While only one of my picks (Matsunaga) got in, most of my picks (Rock & Roll Express, Brock Lesnar, Dick Murdoch, Edge, Gene Okerlund, Jimmy Hart) finished respectably on the ballot except for Batista who received less than 10% of the vote and is going to be dropped off next year's ballot.
Hiroshi Tanahashi's quick ascension and successful election places an interesting spotlight on other young, modern wrestlers that are soon to join the ballot. While John Cena was a logical 2012 inductee (top star in the world's largest and most successful modern pro-wrestling company for many consecutive years), upcoming candidates for future years will include CM Punk, Daniel Bryan (f.k.a. American Dragon/Bryan Danielson) and possibly Mistico (currently Sin Cara in WWE).
As voters try to examine the record of these wrestlers considering factors such as drawing power, working ability and promo skills, one reference source to consider would be the results from the annual Year-End Wrestling Observer Awards (1980-2012). In theory, many benchmarks for the career of these new HOF candidates could be captured in how they finished in the WO Awards spotlight.
I've been working on aggregating as many of the results (not just winners, but also the runner-ups) for the annual Wrestling Observer Awards since 1980 through 2012 on my pro-wrestling statistics webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/chrisharrington/mookieghana-prowrestlingstatistics/wo_awards_history
While not every single category has been offered every year, there are some important categories which have very rich histories which we can examine:
Top Tier
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 33 years
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: 33 years
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 32 years
MOST CHARISMATIC: 33 years
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 27 years
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 16 years
Mid-Tier
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 33 years
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 32 years
BEST BRAWLER: 33 years
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 33 years
MOST UNDERRATED: 33 years
MOST IMPROVED: 33 years
BEST GIMMICK: 27 years
BEST HEEL: 17 yearsBEST BABYFACE: 17 years
READERS´ FAVORITE WRESTLER: 20 years
BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER: 32 years
BEST NON WRESTLING PERFORMER: 28 years
BEST BOOKER: 27 years
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR: 25 years
BEST COLOR COMMENTATOR: 11 years
Information
Data covered 1980-2012 looking at the top 5 finishes (winner + 4 runner-ups) whenever possible. Points were awarded as follows: 1st place = 10 points, 2nd place = 4.64 points, 3rd place = 2.78, 4th place = 1.98 and 5th place = 1.58. This seemingly arbitrary relationship was designed so that each sequential value was the cuberoot of the former place squared (i.e. 2nd place = (10*10)^(1/3) = 4.64). To the best of my ability names were combined over years (i.e Dustin Rhodes = Goldust = Black Reign).
TOTAL was calculated as TOP*2 + MID + OTHER.
TOTAL was calculated as TOP*2 + MID + OTHER.
| NAME | TOP | MID | OTHER | TOTAL | HOF? |
| Ric Flair: | 312.1 pts (56 awards) | 181.2 pts (31 awards) | 7.1 pts (3 awards) | 812.5 | YES |
| Steve Austin: | 134.7 pts (20 awards) | 86 pts (17 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 365.4 | YES |
| Jim Cornette: | 69.2 pts (11 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 220 pts (40 awards) | 358.4 | YES |
| The Rock: | 161.3 pts (27 awards) | 34.9 pts (8 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 357.4 | YES |
| Kenta Kobashi: | 161.2 pts (30 awards) | 27.7 pts (9 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 350.0 | YES |
| Hulk Hogan: | 106 pts (19 awards) | 105.9 pts (13 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 317.9 | YES |
| Mitsuharu Misawa: | 116.7 pts (19 awards) | 49.3 pts (11 awards) | 27.6 pts (11 awards) | 310.4 | YES |
| John Cena: | 140.5 pts (24 awards) | 16.6 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 297.6 | YES |
| Chris Benoit: | 48.3 pts (13 awards) | 198 pts (40 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 294.5 | YES |
| Bryan Danielson: | 72.8 pts (13 awards) | 104.6 pts (16 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 250.1 | NO |
| Jushin Liger: | 46 pts (8 awards) | 135.9 pts (21 awards) | 16.2 pts (3 awards) | 244.1 | YES |
| Chris Jericho: | 90.7 pts (23 awards) | 59.3 pts (14 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 240.7 | YES |
| Mick Foley: | 49.1 pts (9 awards) | 132.1 pts (20 awards) | 5.5 pts (3 awards) | 235.7 | YES |
| Paul Heyman: | 24.7 pts (9 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 181.8 pts (35 awards) | 231.3 | YES |
| Kurt Angle: | 70.9 pts (13 awards) | 87.7 pts (18 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 229.5 | YES |
| Vince McMahon: | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 4.6 pts (1 awards) | 220 pts (53 awards) | 227.8 | YES |
| Jim Ross: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 186.3 pts (26 awards) | 186.3 | YES |
| Shawn Michaels: | 68.8 pts (17 awards) | 35.6 pts (12 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 173.1 | YES |
| Eddie Guerrero: | 74.7 pts (15 awards) | 15.3 pts (7 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 164.7 | YES |
| Bobby Eaton: | 41 pts (7 awards) | 69.1 pts (15 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 151.1 | YES |
| CM Punk: | 54.8 pts (14 awards) | 32.6 pts (7 awards) | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 144.9 | NO |
| Rey Mysterio Jr: | 20.6 pts (5 awards) | 101.6 pts (16 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 142.7 | YES |
| Riki Choshu: | 22.2 pts (5 awards) | 6.3 pts (3 awards) | 83.7 pts (16 awards) | 134.4 | YES |
| Brock Lesnar: | 46.8 pts (8 awards) | 37.8 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 131.4 | NO |
| Toshiaki Kawada: | 59.2 pts (15 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 119.9 | YES |
| Roddy Piper: | 43.2 pts (7 awards) | 29.1 pts (6 awards) | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 118.4 | YES |
| Manami Toyota: | 35.8 pts (9 awards) | 44.9 pts (14 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 116.6 | YES |
| Sting: | 32.7 pts (8 awards) | 49.3 pts (11 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 114.6 | NO |
| Akira Maeda: | 35.3 pts (8 awards) | 18.5 pts (7 awards) | 25.3 pts (7 awards) | 114.5 | YES |
| Giant Baba: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 111.4 pts (19 awards) | 111.4 | YES |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi: | 53.4 pts (10 awards) | 4 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 110.8 | YES |
| Great Muta: | 36.9 pts (14 awards) | 29.9 pts (7 awards) | 4 pts (2 awards) | 107.7 | YES |
| Mistico: | 39.2 pts (9 awards) | 29 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 107.3 | NO |
| Atsushi Onita: | 26.7 pts (5 awards) | 46.1 pts (9 awards) | 2 pts (1 awards) | 101.5 | YES |
| Terry Gordy: | 36.7 pts (7 awards) | 26.5 pts (7 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 100.0 | YES |
| Bob Sapp: | 43.9 pts (6 awards) | 11.6 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 99.4 | NO |
| Dana White: | 4 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 84.6 pts (9 awards) | 92.6 | NO |
| Edge: | 39 pts (11 awards) | 13.6 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 91.6 | NO |
| Ted DiBiase: | 12.7 pts (6 awards) | 63.7 pts (14 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 90.6 | YES |
| Jerry Lawler: | 17.6 pts (6 awards) | 11.3 pts (5 awards) | 41.2 pts (10 awards) | 87.7 | YES |
| Bruiser Brody: | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 82.1 pts (10 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 87.6 | YES |
| Samoa Joe: | 23.4 pts (6 awards) | 39.9 pts (8 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 86.6 | NO |
| Shinjiro Otani: | 26.9 pts (8 awards) | 28.1 pts (8 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 81.9 | NO |
| Jun Akiyama: | 33.6 pts (5 awards) | 14.4 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 81.5 | NO |
| Mike Tenay: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 77.7 pts (13 awards) | 77.7 | NO |
| Michael Hayes: | 19.5 pts (6 awards) | 20 pts (2 awards) | 18.7 pts (6 awards) | 77.7 | YES |
| Kenta: | 35.6 pts (7 awards) | 6.3 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 77.6 | NO |
| Road Warrior Hawk: | 30.3 pts (7 awards) | 15.9 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 76.5 | YES |
| The Undertaker: | 3.6 pts (2 awards) | 68.3 pts (10 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 75.4 | YES |
| Vader: | 15.9 pts (4 awards) | 43.5 pts (11 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 75.4 | YES |
| Terry Funk: | 16.7 pts (4 awards) | 40.8 pts (10 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 74.2 | YES |
| Davey Richards: | 29.3 pts (4 awards) | 14.8 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 73.4 | NO |
| Road Warrior Animal: | 28.7 pts (6 awards) | 15.9 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 73.3 | YES |
| Stan Hansen: | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 46.6 pts (11 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 72.2 | YES |
| Naomichi Marufuji: | 32.2 pts (7 awards) | 7.5 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 71.8 | NO |
| Bobby Heenan: | 2 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 67.1 pts (14 awards) | 71.0 | YES |
| Steve Williams: | 15.5 pts (4 awards) | 36.3 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 67.4 | YES |
| Tatsumi Fujinami: | 17.4 pts (3 awards) | 32 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 66.8 | YES |
| Owen Hart: | 9.3 pts (2 awards) | 47.7 pts (10 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 66.3 | NO |
| The Miz: | 19.4 pts (4 awards) | 26.6 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 65.4 | NO |
| Dynamite Kid: | 11.6 pts (2 awards) | 42.1 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 65.2 | YES |
| Rick Steiner: | 20.2 pts (5 awards) | 24.6 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 65.0 | NO |
| Triple H: | 21 pts (5 awards) | 22.6 pts (7 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 64.6 | YES |
| Bret Hart: | 17.2 pts (6 awards) | 29.8 pts (10 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 64.2 | YES |
| Jimmy Snuka: | 17.5 pts (5 awards) | 25.5 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 60.5 | NO |
| Gabe Sapolsky: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 60.4 pts (11 awards) | 60.4 | NO |
| Lance Russell: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 58.5 pts (11 awards) | 58.5 | YES |
| Brian Pillman: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 38.5 pts (9 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 58.5 | NO |
| Arn Anderson: | 29.2 pts (8 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 58.3 | NO |
| Tiger Mask: | 7.5 pts (3 awards) | 42.8 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 57.9 | YES |
| Sabu: | 11.3 pts (3 awards) | 34.9 pts (11 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 57.4 | NO |
| Stan Lane: | 26.2 pts (4 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 54.0 | YES |
| Jesse Ventura: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 53.9 pts (7 awards) | 53.9 | NO |
| Scott Steiner: | 20.2 pts (5 awards) | 13.4 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 53.7 | NO |
| Kevin Steen: | 11 pts (4 awards) | 31.6 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 53.5 | NO |
| Christian: | 14.4 pts (3 awards) | 23.3 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 52.0 | NO |
| Hiroshi Hase: | 7.4 pts (2 awards) | 26 pts (6 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 50.9 | YES |
| Joe Silva: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 50.3 pts (9 awards) | 50.3 | NO |
| Jay Briscoe: | 21.3 pts (6 awards) | 6.7 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 49.4 | NO |
| Jeff Hardy: | 15.5 pts (4 awards) | 18.2 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 49.2 | NO |
| Jimmy Hart: | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 22.8 pts (3 awards) | 48.3 | NO |
| Shelton Benjamin: | 6.6 pts (2 awards) | 34.8 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 48.0 | NO |
| Mark Briscoe: | 21.3 pts (6 awards) | 4.8 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 47.5 | NO |
| James Storm: | 23.8 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 47.5 | NO |
| Joey Styles: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 47.3 pts (9 awards) | 47.3 | NO |
| Santino Marella: | 11.3 pts (3 awards) | 23.6 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 46.1 | NO |
| Nobuhiko Takada: | 9.4 pts (3 awards) | 24.1 pts (7 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 44.5 | YES |
| Christopher Daniels: | 15.9 pts (4 awards) | 12.2 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 44.1 | NO |
| Matt Hardy: | 10.9 pts (3 awards) | 21.9 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 43.6 | NO |
| Dusty Rhodes: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 42.8 | YES |
| Koji Kanemoto: | 17.9 pts (5 awards) | 5.1 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 41.0 | NO |
| Juventud Guerrera: | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 37.3 pts (9 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 40.5 | NO |
| Art Barr: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 19.4 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 39.4 | NO |
| Kota Ibushi: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 39.3 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 39.3 | NO |
| AJ Styles: | 5.6 pts (2 awards) | 27.5 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 38.6 | NO |
| Shane Douglas: | 12.1 pts (3 awards) | 14 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 38.2 | NO |
| Perro Aguayo: | 10.2 pts (3 awards) | 17.4 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 37.8 | YES |
| Gedo: | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.8 pts (6 awards) | 37.3 | NO |
| Yuji Nagata: | 11.3 pts (5 awards) | 14.3 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 37.0 | NO |
| Jado: | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 30.2 pts (5 awards) | 35.8 | NO |
| Tatsuhito Takaiwa: | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 35.6 | NO |
| Goldberg: | 11.4 pts (4 awards) | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 35.5 | NO |
| Gordon Solie: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 35.1 pts (6 awards) | 35.1 | YES |
| John Morrison: | 12 pts (2 awards) | 11 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.9 | NO |
| Homicide: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 14.8 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.8 | NO |
| Chael Sonnen: | 17.4 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.8 | NO |
| Dean Malenko: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.6 pts (7 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.6 | NO |
| GSP: | 17.2 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 34.4 | NO |
| Eddie Gilbert: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 12.8 pts (4 awards) | 21 pts (5 awards) | 33.8 | NO |
| Chavo Guerrero Sr: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 13.4 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 33.4 | NO |
| Eric Bischoff: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.9 pts (7 awards) | 32.9 | NO |
| Nigel Mcguinness: | 5.9 pts (3 awards) | 16 pts (5 awards) | 4.6 pts (1 awards) | 32.5 | NO |
| Prince Devitt: | 10.3 pts (5 awards) | 11.8 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.4 | NO |
| Chris Harris: | 16.2 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.4 | NO |
| Vickie Guerrero: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.1 pts (5 awards) | 32.1 | NO |
| Ultimo Guerrero: | 16 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.0 | NO |
| Rey Bucanero: | 16 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 32.0 | NO |
| Joe Rogan: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.9 pts (7 awards) | 31.9 | NO |
| Ultimo Dragon: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 25.2 pts (6 awards) | 6.3 pts (3 awards) | 31.6 | YES |
| Ricky Steamboat: | 14.4 pts (3 awards) | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.5 | YES |
| Dragon Kid: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.1 pts (7 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.1 | NO |
| Takeshi Morishima: | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 27.9 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.1 | NO |
| Harley Race: | 14.8 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 31.1 | YES |
| Kazushi Sakuraba: | 15.5 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.1 | YES |
| Evan Bourne: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 31.0 | NO |
| Satoshi Kojima: | 14.4 pts (3 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 30.3 | NO |
| Chris Sabin: | 9.3 pts (2 awards) | 11.6 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 30.1 | NO |
| Hernandez: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 30.0 | NO |
| Akira Taue: | 14.8 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 29.7 | NO |
| Terry Taylor: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 26.7 pts (5 awards) | 2.8 pts (1 awards) | 29.5 | NO |
| Dolph Ziggler: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 29 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 29.0 | NO |
| Alex Shelley: | 9.3 pts (2 awards) | 10.3 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.9 | NO |
| Tony Schiavone: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.8 pts (7 awards) | 28.8 | NO |
| JBL: | 4 pts (2 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 10.9 pts (3 awards) | 28.8 | NO |
| Brad Armstrong: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.7 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.7 | NO |
| Buzz Sawyer: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.7 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.7 | NO |
| Marty Jannetty: | 14.4 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.7 | NO |
| Perro Aguayo Jr: | 9.1 pts (4 awards) | 10 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 28.2 | NO |
| Marc Mero: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 27.8 pts (5 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 27.8 | NO |
| Dan Kroffat: | 7.8 pts (3 awards) | 11.6 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 27.2 | NO |
| Jumbo Tsuruta: | 12.8 pts (2 awards) | 1.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 27.1 | YES |
| Kazuchika Okada: | 7.4 pts (2 awards) | 12 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 26.8 | NO |
| Larry Zbyszko: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 22 pts (3 awards) | 4.8 pts (2 awards) | 26.7 | NO |
| Necro Butcher: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 26.7 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 26.7 | NO |
| Chigusa Nagayo: | 7.1 pts (4 awards) | 6.2 pts (2 awards) | 5.9 pts (3 awards) | 26.4 | YES |
| Genichiro Tenryu: | 10.3 pts (6 awards) | 4.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 25.2 | YES |
| Captain Lou Albano: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 4.6 pts (1 awards) | 24.6 | YES |
| Antonio Cesaro: | 10 pts (1 awards) | 4.6 pts (1 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24.6 | NO |
| RVD: | 3.6 pts (2 awards) | 17.2 pts (6 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24.3 | NO |
| Tito Ortiz: | 12.1 pts (3 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24.1 | NO |
| Dustin Rhodes: | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24 pts (4 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24.0 | NO |
| Dennis Condrey: | 12 pts (2 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 0 pts (0 awards) | 24.0 | YES |
Note, this list contains some MMA personalities either because of cross-over to pro-wrestling, joint categories (such as biggest draw, best on interviews or best promoters) or related to years when pro-wrestling and MMA were not split.
Observations:
* Some members of the HOF had their peak years outside of the context of these awards, so it's not surprising to see them fare poorly on this list.
* Voters seem more likely to reward strong performances by North American territories than Mexican or Japanese companies. (For instance, HOF member Aja Kong only has two appearances on this list: 1990's #5 Best Brawler and 1991's #4 Best Heel where non-HOF member The Miz finished in the top five for most improved three times, most charismatic once, best on interviews once, best gimmick once and twice among the tag team of the year contenders.)
* One element stressed in HOF eligibility is demonstrating value over a longer period time (as opposed to single short, hot period). It may be important to balance both total points with years achieving top status.
UNIQUE YEARS APPEARING WITHIN EACH CATEGORY OF AWARDS
NAME
|
TOP
|
MID
|
OTHER
|
HOF?
|
Ric Flair
|
21
|
16
|
3
|
YES
|
Hulk Hogan
|
14
|
12
|
0
|
YES
|
Kenta Kobashi
|
13
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Toshiaki
Kawada
|
12
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
Jim Cornette
|
11
|
0
|
24
|
YES
|
Chris Jericho
|
11
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Chris Benoit
|
10
|
19
|
0
|
YES
|
Mitsuharu
Misawa
|
10
|
10
|
7
|
YES
|
John Cena
|
10
|
2
|
0
|
YES
|
Paul Heyman
|
9
|
0
|
21
|
YES
|
Shawn
Michaels
|
9
|
7
|
0
|
YES
|
The Rock
|
9
|
5
|
0
|
YES
|
Bryan
Danielson
|
8
|
12
|
0
|
NO
|
Sting
|
8
|
9
|
0
|
NO
|
Arn Anderson
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Mick Foley
|
7
|
10
|
3
|
YES
|
Steve Austin
|
7
|
9
|
1
|
YES
|
CM Punk
|
7
|
7
|
1
|
NO
|
Terry Gordy
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
YES
|
Great Muta
|
7
|
6
|
1
|
YES
|
Jerry Lawler
|
6
|
5
|
10
|
YES
|
Mistico
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Eddie
Guerrero
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
YES
|
Naomichi
Marufuji
|
6
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Edge
|
6
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Kenta
|
6
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
James Storm
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Kurt Angle
|
5
|
11
|
0
|
YES
|
Jushin Liger
|
5
|
7
|
3
|
YES
|
Atsushi Onita
|
5
|
6
|
1
|
YES
|
Shinjiro
Otani
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Akira Maeda
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
YES
|
Brock Lesnar
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Scott Steiner
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Road Warrior
Hawk
|
5
|
3
|
0
|
YES
|
Rick Steiner
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Jay Briscoe
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Jun Akiyama
|
5
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Genichiro
Tenryu
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
Mark Briscoe
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Ultimo
Guerrero
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Rey Bucanero
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
GSP
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Rey Mysterio
Jr
|
4
|
13
|
0
|
YES
|
Bret Hart
|
4
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Bobby Eaton
|
4
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Steve
Williams
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
YES
|
Manami Toyota
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
YES
|
Roddy Piper
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
YES
|
Michael Hayes
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
YES
|
Jeff Hardy
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Road Warrior
Animal
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
YES
|
Koji Kanemoto
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Kevin Steen
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Hiroshi
Tanahashi
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
YES
|
Stan Lane
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
El Generico
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Akira Taue
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Ted DiBiase
|
3
|
7
|
1
|
YES
|
Riki Choshu
|
3
|
2
|
11
|
YES
|
Yuji Nagata
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
NO
|
Samoa Joe
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
NO
|
Christian
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Matt Hardy
|
3
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Christopher
Daniels
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Davey
Richards
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
The Miz
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Perro Aguayo
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
YES
|
Jimmy Snuka
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Shane Douglas
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Prince Devitt
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Naoya Ogawa
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Bob Sapp
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Dan Kroffat
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Doug Furnas
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Harley Race
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
YES
|
Chael Sonnen
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Tom Prichard
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Chris Harris
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Bobby Roode
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Matt Jackson
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Marty
Jannetty
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Kazushi
Sakuraba
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
YES
|
Quinton
Jackson
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Nick Jackson
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Stan Hansen
|
2
|
10
|
0
|
YES
|
The
Undertaker
|
2
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Vader
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
YES
|
AJ Styles
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
NO
|
Terry Funk
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
YES
|
Owen Hart
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Sabu
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Shelton
Benjamin
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Alex Shelley
|
2
|
5
|
0
|
NO
|
Dana White
|
2
|
0
|
9
|
NO
|
Randy Savage
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
YES
|
Nobuhiko
Takada
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
YES
|
Nigel
Mcguinness
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
NO
|
Jake Roberts
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Tatsumi
Fujinami
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
YES
|
Santino
Marella
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
NO
|
Randy Orton
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
RVD
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
Dynamite Kid
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
YES
|
John Morrison
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
NO
|
JBL
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
NO
|
Chigusa
Nagayo
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
YES
|
Johnny Grunge
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Rocco Rock
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Chris Sabin
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Bubba Ray
Dudley
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Ultimate
Warrior
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
NO
|
Tiger Mask
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
YES
|
Jimmy Hart
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
NO
|
Perro Aguayo
Jr
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Ryusuke
Taguchi
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Naruki Doi
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Kensuke
Sasaki
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
Samson Fuyuki
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Satoshi
Kojima
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Takao Omori
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Goldberg
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Ricky
Steamboat
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
Jumbo Tsuruta
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
YES
|
Tatsuhito
Takaiwa
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
NO
|
Mirko Cro Cop
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Anderson
Silva
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Cibernetico
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Ole Anderson
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
D-Von Dudley
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Jimmy Del Ray
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Davey Boy
Smith
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Wanderlei
Silva
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Masato
Yoshino
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Sid Justice
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Ashura Hara
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Tully
Blanchard
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
John
Laurinaitis
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Yamato
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Dennis
Condrey
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
YES
|
Mima Shimoda
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Toshiyo
Yamada
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Randy Couture
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Etsuko Mita
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
NO
|
Vince McMahon
|
1
|
1
|
25
|
YES
|
Bruiser Brody
|
1
|
8
|
0
|
YES
|
Juventud
Guerrera
|
1
|
7
|
0
|
NO
|
Brian Pillman
|
1
|
7
|
0
|
NO
|
Bobby Heenan
|
1
|
0
|
11
|
YES
|
Masato Tanaka
|
1
|
6
|
0
|
NO
|
It's possible to take all of this information (years in each category, points in each category, total awards) and run a regression on wrestlers where the y-variable is whether a wrestler is currently in the HOF.
Looking at the top 450 wrestlers among these metrics, the sample has 83 WO Hall of Famers.
The prediction equation is compared against all of the wrestlers.
HOF wrestlers have a median prediction score of 0.33 and an average of 0.43 (25th quartile is 0.16 while 75th quartile is 0.58). Non-HOF wrestlers have a median prediction score of 0.10 and an average of 0.13 (25th quartile is 0.05 and 75th quartile is 0.16).
There are 18 non-HOF candidates who have prediction score over 0.33 (which was both the median for the HOF wrestlers as well as equal to twice the average of non-HOF plus two standard deviations).
Non-HOF People with Prediction Scores above 0.33
Those strongest candidates are wrestlers Bryan Danielson (0.76), CM Punk (0.61), Sting (0.60), Shinjiro Otani (0.45), Edge (0.42), Mistico (0.41), Samoa Joe (0.38), Sabu (0.37), Brock Lesnar (0.37), Naomichi Marufuji (0.35), William Regal (0.33), Yuji Nagata (0.33), Owen Hart (0.33), and Eddie Gilbert (0.33) whose awards were split between five Best Booker nominations (including one win in 1988) and best heel/brawler/most underrated nods. The non-wrestlers Mike Tenay (WCW/TNA announcer, 0.44), Dana White (UFC promoter, 0.35), Joe Silva (UFC booker, 0.35) and Gabe Sapolsky (ROH/DGUSA booker, 0.38).
Some of these people are already on the ballot (Sting, Brock Lesnar, Yuji Nagata, Owen Hart, Edge). Others will be eligible in upcoming years (Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Mistico). Sabu was eliminated from the ballot in 2010, a fate that originally happened in Sting in 1998 (prior to his return to the ballot following the end of WCW and his in-ring return with TNA). At this time, it's unlikely that Otani, Samoa Joe, William Regal or Eddie Gilbert will be added to the ballot soon.
As for current HOF wrestlers who have been inducted but have prediction scores 0.33, they were an eclectic mix.
HOF Wrestlers with Prediction Scores under 0.33
Joshi legends: Aja Kong, Akira Hokuto, Bull Nakano, Chigusa Nagayo, Dump Matsumoto
Bookers/Promoters: Antonio Pena, Bill Watts, Paco Alonso, Pat Patterson
Managers: Captain Lou Albano
Former Champions: Bob Backlund, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Antonio Inoki, Nick Bockwinkel
Announcers: Dr Alfonso Morales, Gordon Solie
Iconic tag teams: Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey, Stan Lane), Road Warriors (Road Warrior Hawk & Road Warrior Animal) and Buddy Roberts (from the Freebirds)
Japanese Stars: Genichiro Tenryu, Hiroshi Hase, Jumbo Tsuruta, Masa Saito, Shinya Hashimoto, Tatsumi Fujinami, Tiger Mask, Masa Chono
Mexican Legends: Dos Caras, Perro Aguayo
80s Stars: Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Dynamite Kid
Remaining Characters
2005 induction: Triple H (0.29) = continues to play major storyline (and real backstage) role in WWE along with occasional big match wrestler
2004 induction: Ultimo Dragon (0.28) = induction included his legacy as a trainer (Torymon)
2013 induction: Hiroshi Tanahashi (0.28) = after a huge year in NJPW, his score may dramatically rise when 2013 results are included
2013 induction: Kensuke Sasaki (0.12) = has held IWGP, GHC and AJPW Triple Crown titles; at age 47, continues to wrestle for various groups in Japan
2004 induction: Kazushi Sakuraba (0.14) = the famed "Gracie Hunter" prominently achieved MMA success (especially in Pride) alongisde his Japanese pro-wrestling
2009 induction: Konnan (0.15) = continues to have a major role in running AAA along; inducted for legacy of his major success in mid-90s Mexico
My takeaway from this is the three people who seem to be strongest future candidates are:
BRYAN DANIELSON
MOST UNDERRATED: 5. American Dragon [2001]
READERS´ FAVORITE WRESTLER: 5. American Dragon [2002]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 4. Bryan Danielson [2003]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 2. Bryan Danielson (253) 1838 [2004]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 3. Bryan Danielson (52) 617 [2004]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. Bryan Danielson (321) 2,240 [2005]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (401) 2,646 [2006]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (593) 3,266 [2006]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 4. Bryan Danielson (83) 947 [2006]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 1. Bryan Danielson (434) - 2,646 [2007]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. Bryan Danielson (529) - 2,928 [2007]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 2. Bryan Danielson (77) - 928 [2007]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (325) 2,042 [2008]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (582) 3,231 [2008]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (218) 1,838 [2009]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. BRYAN DANIELSON (401) 2,478 [2009]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 1. DANIEL BRYAN (269) 2,037 [2010]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. DANIEL BRYAN (370)2,765 [2010]
BEST GIMMICK: 2. Nexus 79 [2010]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. DANIEL BRYAN (263) 1,829 [2011]
MOST UNDERRATED: 2. Daniel Bryan (112) 840 [2011]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 3. Daniel Bryan (104) 948 [2011]
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER: 1. DANIEL BRYAN (391) 2,513 [2012]
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2. Kane & Daniel Bryan (124) 1,219 [2012]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 3. Daniel Bryan (153) 1,273 [2012]
MOST UNDERRATED: 3. Daniel Bryan (56) 357 [2012]
BEST GIMMICK: 3. Daniel Bryan Yes/No 111 [2012]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 5. Daniel Bryan (5) 204 [2012]
MOST CHARISMATIC: 5. Daniel Bryan (67) 539 [2012]
CM PUNK
BEST GIMMICK: 2. CM Punk [2003]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 5. CM Punk [2003]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 5. C.M. Punk (43) 619 [2004]
BEST GIMMICK: 5. C.M. Punk straight edge 44 [2004]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 2. CM Punk (82) 830 [2005]
BEST GIMMICK: 4. C.M. Punk 39 [2006]
BEST GIMMICK: 1. C.M. PUNK STRAIGHT EDGE SOCIETY 287 [2009]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 2. C.M. Punk (205) 1,836 [2009]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 4. C.M. Punk (53) 714 [2009]
BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER: 3. C.M. Punk (59)525 [2010]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 3. C.M. Punk (85)920 [2010]
BEST GIMMICK: 3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society 47 [2010]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 1. C.M. PUNK (338) 2,594 [2011]
BEST GIMMICK: 1. C.M. PUNK 160 [2011]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 2. C.M. Punk (248) 2,102 [2011]
MOST CHARISMATIC: 3. C.M. Punk (81) 978 [2011]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 4. C.M. Punk (2) 273 [2011]
BEST ON INTERVIEWS: 1. C.M. PUNK (365) 2,668 [2012]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 2. C.M. Punk (294) 2,325 [2012]
MOST CHARISMATIC: 4. C.M. Punk (107) 1,032 [2012]
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER: 5. C.M. Punk (34) 469 [2012]
BEST GIMMICK: 5. C.M. Punk all year as champion 58 [2012]
MISTICO
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 2. Mistico (106) 1,303 [2005]
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 2. Mistico (310) 2,420 [2005]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 4. Mistico (62) 795 [2005]
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: 1. MISTICO (220) 2,245 [2006]
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 1. MISTICO (346) 2,957 [2006]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 1. MISTICO (377) 3,112 [2006]
MOST CHARISMATIC: 5. Mistico (7) 611 [2006]
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 1. Mistico (162) - 1,394 [2007]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 3. Mistico (133) - 1,603 [2007]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 2. Mistico (118) 1,525 [2008]
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 3. Mistico (115) 1,510 [2008]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 5. Mistico (16) 227 [2009]
BEST FLYING WRESTLER: 5. Mistico (41) 502 [2009]
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW: 4. Mistico (3)348 [2010]
In terms of stock, certainly Bryan Danielson has had a stronger year, though he looks to be receiving a recent "de-push" following the release of disappointing SummerSlam PPV numbers and inability to defeat Randy Orton for the title. Similarly, CM Punk has moved from being part of the top title picture to an extended feud with former manager Paul Heyman to a program working alongside Daniel Bryan against the Wyatt Family. Mistico, a strong Mexico candidate, has languished in WWE as Sin Cara through his combination of injuries, suspension and disinterest or distrust (for perceived attitude problems) from the company to make him a major player.
All Analysis by Chris Harrington (chris.harrington@gmail.com)
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