I've read this thread and it seems many are in agreement that now that Randy Savage is gone, it would be acceptable for him to be inducted as the posthumous headliner behind the live and in person headliner, the Rock. I disagreed strongly until I read the Brain's post, which ALMOST sold me on the idea. But not completely. I still believe that Randy Savage, even deceased, still deserves to be the main event/headliner for a HOF ceremony.
Somebody said that he could be the Eddie Guerrero inductee compared to the Rock and Bret Hart (who was inducted in 2006 with Guerrero). But as great as Eddie Guerrero was, Eddie Guerrero wasn't Randy Savage. I'm sorry but no. Eddie Guerrero had the potential to carry the company on his back and he may have eventually and he was a tremendous draw for the Latino audience, but he did not carry the entire company on his back during one of the most successful periods in wrestling history and WWF/E history. Randy Savage did.
With Randy Savage's passing, there is no doubt in my mind that he should be the headliner for the 2012 class. Even before his death I still felt that he should've been inducted before the Rock, the Undertaker (who will be inducted in the upcoming years), and yes even Shawn Michaels. Even though I feel all three were greater WWE Superstars than Savage, but chronologically speaking (which is a strong part of my viewpoint on HOF inductions), Savage came before all of them and thus should've been inducted before all of them as well as Bret Hart.
The big problem here is that now you've got three guys who could easily be potential headliners next year and who deserve to be headliners on their own. Of course Randy Savage. Of course the Rock, but another one that no one is mentioning is the Undertaker. Rumors are strong that next year's match at Mania will be his last, and it's very possible they'll want to induct him the night before his retirement match. If he retires next year, the WWE's got a huge predicament on their hands. Savage due to his passing and fan demand, the Rock due to being from Miami, and the Undertaker due to having his final match and retiring (if that happens) all make for worthy cases. But obviously all three deserve to headline on their own.
But ultimately, the right thing here to do is hold off on the Rock and the Undertaker, and induct Savage first. For one, Savage came long before the Rock and a few years before the Undertaker (5 years), so to tell the story of WWE properly Savage should be inducted first (and thus should've been inducted a long time ago). Two, the man just died. He's one of the greatest ever. Just out of respect to his legacy and career he should be inducted immediately. And three, fans will demand it. The Rock and the Undertaker deserve to have all the focus on them when they're inducted. But I can pretty much tell you even a year from now, the prestige and attention of their inductions will be taken away if Savage isn't inducted or is inducted with them. Savage's induction could be the most emotional moment in WWE HOF history (maybe in WWE history). All the attention and focus should go on Savage's induction, not only out of respect for Savage, but also out of respect for the Rock and the Undertaker.
I know to have Savage headlining will be somewhat of a depressing and down moment as he won't be there to accept it, but still this is Randy Savage we're talking about. Jimi Hendrix wasn't alive to accept his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and do you think the RNRHOF was worried enough about the show to not have him as the headliner? Of course not. They knew that Hendrix was easily the biggest and most important act eligible for induction that year, so yeah he got his proper spotlight as the headliner and "main event" of the ceremony. As much as Jimi Hendrix meant to rock and roll, Randy Savage meant the same to the WWE. He deserves his time as the headliner and main event, even though it will be emotional, depressing, and bittersweet. But it'll also be a beautiful moment too.
So yeah, I'm not okay and will be very disappointed if Randy Savage isn't the sole headliner next year for the HOF. The Rock (especially) and the Undertaker can wait. Randy Savage is long overdue for induction. And with his passing and the world's attention on him (not just the wrestling world, but even the whole world of pop culture), now is the time to do it. It'll also be what the fans want too.
As for who should do the honors?
There are a number of people who would be good candidates. Besides the obvious choices of Miss Elizabeth and Sherri Martel who are sadly no longer with us (Miss Elizabeth should be inducted as well). First I'll highlight the choices, explain why they'd be good and bad, then give my final decision on who should do it and how his induction should go.....
Definite Candidates
Lanny Poffo
Positives:The Brain made an excellent case for Lanny Poffo and I totally support it. Lanny is very good with words very eloquent, and as his brother, that'll make it even more emotional and beautiful a moment than it already would be. He's family after all. It doesn't get more special and personal than that. Plus, I think if Randy were alive, he'd probably pick Lanny to be his inductor, I would think.
Negatives: He's not as high profile a name as other possible inductors, which could hurt his chances.
Ricky Steamboat
Positives: Ricky Steamboat is always cited as one of Randy Savage's greatest rivals and of course they put on a match that revolutionzed mainstream professional wrestling (their match at Wrestlemania III). They stole the show together, and had Steamboat stayed with the company positioned themselves as being the top names in the company along with Hogan, Dibiase, and Andre. Together they made the I-C title as prestigious as it ever got (along with Hennig/Hart and HBK/Razor). Their careers will forever be linked and thus it would be appropriate.
Negatives: From what I've read, they weren't very close. Steamboat has gone on record saying that their match at Wrestlemania III wasn't in his opinion as great as everyone else believes it was. They had a huge difference of opinion on how to work a match (Steamboat more with the improvised, calling the match spots out in the ring style, ala Flair, while Savage with his more scripted, intricately plotted style), which Steamboat has also confirmed. While it seems appropriate, it may not be quite as appropriate as it seems.
Hulk Hogan
Positives: I have no doubt in my mind that Hogan will probably try to do everything he can to get Vince to let him induct Savage. And not for ego purposes as most will probably believe. I've read Hogan's twitter posts and even interviews he's done over the years where he's talked about Randy, and to me he loves the guy. From what I've read and listened to, I believe that Hogan has always felt bad about their rift and has tried on many occasions to make amends. Savage was at one time his best friend in the business and their families at one time were very close. I think Savage's death has probably hit Hulk harder than anyone in the wrestling business. So I think more than anyone else in the business (besides probably Lanny Poffo), Hulk Hogan will want to induct him. It's also appropriate, because Hulk Hogan is the greatest rival of Randy Savage's career. Yeah they never had any matches as good as the ones Savage had with Steamboat, Flair, and Warrior, but Hogan was his biggest rival. They were the two top stars in one of the two biggest eras in WWE history, and thus their careers will always be linked. To me Hogan is a much more appropriate choice than Ricky Steamboat.
Negatives: The obvious problem is three letters....TNA. And not on TNA's part, I have no doubt that if Hulk wants to do it, TNA would gladly let him appear on the HOF ceremony to induct Randy Savage. They had no problem with Ric Flair appearing at this year's ceremony (he wasn't on TV, but was on pictures posted on WWE's website), and were even willing to let Mick Foley come on Raw a few weeks back for the Rock's birthday celebration. Considering how much power Hulk has in the company, it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is Vince McMahon. Allowing a wrestler for the rival company to appear on a few pics on the website is completely different than having a wrestler from the rival company who happens to be the biggest star in history doing the speech for the headlining induction. Will Vince allow it? Plus they've had so many issues over the years in particular recently. I don't know if Vince would allow it.
Ric Flair
Positives: Flair and Savage had some of the greatest matches in history, even though their working styles were complete opposites. Their rivalry in WCW has been documented as the program that helped turn WCW around (particularly on house show revenues) before the massive hit that was the NWO storyline. So you could say it was Hogan's arrival that brought mainstream attention to WCW, and the rivalry and matches of Flair and Savage that got WCW on a roll. They were IMO the two greatest workers/wrestlers of the 1980's (in North America at least), and we know Flair can work the mic and put on a great show and speech. Although he's very emotional which could make the speech sad, but also appropriate.
Negatives: Same as Hogan....TNA. Once again I don't think TNA would have a problem with letting Ric Flair come on and induct Randy Savage, but I think Vince would. He might be forced to let Hulk come on and do the induction due to his starpower, and link with Savage, whereas with Flair, not so much. Plus, I don't know, as good as Flair would be, I don't think he's the most appropriate choice.
Bret Hart
Positives Bret Hart truly was the successor to Randy Savage. When Randy's WWE career started to wind down, Bret took over as the top worker in the company and even at Savage's peak in the early '90s (91/92), Bret was right there with him. Randy Savage was argubably Bret's biggest idol in the company (Bret has acknowledged this) and they were great friends too. I really think Bret would put on a helluva speech. He's also very good with words, was very close to Randy Savage (especially on a mentor/apprentice level), and there might not be anyone in the company at the time that admired and repsected and looked up to Randy Savage more than Bret Hart. And their work styles were very similar (that of plotting out each spot and detail of the match. Plotting out a match much like a screenwriter plots out the storyboard for a film. This was the style of working a match that guys like Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart, and Randy Savage pioneered). It would be very fitting, it would be emotional, funny, and sincere, a perfect speech for the great Randy Savage.
Negatives Unfortunately their careers were linked more on a personal level, behind the scenes and due to similar career paths, but not literally. They never had a main event program (the biggest booking mistake of the '90s IMO by Vince), and had few publicized matches together which was also another one of the biggest crimes in 1990's professional wrestling. Fans would flock for it, but due to the lack of main event matches and rivalries, he might not be the perfect choice.
Longshots
Shawn Michaels
Positives: The man who succeeded Randy Savage and Bret Hart as the top worker in the company. Randy Savage was the original Mr. Wrestlemania, whereas HBK today is regarded as Mr. Wrestlemania. There's no denying that Randy Savage had a major influence and impact on Shawn Michaels's career. All one has to do is watch Shawn pull off the flying elbow. Guess what younger wrestling fans....That was originally Randy Savage's move, and he still did it better
Regardless, if they want to go with somewhat of a surprise choice, Shawn would be a good pick (and I'm sure he'd put on a good speech too).
Negatives: While Randy Savage had a big impact on HBK's career, there isn't a vice-versa here. HBK was just starting out when Savage was on the tail-end of his WWE career. They never had a main event program (another shame, Vince was an idiot for pushing down Savage in the WWF totem pole), and thus their careers aren't very linked. Any of the 5 definite shots would be more appropriate than HBK.
Jake Roberts
Positives: They had one of the greatest feuds of the 1990's and they could possbily be the two greatest feud participants in WWE history. Jake Roberts and Randy Savage always put on memorable feuds/rivalries with whomever they went up against (whether it was main eventers like Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan or lower card guys like Earthquake and Hacksaw Jim Duggan).
Negatives: As great as their feud was, it was actually pretty short compared to other rivalries in that era, and thus Roberts isn't generally considered one of Savage's biggest rivals. Plus Jake is a mess these days and probably wouldn't be a very secure choice in providing a main event speech for a HOF ceremony as sad as that is.
Jerry Lawler
Positives: This might be a left field choice, but other than his rivalries in WCW and the WWF, Jerry Lawler was Randy Savage's greatest oppponent in the territory days. Savage and his father had a memorable promotional war with Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett's territory, and once they came to agreement and put on shows together Savage and Lawler had a really hot and profitible program and feud. Lawler wouldn't be a bad choice.
Negatives: Only older wrestling fans and wrestling fans that know their history even know of that rivalry and thus most would indeed think that Lawler would be an extremely odd choice. And yeah as good as their rivalry was, it just isn't in the same ballpark as Savage's WWE feuds.
The Rock
Positives: As big of a draw as Randy Savage's induction will be, having the Rock do the speech would be an even bigger draw. Apparently the Rock and Savage were good friends as I remember listening to an older Randy Savage interview from about 10 years ago where he praised the crap out of the Rock. And the Rock has always talked good about Randy Savage too. I'm not really sure how they knew each other to talk so good about one another though. I guess beings they both live in Florida they probably ran into each other quite a bit. And perhaps the Rock as a kid met Randy Savage much as he did other WWE Superstars (ala Hogan, Andre, Jimmy Snuka, etc.). And the Rock could provide some much needed humor and fun to an otherwise somber moment.
Negatives: Their careers have no link whatsoever, despite being good friends outside of the business. Thus him being the inductor as entertaining as it would be just doesn't seem appropriate at all. Especially compared to other choices. And there's the little problem of the Rock possibly being the headlining inductee. If that happens, scratch the idea of the Rock being Savage's inductor.
And finally.....
Vince McMahon
Positives: This would be a surreal and very bittersweet occassion which would thus make it possibly the most intriguing choice of all. Vince has only inducted one other superstar into the HOF before (Stone Cold Steve Austin). Adding Randy Savage to that category would be the ultimate tribute that Randy has long deserved.
Negatives: I just don't see it happening, and their careers had no link on the performing side other than commentating together. As great a tribute as it would be, I think a wrestler is more appropriate.
So after all of those possibilities, who do I think should do it?
I think the WWE should go an unusual route here and do something they've rarely done. They should have more than one person induct him. They've only done it for one other inductee who ironically was the same type of inductee Savage will be. That being a recently deceased inductee. The other one they did it with? Eddie Guerrero in 2006. The WWE had Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, and Chavo Guerrero induct him together. Chris Benoit was his greatest tehnical wrestler rival and friend, Rey Mysterio was his follow Latino draw and rival and friend, while Chavo was family. They could do a similar thing here. Although the three choices would be much difficult to get together than the previous three (who were very close). The three possible choices?.....
Lanny Poffo, Bret Hart, and Hulk Hogan.
Yes I think Randy Savage deserves three speeches, if it can be done. There are two problems to this. Obviously would Vince allow Hulk to help induct Randy. Two, would Bret and Hulk be able to get along long enough to work together to induct Randy Savage. Believe it or not, I think Vince/Hogan would be a bigger problem than Bret/Hogan. I think Bret and Hulk would have enough class and respect for Randy Savage to put aside their differences and induct Randy together. Obviously Lanny Poffo wouldn't be a factor here as I'm sure he has no issues with Bret or Hulk and even if he did, he is so classy and nice he would put any differences aside to do the right thing here.
But if an agreement cannot be worked out, I would take Hulk out of the equation (due to him being the least likely candidate because of Vince) and just have Lanny and Bret Hart do it. But if it can be done, this is how it should go.....
The first and opening speech should go to Lanny Poffo who could make a speech/poem about Randy which would give the induction a touching and beautiful start.
The next speech should go to Bret Hart who could talk about how much Randy paved the way for him and HBK and other smaller wrestlers to make it to the top and how much Randy helped and influenced him.
Then the final speech would go to Hulk Hogan. No explanation on his speech is needed. It's Hulk Hogan after all.
Then his wife could accept the induction on Randy's behalf.
And then what I think would be an unprecdented and ultimate tribute to Randy, the WWE should try to gather as many opponents and wrestlers that Randy wrestled at one time or another in his career (in any promotion), gather them all on stage (similar to what they did for Ric Flair on his retirement speech a few years back on Raw only on a much grander scale). Then have Vince come out to say a few final words. Then make a new tribute video to Randy Savage and play it on the big screen behind the stage, and play "Pomp and Circumstance" with balloons and confetti floating through the arena as the ceremony ends.
Yes, that seems like a lot. But this is Randy Savage we're talking about here. He deserves all of this and more.
R.I.P. Macho Man, one of the best to ever live
