WCW Hall of Fame#1994
{{Short description|Professional wrestling hall of fame}}
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{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Hall of Fame was an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was established in 1993 to honor wrestlers who began their careers long before the 1990s, mostly alumni of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) territory, the predecessor of WCW. Inductees received commemorative plaques that had their names and portraits inscribed on them. Wrestlers were inducted by Gordon Solie, a senior commentator in professional wrestling, and received their plaque during the "Legends Reunion" segment at WCW's May pay-per-view event, Slamboree. The WCW Hall of Fame was the second major hall of fame established to honor professional wrestlers, after the creation of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s Hall of Fame in February 1993.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/inductees/andrethegiant/|title=Andre The Giant's WWE Hall of Fame Profile|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|access-date=January 13, 2009}} After the 1995 Hall of Fame ceremony, WCW stopped the production of the Hall of Fame ceremonies without a formal announcement. In 2001, the WWF acquired all of its assets;{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_03_23.jsp|title=WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting|date=March 23, 2001|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|access-date=January 13, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313012636/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_03_23.jsp|archive-date=March 13, 2014}} this led to the formal stoppage of the WCW Hall of Fame. The WWF, however, had stopped producing its Hall of Fame ceremonies after 1996. In 2004, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the WWF's successor,{{cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_05_06.jsp|title=World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Drops The "F" To Emphasize the "E" for Entertainment|date=May 6, 2002|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|access-date=January 13, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119180317/http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_05_06.jsp|archive-date=January 19, 2009}} reinstated the WWE Hall of Fame, which included inductees that were alumni of WWF/WWE, NWA, JCP, and WCW.{{ref label|WWEHOF|a|a}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/|title=WWE Hall of Fame Profile Listings and Official Website|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|access-date=January 13, 2009}}
The first Hall of Fame ceremony was held on May 23, 1993, at Slamboree 1993 at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.{{cite web|url=http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history93.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000511095638/http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history93.html |archive-date=May 11, 2000 |title=WCW SLAMBOREE: History 1993 |work=World Championship Wrestling |date=May 23, 1994 |access-date=February 24, 2023}} The first wrestler inducted into the Hall of Fame was Lou Thesz, along with Verne Gagne and Mr. Wrestling II. Eddie Graham was also inducted that year; he was the first posthumous inductee into the Hall of Fame.
During the following Hall of Fame ceremony on May 22, 1994, at Slamboree 1994 at Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Harley Race led the Class of 1994.{{cite web|url=http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history94.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000511105205/http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history94.html |archive-date=May 11, 2000 |title=WCW SLAMBOREE: History 1994 |work=World Championship Wrestling |date=May 22, 1994 |access-date=February 24, 2023}} Ole Anderson, The Crusher, posthumous inductee Dick the Bruiser, Ernie Ladd, and Masked Assassin were also inducted that year.
The final ceremony was held at Slamboree 1995 on May 25, 1995, in St. Petersburg, Florida at Bayfront Arena, in which Wahoo McDaniel led the Class of 1995.{{cite web|url=http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history95.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000511115020/http://www.wcw.com/2000/05/07/ppv/history95.html |archive-date=May 11, 2000 |title=WCW SLAMBOREE: History 1995 |work=World Championship Wrestling |date=May 21, 1995 |access-date=February 24, 2023}} Also inducted that year were posthumous inductee Big John Studd, Terry Funk, Antonio Inoki, Angelo Poffo, Dusty Rhodes, and Gordon Solie. Following the 1995 ceremony, Solie, who both inducted the wrestlers and was an influential figure in the selections, resigned from WCW in protest of Poffo's initiation,{{cite web |url=http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe/Latest_On_Randy_Savage_In_The_WWE_Hall_of_Fame_Former_Diva_On_Dog_Whisperer.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130222012502/http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/wwe/Latest_On_Randy_Savage_In_The_WWE_Hall_of_Fame_Former_Diva_On_Dog_Whisperer.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 22, 2013 |title=Latest On Randy Savage In WWE Hall of Fame, Former Diva On "Dog Whisperer" |publisher=LordsofPain.net |date=January 12, 2012 |access-date=April 22, 2013 }} feeling that management only inducted an unqualified person into the WCW Hall of Fame as a favor to Poffo's son, and one of the company's top draws, Randy Savage. 1995's ceremony had speeches from the inductions, where as the other two just had plaques being presented to them. The Crusher, Dick the Bruiser, Inoki, Rhodes, Gagne, Race, and Thesz were the only former World Heavyweight Champions to have been inducted. A posthumous inductee was inducted at every ceremony. Solie was the only non-wrestler to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Overall, there were 17 inductees. On February 26, 2024, Ole Anderson, the last remaining living member of the WCW Hall of Fame, died.
Inductees
Notes
- {{note label|WWEHOF|a|a}} – From 1996 to 2001, WCW did not induct any person into the Hall of Fame.
- {{note label|birthname|b|b}} – Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a ring name.
- {{note label|JCPNWA|c|c}} – Before the 1990s, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) consisted of numerous smaller territories acquired during its national expansion while also maintaining working relationships with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and the World Wrestling Association (WWA), while the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was a governing body that sanctioned numerous member promotions while additionally distributing many titles amongst its members including the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, later WWF), Championship Wrestling From Florida, Eastern Championship Wrestling, among others.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/classicsondemand|title=Classics On Demand: Video Library|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|access-date=January 14, 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nwawrestling.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=74|title=The NWA Roll Call of Champions|publisher=National Wrestling Alliance|access-date=January 14, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222141846/http://www.nwawrestling.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=74|archive-date=December 22, 2008}}
- {{note label|Notes|d|d}} – This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in the NWA, JCP, and WCW.
References
= Citations =
{{Reflist}}
= General references =
- {{Cite episode |title= WCW Slamboree 1993|episode-link= Slamboree (1993)|series= Slamboree |network= In Demand pay-per-view|airdate=May 23, 1993}}
- {{Cite episode |title= WCW Slamboree 1994|episode-link=Slamboree (1994)|series= Slamboree|network= In Demand pay-per-view|airdate=May 22, 1994}}
- {{Cite episode |title= WCW Slamboree 1995|episode-link= Slamboree (1995)|series= Slamboree|network= In Demand pay-per-view|airdate=May 21, 1995}}
External links
- [http://www.wwe.com/classics/wcw/wcw-hall-of-fame-history The other Hall of Fame: WCW's forgotten honor] at WWE.com
- [http://www.wcwhalloffame.com WCW Hall of Fame at Steelcagematch.com]
{{World Championship Wrestling}}
{{Professional wrestling halls of fame}}
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Category:1993 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Awards disestablished in 1996
Category:Awards established in 1993
Category:Professional wrestling-related lists