Opinion

The Underrated Files: WWE Hall Of Fame Candidates

Published

7 years ago

April 5, 2018

With WrestleMania and the biggest weekend of the wrestling year upon us, the debate over the WWE’s “opening pitch” of WrestleMania weekend programming is the annual Hall Of Fame ceremony. Every year brings much debate and discussion among the fans on who should be in, who should be out, who should have gone in before this guy, so on and so forth. You always get the common names like Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Chyna and I’ve even seen a lot of push recently for Brutus Beefcake.

I started pondering who else is deserving of getting “the call”, but might be forgotten about when it comes to the conversation. Superstars who could be getting passed over for one reason or another by both the company, as well as fans in debates and conversations alike. I was able to come up with four names that I feel had broken ground in the business, left a legacy or just plain deserve it.

Let’s be honest here, we know the WWE Hall Of Fame is seen as a joke by most, so I see no reason why my choices couldn’t get in some day. Are they headliners of a Hall Of Fame ceremony? Certainly not, but their contributions to wrestling speak for themselves and at the end of the day, you always need more than just a headliner to fill any given class. Anybody can come up with an argument against someone, so here are my arguments FOR these stars.

‘The Loose Cannon’ Brian Pillman

Following a one year stint in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, Brian Pillman stepped into the wrestling business by way of the famed Hart Family Dungeon, opening his career in Calgary with Stampede Wrestling. After two years and a small run in New Japan Pro Wresting, Pillman moved on to World Championship Wrestling and became ‘Flyin’ Brian due to his aerial assault on opponents. It was a style that was seldom seen in the USA, especially in WCW as Brian led the way for the company in its earliest incarnation of a Cruiserweight Division, becoming a two-time Light-Heavyweight Champion.

From there, Pillman would join forces with and become one of the earliest tandems to be known as “cool heels”, The Hollywood Blonds, alongside ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin. The Blonds became one of the most over teams in the business in only a five month pairing. Think about that. Only FIVE MONTHS! Pillman would again seemingly stay ahead of his time as he would begin to change his character, adopting the “Loose Cannon” moniker (By the way, this was after he was a member of The Four Horsemen, so he’s also got that notch in his belt).

He seemed to be living his life as a work, whether it was the fans or even the boys in the back, at a time in 1995 when people just didn’t go so over the top. Again, just think about that now. Two years before ‘Stone Cold’ became ‘Stone Cold’. Pillman’s departure from WCW in 1996 would see him arrive in ECW, continuing to work the world before a devastating car crash left him in a coma for a week. He would also need major ankle surgery, having his left foot fused back together and taking a devastating toll on his psyche.

His days as ‘Flyin’ Brian would be over as he would no longer be able to employ his in-ring style from WCW, but it didn’t stop the WWF from signing him. Unfortunately, Pillman’s ankle would continually cause him issues, Brian being forced to undergo a second surgery in the midst of a feud with his former partner, Austin. This would give us arguably the most controversial moment in WWE history, as ‘Stone Cold’ would break into Pillman’s house while he was laid-up, only to find Brian waiting for him with a gun. The angle got everybody talking, for better or worse, during a period when the WWF was getting their backsides handed to them by WCW. Brian would go on to join The Hart Foundation as the only member who was not related to the family, but would pass away abruptly at the age of 35 from a heart attack caused by a previously undetected heart condition.

‘The Iceman’ Dean Malenko

I have to admit that I was totally unaware, but as a kid how many of you realized that Dean Malenko was actually as old as he was? The son of the legendary Boris Malenko, Dean began performing in 1979 as a referee in Florida, spending the entirety of his career traveling around the world to places like Mexico and Japan before ever making major noise in America. It wasn’t until 1994 when ‘The Shooter’ began making a big name for himself when he joined up with Extreme Championship Wrestling, which is where an appreciation for his technical skill blossomed.

A two-time ECW Television and one-time ECW Tag Champion, Malenko would continually impress the hardcore fans in matches against the likes of Eddie Guerrero and he was even a founding member of the original Triple Threat faction with Chris Benoit and Shane Douglas. WCW would quickly take notice, bringing Dean into the fold and having him lead the way with its new Cruiserweight Division. ‘The Iceman’ was at the forefront of the exciting new venture, earning more monikers like ‘The Man of 1,000 Holds’ and titles alike. Like Pillman, Malenko would also become a member of The Four Horsemen and would win the Cruiserweight Title four times, as well as the United States and Tag Team Championships once each during a near four year span with WCW.

Along with his friends Benoit, Guerrero and Perry Saturn, Dean would make an almost immediate jump to the WWF in January of 2000, quickly making an impact on an already star-studded roster. By this time, Malenko was wearing down physically given that he was already 40 years old when he debuted with The Radicalz. His success in the ring would be limited with two Light-Heavyweight title reigns before retiring in 2001, but his fingerprint on the company has remained ever since with his work as a road agent.

‘The Taskmaster’ Kevin Sullivan

I’m wondering if this man may ever get consideration for the Hall Of Fame just by association, being that he is Nancy Benoit’s ex-husband. I tend to think that shouldn’t affect Kevin Sullivan, but with WWE wanting to be as far away from that as possible, who knows.

Sullivan got his start in the early 1970’s coming from Boston as an amateur that was not professionally trained. Like many wrestlers of the era, he spent a majority of his time hopping from territory-to-territory, including a stint in the WWWF, before settling down a bit with Championship Wrestling From Florida. During this time, Sullivan really started to make noise with his gimmick of being a Satanist, a character that was much darker than anything else that had been tried in the wrestling business (or at least the only one that worked).

His feuds in Florida with the likes of Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham would catch the eye of Jim Crockett Promotions, signing on with the company and again undergoing a change by forming The Varsity Club upon his arrival. It was a gimmick that fit Sullivan with his amateur wrestling background, garnering success alongside fellow grapplers Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner. The Varsity Club became the tops of the company’s Tag Team Division through its purchase by Ted Turner and renaming into WCW.

He also became very involved behind-the-scenes with the creative team and booking, two of the most difficult positions to hold in any wrestling organization, especially WCW. After departing and spending some time with Smoky Mountain Wrestling and ECW, Sullivan would return to the company and take back on his demonic character. I know some will pass due to the participants, but if you’d like to see some hard-hitting matches then any encounter between Chris Benoit and Kevin Sullivan before ‘The Taskmaster’ retired in 1997 are must-see. After stepping away from the ring, Sullivan would again focus on a backstage role, trying to keep the company afloat until it was ultimately sold to the WWF in 2001.

Hall Of Fame
‘The Model’ Rick Martel

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, there was no man I hated more as a child than ‘The Model’ Rick Martel. Going back before he would spray his opponents with “Arrogance” however, Martel had already grabbed loads of success in the wrestling business, coming from a wrestling family and traveling all over the globe before his arrival in the WWF in 1980. He would form a popular tandem with Tony Garea, winning the Tag Team Titles twice over a two year run, then made his way into Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association.

Martel would ascend the ranks of the promotion over the next two years, winning the coveted AWA World Heavyweight Championship and holding it for an astounding 19 months. In 1986 he would return to the WWF, forming a team this time with Tom Zenk known as The Can-Am Connection, which only had moderate success and conflicting reports between the partners as to why it failed. His next venture would be highly successful though, pairing up with Tito Santana as the wildly popular Strike Force.

The tandem would earn tag team gold during a two year stint together, ultimately doing what all teams inevitably must and splitting up with Martel turning on Santana. This is where he would adopt his moniker of ‘The Model’, often using an atomizer to spray his opponents with his trademark fragrance, “Arrogance”. Martel became a mainstay in the mid-card for the next 6 years, notably feuding with Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Shawn Michaels while contending for the Intercontinental Championship. He would leave the company in 1995 and take some time off to pursue real estate, but would wind-up returning to the ring in 1997 for WCW, immediately heading into a feud with Booker T over the WCW Television Championship (which he’d win once). Ultimately, injuries would force him out of the ring entirely after a 25-year career.

Agree? Disagree? Have any underrated Hall Of Fame candidates of your own? Hit the comments section below or follow me on Twitter, @E_Ames323!

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Up Next

Steve Cook’s WrestleMania Weekend Predictions

Don't Miss

Has Carmella Made Too Many Cash-In Attempts?

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY – 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY – POD is WAR (Los Tres Friends)

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network
Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts… Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Listen on your favorite platform!

iTunes | iHeart Radio | Google Play | Spotify
Listen, like, subscribe, and share!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1