Continuing on with our series discussing potential inductees for next year’s WWE Hall of Fame (click here for part 1’s list of divas candidates), part 2 puts the spotlight on the least respected section of all: the celebrity wing.
Many fans heavily criticize the inclusion of non-wrestlers in the WWE Hall of Fame, thinking it takes away from the professionals who have actually accomplished much more in the industry in favor of promoting names that are publicity stunts and nothing more.
An argument can be made for that, but there are also some times where celebrities have made decent enough contributions to sports entertainment. Considering how the WWE Hall of Fame doesn’t operate under any kind of particular stats qualifications or anything of the sort, it makes sense for this offshoot to bring non-wrestling awareness to the business and to honor the outsiders who stepped in to do something fun along the way.
Keeping this in mind, here are some names that I could see being worthy of a Hall of Fame induction when it comes to the celebrity wing.
Andy Kaufman
This list is not in any ranked order, but if it was, Andy Kaufman would be at the very top. His antics as Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World are legendary, as is his feud with Jerry Lawler, who would clearly be the ideal choice for who could do the induction, possibly with some involvement from David Letterman, Jimmy Hart, and others involved in the feud. If possible, it would be great to also have Jim Carrey do something with the induction, as he portrayed Kaufman in the film Man on the Moon.
Who knows, maybe even Tony Clifton would make an appearance…
Cyndi Lauper
It’s surprising that Cyndi Lauper hasn’t been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame yet, considering how many times she was involved in the product over the years.
Lauper was responsible for bridging the gap during the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Connection era with Captain Lou Albano, which spawned moments such as Wendi Richter defeating The Fabulous Moolah for the Women’s Championship and appearing on the first ever WrestleMania as well as her appearance on Piper’s Pit and other events. If memory serves correct, Lauper’s most recent appearance was on Monday Night Raw where she buried the hatchet with Piper and took part in the humiliation of Heath Slater.
It’s a shame Roddy Piper and Captain Lou Albano can’t be around to take part in her induction, but if tension settles with Hulk Hogan in time, he or Wendi Richter would be the best people for the job.
David Arquette
As ridiculous as it is, and as much as it should not have happened, David Arquette is a former WCW World Heavyweight champion, which is something that no other member of the celebrity wing could ever match up to.
Arquette was featured quite a bit in WCW during the promotion for Ready to Rumble, and instead of helping promote the company in any positive light, it became known as one of the main reasons why fans gave up and declared WWF the winner of the Monday Night War.
This is quite infamous in the industry, but when it comes to celebrities who have had an impact in pro wrestling, there are few that reach the caliber of David Arquette’s tenure.
Floyd Mayweather
It’s hard to find instances where a celebrity has been involved in something physical in WWE, but it’s even harder to find examples of them actually participating in a true match. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the few to take things to a whole new level, having fought Big Show at WrestleMania XXIV in a No Disqualification match—a match he was victorious in, mind you.
While it wasn’t something to consider Match of the Year, Mayweather’s match with Big Show was a much better success than most celebrities ever would have been able to pull off. Part of the reason for why it went down so well was Mayweather’s willingness to go with the flow and play the heel in the scenario, contrary to what the original plan was, since celebrities are almost never booked as anything but the heroes. Giving credit where it is due, Mayweather was one of the best heels of that entire show, oddly enough.
He would then make another appearance as a guest host of Monday Night Raw in 2009, interfering in a tag team match with MVP, Mark Henry and Jeri-Show, costing Big Show yet another win and somewhat turning face, even though his real life persona wouldn’t quite follow suit.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali made his name in boxing, but he interacted with professional wrestling a handful of times, fighting Antonio Inoki and Gorilla Monsoon and acting as the special guest referee of the main event of WrestleMania I.
Several years later, Ali would present Hulk Hogan with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc 1994.
William Shatner
Oddly enough, William Shatner has made quite a few appearances in WWE in one way or another. He’s done comedic segments singing theme songs or doing backstage skits, inducted Jerry Lawler into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, hosted Monday Night Raw in 2010 and he’s even the narrator of the WWE Network program Breaking Ground.
If Arnold Schwarzenegger was qualified to join the ranks of the WWE Hall of Fame for his numerous appearances, the same should apply to Shatner, who has much more experience to tout.
Who are some other celebrities you feel can be considered for future inductions? Should this list have included Dennis Rodman or Jay Leno? How about Maria Menounos, Pamela Anderson or Regis Philbin? Should WWE ever induct Lawrence Taylor after his legal troubles? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
