Minimum Standards...

[LWPD]

Something that always bothered me about the original Promoter version of the GWF HOF was the exclusion of Dorado Sundown. As a unit DS was a major part of my feds early history....and Blacklash was a Stan Hansen-esque killer in singles competition. Yet they stood excluded due to a lack of official storyline longevity...while Tantalis & Parsec...who achieved very little for me...achieved the honor and glory of membership.

Should 'official' storyline issues that cause a lack of longevity for a given candidate preclude them from membership...or should the history of each given players use of the characters decide their legitimacy?

Are there any other minimum qualifications that you would suggest should be an issue in judging a candidates merits?

Why...why not...discuss...

[Chewey]

Very interesting discussions on the inclusion/exclusion of both of these teams, Paint. I think that is something best left to the vote, and with a 75% threshold that we're talking about, it would not be unfathomable to see both teams excluded if enough people vote against including either team.

I am also interested in the ballot for Hechilles. Right now I am inclined to leave him off the ballot, at least the first time. Why? Because I am not convinced about his longevity in the GWF either. Whereas Blacklash and Bullwhip were the stars of the 2074 set, Hechilles was hardly anything but a supporting character with main event-level stats.

And while I understand that there are plenty of promoters who have been playing tons of EC, to me Hechilles' legacy is still somewhat lacking, because he only appears as a character in one set. His active years were from 2078-2087, and while he was the first singles rival to challenge Omega besides Morpheus, the fact is that he is not spoken in the same breath as Omega, Morpheus, Star Warrior, Thantos, and Wolf.

Hechilles also hardly has a backstory to support his otherwise strong stats.

I'm interested in hearing the counterargument for his case. Right now, to me, Hechilles is a borderline candidate.

[Chewey]

also, are we voting for election based on each card, or by each character?

[steefposton]

In my mind, it's got to be each character. You don't vote for Michael Jordan only in 96-97, but his entire career, when his "stats" were up, and when they tailed off at the end of his career.

[Wildfire]

I think there definately has to be a minimum amount of time you were in the fed. In the case of Dorado Sundown, sure they were huge for two years but that doesn't signal "greatest of all time" when the GWF has, what 46 years of history now?

I'd say go with 5 years.

[Pete Beck]

While i want to say yes...because longevity is one thing that definitely sets HoF'ers apart...Longevity sometimes is mistaken for greatness...just because you are around for a long time doesn't mean the individual is a HoF'ers.

I would also have to say no...in that an individual can come in for a short time and just dominate...then leave while on the top stating there is nothing else for him/her to prove.

Merit...not timing...should be the deciding factor.

[steelthunder814]

I think we should go by Impact....what characters stood out above the rest?...Who affected fans in such a way that 20 yrs from now they remember them with great fondness?....Innovation...What did they do that changed the field?

[mikefortune]

I currently have a HOF for what happens in my fed. I don't really follow Tom's stories all that much and because of that I most likely have had different wrestlers rise to the top for me. To make it into my HOF I use a point system. Each title is worth X amount of points, defences are points, your wins are points, major wins are X points and awards are points and you get +5 points per year to a maximum of 5 years. And to get in you have to have 300+ points. Tag teams are judged the same but at a lower points scale and managers have their own point scale.

In doing this I make sure only the best and greatest wrestlers of my fed will get in. Krakan never made it in as a wrestler but as a manager he is a shoe in. I am thinking of having an old timers clause like baseball, were I will look at his points and see if he is close enough. And maybe slide in on a sentimental vote.

As of 2101 only Massif is in a a wrestler and The Gladiators are in as a tag team. No manager has made it in.

[sickman]

I think I said in another thread but will reiterate here.

Someones personal fed has to come into effect when deciding a HoFamer. Alpha Force was written as a threat to Chaos. Yet in my fed he was squashed each time. I would vote no on Force based on my fed.

I think to do this accurately, each promoter would have to give reasons as to why a certain guy deserves or doesn't deserve to be in the HoF based on personal feds. Then after reading each "highlight" from a wrestlers career, the voters can make their decision.

**Edit: Also to answer the question. A guy should be voted on their own merits. Is Jim Brown less of a Hall of Famer because he only played 7 years?

[gatekeeper]

I don't think so.

Any wrestler we would be "debating" on whether or not to put in would have met any requirements we would've set forth anyway.

[Vidtek]

OK, the only person I could even debate this point against would be Jack Hood of the EC era. "Officially" he never competed in the GWF. He wanted to, but the officials in charge kept him out. He did help train Vice, but I don't think that would lead to a HoF induction. He may have faced GWF stars, but he was never an official GWF wrestler.
However, he has been used in quite a few EC feds (and even some non-EC ones). I use him in mine. He hasn't gotten his bloody mits on a title yet but he is stirring up trouble. This is the only thing I could see being a problem with "official" longevity over each actual career in each individual fed.
Big Time

[theringmaster]

adamsmasher said:

OK, the only person I could even debate this point against would be Jack Hood of the EC era. "Officially" he never competed in the GWF. He wanted to, but the officials in charge kept him out. He did help train Vice, but I don't think that would lead to a HoF induction. He may have faced GWF stars, but he was never an official GWF wrestler.
However, he has been used in quite a few EC feds (and even some non-EC ones). I use him in mine. He hasn't gotten his bloody mits on a title yet but he is stirring up trouble. This is the only thing I could see being a problem with "official" longevity over each actual career in each individual fed.
Big Time

Good point made! Hood is injuring people left and right (especially Paladin Power who will never be the same) in my EC... He came in claiming to be the real champ sporting his P.O.W. belt and causing havoc everywhere. Due to his success AND the fact that he rules I would vote yes and will do so for Hood. Of course most will vote no and that is understandable... I actually don't have plans for Hood to retire or "go away" until maybe as late as 2090. I think it must just come down to what each individual did in each person's fed. I think I will be in the minority in giving Hood the two thumbs up.

[Darth Turkish]

I think it has to be our ouw feds. As I have said before, Spike did pretty poorly for me, yet Manslaughter (CE) was an amazing champion for me, and for me to not even be able to consider him in the running would make me lose interest in a project like this.

This is obviously not about Manslaughter specifically, but every Blazing Skull, Dark Justice, Ursa Major, Swarm, Archon, Massif and Mad Jester (and other) out there: guys who may not have had th stats of top tier characters, but nonetheless, kicked serious butt in our feds and performed above and beyond what they were expected to.

[gatekeeper]

No bootlegs should be in the HOF.

These should be all characters that have been officially released by Filsinger Games.

[steefposton]

agreed, I don't think bootlegs should be allowed in a GWF HOF.

[Darth Turkish]

gatekeeper said:

No bootlegs should be in the HOF.

These should be all characters that have been officially released by Filsinger Games.

I agree

[Chewey]

I agree as well on not including bootlegs. But I would go even further and say that Halcon Oro, Theatre of Pain, and Promoter Madness characters do not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame either. At least not until Tom, Mark, or Kris make a substantial effort to include them in the storylines.

The Hall of Fame should not just be on the strength of one card. It should not even be limited to how a wrestler did in one individual's fed. The character's overall impact and legacy of the game, and how it sticks out as one of the true greats should be the criteria for enshrinement.

[Darth Turkish]

Well I think that goes without saying. As I had said Manslaughter was friggin awesome in my fed, but if in everyone else's fed he never got above .500 well then my argument is kinda shot yes?

[Chewey]

I've brought up the Lord Nexus argument, let me start with another.

Animal Pack.

I think a lot of people had red lights go off when Animal Pack and Exo-King were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Did Animal Pack win titles? Yes. They were the only team that really gave the Gladiators a run for their money. Did they have a lasting legacy? Well, the Ani-Men of Andromeda are still around, and Reptillo certainly wasn't the one that made the Ani-Men stars. Were they an innovative team for their times? Their cards introduced the concept of a tag finisher. Are they really considered one of the great tag teams of all time? Incredible Badger split time tagging with Battering Ram and Iron Mane, and they were quickly overshadowed by teams like The Mercenaries, the GalactiCops, and the New Order, and were brought in first as side characters for Wolf, and then quickly became the loyal wife that Wolf cheated on.

Enshrinement, or no?

[stephenvegas]

I think I would vote for Animal Pack to enter the COTG Online Hall of Fame.

Incredible Badger by himself was one of the greatest tag team wrestlers in the history of my personal COTG fed as he won multiple tag team titles alongside both Battering Ram as Animal Pack and also alongside Iron Mane as Beasts of Burden.