The Best Wrestlers That Haven't Made The WWE Hall Of Fame

Back in 1989, a film known as "No Holds Barred" from director Thomas J. Wright was released. It follows Hulk Hogan as pro wrestler Rip Thomas as he embarks on a feud with an up-and-coming titan of the ring named Zeus (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.). After the film hit theaters, Zeus made his way to the WWF to continue his cinematic feud with Hogan, aligning with Hogan's former Mega Powers teammate "Macho Man" Randy Savage. To combat these two villains, the Hulkster enlisted the aid of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, who helped him to victory in a tag team match against Zeus and Savage at SummerSlam 1989.

Despite the loss, Zeus didn't disappear from the WWF scene entirely after SummerSlam. He returned at Survivor Series in November as part of the Million Dollar Team ("Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, the Barbarian, and the Warlord) in hopes of defeating Hogan and his Hulkamaniacs (Ax, Smash, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts). Once again, Zeus failed to overcome Hogan, so he challenged him to one last WWF match at the WWF No Holds Barred – The Match/The Movie event. Again, he and Savage lost to Beefcake and Hogan, bringing his WWF tenure to an end on a down note.

Zeus went on to have brief, uneventful runs in the World Wrestling Council and World Championship Wrestling. However, for his WWF efforts alone, he deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. Sure, he wasn't exactly the most gifted wrestler between the ropes, since Tiny Lister was predominantly an actor. That said, getting to headline pay-per-views alongside Hulk Hogan in one of the most iconic feuds of the 1980s has to count for something.

As the face paint-wearing, spikes-clad tag team the Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) rose to prominence as one of wrestling's biggest duos, the WWF wanted in on the action. Thus, Bill Eadie and Randy Colley — who was replaced by Barry Darsow in short order — formed the tag team Demolition. Dubbed Ax and Smash, respectively, Eadie and Darsow began tearing through the WWF tag team division in 1987 and went undefeated for their first few months as a unit. Their dominance culminated in a WrestleMania IV match against Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) where they won their first WWF Tag Team Championship.

Demolition would hold onto the titles for an astounding 478 days — the longest reign in the company's history for decades until the New Day (Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E) eclipsed it at 483 days — and become immensely popular with WWF fans. They'd win the titles twice more throughout their time with the promotion and famously clash with the Road Warriors (renamed the Legion of Doom) once they joined the WWF in 1990. In the wake of WrestleMania VI, Crush would join Demolition, though by this point, the team had lost a considerable amount of steam. Demolition would ultimately disband by the end of 1991.

As one of WWE's most recognizable tag teams, Demolition is entirely worthy of a WWE Hall of Fame induction. However, according to Ax, their involvement in a class-action lawsuit against WWE due to perceived negligence toward past head injuries has likely prevented them from receiving the nod. One can only hope that if this is indeed the case, Demolition and WWE can make amends sooner rather than later.

Under the tutelage of Marty Jones, a kid by the name of Darren Matthews got his start in the squared circle in the mid-1980s. With a natural talent for the sport, it didn't take him long to get on the radar of some pretty major wrestling promotions. By 1993, he'd sign a contract with WCW, bringing his ring name, Steve Regal (later changed to Lord Steven Regal), and his ring proficiency with him. He'd find moderate success there during his two stints — the first from '93 to '98, the second from '99 to 2000 — as both a solo and tag team competitor, but it didn't quite measure up to his WWF-WWE run.

Following a brief stint in the WWF from 1998 to 1999 as the "Real Man's Man," he returned in 2000 as William Regal. In the waning days of the WWF Attitude Era and into the Ruthless Aggression Era, he'd play a scheming, snobbish heel who found himself at odds with names like Chris Jericho, Triple H, and CM Punk, to name a few. He held several championships, win the King of the Ring tournament in 2008, and even became the general manager of "Raw" for a time. As his main roster career drew to a close in the early-2010s, he became a regular on "WWE NXT," working with young talent behind-the-scenes and acting as an on-air authority figure.

It goes without saying that William Regal has done it all in professional wrestling, and despite retiring in 2013 in an incredible match against Antonio Cesaro, he's not finished yet. As of this writing, he's currently the mastermind behind AEW's Blackpool Combat Club faction, featuring Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley, and the former Cesaro, Claudio Castagnoli. Nevertheless, he's a surefire WWE Hall of Fame inductee when the time is right.

Wrestling fans met Sid Eudy for the first time in the late 1980s when he made a splash in Continental Championship Wrestling as Lord Humungous. Of course, it didn't take long for this moniker to go the way of the dinosaur in favor of the one most would come to recognize him under: Sid Vicious. As 1990 crept closer, Sid signed with WCW and teamed with Danny Spivey to form the Skyscrapers tag team. Moving on from that tandem, Sid became a member of the illustrious Four Horsemen stable, rubbing shoulders with the likes of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Barry Windham, and Arn Anderson prior to his 1991 WCW departure.

Sid then jumped to the WWF where he famously faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VIII before bidding the company farewell in 1992. He went back to WCW and stopped by the United States Wrestling Association from there, but ultimately made his WWF return in 1995. During this run, he'd compete against such legends as the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels and hold the WWF World Heavyweight Championship twice. Nevertheless, this success wasn't enough to keep him from heading back to WCW once again in 1999. He added two WCW World Heavyweight Championship and one WCW United States Championship reigns to his résumé by WCW's closure.

With WCW gone, Sid made sporadic appearances across the wrestling world leading up to his official retirement in 2017. A true journeyman, "The Millennium Man" may not have been the most skilled athlete, gifted talker, or engaging on-screen personality, but he's enjoyed a legendary career nonetheless. Sid, Sid Justice, Sycho Sid, whatever you choose to call him, it's evident that he should've landed a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame a long time ago.

When talking about giants of professional wrestling, it's impossible not to name drop one of the biggest and most recognizable: Paul Wight. Standing at seven feet tall, it should come as no surprise that WCW scooped him up in the mid-1990s, dubbed him "The Giant," and immediately put him in a feud with recent acquisition Hulk Hogan. He may've been a tad on the green side, but his presence went a long way covering for his inexperience. As a result, he took Hogan to task, joined the New World Order faction, and won numerous championships in the company before he jumped ship to the WWF in 1999.

Introduced as Paul Wight before becoming the Big Show, he became a prolific presence on WWF television after aligning himself with Vince McMahon at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House. As the Attitude Era gave way to the Ruthless Aggression Era, Show fluctuated from a mid-card wrestler to a main-eventer and worked as a singles and tag team star. Regardless of his position on the card, though, he never ceased to entertain, churning out memorable feuds with Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and more. Even late into his in-ring career, he kept busy against Alberto Del Rio, Braun Strowman, Mark Henry, and a host of others.

The Big Show left the WWE scene in 2021 in favor of AEW, where he's wrestled a handful of one-off matches while predominantly working backstage. It's safe to assume that his days in the ring are numbered, and that's just fine. He's won several championships in different promotions, competed against the best to ever lace up a pair of boots, and entertained fans worldwide. That sounds like a WWE Hall of Fame-caliber career for sure.

With an attempted career in professional football behind him, Lawrence Pfohl sought out a much different path in the late 1980s: professional wrestling. Known as Lex Luger between the ropes, he got the ball rolling on this new career avenue via Championship Wrestling Florida and later WCW — the promotion where he'd gain some serious momentum. "The Total Package" joined the Four Horsemen, appeared on pay-per-view after pay-per-view, and won championships galore. Thus, with his stock in the business rising quickly, Luger signed with the WWF in 1993 to become "The Narcissist."

This pompous, self-centered gimmick didn't last long, however, seeing as the WWF had plans to make Luger the face of the company. With Hogan gone, it needed a new all-American hero, so he received the push of a lifetime. Sadly for him, Luger didn't become WWF World Heavyweight Champion nor did he become the top guy. He exited the promotion in 1995. When he returned to WCW, he famously feuded with and later joined the New World Order and added to his title collection a few times before WCW closed up shop. His final stint in a major promotion was in 2003 for NWA: Total Nonstop Action.

Four years later, Lex Luger would suffer a nerve impingement in his neck that left him paralyzed from the neck down, ending his in-ring career. Thankfully, in the years since, he's regained the use of his limbs, and should he enter the WWE Hall of Fame down the road, he's more than ready to do so on his own two feet. Whether or not that day will come remains to be seen — his link to the death of beloved wrestling manager Miss Elizabeth continues to call the likelihood of this happening into question — though he certainly deserves the honor based on his in-ring accomplishments alone.

The son of "Soulman" Rocky Johnson and grandson of Peter Maivia, Dwayne Johnson got to work becoming a professional wrestler in 1996. By the year's end, he'd make his WWF debut as Rocky Maivia at the Survivor Series event. Little did fans realize then, but they were in the presence of one of wrestling's biggest future stars. After turning heel and joining the Nation of Domination faction, Maivia would find his groove both in the ring and on the microphone. This would lead him to strike out on his own by 1998 and blossom into a true main-event-level star known simply as the Rock.

Throughout the remainder of the Attitude Era, "The Brahma Bull" locked horns with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, headlined one WrestleMania after another, and filled his trophy case with championship gold. He continued to prosper into the Ruthless Aggression Era — that is, until he left the WWE in 2004 in favor of the bright lights of Hollywood. Though he didn't find immediate silver screen success, he's since become one of the biggest movie stars of his era. That said, that hasn't prevented him from returning to the ring to take on the likes of John Cena and CM Punk and even regain the WWE Championship.

The Rock hasn't necessarily confirmed that he's 100% done with wrestling. In fact, with each passing WrestleMania, it's expected that the return of "The Great One" is right around the corner. Then again, it stands to reason his days as an active wrestler are long over, making him a prime candidate for the WWE Hall of Fame. After all, it's not like he doesn't already have the qualifications to receive the honor. One has to imagine it's only a matter of time before he takes his proper place among the best of the best.