It’s not Wrestlemania Weekend without the Hall of Fame, so once again Team SLTD has something else brand new for you, the SLTD Hall of Fame.
There is a debate every year who should and shouldn’t go into WWE’s Hall of Fame, so we at SLTD decided it would be interesting to start our own. That way we get to share and celebrate some of our favourite wrestlers.
The criteria were simple: We each one none active wrestler, from any promotion. Then we write about why they deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, or why we have a personal connection to that wrestler.
(The Wrestling Guild) @Stoughe Inducted: Jerry Lynn
In my mind there is probably no one that is more deserving of a Hall of Fame induction than Jerry Lynn. The 55-year-old Minnesota high flyer retired in 2013 after years of putting his body through hell. Lynn has the distinction of having wrestled for all of the big promotions; WCW, ROH, WWF, TNA and ECW.
While in those promotions he has been both World Heavyweight champion and Cruiser/Light Heavyweight/X-division champ. Lynn is most likely also one of the most recognizable cruiserweights who is not Mexican and as such he has been one of the most influential wrestlers in the X-division class. Among other accomplishments, he can count his awesome matches with Rob Van Dam and wrestling on the very first TNA show.
All these facts only cements the fact that Lynn is a shoe in for the SLTD Hall of Fame class of 2019.
(The Farrand Five) @Xterblack Inducted: Amazing Red
When the the question was raised of whom I wanted to choose for my inductee into the inaugural STLD Hall Of Fame, I went through a number of different options but all seemed to be ‘safe’ bets. People who are either already in wrestling Hall Of Fames or who’s omission from them is well documented.
Instead, I decided that I wanted to induct someone who is an unsung hero of the industry. Someone who’s inclusion in the Hall is warranted, deserved but also makes the casual wrestling fan say “Oh, I’m going to go and find out more about that guy” So in light of this, and his recent retirement, my pick is Amazing Red.
Rewind back to 2003 and The Wrestling Channel appearing on Sky TV in the UK. At the time, I was a naïve thirteen years old who got all of his wrestling content from WWE, assuming there was nowhere else to look. I was very quickly introduced to NWA:TNA on the channel and to the likes of AJ Styles, Low Ki, Christopher Daniels and, of course, Amazing Red. Red very quickly became a favourite of mine due to his mix of high flying manoeuvres, agility and technical ability. His matches with the aforementioned X Division stalwarts were incomparable and the highlights of each show he was on.
Red’s time in TNA was short during that initial phase but he returned in 2009 for another a couple of years during which time I was able to see him wrestle live in a Triple Threat match against Suicide & Chris Sabin at a House Show in Manchester, something that has become a very fond memory following his retirement this week.
Amazing Red’s impact on the business was efficiently reflected upon by Mustafa Ali in a video that included testimonies from Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles and Sonjay Dutt among others. Red’s untimely retirement means that we’ll never get to see that run in WWE or NXT but I sincerely hope that his knowledge, prowess and skill is put to good use and he shares his experiences with young wrestlers through his own House Of Glory wrestling school and hopefully as a guest trainer at the Performance Center.
(The Wrestling Brain) @callumowen98 Inducted: Edge
My SLTD Hall Of Fame pick is the ‘Rated R Superstar’ Edge. He was one of the first heels I truly appreciated, I loved him as he The Ultimate Opportunist and him attacking Mr Kennedy before beating him for the Money In The Bank briefcase was pure genius; Edge at his finest.
Then a few nights later he’d yet again seize the opportunity by cashing in a weakened Undertaker and became World Heavyweight Champion. Edge was always in the right place at the right time mainly thanks to his relationship with Vickie Guerrero (the then Smackdown GM) which lead to Edge getting a long run as World Champion.
My favourite moment for Edge came at the No Way Out PPV in 2009 where he kicked off the show as WWE Champion but ended the night as World Heavyweight Champion. Edge would form an entertaining team with Chris Jericho during 2009, but injury meant he’d miss the back end of the year. He’d make a shock return as a face in 2010 and won the Royal Rumble, for the next 15 months he’d remain as a face and held the World Heavyweight Championship right up until April 2011, where he’d have to retire due to a neck injury.
For someone who was The Ultimate Opportunist, a devious, intelegent heel when he made his retirement speech, everyone was shocked, saddened and were in tears. Now it’s been around 8 years since his last match, and that’s scary to think about, he was a part of my early wrestling fandom, and anytime he makes an appearance on TV I still think what if?
What could have Edge done if he wasn’t forced to retire? Imagine Edge Vs Seth Rollins, Edge Vs Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan. There are numerous dream matches that he was denied and us as Edgeheads were robbed off. Even though he was only around for 4 years when I began watching WWE, The Rated R Superstar had a massive impact on my viewing of WWE, whether he was the dastardly heel, who’d always look for corners to cut, or as the babyface who’d gained respect from the fans after years of hard work, Edge will forever be one of my favourites.
(Tybo Talks) @TyboTalks Inducted: Chavo Guerrero
When the idea of an ‘SLTD Hall of Fame’ was mentioned I immediately knew that my pick was going to be Chavo Guerrero.
Chavo Guerrero is a multi-time champion in every promotion he has been in, and there have been a lot of them. It’s almost unfortunate that his surname is Guerrero, as he seems to always be overlooked and seems to be the lesser of his ‘uncle Eddie’. This could not be further from the truth as Chavo is every bit the superstar Eddie Guerrero is.
Chavo has been wrestling for over 20 years and hasn’t missed a beat, if you look back into the history of almost any major promotion you will see Chavo’s name, and that he is a former champion. Guerrero is one of few wrestlers who has won championships in WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. This shows just how long Chavo’s career has been.
Chavo has also spend some time in backstage roles within the wrestling business, which is unsurprising given the family he is apart of, and wrestling is quite clearly in his blood.
Beyond the ring Chavo has appeared in various different TV shows, including ‘Grimm’ and Netflix Original ‘GLOW’, Chavo also has his own comic book ‘Warriors Creed’.
Chavo is one of those guys who can fit into any spot on any card for any promotion and you know it’s going to be a great match. He can easily weave between heel and face and has zero issues putting anyone over. Guerrero gives his all to a gimmick and will do whatever it takes to get it over. I wouldn’t be shocked if Chavo was considered for the WWE Hall of Fame in the next few years. In the meantime, I would love to see Chavo show up in the Performance Centre or working with younger talent in Impact Wrestling.
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