10 Most Surprising WWE Hall Of Famers

It's June 20, 2021.

You know what that means, right?

No, it's not the day of WWE's Hell in a Cell (though it is that as well I suppose) - it's Koko B. Ware's birthday! The Birdman turns 64-years-old today.

Happy birthday, Koko.

When talking about about Koko, the conversation will, invariably, turn to his controversial 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction.

To a lot of fans, Koko B. Ware was not a Hall of Fame calibre superstar, as he mostly wrestled lower on the card, didn't win any championships and wasn't really involved in any major feuds, matches or history-altering moments.

So him getting inducted ahead of many other, more notable stars like Bruno Sammartino and Randy Savage (who were both ultimately inducted themselves) struck as surprising and lead to some condemnation.

Koko's is not an isolated case, though, and many who sit in WWE's Hall of Fame have turned heads for various reasons.

Whether their WWE careers were good but not exemplary, they publicly fell out with the company in a major way or, more surprising still, never even wrestled for WWE in the first place, there are a sizeable amount of shocking inductees.

Now, the purpose of this article is not to denigrate the careers of those in WWE's Hall of Fame, but rather to look at why they were surprising inductees and, importantly, why they were inducted in the first place (for most of them, anyway).

As for the birthday boy, he deserved to be inducted based on the strength of his pre-WWE work in various territories, being involved in the very first match in the history of Raw and for being really over having a long career where he worked an exciting, cutting-edge style.

Plus, the man came to the ring with a parrot. A parrot!

I mean, seriously, what more do you people want?

10. Alundra Blayze

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Vince McMahon is notorious for giving second chances to those who he perceives to have wronged him in the past.

It might take a while but, in the end, WWE's CEO will let bygones be bygones and welcome exiled performers back into the 'WWE family', especially if there is a business incentive to do so.

It took Alundra Blayze longer than most, as she was on the outs with the company for the best part of two decades before she received the call informing her that she would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame (class of 2015).

A former Women's Champion and one of the stalwarts of the mid-90's New Generation roster, Blayze thought she had completely burned her bridge with Vince when she returned to WCW on the December 18, 1995 episode of Nitro and threw the WWE Women's Championship belt in the trash right on camera.

It was deemed a major and very disrespectful shot in the burgeoning Monday Night Wars, masterminded by WCW Vice President Eric Bischoff.

Blayze (or Madusa in WCW) didn't want to do the stunt but felt that she had to and reaped the consequences.

Blacklisted for coming up twenty years, her HOF announcement was a major surprise that many didn't foresee ever happening. She has appeared sporadically since, including coming out of retirement to enter a battle royal on Evolution, WWE's first all-female pay-per-view, in 2018.

Blayze certainly deserved her induction, having been a star in the US and Japan and helping to pioneer a new, more physical style of women's wrestling at a time when that was far from being a priority.

9. Rikishi

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Rikishi had surprising longevity in WWE, lasting over a decade and seeing in many gimmick changes during his time in the company.

As a Headshrinker, he was a typical 'Samoan savage' and a decent addition to the mid-90's tag team scene. His turn trying to 'Make a Difference' was brief and unremarkable, as was a run as The Sultan (though he did get an Intercontinental Title WrestleMania match with The Rock out of it).

It was as Rikishi, the backside-bearing, bleach-blonde pseudo sumo that he really caught on. His peak came in 2000, when paired with Too Cool, as his Stinkface and their post-match dance routine regularly brought the house down and made them one of the most popular acts on the show.

A heel turn and subsequent dalliance with the main event was fleeting, before he found his niche as a fun-loving staple of the midcard, before being released in 2004.

Though he showed up once in a blue moon as a talking head on a documentary or to work a quick match on special occasions, Rikishi was basically absent from WWE for over a decade before getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Rikishi was very over and certainly a memorable character, but a few people questioned his HOF credentials at the time of the announcement.

As a former Intercontinental and three-time Tag Team Champion, he has championship accomplishments to his name, but his time as a headliner is often viewed as a flop and he really cooled off once the Attitude Era drew to a close.

Rikishi was a soldier for WWE, though, going above and beyond for the company while crafting a persona that was hard to forget. He (obviously) deserves his place in the Hall of Fame and, perhaps one day, he can return the favour and induct his sons the Uso's.

8. The Godfather

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Similar to Rikishi, the Godfather is an Attitude Era character that was incredibly popular, but was around for a relatively short amount of time.

The man behind the gimmick, Charles Wright, wasn't a fan of the business but got into it anyway after being encouraged to try it based on his size and look.

Before becoming everyone's favourite pimp, his WWE career was patchy. Papa Shango was a striking creation, but is frequently cited by fans as among the more embarrassing characters from the company's cartoonish past.

The world probably wasn't ready for Kama the Supreme Fighting Machine, Wright's MMA-inspired guise that lasted around a year, while his addition to the Nation of Domination gave him something to do and a spot on the show, albeit in a supporting role.

It was only when he (at the suggestion of his wife) changed his garb, added the ho's and began extolling the virtues of recreational marijuana use that his career truly took off.

But once again, The Godfather was a lower-card act with a short shelf-life, at least as a full-time roster member, only really being around for about a year and a half.

While a hit with audiences, he was one of the performers that the Parents Television Council successfully lobbied to get excised from WWE television, necessitating yet another gimmick change, as he became Right to Censor member The Goodfather, something that Wright outwardly hated doing.

When the Godfather returned it was in a much diluted form, and Wright left the company - for good - not too long after.

Everyone loves The Godfather and he seems like a genuinely great bloke away from the ring, but his HOF nod surprised a fair few folks, especially as it reminded people of the very un-PC Attitude Era and, specifically, WWE's sketchy on-screen depiction of females.

7. Chyna

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Based on the impact she had on the business during her four-and-a-half-year WWE career alone, Chyna absolutely deserved to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

A true trailblazer in the business, the Ninth Wonder of the World was an integral part of the Attitude Era and helped change the perception of what a female in sports entertainment could be.

A former Women's and Intercontinental Champion, Chyna did many firsts, including being the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring, Joanie Laurer preferring to wrestle men rather than members of the fairer sex.

A crossover star, Chyna penetrated the mainstream thanks to her Playboy cover appearance and probably would have been in demand in Hollywood and elsewhere, had she remained with WWE beyond the summer of 2001.

But she didn't, leaving the company due to a combination of unmet contract demands and discovering that her boyfriend Triple H was having an affair with on-screen squeeze Stephanie McMahon.

The years following her WWE exit were troubled, as Chyna struggled with substance abuse issues and entered the world of adult entertainment. Sadly, she passed away in 2016, at the age of just 46.

All of those things have contributed to WWE (to this point) not inducting her as a solo performer, but she did go in with DX in 2019, with other members of the stable acknowledging her contributions during their acceptance speech.

This was a shock to some, as those within the company had openly acknowledged the difficulty in referencing her due to the tragic last years of her life.

6. James Dudley

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No relation to Bubba, D-Von, Spike or any of the other ECW table breakers, James Dudley is a name that is most likely unfamiliar to the vast majority of the WWE universe.

And if you take the time to research who he is, you'll doubtless get some variation of 'he used to be Vince McMahon Sr's limo driver', with some claiming that as the sole reason for his Hall of Fame induction.

While one of his responsibilities was driving Vince's father around town, that doesn't begin to tell the whole story.

Dudley first began working for the McMahon's in the 1950's, under the employ of Vince Jr's grandfather Jess.

He was especially tight with Vince Sr, thinking of him as a father figure and felt indebted to him for increasing his responsibilities in the promotion and making him the first African-American to run a major United States arena (Washington's Turner Arena).

Aside from that, he was also a performer and managed several stars of the day, including Bobo Brazil.

An important force backstage, James was put on the WWE payroll by Vince Jr when he was well into his seventies at the request of Vince Sr, who made his son promise to look after Dudley above all else.

The Hall of Fame induction in 1994 was another way for the promoter to pay his respects to someone who had worked so hard behind-the-scenes.

He didn't main event WrestleMania, but James Dudley was an incredibly important part of the WWE machine and his work deserved to be recognised.

5. Drew Carey

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At this point, it is trite to argue about the so-called 'Celebrity Wing' of the WWE Hall of Fame.

It's there, it's a bit silly and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. We're just going to have to accept that WWE want that sort of mainstream credibility (lol) and are thus always going to associate with the Kid Rocks, Donald Trumps and Mike Tysons of the world as long as it gets some precious column inches.

And each of those, as well as other celebrities, have actively contributed to WWE in some form or fashion.

But Drew Carey?

Sorry, but that feels like stretching it. His one WWE appearance of note was at the 2001 Royal Rumble, where he showed up looking to promote his upcoming comedy special 'Improv All Stars'.

He bumbled around in some backstage segments, lucked his way into the Royal Rumble match, entered and then quickly eliminated himself before Kane could get his hands on him.

Does any of that warrant his 2011 induction?

I don't think so.

Not when much, much more deserving celebrities like Cyndi Lauper, who was a major part of the mid-80's rock and wrestling connection and helped make the first WrestleMania a success, continue to have the honour elude them.

4. Abdullah The Butcher

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He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Abdullah the Butcher was a big star in wrestling.

Particularly in the 1970's and 80's and especially in Japan, where his manic bloodbaths offered a wild alternative to the more traditional product fans in the country were used to seeing.

He also worked in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and, well, just about everywhere else in the world, but outside of a couple of matches that took place on co-promoted WWE/International Wrestling cards in Canada back in 1985, he had no legacy in WWE.

Indeed, his induction seemed to be more an acknowledgment of a long and illustrious career elsewhere, similar to how WWE have tipped their hats to the likes of Tatsumi Fujinami, Mil Mascaras and others in the past.

Still, despite wrestling for an eternity and being a memorable character in the business, some questioned WWE's choice.

One of the most vocal opponents of his induction was 2004 inductee 'Superstar' Billy Graham, who requested his own name be taken out of the Hall if Abdullah was going to be in it.

Inducted in 2011, Abby claimed that he was giving his WWE Hall of Fame ring to his brother a year later and then, in 2015, expressed his desire to sell it.

Now that's gratitude.

3. The Ultimate Warrior

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Whether you loved or hated his wrestling persona, or loved or hated the man behind it, you cannot deny that The Ultimate Warrior made his mark in wrestling and, in a relatively short career, left a lasting legacy.

Once viewed as the heir apparent to Hulk Hogan's throne, Warrior was one of the most popular wrestlers in the world at one point and captured both the Intercontinental and WWE Title, engaging in legendary feuds with the likes of Randy Savage and Rick Rude among others.

His promos were routinely nonsensical and his in-ring work often criticised (sometimes unfairly so), but he was a star, a larger-than-life comic book character come to life who made WWE and himself a boatload of money.

Though their association was mutually beneficial, it was notoriously fraught.

Warrior left, came back, left, came back again, sued the company a bunch of times, was countersued, had his character assassinated with a damning DVD release and looked to have no desire to ever work for or with Vince McMahon again between leaving in 1996 and improbably returning to receive his Hall of Fame honour in 2014.

Facilitated by 2K's desire to include Warrior as a playable character in their video game, Warrior's return kicked off what was supposed to be the start of a true, multi-year partnership between him and WWE, which would include merchandising, appearances and a host of other things.

Over the course of that WrestleMania weekend, he made amends with Vince, Hulk Hogan and everyone else that he had heat with, was inducted, soaked in the cheers, made a prophetic speech on Raw and then, a day later, was dead of a heart attack.

Very few people would have put money on Warrior ever returning to WWE, especially after turning down the HOF several times in the past, so this was definitely a surprising one.

Considering the last few days of his life, it was also tragic and poignant in its own way.

2. The Bushwhackers

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If you were watching WWE between the late 80's and mid-90's, you would have probably been surprised when the Bushwhackers were announced Hall of Fame inductees in 2015.

Butch and Luke were always around, but they were never seriously pushed, finding their place as a novelty act low down on the card. They certainly made an impression, with their funny walk to the ring and zany antics like licking people's faces.

The Bushwhackers were, naturally, a hit with kids and certainly put in the work, wrestling hundreds of matches for WWE before being phased out during the New Generation Era.

They never won the WWE Tag Team Titles and didn't have any classic matches in WWE rings.

Outside of WWE, though, they had a whole other career, winning doubles straps around the world and having many legendarily brutal and bloody brawls as The Sheepherders.

For their dedication to the business and a career spanning almost four decades, the Bushwhackers more than deserved the accolade and should really get more credit for what they accomplished.

1. Jeff Jarrett

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The story may have taken on a life of its own, but Jeff Jarrett (working without a valid contract) 'holding up' WWE and Vince McMahon for around $300,000 in money owed backstage at the No Mercy 1999 pay-per-view signalled the end of The Chosen One's time in WWE.

And not just in '99, but forever.

As Vince McMahon intimated when after buying WCW during the Raw/Nitro simulcast on March 26, 2001, Jarrett's chances of working there again was practically zero.

Double J didn't mope around for long, getting plenty of work internationally before starting up his own promotion (TNA) with his father Jerry.

And so for the next twelve years, Jeff was an investor, booker and top star for Vince McMahon's closest competition. That, coupled with the circumstances surrounding his departure in 1999, told many that the odds of him returning in any capacity were slim.

How incredible, then, when he was announced as a member of the Hall of Fame class of 2018.

Not only that, but a year later he became a backstage producer - a job he still holds today - and had a nice little comeback, with a surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble and a Raw match against Elias.

Time heals all wounds and, now that he's no longer signed by the competition, spent his time in the doghouse and cleaned up his personal life, Jeff Jarrett is an integral part of the WWE of today.

Ain't that great?