On Saturday night, WWE will host its annual Hall of Fame ceremony, officially unveiling the 2015 class. This has become one of the best parts of WrestleMania weekend.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Tatsumi Fujinami, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Larry Zbyszko, The Bushwhackers, Rikishi and Alundra Blayze will all take their rightful spot among the best the business has ever seen.
For the first time, WWE will also hand out the Warrior Award, which will be given to Connor Michalek.
But with each passing year, it's always fun to debate the Superstars who have not yet been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The list of those that are deserving can get pretty long, but here, we will make the case for Demolition.
Of course, the opportunity always exists for this great tag team to be placed in the Hall of Fame. However, the fact remains that to this point, the team has been passed over.
Though Demolition were one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history, they are sometimes forgotten due to the fact that they haven't competed in WWE since 1991.
Looking at the team's list of accomplishments, the Hall of Fame should have come calling by now.
Originally managed by Johnny Valiant, Demolition found immediate success upon its debut in 1987. Not only did they make a good tag team, they had a menacing look to go with it.
Often compared to the Road Warriors, Ax and Smash had a uniqueness of their own. Between their black leather masks, studded leather outfits and face paint, Demolition was probably the most impressive looking tag team WWE had ever seen to that point.
After picking up a handful of wins together, Demolition was taken in by Mr. Fuji when Valiant left the company. Fuji, one of the greatest managers in WWE history, took the team to even greater heights.
At WresteMania 4, Demolition got its biggest win to date. Facing Tito Santana and Rick Martel—collectively known as Strike Force—Demolition became WWE Tag Team champions.
Though that victory was impressive, the title reign was even better. Demolition would go on to hold those belts for well over a year, cementing themselves as the best team in WWE at the time.
The title reign officially lasted 478 days, a record that still stands today.
Demolition would lose the titles to the Brain Busters on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event in July 1989, but regained them just 10 weeks later.
Later that year, another team managed by Bobby Heenan would take the titles from Demolition. Known as the Colossal Connection, Andre the Giant and Haku seemed like they could be Demolition's kryptonite.
A rematch was set for WrestleMania 6, where Demolition would have to overcome a team that beat them in less than seven minutes to become champions. There was also the matter of that team having the 520-pound Andre the Giant.
Demolition was able to avenge the defeat, regaining the tag team titles. This marked the third championship reign for Demolition. It was also the team's second big moment at WrestleMania.
During their main run in WWE from 1987-1990, Ax and Smash ruled the WWE tag team division. Few teams have accomplished what they did in such a short period of time.
Demolition would lose the titles for the last time to the Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 1990. Not long after, the Road Warriors were signed and renamed the Legion of Doom.
They tried to add a third member to the team, Crush, in order to keep the team relevant. But with Legion of Doom and Hart Foundation at the top and new teams being introduced such as the Nasty Boys, Power and Glory and the Beverly Brothers, WWE simply didn't need Demolition.
That was the beginning of the end for the team as they slowly started to fall down the tag team ranks while other teams were given the spotlight. By the end of 1991, they were gone. To this day, they've never appeared in WWE since.
One tag team was selected to the Hall of Fame this year—the Bushwhackers. Looking at their entire body of work, mostly as a team known as the Sheepherders, the team was wildly successful.
However, looking at only what they did during their stint in WWE, it's not even close to the resume posted by Demolition. So the debate rages on.
All of those chosen to be part of this year's Hall of Fame class are worthy of the honor, but that doesn't make them the most deserving of those not already in.
On that list, Demolition has to sit very close to the top. Hopefully, WWE sees it the same way and decides to bestow the same honor to one of the best tag teams to ever walk through its doors.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1D0wS0r
via IFTTT March 28, 2015 at 09:31AM
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