In Defense of the “Lesser” WWE Hall of Famers

This week, WWE announced the latest induction into its Hall of Fame, and for this columnist, it was a very pleasant surprise to see Hillbilly Jim get the Grand Invitation.

As a young kid in those mid and late-eighties, I loved Hillbilly Jim. I knew he wasn’t on the level of a Hogan or Andre, but I also knew that he was still more than capable in the ring, and he was just a fun personality that I liked to root for. I had his old LJN action figure, and he definitely won more than he lost in my little action figure federation.

He’d stop competing eventually, and I’d be surprised to see him pop up on some Coliseum Videos, or hosting Prime Time Wrestling, or as a manager to Henry O and Phineas I Godwinn for a brief spell. He was never an all-time favorite of mine, he never made any of my “Top _ Guys That Should Have Won a Championship in the WWF” lists, and I can’t think of any match of his that I’d list as a traditionally “great” match.

Still, I have no doubt in my mind that Hillbilly Jim is a Hall of Famer. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

Frankly, I’m of the opinion that to get into the WWE Hall of Fame, one must do one thing – and one thing only – to earn a spot: accept the invitation.

I don’t mean that in some cynical, oh the Hall is a farce type of way, either. I just think that if Vince McMahon (or Triple H, or whoever makes the decision on any given man or woman) extends the invitation, it’s already been decided that you’re good enough. If you don’t want to be included for any number of reasons, that’s fine. If you do, and you accept, then guess what? You’re good enough.

And damn it, Hillbilly Jim is good enough.

His entry was simple enough: he was a big man seen often in the crowd, and eventually decided to give it a shot. He’d be trained by Hulk Hogan (a hell of a friend to make right off the bat), and he’d soon make his in-ring debut.

Jim was never involved in high-level feuds, almost like a Santino of the 80’s. But he was a beloved character, and did still do battle against monsters like Big John Studd, the Big Boss Man, Akeem, and Andre the Giant (with whom he also teamed).

He also feuded with King Kong Bundy, which culminated in a six-man tag at WrestleMania III that saw Jim team with smaller-in-stature superstars Haiti Kid and Little Beaver while Bundy teamed with Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook, the vaunted submission grappler. The match would end when all of the smaller wrestlers turned on Bundy for his tactics, and Bundy decided to squash Little Beaver in response.

In short, Jim had a fine career, but one that could easily be derided as undeserving by some fans. I’m not one of those fans. I think that there is absolutely a place in the Hall of Fame for the “lesser” superstars of any era, and I’m more than thankful that those with the call tend to agree with my stance on things.

I like that a George Steele or a Johnny Rodz was given that distinction. That a Junkyard Dog or a Tito Santana were honored by a former employer and celebrated by their peers. That in a conceptual world, Peter Maivia, Koko B Ware, and Rikishi get to sit at the same table with Andre, Hogan, and Randy Savage.

And I like that Hillbilly Jim has found himself with a spot at the table.

Yes, of course, we’ll all line up to list the people who deserve it more – Owen Hart, Demolition, Chyna, Other Wrestler Q – but I just fail to see how that takes away what others have done, or makes it so that these “lesser” superstars don’t belong yet.

As we know, there is no physical Hall of Fame. This is usually noted as a source of mockery, or of claiming that the WWE Hall is a farce. I do think that it hurts the entity somewhat, but it also makes it so that, for now, there is no limit on who can be honored. There is no wall space that is running out. There are no rooms that are filled to their limit with The Godfather’s hats, which could easily be used to house The British Bulldog’s capes, damn it!

None of that exists, and so I don’t see the need to rush through the very best, as if we need to make sure they get in before it’s too full.

I also think that the mixing of each class – with a true headliner, followed by a couple also-stellar inductions, and then a few people lower on the overall totem pole, but still valuable resources during their time, and worthy of celebration by those who enjoyed them then, and would like to thank them now – allows for a better flow. Instead of 7 or 8 genuine all-time great type of superstars, we get to have a nice build from the appetizers to the main course. Again, I don’t see this as a bad thing.

In fact, I think it’s smart to keep the big ticket guys separated for another reason: once they’re used up, the Hall of Fame inductions would be filled with people that many fans would not be excited to see. So, instead of having one or two of those inductions a year, we’d instead have 7 or 8 of these “lesser” types. That can’t be the goal, right?

Koko B Ware is the man that is most often cited as someone who doesn’t belong. If Koko is in, the old joke goes. To disrespect the rather successful career of a man just because his didn’t match someone who has yet to be inducted just doesn’t sit right with me. Hell, if WWE decided to put Barry Horowitz in next year, I wouldn’t bellyache that Owen (or anyone else) should be there instead. On his own merit, I’d say that Barry Horowitz earned a position in the WWE Hall of Fame, just as Koko B Ware did.

Any professional wrestler that performed, had fans, and is remembered, in my opinion, should be in there. I mean, what other criteria is there? Do we use shoot stats like wins and losses, championships won, or winning streaks? Because none of those were earned strictly on the physical talents of the wrestlers. Do we also honor guys who simply carried the favor of the booker for a longer time than others? Because we can cite plenty of examples of wrestlers getting pushes for all sorts of reasons besides talent alone. It seems arbitrary and borderline spiteful to suddenly decide that, for a Hall of Fame that exists mainly as a way to honor and thank past performers, there are some who actually don’t deserve to be honored and thanked.

At least, not until we honor and thank this guy first.

And that’s why I’m more than happy to honor Hillbilly Jim this year. To thank Hillbilly Jim. And to realize that while there may be superstars that we consider bigger than others, they all deserve this night. And, hopefully, one year at a time, we’ll see to it that they all get it.

This year, the Hall of Fame will learn to not go messin’ with a country boy while the town of Mud Lick, Kentucky smiles wide.