10 people who should be in the WWE Hall of Fame

While we as fans and pundits would like to think that certain people or wrestlers who have impacted the business in one form or another should be in the WWE Hall of Fame, the fact is that a lot can factor into someone not getting into it.

One big factor is that act's past and current relationship with the WWE. If they were on bad terms in the past, sometimes they can 'bury the hatchet' so to speak, like the Ultimate Warrior did.

While it seems that he mainly did so because he was knew he was dying, the fact remains that unless you did something completely unspeakable or unforgivable, like Chris Benoit, then amends can usually be made.

But another unavoidable reason why some people get into the HOF and some do not is the current relationship that they have with the company.

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Someone like CM Punk should be in the HOF in our hearts and minds, but due to the messy break up and Punk's stance that he'll never come back or forgive them, he'll likely never be considered for an induction.

And a tag team like Demolition hasn't been inducted due to the fact that its members are among the concussion lawsuit that has been filed against the WWE by numerous former superstars.

With that being said, there are some wrestlers or personalities that should be in the HOF but who are not. Here are 10 such examples.

Rob Van Dam

Mr. Monday Night had done more than enough to warrant an induction.

Rob Van Dam was lucky to be around in a time when WWE still thought enough of wrestlers from ECW and WCW to sign them to deals.

One of the most popular wrestlers from ECW and maybe of all time was 'Mr. Monday Night', Rob Van Dam.

He was a fixture in both the mid-card scene and the tag team scene, winning tag team titles three times and mid-card titles 11 times, including six Intercontinental Title reigns.

RVD was riding so high during the mid 2000s that he was chosen to defeat John Cena at One Night Stand, being the current WWE Champion AND ECW Champion.

While ECW would soon become defunct, the idea that RVD of all people was able to accomplish this during the eras of Randy Orton, Triple H, Batista, the Undertaker and Cena is amazing.

Vader

Even though he looks like he wouldn't be all that agile, he was able to pull off both moonsaults and Vader Bombs.

He might have had a bigger run in the WWF in the mid 90s but he might have had trouble facing the Kliq during the height of their backstage influence.

Vader was literally a monster in New Japan and is one of the few foreign-born wrestlers to win the IWGP Heavyweight Title along the likes of Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles.

His run in WCW saw him feud and win the WCW Heavyweight Championship from Sting while also battling Cactus Jack and Davey Boy Smith.

During his WWE run, he feuded with Yokozuna and then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels, but he was unsuccessful in capturing the title.

Vader was truly a unique specimen in the wrestling ring and with his death last June, it was felt by many that he would receive an induction this year. It did not happen.

Ivan Koloff

The Russian Bear was the original 'Anti-American' heel back in the 1970s and 1980s.

To those fans who started watching professional wrestling in the 1980s and who probably remember Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant the most, then we're all forgetting one of the first true heels in the WWWF.

During the Cold War between the US and the USSR, the easiest way to get heat was to have a wrestler from Russia or the USSR oppose any American wrestler.

Since WWWF tried to capitalize on this, Ivan Koloff was pushed as 'the Russian Bear' and did the unthinkable in 1971 - he defeated the first superstar of the WWWF, Bruno Sammartino - for the WWWF Championship.

Although he only held the title for 21 days and was a 'transitional champion' to get the title from Sammartino to Pedro Morales, the fact that he was the man picked to take the title from Sammartino was huge.

Champions often had long reigns back then, and especially the face ones. When Koloff defeated Sammartino, he ended a reign of over seven years.

Pulling off the act must have been difficult during those tumultuous times for both sides of the Cold War. He was also an influential act in NWA/Crockett Promotions during the 1980s.

If Hillbilly Jim is in the HOF and he never did anything of note, then Koloff is certainly more than deserving.

Miss Elizabeth

Although the likes of Sunny and Sable probably think that they were the first 'divas' or greatest 'divas' of all time, then they just proved that they didn't know the history of the business that they were a part of.

Any fan of the sport who watched the WWF in the 1980s and 1990s know exactly who Miss Elizabeth is.

She was the real-life girlfriend of Macho Man Randy Savage and the on-screen valet of his throughout much of his career.

Miss Elizabeth certainly represented a woman of class unlike Sunny and Sable after her who mainly relied on skin to get over.

And that's not to mention that she was a key piece in two of the biggest storylines in WWF history, with the first being in the middle when the 'Mega Powers Exploded'.

The second was when she was a pawn in the WWF Title feud between Savage and the Nature Boy Ric Flair.

Although her impact wasn't as great when she moved to WCW, she was truly one of the first female valets in the sport who gained mainstream recognition and who paved the way for women of the future.

The Steiner Brothers

C'mon, that mullet alone should be worthy of the Hall of Fame.

As the Hart Foundation and Harlem Heat are set to go into the Hall of Fame in this year's class, several of their contemporaries like Demolition and the Steiner Brothers still sit outside waiting.

The Steiner Brothers, albeit as jacked wrestlers, represented the amateur nature of the sport and brought legitimate credentials to the business as each man wrestled for Michigan in college.

They experienced success all over the world, including NJPW, WCW and WWF. They feuded with the Freebirds, Doom and the Midnight Express in WCW as well as Harlem Heat, the Outsiders, Sting and Lex Luger in their second stint.

In the WWE, they battled the Quebecers, Money, Inc. and the Headshrinkers. Although they only had a short, two-year run in the WWE, Harlem Heat never competed in the WWE as a team and they are being inducted this year.

One factor for an omission into the HOF is probably due to Scott Steiner not always getting along with Triple H and those in charge.

Nonetheless, they were one of the better teams of that era whose moves like the bulldog off the top rope and the Frankensteiner were often the first time that American audiences saw those moves.

The British Bulldog

Davey Boy Smith impacted both the singles ranks and the tag team scene.

Some might feel that the British Bulldogs as a team should warrant an induction, but due to the longevity and success of his career outside of the tag team, I think Davey Boy Smith deserves to be inducted on his merits alone.

Even his daughter, Georgia, thinks it is long overdue regarding her father's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The duo did win the tag team titles during their run from 1984-1988, but Smith returned to the company in 1990. He won the Intercontinental Title in 1992 from Bret Hart in the main event of SummerSlam that year as it was held in the UK.

He would depart but return in 1994, teaming with Lex Luger and later joining Camp Cornette along with Yokozuna and Owen Hart.

But more of his success came as a member of the expanded Hart Foundation alongside Bret, Owen, Jim Neidhart and Brian Pillman.

During his run in WWF, he was a two-time tag team champion, one-time IC Champ, a two-time European Champion and a two-time Hardcore Champion.

He was a great mid-carder who jumped to the main event occasionally and who represented the UK during the height of his popularity.

Who can forget when it was thought that he won the 1995 Royal Rumble only to have Shawn Michaels come back and win because only one foot touched the ground?

Brian Pillman

The Loose Cannon was successful in both WCW and WWE.

While Pillman wasn't necessarily a main-event player in either WCW or WWE, he was a key part of WCW in the late 80s and early 90s and in the WWF during a tough time of transition in the middle of the 90s.

He was integral to the progression of Stone Cold Steve Austin's WWE character and the two were able to build off of their success as the Hollywood Blondes during their time in WCW.

Ric Flair and the WCW brass must have thought enough of him so much that they tried to relaunch a newer version of the Four Horsemen with Flair, Anderson, Pillman and Chris Benoit.

The moment when Austin showed up at Pillman's home on an episode of Raw and Pillman brandished a gun, is thought by many to have started the Attitude Era in WWF.

He was such a phenomenal athlete that he played in the NFL and fought Jyushin Liger on more than one occasion. Pillman might not have been a champion in WWF but he certainly made an impact wherever he went.

Demolition

The Ax and the Smasher were once the longest-reigning WWF Tag Team Champs.

When Mr. McMahon wanted to create an answer to the success of the Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal, the WWF responded with the team of Demolition.

Ax and Smash came to the ring adorned in spiked vests and helmets like they walked out of Mad Max or a leather party. Once they took off the masks, they revealed different variations of face paint.

The duo has success as both heels and faces as they won their first tag titles in 1988 after defeating Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) with the help of the infamous manager, Mr. Fuji.

Demolition also battled the Hart Foundation, the British Bulldogs and many other teams throughout their WWF tenure.

Once they were betrayed by Fuji, they turned face and battled the Heenan Family, the Brain Busters and the Colossal Connection.

During their three runs as WWF Tag Team Champions, they set the modern-day record for a length of a reign, holding the titles for 478 days. The record stood until it was broken in 2016 by the New Day.

Members of Demolition are among the numerous superstars who are a part of the concussion lawsuit against the WWE which is perhaps why they haven't been inducted.

Christian

A lot of the success that Edge had early on in the WWF would not have happened had he not been paired with his real-life friend, Christian.

Many revere the Hardys and Dudleys as invigorating the tag team division during the late stages of the 90s and the early 2000s, but a lot of those historic ladder or TLC matches often included Edge and Christian.

The duo was not only great in the ring but had comedic charisma that is hard to come by in the business.

As a tag team wrestler, Christian was a nine-time champion and he finally won the World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton after Edge had to suddenly retire. He had two reigns as the World Heavyweight Champ.

His singles success also saw him win the Intercontinental Title four times and the ECW Heavyweight Championship twice.

On titles won alone, Christian deserves to be in the HOF. The fact that he had it across so many divisions and was also so entertaining at every level only speaks to his mastery of the craft.

Owen Hart

The oft-overlooked younger brother of Bret Hart ran with the chip on his shoulder throughout his career. Whether it was based in reality or not, Owen was a great opponent for superstars like Jeff Jarrett, Stone Cold Steve Austin and his brother on occasion.

While his controversial death might have made things difficult for an induction, his omission from the HOF is glaring when wrestlers like the Godfather, Rikishi and Brutus Beefcake get inducted.

He never captured the main prize in the WWF, but was great when he ran with the 'Slammy Award Winner' awards during his career as well as the King of the Ring victory in 1994.

Hart captured four tag team titles and the Hart Foundation feuded with a young group known as DX. He also won the Intercontinental Title twice and would feud with a young Triple H, Jeff Jarrett and numerous others.

Bret Hart and several other wrestlers have spoken on behalf of Owen Hart being inducted into the HOF, including Mark Henry. His wife, Martha, however, is still at odds with the WWE and the Hart Family.

His induction is more than overdue and is a huge example of how not all of those who were successful during their WWE runs get into the HOF for one reason or another.

Edited by Mustafa Ismail