On April 2, the WWE will have its annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony as the opening act, if you will, before Wrestlemania the next day in Arlington, Texas. This year's class has a decided Lone Star State flavor to it, though you might not believe it.
Last night, it was announced that the Big Bossman (Raymond Traylor) would be the next one to be inducted. Traylor really was a prison guard in Georgia before turning to wrestling, and after paying his dues for Jim Crockett as a jobber, he was given his first big push as Bubba Rogers, bodyguard for chatty manager Jim Cornette. Rogers then went on to win his only major title, capturing the UWF title before that promotion went under. He arrived in the then-World Wrestling Federation in 1988 as the Bossman, and was turned face within a year or two, incensed over manager Slick accepting a bribe from Ted DiBiase.
After a stint with WCW in the mid-90's, Bossman returned in 1998, but the blue uniform was gone, replaced with a black outfit to represent that he was one of Vince McMahon's henchmen. The 2nd run with WWF ended in 2002. Personally, I prefer the classic blue uniform from 1988-1993.
Over the next two weeks, we'll hear about two more, both of whom have ties to Texas. Jacqueline Moore, in fact, was billed as Ms. Texas during her stints with the USWA, CWA, and Global, but for some forshlugginer reason, Jim Cornette christened her Sgt. Rock in Smokey Mountain in 1994-5. Should've paid royalties to DC Comics over that name. A multi-time women's champ with WWF, Moore was also the first woman in WWE history to hold the cruiserweight title during a feud with Chavo Guerrero, Sr. & Jr. in 2004. Last seen in TNA.
Stan "The Lariat" Hansen made his bones when he accidentally broke the neck of Bruno Sammartino, leading to a grudge match at Shea Stadium in 1976. Hansen would later win the AWA title from Rick Martel, only to be stripped of the title in a convoluted angle due likely to scheduling issues, since Hansen frequently toured Japan. In case you wonder, yes, there was a time when Hansen was actually a babyface. Happened in Georgia in the early 80's.
Those three are being added to a roster that already includes:
Sting. This was the real payoff to the last WCW major player signing with WWE in 2014. After over 30 years in the business, you have to hope Sting hasn't wrestled his last match, as he's been sidelined since September with a neck injury.
The Fabulous Freebirds. I wrote about this long-overdue induction previously. Their greatest fame came in World Class feuding with the Von Erichs. As I had surmised, Buddy Roberts, Jr. is being brought in to induct his late father.
The Godfather (Charles Wright). Got his start in the USWA, wrestling in Tennessee and Texas, and worked for Global as well before being called up in 1992 as Papa Shango, voodoo master. Being buds with the Undertaker helps explain how Wright managed to survive all the changes before becoming Godfather during the Attitude Era.
Now, there's also talk about---finally---a physical Hall of Fame, which would be situated in Orlando, site of Wrestlemania 33 next year (at the Citrus Bowl). Now, for his next trick, Triple H should do the impossible, and find the solution to the biggest problem in the WWE---Vince McMahon. Of course, that's another story for another time.
