Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ballot

[Defrost]

Here is the ballot for this year. Former/Current wrestlers, historians, writers, bookers, etc. from around the world vote on this thing. Wonder who people around here think should get in. Hoping this doesn't end up where I fear though.

It's time for the 2013 Hall of Fame elections.

The criteria for the Hall of Fame is a combination of drawing power, being a great in-ring performer or excelling in ones field in pro wrestling, as well as having historical significance in a positive manner. A candidate should either have something to offer in all three categories, or be someone so outstanding in one or two of those categories that they deserve inclusion.

The names listed below are those under consideration for this year. To be eligible, a performer must have reached their 35th birthday and completed ten years since their debut as a full-time performer, or be someone who has been a full-time pro wrestler for at least 15 years.

Longevity should be a prime consideration rather than a hot two or three year run, unless someone is so significant as a trend-setter or a historical figure in the business, or valuable to the industry, that they need to be included. However, just longevity without being either a long-term main eventer, a top draw and/or a top caliber in-ring performer should be seen as relatively meaningless.

The maximum number of wrestlers that you can vote for all the categories is ten. You can pick as few as zero if you don't believe anyone on this list deserves inclusion.

For wrestling executives, managers, announcers and other outside the ring performers, you can vote for them and they are not counted against the ten. You can vote for as many as five of them.

I FOLLOWED THE HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA CANDIDATES
Gene & Ole Anderson
The Assassins (Joe Hamilton & Tom Renesto)
Red Bastien
June Byers
Pepper Gomez
Rip Hawk
Dick Hutton
Ciclon Negro
Dutch Savage
Kinji Shibuya
Wilbur Snyder
John Tolos
Enrique Torres
Count Billy Varga
Von Brauners & Saul Weingeroff
Tim "Mr. Wrestling" Woods

I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES
Bob Armstrong
Batista
Edge
Owen Hart
Curt Hennig
Ivan Koloff
Brock Lesnar
Fabulous Moolah
Pedro Morales
Dick Murdoch
Ken Patera
Rock & Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Sgt. Slaughter
Jimmy Snuka
Sting
A.J. Styles
Johnny "Mr. Wrestling II" Walker

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES
George Gordienko
Gran Hamada
Volk Han
Masahiko Kimura
Yuji Nagata
Seiji Sakaguchi
Kensuke Sasaki
Mike & Ben Sharpe
Kiyoshi Tamura
Hiroshi Tanahashi

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN MEXICO CANDIDATES
Atlantis
Cien Caras
Hector Garza
Karloff Lagarde
Blue Panther
L.A. Park
Huracan Ramirez
Vampiro
Villano III
Dr. Wagner Jr.
Dr. Wagner Sr.

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN EUROPE CANDIDATES
Jim Breaks
Big Daddy
Giant Haystacks
Horst Hoffman
Billy Joyce
Kendo Nagasaki
Jackie Pallo
Rollerball Mark Rocco
Johnny Saint

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN AUSTRALIA/PACIFIC ISLANDS/PUERTO RICO CANDIDATES
Spyros Arion
Johnny Barend
Carlos Colon
Domenic DeNucci
Killer Karl Kox
Mark Lewin
Mario Milano

NON-WRESTLERS
Bill Apter
Dave Brown
Jim Crockett Jr.
Jim Crockett Sr.
Gary Hart
Jimmy Hart
Howard Finkel
Jerry Jarrett
Takashi Matsunaga
Gorilla Monsoon
Gene Okerluind
Don Owen
Jesse Ventura
Stanley Weston

[thesamuelcooke]

Johnny Saint and Tanahashi are certs for me. Maybe Lesnar? I'll get back to you!

[Tainted Eclipse]

I wonder if Tanahashi deserves to be in, I guess he was the driving force behind New Japan's resurgence but I don't really have a real idea how big a deal that was for them.

Edge will get in though he shouldn't probably. I don't know how big a star Murdoch really was around the territories but he deserves to be in on the strength of his work. Volk Han deserves to get in on the basis of his ring work, probably Tamura too. Blue Panther is an EASY choice just for his ring work as he's probably a top 20 of all time guy.

[DDT]

He was responsible for their first positive fiscal year (read: made a profit) in over a decade. I'd say that's a pretty fucking big deal.

I would vote in Tamura and Volk Han in a heart beat.

[JRSlim21]

I wouldn't put Tanahashi in over Hamada, Nagata and Sasaki for the simple fact that he still has plenty of time to extend his legacy. He's Hall of Fame bound on any ballot for sure.

[Tainted Eclipse]

Do either Nagata or Sasaki have a case? Were they ever exceptionally big stars? Sure they were popular and important for their promotions, but they strike me as Edge-level candidates. Big deals for their promotions at the time but not mega stars who deserve to be in a HoF. Neither are good enough in the ring to get in based on that though sure they've been very good at times.

[Defrost]

Nagata has no case as a draw and as much as I love is not such a great worker that that puts him in.

Sasaki has main event giant shows.