The full class of the WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing has been revealed and it’s full of names long overdue for the WWE Hall of Fame. Broken by PWInsider, the WrestleMania program is now out and confirmed the ten names. The Legacy Wing was created in 2016 and so far has inducted pioneers of the industry, principally pre-television or pre-1960s, with names like Lou Thesz, Mildred Burke, Frank Gotch, Rikidōzan, El Santo and Jim Londos finding their way into WWE’s Hall of Fame over the past three years. But if Wrestlevotes reveal is any indication, the Legacy Wing could be expanding its parameters this year, and could be a way to get more posthumous inductees from multiple eras – WWE has long stalled on inducting deceased wrestlers in their regular ceremony due to lack of availability of family to induct that could tell proper tales of the stars. And while there’s a strong argument that the four names mentioned would be worthy of the regular induction ceremony, the Legacy Wing is just that – a wing – and ultimately they are still considered WWE Hall of Famers.
Bruiser Brody
A former NFL player with the Washington Redkins, Bruiser Brody created a prototype of what a big man could be in professional wrestling. When his football career came to an end prematurely, he trained with Fritz Von Erich in Dallas, and started his career in pro wrestling in 1973. A true rogue, Brody never signed exclusively with any territory or company and worked around the world, working multiple National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories, as well as World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, the precursor to WWE), New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, American Wrestling Association (AWA) and Puerto Rico’s World Wrestling Council (WWC). An innovator in his role, he was one of the biggest stars in the world. Sadly, he fell prey to a victim of terrible island politics in Puerto Rico, where he was killed by wrestler Jose Gonzalez in 1988.
“Playboy” Buddy Rose
In the same vein as Ric Flair, “Playboy” Buddy Rose played the bleach blonde arrogant wrestler to a T and was a top star with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and NWA throughout the 1970s and 1980s. A multi-time champion in multiple NWA territories, he also worked briefly for WWF in the 1980s, including an appearance on the first WrestleMania under a mask as The Executioner against Tito Santana. He retired in 2003 and passed away in 2009.
Hisashi Shinma
The chairman and booker of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s, Japan’s Hisashi Shinma also acted as the on-screen WWF President from 1978 to 1984, where he was then replaced by Jack Tunney. He was a huge part of the alliance between WWWF and NJPW in the 1970s and also booked the WWF Junior Heavyweight division at that time. In New Japan, he secured the Tiger Mask gimmick for New Japan, putting it on the first man to wear the mask, Satoru Sayama. Upon his departure from NJPW in 1984, he founded the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), one of the first shoot-style promotions in Japan.
JIM BARNETT
Promoter Jim Barnett got his start in the 1940s working with Fred Kohler’s Chicago area promotion, eventually transitioning to co-ownership with Kohler of the NWA’s Indianapolis territory. By the 1950s, he was booking in Detroit, Denver and Los Angeles. He left for Australia in the mid-1960s where he launched World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Australia’s largest promotion for years (and pre-Ted Turner WCW). In 1974, he returned to the US and bought into Georgia Championship Wrestling, one of the NWA’s flagship territories. When Georgia was acquired by Vince McMahon, he became a vice president with the WWF in 1984. He left WWF in 1987 to join Jim Crockett‘s Mid Atlanticpromotion, before transitioning to the new WCW as a Senior Advisor. He passed away in 2004.
Joseph Cohen
Not a wrestling mind per say, but Jacob Cohen founded the Madison Square Garden Network, a huge proponent in getting WWF into cable television. Cohen was promoted to assistant to the vice president of Operations at Madison Square Garden from 1970-72. He rose quickly in Garden operations, becoming the director of bookings from 1973-74. In 1975, Cohen became vice president of MSG Cable and vice president of Development for the Garden and in 1979, he was elevated to president of MSG Network, where he was responsible for advertising, sales, production and program development for MSGN.
Luna Vachon
An absolute trailblazer and pioneer for women’s wrestling, the adopted daughter of Paul “Butcher” Vachon and niece of Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon and Vivian Vachon, Luna entered Canadian wrestling royalty and became one of the top women’s wrestlers of the 1990s. With her hardcore approach, she was an instant fit with ECW, where she had the first televised intergender match against Stevie Richards. She would go on to work with WCW as well as WWF, where she worked regularly from 1997 to 2000. After departing the WWE, she worked the independents until 2007 before retiring. She passed away in 2010.
Primo Carnera
While best known as a pro boxer and Italy’s first World Champion, following his boxing career Primo Carnera turned to pro wrestling in the mid-1940s. At 6’5″, he was one of the first true big men in the sport, and wrestled for nearly 20 more years. Before Goldberg had his streak, Carnera had his own, going undefeated in his first 120 matches, including a 1947 win over former World Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis.
SD Jones
A longtime journeyman with the NWA, SD “Special Delivery” Jones made his debut in 1971 and became a solid tag team wrestler throughout the 1970s, winning the NWA Americas Tag Team titles on three occasions with NWA Hollywood. In 1974, he began working with the WWWF, remaining a midcard talent who was still popular with the fans. While he never won any major titles, he would face the likes of Bruiser Brody, Johnny Rodz, and many other stars, trading wins and losses in the midcard. He most famously faced King Kong Bundy at the first WrestleMania, losing in nine seconds, a record that lasted for decades. He retired in 1991 and passed away in 2008.
Toru Tanaka
An early Asian star into the NWA territories in the 1960s, Professor Toru Tanaka became a tag team specialist, best remembered as the longtime tag team partner of Mr. Fuji, becoming 3x WWF World Tag Team Champions. He made his debut in 1967 and competed until the early 1980s when injuries piled up and he could no longer compete. He passed away in 2000 from heart failure.
Wahoo McDaniel
One of the biggest superstars of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory days of the 1970s, former pro football player Edward “Wahoo” McDaniel (who played for the AFL from 1960 to 1968 with the New York Jets, Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins, winning the AFL Championship in 1960) wrestled from 1961 through 1996, retiring as a 5x NWA United States Champion (and arguably its greatest champion). Wahoo passed away in 2002.
