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Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame

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The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Like other wrestling hall of fames, such as the WWE, TNA, and WCW hall of fames, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not contained in a building, and there are no ceremonies for inductions other than a highly detailed biographical documentation of their career in the newsletter. Inductees include wrestlers, managers, promoters, trainers, and commentators. On seven occasions, tag teams have been inducted rather than the individual members of the team. This first occurred in 1996, when The Dusek Family, The Fabulous Kangaroos, and The Road Warriors entered the hall. The Fabulous Freebirds, The Midnight Express, The Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Assassins have also been inducted as a group.

Meltzer began the Hall of Fame by choosing a list of 122 inaugural inductees in 1996. Since then, wrestlers from past and present, others employed in the professional wrestling industry, and wrestling journalists and historians have been selected by Meltzer to cast secret ballots to determine annual groups of inductees. Voting criteria include the length of time spent in wrestling, historical significance, ability to attract viewers, and wrestling ability.[1] Inductees must have at least 15 years of experience in the wrestling business or be over 35 years old and have 10 years of experience. To gain membership in the hall, potential inductees must receive 60% support on the ballots from their geographic region.[2] Any person that gets less than 10% of the vote is eliminated from the ballot. If a person fails to get inducted 15 years after being put on the ballot, they must get 50% of the vote or be eliminated.[3] There are 211 inductees, including the seven tag teams.

In 2008, a recall vote was held asking if 2003 inductee Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son before committing suicide in June 2007, should remain in the hall. To have Benoit removed, Meltzer required that 60% of voters must agree with the proposal.[4] Although the majority voted for Benoit's removal, they only represented 53.6% of the votes, falling short of the number required. Benoit remains on the list of inductees.[5]

Inductees

1996 inductee Abdullah the Butcher
1996 inductee El Canek
1996 inductee Jim Cornette
1996 inductee Ted DiBiase
1996 inductee Ric Flair
1996 inductee Terry Funk
1996 inductee Superstar Billy Graham
1996 inductee Bret Hart
1996 inductee Hulk Hogan
1996 inductee Jerry Lawler
1996 inductee Mil Máscaras
1996 inductee Vincent K. McMahon
1996 inductee Mitsuharu Misawa
1996 inductee Roddy Piper
1996 inductee Harley Race
1996 inductee Ricky Steamboat
1996 inductee Big Van Vader
File:Dara Singh in Wrestling Gears.jpg
1996 inductee Dara Singh
1997 inductee El Hijo del Santo
1999 inductee Jushin Thunder Liger
1999 inductee Keiji Mutoh
1999 inductee Jim Ross
2000 inductee Stone Cold Steve Austin
2000 inductee Mick Foley
2003 inductee Chris Benoit
2003 inductee Shawn Michaels
2004 inductee Kurt Angle
2004 inductee Bob Backlund
2004 inductee The Undertaker
2005 inductee Triple H
2006 inductee Eddie Guerrero
2007 inductee The Rock
2010 inductee Chris Jericho
2010 inductee Rey Mysterio
2012 inductee John Cena
2012 inductee Lou Albano
2013 inductee Atlantis
2013 inductee Kensuke Sasaki
2013 inductee Hiroshi Tanahashi
2014 inductees The Rock 'n' Roll Express
2015 inductee Brock Lesnar
2015 inductee Shinsuke Nakamura
2015 inductee Ivan Koloff
2016 inductee Daniel Bryan
2016 inductee Gene Okerlund
2016 inductee Sting
# Year Ring name
(Birth name)
Inducted for Notes
1 1996 Abdullah the Butcher
(Larry Shreve)[6]
Wrestling Won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (3 times), NWA United National Championship (1 time), and PWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6]
2 1996 Perro Aguayo
(Pedro Aguayo Damián)[7]
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship (1 time), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time), and Mexican National Tag Team Championship (2 times)[8][9][10]
3 1996 André the Giant
(André Roussimoff)[11]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)[12]
4 1996 Bert Assirati Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the British Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and European Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[13]
5 1996 Shohei "Giant" Baba Wrestling and promoting Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and PWF World Heavyweight Championship (4 times); founded All Japan Pro Wrestling[14]
6 1996 Jim Barnett Promoting Founded Australia's World Championship Wrestling; owned Georgia Championship Wrestling[15][16]
7 1996 Red Berry
(Ralph Berry)[17]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (9 times) and NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[17][18]
8 1996 The Destroyer
(Dick Beyer)[19]
Wrestling Won the WWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[19][20]
9 1996 Freddie Blassie Wrestling and managing Won the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (14 times) and NAWA/WWA World Heavyweight Championship (4 times); worked as manager after retiring as a competitor[21]
10 1996 Blue Demon
(Alexander Muñoz Moreno)[22]
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Welterweight Championship (3 times) and appeared in several luchador films[23][24][25]
11 1996 Nick Bockwinkel Wrestling Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times), AWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times), and NWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times)[26]
12 1996 Paul Boesch Commentating and promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted the Houston, Texas territory of National Wrestling Alliance[27]
13 1996 Bobo Brazil
(Houston Harris)[28]
Wrestling Won the Detroit version of NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (9 times) and Mid-Atlantic version (1 time)[29][30]
14 1996 Jack Brisco
(Fred Joe Brisco)[31]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), NWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times), and NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[32][33]
15 1996 Bruiser Brody
(Frank Goodish)[34]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), and PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[35]
16 1996 Mildred Burke
(Mildred Bliss)[36]
Women's wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Women's Championship (1 time) and WWWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time); founded World Women's Wrestling Association.[36]
17 1996 El Canek Wrestling Won the UWA World Heavyweight Championship (15 times), CMLL World Tag Team Championship (1 time) and CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time)[37]
18 1996 Negro Casas
(José Casas Ruiz)[38]
Wrestling Won the UWA World Lightweight Championship (1 time) and UWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)[39][40]
19 1996 Riki Choshu
(Mitsuo Yoshida)[41]
Wrestling Won the PWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times), and IWGP Tag Team Championship (3 times)[41][42]
20 1996 Jim Cornette Promoting and managing Founded Smoky Mountain Wrestling and managed wrestlers in National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation[43][44]
21 1996 The Crusher
(Reginald Lisowski)[45]
Wrestling Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), AWA World Tag Team Championship (9 times), and WWA World Tag Team Championship (6 times)[46][47]
22 1996 Ted DiBiase Wrestling and managing Won the NWA/Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (5 times), PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA National Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and WWF World Tag Team Championship (3 times); managed the Million Dollar Corporation and New World Order stables[48][49]
23 1996 Dick the Bruiser
(William Richard Afflis)[50]
Wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and AWA World Tag Team Championship (5 times); owned and promoted the World Wrestling Association in Indianapolis, Indiana[51][52]
24 1996 Alfonso Dantés
(Jose Luis Amezcua Diaz)[53]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (5 times), Mexican National Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[53][54]
25 1996 The Dusek Family
(The Hason Family)[55]
Wrestling and promoting Emil and Ernie Dusek won the Central States version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) and San Francisco version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 times); Joe Dusek promoted wrestling events in Omaha, Nebraska[55]
26 1996 Dynamite Kid
(Tom Billington)[56]
Wrestling Won the All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time), Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)[56][57]
27 1996 The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello, Roy Heffernan, and Don Kent)
(Giacoma Costa, Laurence Roy Heffernan, and Leo Smith, Jr.)[58][59][60]
Wrestling Won the Northeast version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (3 times) and Mid-America version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times)[58][61]
28 1996 Jackie Fargo
(Henry Faggart)[62]
Wrestling Won the Mid-America version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (10 times) and Mid-America version of NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (22 times)[61][63]
29 1996 Ric Flair
(Richard Morgan Fliehr)[64][n 1]
Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (2 times), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (8 times), and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)[65]
30 1996 Tatsumi Fujinami Wrestling Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (6 times), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[33][66][67]
31 1996 Dory Funk Wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA North American Heavyweight Championship multiple times; promoted for the National Wrestling Alliance[68][69]
32 1996 Dory Funk, Jr. Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[68][70]
33 1996 Terry Funk Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), ECW Heavyweight Championship/ECW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)[71][72][73]
34 1996 Verne Gagne
(LaVerne Gagne)
Wrestling and promoting Founded the American Wrestling Associationl; won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (10 times)[74]
35 1996 Cavernario Galindo
(Rodolfo Galindo Ramírez)[75]
Wrestling Won the Mexican Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time); appeared in several luchador films[75][76]
36 1996 Ed Don George Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (2 times) and Boston's AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[77]
37 1996 Gorgeous George
(George Raymond Wagner)[78]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and Boston's AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[78]
38 1996 Frank Gotch Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1 time) and American Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[79]
39 1996 Karl Gotch
(Karl Istaz)[80]
Wrestling Won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time), and Ohio's AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[80]
40 1996 Billy Graham
(Wayne Coleman)[81]
Wrestling Won the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and San Francisco version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times)[82][83]
41 1996 Eddie Graham
(Edward Gossett)[84]
Wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (7 times) and NWA United States Tag Team Championship (4 times); owned Championship Wrestling from Florida and served as president of National Wrestling Alliance[84]
42 1996 René Guajardo Wrestling Posthumous inductee; competed in the middleweight division in Mexico[85][86]
43 1996 Gory Guerrero
(Salvador Guerrero Quesada)[87]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Welterweight Championship (1 time), NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time), and Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time)[87]
44 1996 Georg Hackenschmidt Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1 time)[88]
45 1996 Stan Hansen
(John Stanley Hansen)[89]
Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (4 times) and AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[89][90]
46 1996 Bret Hart Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (5 times), WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times), and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[91][92][93]
47 1996 Stu Hart Wrestling, Promoting, and Training Owned and promoted Stampede Wrestling; trained many well-known wrestlers[94]
48 1996 Bobby Heenan
(Raymond Louis Heenan)[95]
Managing and commentating Managed wrestlers in the American Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Federation; provided color commentary for the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling[95]
49 1996 Danny Hodge Wrestling Won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (7 times)[96]
50 1996 Hulk Hogan
(Terry Bollea)[97]
Wrestling Won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (6 times) and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)[91][93]
51 1996 Antonio Inoki
(Kanji Inoki)[98]
Wrestling and promoting Won the All Asia Tag Team Championship (3 times), NWA International Tag Team Championship (4 times), and IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time); founded New Japan Pro Wrestling[99]
52 1996 Rayo de Jalisco, Sr.
(Maximino Linares Moreno)[100]
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Tag Team Championship (2 times) and appeared in luchador films[101][102][103]
53 1996 Tom Jenkins Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the American Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[104]
54 1996 Don Leo Jonathan
(Don Heaton)[105]
Wrestling Won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship (15 times) and Omaha's World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[105]
55 1996 Gene Kiniski Wrestling Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[106]
56 1996 Fred Kohler
(Fred Koch)[60]
Promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted wrestling events in Chicago, Illinois and helped popularize tag team wrestling in the United States[107]
57 1996 Killer Kowalski
(Edward Walter Spulnik)[108]
Wrestling and training Won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times) and WWWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time); trained many well-known wrestlers[109]
58 1996 Ernie Ladd Wrestling Won the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (4 times), WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and NWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[110]
59 1996 Dick Lane Commentating Posthumous inductee; worked as commentator for wrestling shows in Southern California[111]
60 1996 Jerry Lawler Wrestling and promoting Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (27 times), and Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship (40 times)[112]
61 1996 Ed Lewis Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (5 times)[113]
62 1996 Jim Londos
(Chris Theophelos)[114]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1 time) and NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[114]
63 1996 Salvador Lutteroth
(Salvador Lutteroth Gonzalez)[115]
Promoting Posthumous inductee; founded Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre[116]
64 1996 Akira Maeda Wrestling and promoting Competed in Europe and Japan; founded Fighting Network Rings and an incarnation of Universal Wrestling Federation[117][118][119]
65 1996 Devil Masami
(Masami Yoshida)[120]
Women's wrestling Competed in Canada's Stampede Wrestling as well as Japan; trained several well-known wrestlers[121][122]
66 1996 Mil Máscaras
(Aaron Rodríguez)[123]
Wrestling Won the WWA/NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (4 times), Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times), and Georgia's IWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[123]
67 1996 Dump Matsumoto
(Kaoru Matsumoto)[124]
Women's wrestling Competed in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation; held several tag team titles with Bull Nakano[124][125]
68 1996 Earl McCready Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[126]
69 1996 Leroy McGuirk Wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and World Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times); promoted shows for National Wrestling Alliance in Oklahoma[69][127][128]
70 1996 Vincent J. McMahon Promoting Posthumous inductee; founded the World Wide Wrestling Federation[129]
71 1996 Vincent K. McMahon Promoting Owned and provided commentary for the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE; won the WWF Championship (1 time) and ECW World Championship (1 time)[91][130][131]
72 1996 Danny McShain Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Light Heavyweight Championship (11 times) and NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (9 times)[18][132]
73 1996 Ray Mendoza
(Jose Diaz)[133]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (6 times) and UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[133]
74 1996 Mitsuharu Misawa Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (5 times); founded Pro Wrestling NOAH[134][135]
75 1996 Joe "Toots" Mondt Promoting Posthumous inductee; founded the World Wide Wrestling Federation[136]
76 1996 Sam Muchnick Promoting Founded the National Wrestling Alliance and served as its president from 1950 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1975; owned and promoted the St. Louis Wrestling Club[137][138]
77 1996 Bronko Nagurski
(Bronislau Nagurski)[139]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[139]
78 1996 Pat O'Connor Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[140]
79 1996 Kintaro Oki
(Kim Il)
Wrestling Won the All Asia Heavyweight Championship (4 times) and NWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[141]
80 1996 Atsushi Onita Wrestling and promoting Competed in Japan and founded Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling[142]
81 1996 Pat Patterson
(Pierre Clermont)[83]
Wrestling Won the San Francisco version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (11 times), AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), and WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[83]
82 1996 Antonio Peña
(Antonio Peña Herrada)[141]
Promoting Founded Asistencia Asesoría y Administración[141]
83 1996 John Pesek Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[69]
84 1996 Roddy Piper
(Roderick Toombs)[143]
Wrestling Won the NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[143]
85 1996 Harley Race Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (8 times); founded World League Wrestling[69]
86 1996 Dusty Rhodes
(Virgil Runnels, Jr.)[144]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (10 times)[145]
87 1996 Rikidōzan
(Kim Sin-Nak)[146]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), and All Asia Tag Team Championship (4 times)[146]
88 1996 The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)
(Michael Hegstrand and Joseph Laurinaitis)[147]
Wrestling Won the AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), and WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times)[92][147]
89 1996 Yvon Robert Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and Boston's AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[148]
90 1996 Billy Robinson Wrestling Won the PWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), and AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship multiple times[6][149][150]
91 1996 Antonino Rocca
(Antonino Biasetton)[151]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) and WWWF International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[152]
92 1996 Buddy Rogers
(Herman Rohde)[153]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[33][91]
93 1996 Lance Russell
(Lanier Russell)
Commentating Worked as commentator and ring announcer for wrestling shows in Memphis, and to a lesser extent, World Championship Wrestling and Smoky Mountain Wrestling[154]
94 1996 Bruno Sammartino Wrestling Won the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time), and WWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[155]
95 1996 Billy Sandow Promoting and managing Posthumous inductee; managed Ed "Strangler" Lewis and was an influential promoter in the early twentieth century[156]
96 1996 El Santo
(Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta)[102]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the Mexican National Welterweight Championship (2 times), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (4 times), and Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time); appeared in several luchador films[9][23][102][157]
97 1996 Jackie Sato
(Naoko Sato)[158]
Women's wrestling Won the WWWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[158]
98 1996 Randy Savage
(Randy Poffo)[159]
Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (2 times), WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time), and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[91][93][160]
99 1996 The Sheik
(Ed Farhat)[161]
Wrestling and promoting Won the Detroit Version of NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (12 times) and NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship (2 times); owned and promoted Big Time Wrestling[161][162]
100 1996 Hisashi Shinma Promoting Was active in Japanese professional wrestling and served as president of the World Wrestling Federation[99][163]
101 1996 Dara Singh
(Dara Singh Randhawa)[164]
Wrestling Won the World Wrestling Championship, NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship (1 time) and Commonwealth Championship.[42][165][166]
102 1996 Gordon Solie
(Francis Jonard Labiak)[167]
Commentating Worked as commentator for the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling[168]
103 1996 El Solitario
(Roberto González Cruz)[169]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)[169][170]
104 1996 Ricky Steamboat[171]
(Richard Henry Blood)
Wrestling Won the NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[171][172]
105 1996 Joe Stecher Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (4 times)[173]
106 1996 Tony Stecher
(Anton Charles Stecher)[173]
Wrestling and promoting Posthumous inductee; won several regional championships; co-founded the National Wrestling Alliance[173]
107 1996 Ray Steele
(Peter Sauer)[174]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[69]
108 1996 Ray Stevens Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version) (2 times), the NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times) and the AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (7 times)[69]
109 1996 Nobuhiko Takada Wrestling and promoting Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time); founded the Union of Wrestling Forces International[67][175]
110 1996 Genichiro Tenryu
(Genichiro Shimada)[176]
Wrestling Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[177][178][179]
111 1996 Lou Thesz
(Aloysius Martiz Thesz)[180]
Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)[180]
112 1996 Satoru Sayama
(Satoru Sayama)[181]
Wrestling Wrested as "Tiger Mask", won the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[181]
113 1996 Jumbo Tsuruta
(Tomomi Tsuruta)[182]
Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[182]
114 1996 Frank Tunney Promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted wrestling events in Toronto, Ontario and served as president of the National Wrestling Alliance[183]
115 1996 Maurice Vachon Wrestling Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (5 times), AWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), and Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[184]
116 1996 Big Van Vader
(Leon White)[185]
Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[93][186]
117 1996 Johnny Valentine
(Jonathan Wisniski)[187]
Wrestling Won the NWF Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and NWA/WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (4 times)[188]
118 1996 Fritz Von Erich
(Jack Adkisson)[189]
Wrestling and promoting Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA American Heavyweight Championship (13 times); served as president of the National Wrestling Alliance and founded World Class Championship Wrestling[189][190]
119 1996 Whipper Billy Watson
(William Potts)[191]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and NWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship (12 times)[191]
120 1996 Bill Watts Wrestling and promoting Won the AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time); founded Universal Wrestling Federation and served as president of World Championship Wrestling[192][193][194]
121 1996 Jaguar Yokota
(Rimi Yokota)[195]
Women's wrestling Won UWA World Women's Championship (1 time)[196]
122 1996 Stanislaus Zbyszko Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (2 times)[197]
123 1997 Édouard Carpentier
(Edouard Wiercowicz)[198]
Wrestling Won the Boston's Atlantic Athletic Commission World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), Omaha's World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and NAWA/WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[198]
124 1997 El Hijo del Santo
(Jorge Guzmán)[199]
Wrestling Won the AAA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time), and Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)[9][23][200]
125 1997 Toshiaki Kawada Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (5 times)[177]
126 1997 Jimmy Lennon Ring announcing Posthumous inductee; worked as a ring announcer in Los Angeles[201]
127 1997 William Muldoon Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won American Greco-Roman Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[202]
128 1997 Chigusa Nagayo Women's wrestling Founded Gaea Japan; won the AAAW Single Championship (2 times)[203][204]
129 1998 Dos Caras
(José Rodríguez)
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and Mexican National Trios Championship (1 time)[157][205]
130 1999 Lioness Asuka
(Tomoko Kitamura)
Women's wrestling Competed in Japan and the United States[206]
131 1999 Jushin Thunder Liger
(Keiichi Yamada)[207]
Wrestling Won the J-Crown (1 time) and WCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)[208][209]
132 1999 Keiji Mutoh Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and IWGP Heavyweight Championship (4 times)[118][177]
133 1999 Jim Ross Commentating Worked as commentator for Universal Wrestling Federation, WCW, and WWF/E[210]
134 2000 Stone Cold Steve Austin
(Steven James Williams)[211][n 2]
Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (6 times), WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times), and WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[91][160][172]
135 2000 Mick Foley Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (3 times) and TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[91]
136 2000 Shinya Hashimoto Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times), and Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[177][213][214]
137 2000 Akira Hokuto
(Hisako Uno Sasaki)
Women's wrestling Competed in Japan and the United States; won the WCW Women's Championship (1 time)[215]
138 2000 Bill Longson Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[216]
139 2000 Frank Sexton Wrestling Won the Boston-based AWA World Heavyweight Champion (2 times)[217]
140 2000 Sandor Szabo Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA/NBA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[218]
141 2001 Black Shadow
(Alejandro Cruz Ortíz)[60]
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) and Mexican National Lightweight Championship (1 time)[101][219]
142 2001 Diablo Velasco
(Cuahutémoc Velasco)[60]
Training Posthumous inductee; trained many well-known wrestlers[69][220]
143 2001 Lizmark
(Juan Baños)
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (2 times), and Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)[9][23][157]
144 2001 Bull Nakano
(Keiko Nakano)[221]
Women's wrestling Won the WWWA World Championship (1 time), WWE Women's Championship (1 time) and CMLL World Women's Championship (1 time)[124]
145 2001 El Satánico
(Daniel López)[222]
Wrestling Won the Mexican National Middleweight Championship (3 times) and Mexican National Trios Championship (3 times)[9][205]
146 2002 Martin Burns Wrestling and training Posthumous inductee; won the American Heavyweight Championship (1 time); trained many well-known wrestlers[223][224]
147 2002 Jack Curley
(Jacques Armand Schuel)[225]
Promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted wrestling events and helped popularize professional wrestling in the United States[225]
148 2002 Kenta Kobashi Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and GHC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[177][226]
149 2002 Wahoo McDaniel
(Edward McDaniel)[227]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the NWA United States Championship (5 times), NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (5 times), and NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[228]
150 2002 Manami Toyota Women's wrestling Won the AAAW Single Championship (1 time)[204]
151 2003 Chris Benoit Wrestling Won the World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[229]
152 2003 Earl Caddock Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1 time)[230]
153 2003 Francisco Flores Promoting Promoted wrestling events in Mexico[231]
154 2003 Shawn Michaels
(Michael Shawn Hickenbottom)[232]
Wrestling Won the WWF Championship (3 times), World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and WWF/World Tag Team Championship (4 times)[91][92][233]
155 2004 The Undertaker
(Mark Calaway)[234]
Wrestling Won the WWF/E Championship (4 times), World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), and WWF Tag Team Championship (6 times)[91][92][233]
156 2004 Bob Backlund Wrestling Won the WWWF Heavyweight Championship/WWF Championship (2 times) and WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time)[91][92]
157 2004 Masahiro Chono Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[213]
158 2004 Tarzán Lόpez
(Carlos Lόpez Tovar)[60]
Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (3 times), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time), and Mexican National Welterweight Championship (1 time)[9][23][157]
159 2004 Kazushi Sakuraba Wrestling and MMA Competed in several professional wrestling organizations as well as mixed martial arts fighting[235]
160 2004 Último Dragón
(Yoshihiro Asai)[236]
Wrestling Won the J-Crown (1 time) and WCW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)[208][209]
161 2004 Kurt Angle Wrestling Won the WWF/E Championship (4 times), World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and TNA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times) [91][233]
162 2005 The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts)
(Michael Seitz, Terry Gordy, and Dale Hey)[237][238]
Wrestling Won the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship/Texas version of the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (6 times)[239]
163 2005 Paul Heyman Promoting Owned and promoted Extreme Championship Wrestling; managed in American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling[240]
164 2005 Triple H
(Paul Michael Levesque)[241]
Wrestling Won the WWF/E Championship (8 times), World Heavyweight Championship (5 times)[91][233] WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (5 times), and WWF European Championship (2 times)
165 2006 Paul Bowser Promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted Boston's American Wrestling Association[242]
166 2006 Eddie Guerrero Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the WWE Championship (1 time), WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (2 times), and WCW/WWE United States Championship (2 times)[243]
167 2006 Hiroshi Hase Wrestling Won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship (2 times) and IWGP Tag Team Championship (4 times)[244][245]
168 2006 Masakatsu Funaki Wrestling, MMA and promoting Competed for New Japan Pro Wrestling and as a mixed martial artist; founded Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling[246][247][248]
169 2006 Aja Kong
(Erika Shishido)
Women's wrestling Competed in Japan and the United States; won the AAAW Single Championship (3 times)[204][249]
170 2007 The Rock
(Dwayne Johnson)[250]
Wrestling Won the WWF/WWE Championship (8 times), WCW/World Championship (2 times), WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (2 times), and WWF World Tag Team Championship (5 times)[91][251]
171 2007 Evan Lewis Wrestling Posthumous inductee; won the American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[223]
172 2007 Tom Packs Promoting Posthumous inductee; promoted wrestling events in St. Louis, Missouri and the Midwestern United States[252]
173 2008 Paco Alonso
(Francisco Alonso)
Promoting Promoted the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre[253]
174 2008 Martín Karadagian Wrestling Posthumous inductee; competed in Argentina[254]
175 2009 Konnan
(Charles Ashenoff)
Wrestling Won the AAA Americas Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times), WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times), WCW World Television Championship (1 time)[69]
176 2009 Everett Marshall Wrestling Won the MWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[69]
177 2009 The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane and Dennis Condrey) Wrestling Won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), Mid-South Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA American Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA United States Tag Team Championship (3 times), and NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[69]
178 2009 Bill Miller Wrestling Won the AWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time), AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time)
179 2009 Masa Saito
(Masanori Saito)
Wrestling Won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWF World Tag Team Championship (2 times)[69]
180 2009 Roy Shire
(Roy Shropshire)
Promoting Won the Amarillo version of NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA Southwest Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[69]
181 2010 Chris Jericho
(Christopher Irvine)
Wrestling Won the Undisputed WWF Championship, World Heavyweight Championship (3), WCW/World Championship (2 times), WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (9 times)[69]
182 2010 Rey Mysterio, Jr.
(Oscar Gutierrez)
Wrestling Won the World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), WWE Championship (1 time), WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Championship (8 times), 2006 Royal Rumble winner[69]
183 2010 Wladek Zbyszko
(Władysław Cyganiewicz)
Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Won the Boston version of AWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[69]
184 2011 Kent Walton Commentating Posthumous inductee. World of Sport commentator[255]
185 2011 Steve Williams Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (1 time), UWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[255]
186 2011 Curtis Iaukea Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[255]
187 2012 Mick McManus
(Michael Matthews)
Wrestling Won the European Middleweight Championship (4 times), British Welterweight Championship (2 times) and British Middleweight Championship (1 time)[256]
188 2012 Alfonso Morales
(Gilberto Alberto Morales Villela)
Commentating Commentator for both AAA and CMLL on Televisa[256]
189 2012 John Cena Wrestling Won the WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship (12 times), World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), and WWE United States Championship (5 times)[256]
190 2012 Hans Schmidt
(Guy Larose)
Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Won the Montreal version of AWA International Heavyweight Championship (2 times), Chicago version of NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and Los Angeles version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[256]
191 2012 Lou Albano Wrestling and managing Posthumous inductee. Won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship. Manager of 15 different WWF World Tag Team Champions[256]
192 2012 Gus Sonnenberg Wrestling Posthumous inductee. National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), Original World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and Boston version of AWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[256]
193 2013 Takashi Matsunaga Promoting Posthumous inductee. Founder and promoter of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling[257]
194 2013 Henri Deglane Wrestling Posthumous inductee. The most famous wrestler in the history of France. Credited with making professional wrestling popular there. Decorated Greco-Roman wrestler[257]
195 2013 Dr. Wagner
(Manuel González)
Wrestling Posthumous inductee.Won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (3 times) and Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time). Patriarch of the Wagner wrestling family[257]
196 2013 Atlantis Wrestling Won the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times), CMLL World Tag Team Championship (5 times), Mexican National Middleweight Championship (1 time), Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time), NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and NWA World Middleweight Championship (3 times)[257]
197 2013 Kensuke Sasaki Wrestling Won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (3 times), IWGP Heavyweight Championship (5 times), GHC Heavyweight Championship (1 time), IWGP Tag Team Championship (7 times), GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) and WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[257]
198 2013 Hiroshi Tanahashi Wrestling Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (7 times) and IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times)[257]
199 2014 The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
(Richard Morton and Ruben Cain)
Wrestling Won the NWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times), SMW Tag Team Championship (10 times), and USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times)[258]
200 2014 Ray Fabiani
(Aurelio Fabiani)
Promoting Posthumous inductee. Philadelphia promoter[258]
201 2015 Brock Lesnar Wrestling and MMA Won the WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship (4 times), IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time), and UFC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[3]
202 2015 Shinsuke Nakamura Wrestling Won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times), IWGP Intercontinental Championship (5 times), and IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time)[3]
203 2015 Perro Aguayo, Jr.
(Pedro Aguayo)
Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Won the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship (1), Mexican National Tag Team Championship (3 times), CMLL World Trios Championship (1 time), and WWA Tag Team Championship (3 times)[3]
204 2015 The Assassins (Jody Hamilton and Tom Renesto) Wrestling Won the Florida version of NWA United States Tag Team Championship (2 times), NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (12 times), Vancouver version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time), and Mid-America version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)[3]
205 2015 Ivan Koloff
(Oreal Perras)
Wrestling Won the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (5 times), NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship (7 times), NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (4 times), NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time), Mid-Atlantic version of NWA Television Championship (5 times), NWA United States Tag Team Championship (2 times), Mid-Atlantic version of NWA World Tag Team Championship (5 times), and WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[3]
206 2015 Carlos Colón Wrestling Won the WWC World/Universal Heavyweight Championship (26 times), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (one time), WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (9 times), WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (8 times), WWC North American Tag Team Championship (11 times), WWC World Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWC World Tag Team Championship (3 times) and WWC World Television Championship (4 times)[3]
207 2015 Eddie Quinn
(Edmund Quinn)
Promoting Posthumous inductee. Montreal promoter[3]
208 2016 Daniel Bryan
(Bryan Danielson)
Wrestling Won the World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) (1 time), WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), ROH World Championship (1 time).[259]
209 2016 Gene Okerlund
(Eugene Okerlund)
Commentating Worked as interviewer and announcer for American Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.[259]
210 2016 Sting
(Steve Borden)
Wrestling Won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times), TNA World Heavyweight Championship (4 times).[259]
211 2016 James McLaughlin Wrestling Posthumous inductee. Generally considered the first American professional wrestling champion.[259]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ According to his autobiography, Flair does not know his actual birth name. His listed birth name was given to him upon his adoption as an infant.
  2. ^ Austin's actual birth name is Steven James Anderson. His name was changed to Williams in early childhood when he was adopted by his stepfather.[212]

References

General
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