Top 50 WWE Hall of Fame Prospects

49) Raven

50) Brian Pillman

Brian Pillman was an innovator, both as WCW's first Light Heavyweight Champion and a loose cannon character that in many ways represented the spirit of The Attitude Era. He was also a member of legendary factions and teams including The Hollywood Blondes, The Four Horsemen and The Hart Foundation.

Raven was arguably the most interesting persona to ever come out of ECW, ensuring that his matches, alliances and rivalries were always something special. In addition to two ECW World Titles, he also had championship success in both WCW and the WWF.

This would be a huge name to have in the Celebrity Wing and may even garner mainstream publicity. Ali was, of course, the special outside referee at the first WrestleMania and had famous run-ins with Antonio Inoki and Gorilla Monsoon during his stint as "The Greatest".

Although WWE hasn't honored many wrestlers from "The Golden Age" of television (Gorgeous George and Fred Blassie being exceptions), Calhoun was a rarity in the business at 640 pounds. Plus he was briefly the WWWF Tag Team Champion (with Tony Garea), so there's some history there.

47) Muhammad Ali

48) Haystacks Calhoun

From Memphis to WWE and all points in between, "The Ugandan Headhunter" created one of wrestling's most enduring stereotypical heel gimmicks. Though he never managed to capture a major championship, the fact that he toured so many different territories is proof of his massive legacy.

Although never the most serious of wrestlers, Rikishi was a staple of The Attitude Era and captured the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships while in the WWF. The fact that his sons, Jimmy and Jey Uso are top stars in WWE today probably makes him as good a HOF prospect as anyone.

Best known for his controversial "Adorable Adrian" character in the mid-1980's, Adonis was also a successful tag team wrestler, capturing championships with Jesse Ventura and Dick Murdoch. Plus he had an iconic match with Rowdy Roddy Piper at WrestleMania III, which helps his cause.

The Man They Call Vader was one of the best "big men" to ever compete in the squared circle and captured three WCW World Championships as a result. Plus, he was an upper mid-carder in the WWF, clashing with the likes of Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels and Kane.

44) Kamala

43) Rikishi

45) Adrian Adonis

46) Big Van Vader

I found it odd that Hillbilly Jim was the only cast member on WWE Legends House not to have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Yet he was one of the big Rock 'n' Wrestling era stars and a WWE brand ambassador for many, many years.

One of my all-time favorites, I'm always shocked when The Walking Condominium fails to make it into the Hall. He headlined WrestleMania 2 opposite Hulk Hogan and was one of the most feared heels during the 1980's.

A pick that would please old-school fans and wrestlers alike, as he was definitely a favorite of the Ric Flairs and Dusty Rhodes' of the world. A champion in the NWA, WCW and WWF, Murdoch is arguably one of the most legit tough guys not already in the Hall of Fame.

Another surprising omission from the Celebrity Wing, Kaufman gave wrestling (and Jerry Lawler's territory in particular) a huge boost in the early 1980's, as the Saturday Night Live actor became of the first non-athletic celebrities to make a lasting impact on the business.

X-Pac (then the 1-2-3 Kid) pulled off one of wrestling's biggest upsets when he pinned Hall of Famer Razor Ramon on Monday Night Raw. Since then, he's gone on to win numerous championships in WWE and WCW, and is one of the most-respected cruiserweights of his era.

With Bret Hart already in the HOF, it seems wrong not to give the nod to his most frequent tag team partner. Sure, Neidhart never graduated past being one half of the Hart Foundation, but it was a legendary tag team. Plus, he's the father of Natalya, so the nepotism factor strikes again.

It's sad that Bossman's passing a decade ago barely made headlines, because he was one of the WWF's most dependable characters in the early-90's. Between marquee feuds with Hulk Hogan, Ted DiBiase and Mr. Perfect, the Boss Man definitely deserves to take a spot in the Hall.

If WWE ever wanted to bolster its French-Canadian fan base, this would be an excellent way. While never WWF Tag Team Champions, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers they were a top team in their day and made some phenomenal contributions to wrestling in Quebec. Plus Jacques = The Mountie...

42) Hillbilly Jim

41) King Kong Bundy

39) Andy Kaufman

40) Dick Murdoch

38) X-Pac

37) Jim Neidhart

35) Big Boss Man

36) Jacques & Raymond Rougeau

Luna Vachon was definitely a bridge between the Fabulous Moolah era and the modern Divas era, competing successfully in both. She has also competed in the WWF, WCW and ECW and is considered one of the best female wrestlers of her era.

Not only are The Freebirds one of the wrestling's most famous trios of all time, but they were also dominant in World Class, the UWF and NWA/WCW. Considering the group's ringleader Michael Hayes has worked for WWE for a good 15 years, it's a little more than surprising this wasn't done sooner.

This one could be in recognition of DDP's recent work literally saving the lives of 2014 HOF inductees Jake Roberts and Scott Hall. Or it could be for the three WCW World Champions and other accolades he collected over the year, despite beginning his in-ring career at the advanced age of 35.

Rotunda (a/k/a Mike Rotundo, Michael Wall Street and Irwin R. Shyster) is about as good a prospect for the WWE Hall of Fame as any. He's won multiple championships in the WWF and WCW. He works as an agent for WWE. And his children are current WWE stars Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.

Sid is one of a handful of competitors that can say they've held the WWF and WCW World Champions each more than once. Plus, he was one of the top stars for a good chunk of the 1990's and a member of The Four Horsemen.

Sullivan gained national fame as a heel with Satanic undertones who plied his trade in Florida, NWA/WCW and ECW, among other territories. Plus he was a long time member of WCW's booking committee back when that job was seen as a good thing.

Sure, he was public enemy number one at one point in WWE's history, but you'd have to think those feelings have been buried ever since he joined the company in 2002. And now that his TNA obligations have run out, there's nothing stopping the HOF from recognizing one of the top promoters in wrestling history.

Likewise, you can't induct Bischoff without at least an honest comparison to Heyman's accomplishments. Going from a manager in the AWA and WCW to a performer and eventual owner in ECW, to his recent recognition as the greatest manager of all time, it's hard to believe Heyman could be overlooked.

Although mostly under the direction of WCW, The Steiner Brothers were possibly the most influential tag team of the 1990's. Their collection of tag team championships in WCW, WWF and Japan is nothing to sneeze at, either. Plus, Scott was a former WCW World Champion.... but they'd best to be inducted as a team.

History remembers Ivan Koloff as the third WWWF World Champion, the forerunner to today's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Plus "The Russian Bear" was the one who shockingly ended Bruno Sammartino's 2,800-day title reign in 1971 - no small feat on its own.

It's hard to believe that The Louisville Lip isn't already in the Hall alongside legendary managers such as Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart. He's managed a number of big names and champions in different organizations and was a top booker and promoter for many years.

Although no relation to yours truly, Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid are arguably one of the most innovative teams in wrestling history. While injuries force them to give up the WWF Tag Team Championships after less than a year, their contribution to wrestling is still evident today.

Now that Bruno Sammartino's, wrestling Living Legend, is in the Hall, it's time for "The New Living Legend" to follow in his footsteps. Besides Zbyszko's feud with Sammartino in 1980 which dominated the wrestling world, he's also a two-time AWA World Champion and star in WCW and the WWWF.

The fact that people still cheer "Golllllld-berg" during Ryback matches suggests that his brief career was that of legend. Besides holding one of professional wrestling's true undefeated streaks, Goldberg was also World Champion in WCW and WWE and legit Hall of Fame material.

Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags were a popular team in WCW, WWF and elsewhere and won tag team championships pretty much everywhere they went, and feuds with the likes of The Steiner Brothers, Legion of Doom and Harlem Heat kept them on the wrestling map.

After Scott Hall was inducted as Razor Ramon last year, can Kevin Nash as Diesel be far behind? That way, they can go in again later as Hall and Nash (with Hogan) as the nWo. Besides that, Nash as Diesel was the longest-reigning WWF World Champion of the 1990's, not to mention the Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion.

34) Luna Vachon

33) The Fabulous Freebirds

32) Diamond Dallas Page

31) Mike Rotunda

30) Sid Vicious

29) Kevin Sullivan

27) Paul Heyman

28) Eric Bischoff

20) Rick & Scott Steiner

19) Ivan Koloff

21) Jim Cornette

22) The British Bulldogs

24) Bill Goldberg

23) Larry Zbyszko

25) The Nasty Boys

26) Diesel

Owen Hart is the only person on this list who literally gave his life for professional wrestling; that fact alone should bring him in. But beyond that, he was a top performer and champion and still a favorite of fans despite passing away nearly 15 years ago.

It's hard to believe one of wrestling's all-time greats (even by WWE's own acknowledgement!) hasn't made it into the Hall of Fame. One of the longest-reigning NWA Champions, Thesz also competed in a controversial match with Buddy Rogers in 1963, which led to what today is known as WWE.

While female performers ranging from Fabulous Moolah to Sunny to Lita have been recognized by the Hall for their accomplishments, none ever compared to the popularity of Elizabeth. Her management of Randy Savage (and later Hulk Hogan) was among the most dynamic storytelling of the early WWF years.

This may seem a strange choice (especially as high on the ranking as it is), but Baba was largely popular from wrestling's surge in Japan from the 60's to the 90's, as a promoter and a performer. Plus, he held the NWA World Championship three times, giving him recognition stateside as well.

JBL enjoyed one of the longest-reigning World Champions during the Brand Split era when he ruled SmackDown. In addition, he's the one who gave John Cena his first break on the grand stage of WrestleMania, as a member of the APA and one of the best color commentators in years.

A Lex Luger HOF nod could launch a DVD set and documentary about his remarkable life story. But beyond that, he's a former two-time WCW World Champion, WWF main eventer and became a major part of the Monday Night Wars.

This one seems like a natural, given his recent signing of some sort with WWE. He's a fourteen-time World Champion and the most consistent franchise player in WCW's history. Plus, like Luger, making Sting a WWE Hall of Famer would lead to everything from DVD's to action figures to a whole new generation of fans.

Sure, this one could wait a few years (The Rock's only 42), but why? As a ten time World Champion and multi-time WrestleMania headliner, they don't get much bigger. Plus he's become the biggest mainstream celebrity to come out of professional wrestling; why not capitalize on his popularity?

They may have been Road Warrior ripoffs, but the fact remains that Demolition members Ax and Smash held the WWF Tag Team Championships longer than any other duo. Plus, they were Vince McMahon creations (even though litigation over the years has tried to prove otherwise), which should be viewed favorably.

As someone who was pushed to the moon during his WWF stints, it would be easy to see WWE extol his virtues one more time for a Hall of Fame induction. Plus, he headlined WrestleMania XI and carried Lawrence Taylor to a decent match; that alone should earn him the recognition of his peers.

It's not a stretch to suggest that WWE's Hall of Fame wouldn't have a Celebrity Wing without her, and it may not even be a stretch to suggest the WWE wouldn't be as popular as it is today without her decision to embrace the business in the early days of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection era.

The greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time? That may be a stretch, but there's no denying that Honky Tonk's antics involving Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Dusty Rhodes and others kept WWF fans entertained for many years.

Rude re-defined what a wrestling heel could be during his run on top in the late-1980's and early-1990's. His feuds with the likes of Jake Roberts, The Ultimate Warrior and Sting are classics, and let's not forget he was the only person to show up on both Raw and Nitro the same night in completely different segments.

A controversial pick given the circumstances surrounding his death, and the fact that he never worked long for any major promotion probably hurts his chances overall, but it's hard to argue that Bruiser Brody was an iconic figure and pre-hardcore legend in the 1970's and 1980's.

Beefcake is one of the few stars of the early WrestleMania era to not have his name in the WWE Hall of Fame. And while he held numerous aliases in the business (The Butcher, Zodiac, Booty Man and The Disciple among others), his run as Brutus The Barber is what most fans will remember.

A surprising exclusion, given he was on top of the AWA as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair dominated their respective promotions in the 1980's. In addition his run as AWA Champion, The Model held championship gold in the WWF and WCW.

10) Owen Hart

9) Lou Thesz

7) Giant Baba

8) Miss Elizabeth

6) John Bradshaw Layfield

5) Lex Luger

3) Sting

4) The Rock

12) Bam Bam Bigelow

11) Demolition

13) Cyndi Lauper

14) The Honky Tonk Man

15) Rick Rude

16) Bruiser Brody

17) Brutus Beefcake

18) Rick Martel

From Andre The Giant to Razor Ramon, there have been 120 inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame since it opened in 1993. And yet there are probably just as many wrestlers, tag teams, managers, announcers and celebrities that equally deserve entry. We have come up with the Top 50 WWE Hall of Fame prospects, ranked in order of how crucial the inductions are.

My qualification criteria:

They have to have performed in front of U.S. audiences at some point in their career. Even guys like Mil Mascaras and Antonio Inoki that gained fame outside of the country had some level of U.S. success.
They have to have been retired for at least a year. Well, a year less a day, technically speaking -- I'm going to demand that they have not wrestled a match since WrestleMania XXX.
They can't be currently working for a competitor (TNA, ROH, GFW, etc.) in any active capacity. So if you're wondering why Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett, for example, don't show up - that's why.
They can't be (living) members of The McMahon Family. Not to say some aren't very deserving in their own right, especially Triple H... but they haven't done so in the past, so I'm not going to break that rule.
They can't be Chris Benoit. I've heard arguments for and against his inclusion, but as Jim Ross and others have pointed out, I can't imagine a clear-headed Benoit would have even wanted himself in there, knowing the legacy he left behind.

Ready? Here we go....

Remember how I said these prospects haven't wrestled beyond WrestleMania XXX? As of right now, that still holds true. Beyond maintaining his WrestleMania streak up until this year, The Dead Man's contributions to the wrestling industry are historic, staying in the limelight for 25-odd years and capturing seven World Championships among many other accolades. I would argue that The Undertaker is the biggest name in wrestling not current in the Hall of Fame.

A natural choice, given how much fans have lobbied for his HOF inclusion in recent years, and even his brother Lanny Poffo has seemingly dropped the idea that Savage has to be inducted alongside his entire family. As a six-time World Champion in WWF and WCW, the Macho Man is one of the most iconic figures in wrestling history and needs to be recognized as such.

1) The Undertaker

2) Randy Savage

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