if he is indeed retired, he will probably be inducted next year in New Orleans.
Hall of Fame Chances: 100%
Next Wrestler: The Deadman’s Brother.
[tps_title] Kane[/tps_title]
The Case For: Longevity. Defining character. World Heavyweight Champion. Multiple-time tag team champion with a host of different partners.
The Case Against: Never had a real stand-out match. The character could often get stale. Still working. Once he retires, he is a shoe-in, first ballot.
Hall of Fame Chances: 90%
Next name: The man who is the reason you watch wrestling right now.
[tps_title]Vince McMahon[/tps_title]
The Case For: Revolutionized the wrestling world. Was the first man to put wrestling on national television. Created a global brand. Is a self-made billionaire. Put wrestling further into the cultural zeitgeist than ever before.
The Case Against: Vince wants the Hall of Fame to honor wrestlers and personalities. He never appears on the broadcast of the ceremony. Plus he’s still working. He’s 72 years old and still fighting and being destroyed by wrestlers.
Hall of Fame Chances: 20% while he’s alive, 100% when he’s dead.
Next Wrestler: A revolutionary big man with infamous tattoos.
[tps_title]Bam Bam Bigelow[/tps_title]
The Case For: Main-evented WrestleMania XI against football player Lawrence Taylor. Former ECW champion. Proved that big wrestlers could also be agile and fast.
The Case Against: Drug problems. Never had a big run as champion. Floundered in the mid-card for most of his career. Possibly the family is refusing to allow the induction due to the way Bigelow left WWF.
Hall of Fame Chances: 50%
The next wrestler: An infamous valet from a legendary wrestling family.
[tps_title]Luna Vachon[/tps_title]
The Case For: From the legendary Vachon family. Managed Goldust, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Shawn Michaels. Female wrestler in an era where there were few.
The Case Against: Only in WWF for around four years. Never held a title.
Hall of Fame Chances: 51%
Next wrestler: One of the original “evil foreigners.”
[tps_title]Ivan Koloff[/tps_title]
The Case For: WWWF Champion. One of the most notable Soviet bad guys of the 70s and 80s. Long career in the NWA and Championship Wrestling From Florida.
The Case Against: Spent most of his career as a generic heel. Hard to distinguish from the myriad other Russian invader gimmicks.
The Reason He’s Not In The Hall Of Fame Already: Before his death he sued the WWE over concussions.
Hall of Fame Chances: 60%
Next Wrestler: An inspirational high-flyer.
[tps_title]Rey Mysterio[/tps_title]
The Case For: One of the best high flyers of all time. Longevity. Proved smaller wrestlers could work against the big guys.
The Case Against: Still wrestling and currently unaffiliated with WWE after a falling out a few years back. Long-rumored to be returning any day now.
Hall of Fame Chances: 619%
Next Up: A woman who went from grieving widow to one of the most “hated” GMs and managers in wrestling history.
[tps_title]Vicki Guerrero[/tps_title]
The Case For: She turned a job given to a grieving widow into a decade-plus career. Was always involved in interesting feuds. Managed several champions, including her husband.
The Case Against: Not a wrestler. There are few managers in the Hall of Fame just on their own.
Hall of Fame Chances: 75%
Next Up: A wrestler whose legacy will forever be marked by a heinous and inexcusable crime.
[tps_title]Chris Benoit[/tps_title]
The Case For: Champion in both WWE and WCW. Pioneering cruiserweight. Perfect mix of technical and brawler. Highly influential on young wrestlers.
The Case Against: He murdered his wife and child. That alone should keep him out of the Hall of Fame forever. If you think otherwise, you are wrong.
Hall of Fame Chances: 0.000000000000%
Up Next: The faction that defined what it meant to be bad and cool at the same time.
[tps_title]The NWO[/tps_title]
The Case For: The guys who made wrestling cool again. Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. Everyone had an NWO shirt. They were part of the reason WCW dominated the Monday Night Wars. Hogan’s heel turn is one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history. They invented what it meant to invade and takeover a company. Their legacy lasts to this day.
The Case Against: Factions rarely make it into the Hall of Fame. Plus Hogan, Nash, and Hall are all in the hall of fame as individual wrestlers.
Hall of Fame Chances: 84%
Up Next: The faction that tortured WWF and took the Monday Night Wars to dangerous levels.
[tps_title] DX[/tps_title]
The Case For: Brought Rated-R hijinks to the formerly family friendly WWF. Helped launch the career of Triple H, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and Chyna and re-invent the career of Shawn Michaels, albeit briefly.
The Case Against: Same as NWO. Factions rarely make into the Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Chances: 83%
Up Next: The “powerhouse” of DX and the 9th wonder of the world!
[tps_title]Chyna[/tps_title]
The Case For: One of the greatest female wrestlers of all time. Intercontinental Champion. Proved that WWE women were more than just eye candy. Paved the way for women like Trish Stratus and Lita.
The Case Against: After WWE, Chyna went into porn, had some drug problems, and went on a personal vendetta against Triple H and Stephanie. Triple H has addressed as much when the question of her induction came up.
Hall of Fame Chances: 88%
Up Next: Remember the 1-2-3 kid? He is next.
[tps_title]X-Pac[/tps_title]
The Case For: An innovative high flyer, the only member of both DX and the NWO. Held multiple belts in WWF and WCW. One of the few stars that crossed over and back again during the height of the Monday Night Wars.
The Case Against: Drug problems and was always a bit player.
Hall of Fame Chances: 70%
Next Up: Another bit player who just wants ONE MORE MATCH.
[tps_title]Christian[/tps_title]
The Case For: Innovative tag team wrestler. Held the IC and World Heavyweight titles. Invented the TLC match along with Edge, Hardys, and Dudleys.
The Case Against: Bit player. Never truly emerged beyond Edge’s shadow.
Hall of Fame Chances: 88%
Up Next: An alleged prolific ladies’ man.
[tps_title]Scott Steiner[/tps_title]
The Case For: A Myth, Legend, and a Phenomenon. Transitioned from top tag team wrestler to WCW’s biggest singles star. Dominated WCW through the entirety of the 90s. Easily one of the most notorious wrestlers of all time.
The Case Against: His hatred and feud with the WWE and his bashing of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame Chances:
Up Next: This wrestler has “THE STUFF!”
[tps_title]Buff Bagwell[/tps_title]
The Case For: A big star in WCW. 5x WCW tag team champion. Durability through multiple phases of the company. Received a few big singles pushes.
The Case Against: Never taken seriously as a performer. Life after wrestling as a male gigolo might scare off image-conscious WWE. Currently suing WWE over royalties.
Hall of Fame Chances: 55%
Next slide: What about our next wrestler?
[tps_title]Raven[/tps_title]
The Case For: Innovative promos and attitude. ECW champion. US Champion. Major fixture of WCW during the Monday Night Wars. Helped bring hardcore wrestling to mainstream audiences.
The Case Against: Drug problems. Sued the WWE over healthcare. Only in WWE proper for three years.
Hall of Fame Chances: 53%
Next: The man who engineered the rise of the NWO.
[tps_title]Eric Bischoff[/tps_title]
The Case For: The creative mind behind WCW and the NWO’s rise.
The Case Against: Went to TNA. Vince probably still holds a grudge for everything WCW tried to do to him. Refuses to give WCW too much credit or acknowledgment to this day.
Hall of Fame Chances: 66%
Next: Wrestling’s OTHER eccentric billionaire.
[tps_title]Ted Turner[/tps_title]
The Case For: Bought WCW and turned it into a global brand and major competitor of WWF. His checkbook led to the gigantic paydays for the WCW talent.
The Case Against: The original “Battle of Billionaires.” Ted Turner said a goal of WCW was to shut down and bankrupt Vince. I don’t think VKM will forget that anytime soon.
Hall of Fame Chances: 64%
Up Next: The family that made southern wrestling.
[tps_title] The Crockett Family[/tps_title]
The Case For: Ran the most popular wrestling territory from the 60s-80s. Created the company that was the precursor to WCW. Gave rise to Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and others.
The Case Against: Vince is still wary of giving his long-dead competition any sort of props. He famously feuded with the Crocketts over broadcast rights in the 1980s and the two competed over talent for decades.
Hall of Fame Chances: 49%
Next: Let’s look at the voice of southern wrestling.
[tps_title]Lance Russell[/tps_title]
The Case For: Voice of Southern and Memphis wrestling for nearly forty years.
The Case Against: Was mostly on regional television, not a national household name. Most of Russell’s footage is from the Memphis-era and the tapes are in limbo, so WWE doesn’t have access to most of them. Also, he is not that big of a name beyond hardcore wrestling fans.
Hall of Fame Chances: 20%
Up Next: One of the best southern tag teams.
[tps_title] The Midnight Express[/tps_title]
The Case For: One of the most dominant and successful tag teams in NWA history. Held belts all over the territories. Major draws in the Carolinas, Memphis, and the Mid-South.
The Case Against: Never wrestled much in the WWF. They were more of a southern regional staple. Also, WWE just inducted long-time rivals Rock n Roll Express. So it’ll be a few more years at least.
Hall of Fame Chances: 65%
Up Next: A wrestler whose life was cut short by tragedy.
[tps_title]Owen Hart[/tps_title]
The Case For: King of the Ring, 4x Tag Champion, Intercontinental champ. European champion. Amazing technical wrestler. Member of the Hart Family. Had one of the greatest feuds of all time against his brother Bret.
The Case Against: The major reason that Owen is not in the Hall of Fame is due to his widow’s legal issues against the WWE. She personally holds Vince and the company responsible for Owen’s tragic death. She has sued the company multiple times for damages.
Hall of Fame Chances: 33%
Up Next: The most controversial wrestler in the last five years.
[tps_title] CM Punk[/tps_title]
The Case For: Modern record holder for WWE Championship. Broke the mold of what a top guy could look and act like. Created a cult following and brought a lot of fans back to wrestling. Paved the way for every indie big name to come to WWE. Cut the most infamous “shoot” promo of all time.
The Case Against: His fallout with WWE was nasty and it is on-going with legal action. He has no interest in wrestling or being involved with WWE.
Hall of Fame Chances: 25% in the next five years.
[tps_title]Who did we miss?[/tps_title]
Who deserves to be in that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below.