Any pro wrestling list is highly subjective. If you wracked your brain, you could probably come up with a hundred solo candidates throughout wrestling history more than worthy of WWE Hall of Fame induction.
(And, no, we’re not referring to their half-hearted "Legacy Wing," which has hastily and disrespectfully dumped in all-time greats like Bruiser Brody, Wahoo McDaniel, Lou Thesz, and Ray Stevens with little fanfare because Vince didn’t deem them worthy of airtime.)
Thus, I’ve chosen a dozen wrestlers who campaigned heavily in the old WWWF and WWF territory, warranting all the bells and whistles for the main induction ceremony.
Legends Who Flew Under Vince McMahon’s Radar
With Vince McMahon no longer at the helm of WWE, could this be the moment when overlooked legends finally get the WWE Hall of Fame recognition they deserve? Photo Credit: WWE.
The following twelve individuals were clearly on Vince McMahon’s radar and should have been inducted as early as 1993 when the WWE Hall of Fame tradition began. Despite this, many have waited for over thirty years without the recognition they deserve.
Now, with Vince McMahon no longer in charge, there’s hope that some of these long-overlooked legends might finally receive their rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Sadly, many of them are no longer with us and will never have the chance to receive the honor in person.
Without further ado, these are our "dirty dozen" of legends done wrong, in no particular order.
1. Angelo Mosca: A Canadian Heavyweight Legend
“King Kong” Angelo Mosca was a Canadian football legend and wrestling icon, but never made it to the WWE Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: WWE.
Canadian CFL football legend “King Kong” Angelo Mosca transitioned seamlessly into professional wrestling, headlining everywhere he went while garnering a basket full of regional titles along the way.
Main eventing throughout the territory against the WWWF/WWF Champion Bob Backlund and later a fierce feud with Pat Patterson, Mosca moved well for a super heavyweight and always gave the fans their money’s worth.
While a Canadian Football League Hall of Famer, he never got that WWE Hall of Fame nod but more than deserves it. Simply put, big men were rarely as good as "Big Nasty" Angelo Mosca.
Bill Eadie, aka Masked Superstar and Demolition Ax, one of the most versatile performers, is mysteriously snubbed by the WWE Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: WWE.
In an era of mostly big, lumbering heavyweights, Bill Eadie was a wrestling machine who could get over any and all gimmicks bestowed upon him.
As Bolo Mongol, Demolition Ax, Super Machine, and solo as The Masked Superstar, he climbed to the top in any area he appeared, with a plethora of belts to show for it. And he more than backed it up in-ring as a top-notch main-eventer.
Why he isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame is beyond comprehension. Only Vince would know why he isn’t on his "good list." However, we’re proud to have both Eadie and Mosca in our own 350 Days documentary.
3. Victor Rivera: Tag Team Glory, Hall of Fame Snub
Victor Rivera, beloved in New York and California, led the WWWF tag division but is absent from the WWE Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: WWE.
Incredibly agile and acrobatic for his era, Victor Rivera was that rare face, both beloved and talented enough to headline Madison Square Garden as a tag team partner to Bruno Sammartino.
Equally popular in California, New York fans also got to see his exploits on Olympic Auditorium TV tapings seen on UHF Channel 41 in Spanish; he had a huge Hispanic fan base at the time comparable to Pedro Morales.
Always high on any WWWF card he appeared, Rivera was a tag champ with Dominic DeNucci but abruptly gave up the belt to leave for the IWA, which briefly challenged the WWWF before collapsing.
He later got a rushed and botched heel turn here as part of Freddie Blassie’s Army and his career never quite reached the same levels after.
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4. Adrian Adonis: An Underrated In-Ring Technician
Adrian Adonis was both a tag team and singles star who brought incredible technical prowess to the ring. Photo Credit: WWE.
I attended Bob Backlund’s entire run leading up to and including his six-year championship reign, and I can attest that among the very best of his bouts were his series with a younger, fitter Adrian Adonis.
While never a beautiful body type, the 1982 version of Adonis was a tremendous technician, and he also was a big name anywhere and everywhere he went.
The Adonis/Murdoch and Adonis/Jesse Ventura tag teams also were tremendously successful.
While he’s best remembered for his over-the-top Adorable Adrian gimmick, as far as pure grappling, he was as great as virtually anyone. Backlund says just that in his autobiography.
Perusing the list of current WWE Hall of Famers, quite a few were never the level of star he was, nor did they draw the money he did on top.
It’s been reported there was behind-the-scenes heat between Bundy and Vince McMahon, and if so, it’s petty that somebody so deserving of the honor didn’t live to receive it.
6. Spiros Arion: The Heel Turn That Shocked the ’70s
Spiros Arion’s heel turn against Chief Jay Strongbow led to some of New York’s Madison Square Garden’s biggest sellouts in the 1970s. Photo Credit: WWE.
Old school fans lovingly remember the shocking heel turn of Spiros Arion, making proud Italian Indian Chief Jay Strongbow eat his feathers and traumatizing us kiddies for the longest time. This led to three MSG sell-outs and countless battles with Bruno Sammartino throughout the horn.
Arion also became part of Fred Blassie’s foreign heel army with Waldo Von Erich and other immortals.
Arion returned a few years later to battle Backlund as well. Until Larry Zbysko a half-decade later, no heel turn meant that much, and few have since.
He was a great performer, either face or heel, and the fact that he isn’t in the hall is beyond me.
7. Waldo Von Erich: Bruno’s Fiercest, Forgotten Rival
Waldo Von Erich, one of Bruno Sammartino’s most frequent opponents, delivered memorable battles but isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: WWE.
While I would have guessed that Bruno Sammartino wrestled Killer Kowalski and George "The Animal" Steele more than any other opponent, fierce Waldo Von Erich was indeed his most frequent opponent.
Another agile heavyweight, Waldo could wrestle, brawl, and his heel “tyrannical” schtick not all that long after World War II ended got instant heat during that era. Hey, many of the dads in the audience had fought in "the big one," my father included. Yes, the stoned-face heel was always "over" and gave the fans their money’s worth.
Few things delighted us more than Bruno stomping him into oblivion on any given night, and we returned to see just that time and time again.
8. John Tolos: The Golden Greek Deserving Recognition
John Tolos, ‘The Golden Greek,’ headlined across America and deserves a spot among WWE’s greatest heels. Photo Credit: WWE.
Those who know fully realize that the "Maniac" John Tolos, aka "The Golden Greek," was among the greatest heels ever to step foot in a ring. His classic feud with "The Hollywood Fashion Plate" Fred Blassie led to a massive closed-circuit pay-per-view match and super card in Los Angeles.
Hot off of Olympic Auditorium TV in New York City, Tolos headlined MSG versus our beloved Bruno and shocked us by calling "The Italian Strongman" a "spaghetti bender," and other ethnic slurs, which led to a match-up where he ultimately submitted to Bruno’s powerful backbreaker.
One of the greatest promo guys ever, Tolos, would talk you into a seat no matter who he was facing, and he also formed a great tag team with brother Chris.
That the Olympic promoters erased their TV videotapes to reuse was incredibly short-sighted and downright cheap; thus, history hasn’t been kind to John Tolos as not a lot of him has survived for future generations to savor. There is even more reason to see him in the WWE Hall of Fame.
9. Don Leo Jonathan: The Giant Pioneer Overlooked
Don Leo Jonathan, ‘The Mormon Giant,’ was a pioneer for big men in wrestling, yet mostly forgotten by WWE. Photo Credit: WWE.
While many Undertaker fans have done a fawning "He should go into the Hall of Fame alone" mantra recently, Don Leo Jonathan was a fellow big man and super heavyweight who could probably have wrestled circles around him. But again, history hasn’t been all that kind to "The Mormon Giant."
DLJ’s career peaked well before the Hulkamania era and even the Internet and thus isn’t a familiar name to several generations of fans.
A perennial main-eventer and challenger to champions worldwide, including Bruno and Pedro Morales, he easily ranks on any “Top 10” wrestling big man list.
It’s an utter disgrace that he is not in the WWE Hall of Fame because Vince knows just how great he truly was.
Dynamite Kid revolutionized high-flying wrestling, but has his troubled past has kept him out of the WWE Hall of Fame? Photo Credit: WWE.
Sitting in Madison Square Garden in the 1980s, we saw plenty of super heavyweights take on champ Bob Backlund. But none of us were prepared for "smaller guys" Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask blowing the roof off "the mecca of professional wrestling."
We gasped at moves we had never seen before, and when their legendary contest was over, we could breathe once again.
Thomas Billington was a pioneer who took wrestling to a whole different level, and the British Bulldogs were also a great and beloved tag team. Besides, his in-ring exploits led to his being in a wheelchair later in life, so ultimately, few have sacrificed more.
Although some feel that his troubled legacy outside of the ring is to blame, The Dynamite Kid deserves to be front and center in the hall- as of yesterday.
11. Ivan Koloff: The Man Who Toppled Bruno Sammartino
Ivan Koloff (pictured here with Lou Albano) shocked the world by ending Bruno Sammartino’s historic title reign, yet he remains unrecognized in the WWE Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: WWE.
A million words have been written about the night Ivan Koloff shocked the world by pinning our hero, Saint Bruno, at Madison Square Garden. You could hear a pin drop and women wept.
Why? Because back then, the belt meant something; actually, it meant everything.
Bruno was a half-God to us, and the mighty Ivan had accomplished the impossible eight years into his legendary reign. Besides that, he was a great wrestler with a perfect Cold War period heel Russian gimmick.
Any USA vs. Russia match involving Ivan and later his NWA "Russians" was box office gold.
He would go hold-for-hold with anyone, brawl, get color, and if you wanted to toss him through the air like a projectile, he was game for that, too.
Plus, he had charisma and credibility off the charts. The fact Vince knew he was unwell before his passing and wouldn’t put him in the hall is an unforgivable disgrace that still stains the WWE.
12. Ken Patera: The Strongman Who Deserves His Place
Ken Patera, Olympic weightlifter turned wrestling star, was a perennial challenger who deserved more recognition. Photo Credit: WWE.
The Olympic weightlifter turned pro wrestler should be on any “Top 10” or 20 all-time heel list and is numero uno on my list of injustices here.
A perennial challenger to all the world champions of his era, his title matches with Bruno, Backlund, and Pat Patterson for the Intercontinental belt are all-time classics.
Patera could do it all in the ring, from tests of strength to technical wrestling, and he wasn’t shy about engaging in bloody brawls either. At his peak, he was as great as anyone.
When I look back at my nearly fifty years of attending wrestling, I can, without hesitation, say that seeing Ken Patera live was among the greatest nights of my life.
A Final Call for WWE to Right Their Hall of Fame Wrongs
Ivan Koloff, Angelo Mosca, and King Kong Bundy—three giants of the ring who helped shape WWE’s legacy. Will WWE finally give them the Hall of Fame recognition they deserve? Photo Credit: WWE.
Hopefully, WWE will show the class someday to build not only a brick-and-mortar Hall of Fame building but also honor these dozen giants who so rightfully deserve entry.
These twelve legends not only dominated their eras but also helped build the foundation of the WWE we know today. It’s a disservice to their legacies—and the fans—that they haven’t been given the recognition they rightfully deserve.
While some may have passed without seeing their moment of honor, it’s never too late for WWE to right these wrongs. We can only hope that future inductions will show these giants of the ring the respect they have long earned.
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Evan Ginzburg is the Senior Editor for Pro Wrestling Stories and a contributing writer since 2017. He’s a published author, with his latest book, "Wrestling Rings, Blackboards, and Movie Sets," released on January 7th, 2025. He was an Associate Producer on the Oscar-nominated movie "The Wrestler" and the acclaimed wrestling documentary "350 Days." He is a 30-plus-year film, radio, and TV veteran and a voice-over actor on the radio drama "Kings of the Ring."
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