WWE Hall of Fame: The Best Candidates Who Never Worked for WWE

It's hard to believe, but it seems every road traveled brings someone from another wrestling promotion to the WWE or WWF.

Even in the days when the NWA and AWA were popular promotions, wrestlers got their starts in other areas before moving on, and they all seemed to end up in Connecticut.

The McMahons surely knew what they were doing.

And when it comes to choosing wrestlers to place in the Hall of Fame, it is hard to find anyone who does not have some connection to the wrestling of the past.

But with careful consideration, here are seven wrestlers/tag teams who could make a case for induction into wrestling's greatest scene.

The Great Kabuki

Another one of Gary Hart's great finds from the Orient.

He came to the NWA blowing green mist and used weapons to defeat his opponents.

He was known for battles with Jimmy Valiant and Dusty Rhodes and was proficient with the crawl hold.

Even his look was scary and could arguably be the second-most popular Asian wrestler of his era to come to the states.

Wahoo McDaniel

The big chief was a mainstay of Jim Crockett's Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling—a regional champion who made the transition from pro football to pro wrestling.

There weren't many wrestlers who were as tough as Wahoo and he battled the likes of Ric Flair, Terry Funk and Bob Orton on a regular basis.

He trained and ushered in Magnum TA as the future of the company along with Ric Flair.

Flair has stated in his book, To Be The Man, that Wahoo was a big part of him "getting over" in professional wrestling.

The Rock and Roll Express

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were arguably the most popular tag team in the NWA in the mid-1980s. Bright colors, bandanas and mullets—they were the epitome of southern wrestling and held the NWA World Tag Team Championship four times.

They battled everyone in their path from the Andersons, the Horsemen, the Road Warriors and their rivals, the Midnight Express.

The Midnight Express

Maybe the most underrated tag team ever to compete.

Jim Cornette with that damn tennis racket his mama gave him was a hoot and he was seen as a nuisance. But in all reality, he grew into one of the best managers/proponents of wrestling of all time.

Stan Lane, Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey (a faction of two of them) were regional and national tag team champions, especially in the south.

And when they took on the likes of the Road Warriors or the Rock and Roll Express or even Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, we all got to see real tag team wrestling at its best.

The Freebirds

You cannot have southern wrestling and tag teams without The Freebirds.

Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts were one bad-ass clique that formed and battled the Von Erichs in Texas and were regional and national champions all over the NWA.

When Roberts left the group, Jimmy Garvin joined them and the stable did not miss a beat. They were all tough as nails and one of the greats of all time.

Nikita Koloff

Nikita Koloff will always be one of my favorites.

An American who trained in Minnesota with the Road Warriors with his given name Scott Simpson, he shaved his head and played the role of a Russian and Ivan Koloff's nephew.

He was powerful at 275 pounds and battled Ric Flair, Sting, Arn Anderson and others. He started out as a heel but turned face when Magnum TA almost lost his life in a car crash.

Ric Flair helped "make" him a star.

He was a regional champion and a big part of the NWA in Jim Crockett Promotions.

Sting

I do apologize. Everyone is right. My first thought was since he was still an active wrestler and he "could" still find his way to the WWE before he ends his career, I was going to leave him off.

But how could I?

When you think of iconic wrestlers of this generation and those who have revolutionized the business, Sting is on par with the Flairs Undertakers, Michaels and Andersons of our time.

Persona after persona after persona has been used and abused and still Sting has a new look or fad and people catch on like wildfire.

After more than 20 world titles and success in three different promotions, he is without a doubt one of the best of all time.

The Great Muta

Arguably the most skilled Japanese wrestler of all time. Keiji Mutoh has faced them all and at 49 years old, he is STILL wrestling.

When Muta came to the States, no one had any idea of how to defense him and he used his martial arts to become a regional and national star, battling the likes of Sting.

He even held he NWA World Heavyweight Title.