Biggest WWE Hall of Fame Omissions After Randy Savage's Upcoming Induction

In the last few years, the WWE Hall of Fame has filled its most glaring holes, the most recent coming when the company announced that Randy Savage is set for induction this year.

Before that, legends on the outside looking in just recently entered the Hall. Bob Backlund and Bruno Sammartino finally got their nods in 2013. Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts received the honor last year.

Macho Man will soon join those names, forcing one to change the answer to the question, "Who is the most deserving Hall of Fame candidate still not in?"

A number of trailblazers from the past, recent megastars and some legendary teams now collectively take Savage's spot.

The criteria for WWE's Hall is more complicated and subjective than those for sports. Stats don't mean nearly as much. Championships aren't as key to gaining entry. 

Popularity and impact on the industry play huge parts in Hall of Fame worthiness. Combine that with quantifiable things like time spent as a main eventer and championships won. Looking at those criteria, one still finds pro wrestling's history flush with grapplers worthy of induction. 

Previous induction into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame or Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame aids one's case.

Pioneers

• Lou Thesz
• Bruiser Brody
• Ray Stevens
• The Destroyer

These men all made their marks on wrestling itself, not WWE.

There is a precedent for honoring the men and women who helped build the business, as seen by WWE's induction of wrestlers like Gorgeous George and Verne Gagne. Should the company wish to dip into that category again, it can't go wrong with any of these choices.

The entire quartet is already in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and were part of Wrestling Observer's inaugural class.

Thesz was an innovator, a shooter and a tremendous performer who deserves to be in the discussion for the greatest pro wrestler of all time. 

Per WWE.com, Thesz created the STF, the powerbomb and the Thesz Press. He held the NWA world title for much of the '50s. The former champ is also in the Puroesu Hall of Fame, as well as WCW's Hall.

Brody remains the benchmark for brawlers. No one tore it up in the ring like that chain-swinging maniac.

His resume is more about dropped jaws and wide eyes than championships. When Brody wrestled, fans remembered. He traveled from territory to territory, from Japan to Puerto Rico, leaving fans with long-lasting memories of his wild energy.

The Destroyer and Stevens collided many a time in the early '70s. Each man won't be familiar to many of today's fans but thrived when wrestling first became a fixture on TV.

As The Destroyer, Dick Beyer became one of the most well-known and accomplished masked wrestlers of all time. He wrestled in Japan, the Pacific Northwest and the Los Angeles area and worked as Dr. X in Gagne's AWA, becoming that promotion's world champ in 1968.  

Stevens was one of the finest in-ring performers the business has seen.

His career saw him earn several tag titles and challenge Sammartino for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, employing an impressive, athletic style. In his biography, Tangled Ropes, "Superstar" Billy Graham wrote of watching Stevens work, "I'd been a fan since the first day I peeked through the slit in the curtain and beheld a master craftsman performing his art."

Semi-Active

• Undertaker
• Triple H
• The Rock

Unlike in sports, WWE doesn't have a mandated waiting period between retirement and Hall of Fame eligibility. Shawn Michaels went in just a year after his final match.

WWE can induct any of these three gentlemen anytime it wants. 

Undertaker and Triple H haven't wrestled since WrestleMania 30. The Rock last competed a year before that. It's not clear whether any of them will strap on his boots one more time, but their cases for induction are undeniable. 

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has already welcomed the three of them to its Hall.

Undertaker's longevity alone is noteworthy. He began his career when Hulk Hogan was still king and kept evolving his character to stay relevant. The Deadman competed in 22 of the 30 WrestleManias, main eventing three of them and delivering an instant classic several times over.

He was a world champion, a top-notch worker and one of the company's most enduring characters. When WWE created its own version of Mt. Rushmore, Undertaker's face was unsurprisingly on it.

Triple H was a key component of the Attitude Era and beyond, feuding with top stars like Steve Austin, John Cena and Michaels. His first WrestleMania main event (2000) is nine years apart from his most recent one, evidence of how long he managed to stay on top.

The case for The Rock is easy. 

When you become a pillar of the company during its peak, you deserve recognition. When you become known as one of the greatest talkers in the business' history and finish in the top four in the voting for Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Most Popular Wrestler of the Year award for five straight years, your ticket to the Hall comes pre-stamped.

Others Deserving Consideration

• Owen Hart
• Ivan Koloff
• The Freebirds

The Rocket's career accomplishments are more about popularity and impact than other candidates. He was never a main eventer and never won the world title.

The argument for him, though, centers on how much fans adored him and his peers respected him. He was an exciting jolt for the company, bringing in a high-flying style. A charming, likable prankster, he left an unforgettable impression on the audience despite leaving this world too soon.

Like with Savage before him, awarding him a Hall of Fame spot will be hard to pull off, though. As his brother Smith Hart wrote for PWMania, "With my sister-in-law, Martha, still at odds with WWE, the likelihood of the two coming to terms on Owen's individual induction remains highly unlikely."

Koloff was one of WWE's most convincing and unsettling heels. He thrived in territories in the '70s, teaming up with various partners and being a key for various promotions. As his Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame profile reads, "He was on top in the Mid-Atlantic for years, starting in 1974."

He is most known for battling, and ultimately defeating, the seemingly unstoppable Sammartino for WWE's top title.

The Freebirds were too innovative, influential and memorable to not be a part of WWE's Hall of Fame, even if much of their success came elsewhere.

While acts like Gorgeous George had used entrance music prior to Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes and Company popularized the use of blaring rock music as they made their way to the ring. They were red-hot heels, taking their act from Dallas to WCW, Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation to WWE for the briefest of runs.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded The Freebirds Match of the Year in 1984, Feud of the Year in both 1983 and 1984 as well as Tag Team of the Year in 1980.

Now that WWE has finally righted the wrong of a Savage-less Hall of Fame, the next few ceremonies should honor The Freebirds, remember Thesz's contributions and salute The Rock. There are still holes along the company's improving Hall.