The WWE Hall of Fame selects one woman a year for their Hall of Fame class.
Even before the official announcement of Beth Phoenix going into the WWE Hall of Fame, fans had already heard whispers that the Glamazon was going to be the female selection this year. What makes this case interesting is that it’s not that she didn’t deserve it but perhaps it was too soon considering others who have yet to make it into the Hall of Fame.
Interestingly enough, there are women from all eras who could end up in the WWE Hall of Fame one day. Women such as Leilani Kai, Malia Hosaka, Luna Vachon, Bull Nakano, Ivory and Molly Holly to name a few that are past due for a Hall of Fame induction. Past wrestlers such as Jazz are embedded in the lawsuit against WWE based on concussions and head injuries.
It will always be a controversy as to who should go into the Hall of Fame and who doesn’t belong in there. While many can argue that others will have their day, at the end of the day no one is really sure how the selection process really works. Do we really know if any of them have declined at one point? Or do some of them refuse to take part in the Hall of Fame? No one really knows that answer.
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With the Women Superstars enjoying the success of finishing the best year for WWE Women’s wrestling, you can’t forget those who were the trailblazers and made the path, to begin with. In the future, I hope the company recognizes this and will dip their hand further into the jar for and well-deserved selection in 2018. Again, it will always be controversial depending on who they choose going forth.
The company only chooses one female per Hall of Fame, we will just settle for the six names that ought to be a shoe-in for the next several years.
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6. Victoria
Victoria was one of the more overlooked and underrated WWE Divas during the Ruthless Aggression Era. She was not the typical WWE Diva with toughness mixed with an eccentric personality and jet black hair. The crazy shtick was all hers during that time and she wore it well. Her finisher The Widow’s Peak was one of the more devastating finishers in the Women’s Division.
She captured the WWE Women’s Championship for the first time in 2002 in a Hardcore match with Trish Stratus at Survivor Series. Victoria was one of the opponents who made Stratus better in the ring and added to the great career she has had. Stratus won the Championship back from her months later, and would dethrone Victoria much later during her second reign as Women’s Champion.
Victoria not only competed in some Hardcore matches but she would be the one to take on Lita in the first-ever Women’s Steel Cage match in WWE history. Thanks to Eric Bischoff’s Raw Roulette in 2003, the match was a spur of the moment type of thing and at that time Victoria and Lita were the two best women to put in that match. Victoria would go on to win that match.
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5. Velvet McIntyre
Canadian Velvet McIntyre had a great career before the WWF, working for promotions such as NWA, Mid-South Wrestling, AWA and Stampede Wrestling. She would hold the Women’s Tag Team Championship with partner Princess Victoria, transitioning from the NWA to WWF upon their debut with WWF.
In a time where The Fabulous Moolah reigned supreme in Women’s wrestling, McIntyre would be one of the ones who would be able to dethrone the Champion. She would hold the Women’s Championship once for only six days however she earned the respect from Moolah. Moolah considered her one of the best female wrestlers in Canada.
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McIntyre wrestled with some of the best women’s wrestlers in the 1980s ranging from Moolah to Joyce Grable, Judy Martin, Kai and Wendi Richter. While she may have more success in the Women’s tag division during its time, her contributions as a singles wrestler shouldn’t go unnoticed. To me, she was one of the more underrated women’s wrestlers in the 1980s who had a pretty substantial career despite not having a great singles Championship reign to her name.
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4. Rockin’ Robin
Rockin’ Robin debuted in WWF in 1987 and quickly made a name for herself. She feuded with the late Sensational Sherri for much of 1988 in hopes to capture the WWF Women’s Championship. It would take almost an entire year for Rockin’ Robin to accomplish that feat.
She is one of the greatest WWE Women’s Champions, holding the Championship for over five hundred days before its first deactivation in 1990 after she left the company. She dethroned Sherri, who had a four hundred plus day reign herself. Rockin’ Robin feuded with Sherri as well as Martin during her time as Women’s Champion. She only held the Championship once, but considering how long she held it speaks for itself.
Wrestling is in her blood, as her father is wrestler Grizzly Smith. She is the half-sister of Jake the Snake Roberts, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. They wrestled for the company at the same time; however, it was never mentioned on WWE programming.
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3. Sable
If someone mentioned women’s wrestling in the Attitude Era, chances are Sable’s name is mentioned in that conversation. Sable debuted at WrestleMania XII as the valet of Triple H, better known at the time as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He would blame her for his embarrassing loss against the Ultimate Warrior before Marc Mero came to her rescue. By Mero’s side, Sable served as his manager in a time where managers were still prevalent in WWE. The exotic beauty’s popularity rose, stirring up jealousy with the former Intercontinental Champion in 1998. When Luna Vachon made Sable her target, Sable transitioned from manager to wrestler and her coming out party came at WrestleMania XIV in a Mixed Tag Team Match with Mero, taking on Vachon and Goldust.
After her feud with Vachon came to an end, she would feud with Jacqueline during the summer. With the rising popularity for the women’s division, the WWF Women’s Championship was reinstated in the fall of 1998 to which Sable battled Jacqueline for the gold in a losing effort. Sable won the Championship from Jacqueline at Survivor Series later on that year, holding the Championship at the peak of her career.
For a time, she was among one of the faces of the Attitude Era and the top female for the company during 1998 and 1999. She wasn’t the best wrestler, but the fans were behind her in her quest to prove she wasn’t a pushover. That popularity landed her a cover on Playboy magazine. The Attitude Era was known for its riskiness and Sable was at the forefront of it with Evening Gown matches, and Bikini contests. Her career with WWE came to an end followed by a shocking sexual harassment lawsuit that rocked the company. She and the company settled out of court and she returned to the company in 2003 for one year.
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2. Miss Elizabeth
If there is one woman who without a doubt should be in the Hall of Fame, then it is Miss Elizabeth. Miss Elizabeth is one of WWE’s most popular managers of all time thanks to her association with Macho Man Randy Savage. One of pro wrestling’s greatest love stories centered around their real life marriage and fans remember the wedding between them at SummerSlam 1991.
Miss Elizabeth was known for her glam as much as her ringside presence. Her style was timeless and though the 80s was known for its bright colors and funky patterns Miss Elizabeth’s sweet demeanor and innocence look shone through it. Many fans believe that she was the first WWE Diva despite the company recognizing Sunny as the first Diva.
Miss Elizabeth continued to be a manager even after leaving the company in 1992. She managed in WCW, where she was a valet for the Four Horsemen and nWo. She also participated in a few wrestling matches prior to leaving the company. Her death in 2003 shocked the wrestling world, and since then fans have been waiting for the beauty to have her place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
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1. Chyna
This one goes without saying for the Hall of Fame. Chyna was another face during the Attitude Era that made big waves during her time with the company. She debuted as Triple H’s enforcer in 1997 and was one of the founding members of Degeneration X. Chyna wasn’t afraid to fight with men and she also manhandled the women at the time.
The accolades Chyna racked up between 1997 and 2001 are some that have yet to be matched. She would be the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble in 1999. She also was the first woman to compete in the King of the Ring Tournament and a contender for the WWF Championship. Chyna would win the Intercontinental Championship from Jeff Jarrett in 1999, making her the first woman to hold the Championship. She held the Championship twice, along with the WWF Women’s Championship once in 2001. The Women’s Championship was vacated after she left the company.
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The discussion of her entry into the Hall of Fame is pretty controversial even before she tragically passed away in 2016. Between her failed relationship with Triple H and her adult film career, the company didn’t want to tread hot water. While the company did acknowledge the career she had after her death, there’s still no indication that she will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.