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#Post#: 12336--------------------------------------------------
WWE Hall of Fame: National Pride, or national recognition
DIR By: SheriffLonestar
Date: May 17, 2013, 4:05 pm
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This is something I have been thinking about all week. The WWE
Hall of Fame is a marque event, but more importantly it
recognises those who have given to the sport, generally. Okay it
is not an accurate representation of whats happened in WWE or
wrestling in general throughout history, but of all the Halls of
Fame it is the one with the most clout. Now I have no national
pride whatsoever, none, nada, zip, could care less, however it
does irk me somewhat that there is no British Wrestler in the
WWE Hall of Fame. Now I look over at the Wrestling Observer Hall
of Fame, voted for by fans (smart ones), over the last 20 years
or so and I see quite a few. I shall list them here;
1996 Bert Assirati
Posthumous inductee; won the British Heavyweight Championship (1
time) and European Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[12]
Bert was generally speaking what they call in wrestling a Double
Hard Bastard (DHB). He wrestled for Joint Promotions until they
couldn't afford him anymore, then started wrestling for the
Crabtree's in Lancashire. Until they stiffed him on pay while he
was British Heavyweight Champion. They Couldn't find anyone good
enough to take the belt from him so had to let him keep it.
Eventually giving it to Shirley Crabtree (Aka Big Daddy), Bert
was displeased and turned up unannounced to challenge big Shirl
one night. Shirl promptly left the building. He went to New
Japan to help fellow DHB Billy Robinson train wrestlers. Was so
over and so brutal at one point Joe Cornelius was the only guy
brave/daft enough to wrestle him and he openly challenged Lou
Thesz at the Royal Albert Hall. Yes, Lou Thesz. Lou "double
cross me and I will tear your arm off and take it home" Thesz,
Lou "greatest shooter on the planet ever" Thesz. Bert wanted him
in the worst way. Unlikely to get in as no one under the age of
50 has ever heard of him, but still . . .
1996 Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington) Won the AJPW All Asia Tag
Team Championship (1 time), Stampede North American Heavyweight
Championship (1 time), and WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)
WWF Jnr. Heavyweight Champion (1 time).
The Dynamite Kid, my favourite wrestler ever. Recent subject of
a documentary which as soon as my Dad's finished watching I will
let you know about. Won the British Lightweight and European
Welterweight titles from Jim Breaks before leaving for Canada
where he became the go to heel for Stu Hart. From there
revolutionized Jnr. Heavyweight wrestling in NJPW, then set up a
revolution in the WWE as he, Davey Boy Smith and the Hart
Foundation had 5 star matches nightly over the tag belts doing
things that no less than Pat Patterson has said "things I had
ever even seen before, they where unbelievable". Unlikely to get
in as he is in the dog house, for leaving the WWE and not
wanting to come back. Sadly, now a wheelchair bound recluse in
Wigan.
1996 Billy Robinson Won the PWF World Heavyweight Championship
(1 time), AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), and AWA
British Empire Heavyweight Championship multiple times.
Billy Robinson, from Lancashire and again as I said before
Double Hard. Left the UK when quite frankly no one could keep up
with him and moved to Japan and the AWA. His shoot/mat style
paid dividends in both where good wrestling was at the for.
Became THE Man in All Japan for a while taking the PWF title
before dropping it to Abdullah The Butcher in a bizzare clash of
styles match that actually worked better than you ever thought
it could. Went back to the states and trained a lot of
wrestlers.
2011 Kent Walton Commentating Posthumous inductee. World of
Sport commentator Actually Canadian but we shall let that slide.
Kent was the voice of Saturday afternoons as synonymous with UK
wrestling as JR was to Monday Nights and Joey Styles with ECW.
Only he did it for 30 years.
2012 Mick McManus (Michael Matthews) Won the European
Middleweight Championship (4 times), the British Welterweight
Championship (2 times) and the British Middleweight Championship
(1 time)
Perennial heel and booker for Joint Promotions. a massive draw
in the southern UK and one half of one of the biggest UK TV
feued ever with Jackie Pallo. Millions watched this man. Also a
colour commentator alongside Kent.
So there is a start point, there are some obvious other ones
Davey Boy Smith springs to mind as well as Les Thatcher, so
could we put some pressure on?
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