WWE Hall of Fame: Is It Meaningless or a Great Way to Pay Respect?

This year's Hall of Fame ceremony was certainly a night of love and appreciation for some of WWE's greatest talents.

Fans were able to see the induction of numerous superstars, including Edge, a lifelong WWE fan and one of the most decorated wrestlers in WWE history.

The WWE Hall of Fame includes some of the greatest names in wrestling history, but it is also a WWE institution under constant criticism for years.

The Hall of Fame was created in 1993, and on the first night, the sole inductee was Andre The Giant.

Since then, we have seen such names as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Iron Sheik, Steve Austin and Bret Hart be inducted.

There are many criticisms of the Hall of Fame, including a lack of some highly deserving names, no physical building and the selection process.

It is widely known that if Vince McMahon does not want you in the Hall of Fame, you do not end up in the Hall of Fame.

Who actually proposes the names which are included each year is most likely a list of WWE employees that will remain secret, but the final say belongs to McMahon, and it will until he steps down and sells his stock in the company, which will not happen.

Having someone with the ego of McMahon be in charge of the selection process means people who have wronged him will probably have no chance of being included.

People like Randy Savage have been rumored for years to have bad blood with McMahon, which is why his name has been left off the ballot year after year.

Letting personal feelings dictate who gets an induction is definitely one way for the Hall of Fame to lose some credibility, and it appears it already has.

When it comes to having a physical building, WWE is working on a location for a physical hall which would house various pieces of memorabilia similar to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Basically, for some fans, the Hall will never be legitimate until the selection process is defined and governed by a voting body like the other major Hall of Fames related to sports.

Once this occurs and a physical building is in place, then the Hall of Fame will be a much more prestigious honor.

Even with all of these things working against the credibility of the Hall of Fame, does it make it any less special for those who get inducted?

I doubt it, because for those men and women, this is a way for them to see how loved and appreciated they are by the fans.

When Arn Anderson stepped up to the mic during the Four Horsemen's induction speech, he received a standing ovation. You could see how clearly affected he was by the outpouring of love and respect from those in attendance.

None of the other Horsemen got the same standing ovation—just Anderson.

It goes to show you that the people who bust their bottoms off only to play second-fiddle to someone else for most of his career can still be recognized as one of the best the business has ever seen.

It was also clear during Edge's induction that the honor meant a lifetime of sacrifice and injury had been validated. He knows he would never be able to wrestle again, but at least he knows his contributions were noticed and recognized as significant.

Ron Simmons also expressed his happiness as being inducted through one simple word which summed up how he felt: "Damn!"

Ever since WWE started televising the induction ceremony, fans have been given a peek into the lives these grapplers lead outside the ring.

Stories are shared by wrestlers which we may never get to hear otherwise, making for one of the more interesting evening of the year.

One memory I always come back to is from Bret Hart's speech,  where he talked about his brother Owen's love of practical jokes.

He told a story of how Owen had called his father very early one morning, pretending to be someone who had been a long-time friend of Stu Hart's from the business.

Owen, as the friend, claimed that Stu was not tough and could not take him in a real fight. Bret recalled Stu angrily hanging up the phone, looking at him and saying "Your damn brother, he got me again."

It was a funny story, but also a reminder that Owen and Stu were no longer among us, which turned into a mini-memorial since Bret may have thought he would never get the chance to induct Owen due to issues with his estate.

Now that the suit between WWE and Martha Hart regarding WWE using Owen's image has been dismissed, we may get to see him inducted sometime down the line.

The Hall of Fame is something the WWE could easily turn into something legitimate in fans' eyes, but until some internal changes are made there will always be those who feel it is a joke.

What do you think? Is the WWE Hall of Fame a joke or a great way to honor past stars?