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Five Biggest Snubs of the WWE Hall of Fame

By , About.com Guide

The WWE Hall of Fame selection process is shrouded in mystery.  No one quite knows why certain wrestlers are in the Hall and others aren't.  The following is a list of the five people that are most deserving to be in the WWE Hall of Fame based solely on what they did while associated with the company currently known as World Wrestling Entertainment. 

1. The Rock

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The Rock joined WWE when they were in a struggle for their survival against World Championship Wrestling.  His ascension up through the ranks of the company coincides with WWE turning the tide in the Monday Night War.  In addition to making the WWE stronger when compared to other wrestling organizations, he did something else that no other wrestler has been able to do.  He has become a legitimate A-list Hollywood celebrity.  While he is no longer with the company and currently goes by the name of Dwayne Johnson, whenever he appears in a movie or on television, non-wrestling fans automatically think about the WWE.

2. Bruno Sammartino

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Bruno Sammartino's two WWE Championship reigns totaled over 11 years.  He has held the title for over five more years than anyone else.  His first title reign was instrumental in establishing the company as a legitimate wrestling organization.  When WWE split from the NWA, things could have gone very badly for the company.  However, the gamble paid off and under Bruno's watch, what is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment flourished in the Northeastern part of the United States.

3. Randy Savage

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Randy "The Macho Man" Savage is one of the most popular and successful wrestlers in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment.  He won the WWE Championship on two occasions, and both were at a WrestleMania event.  In addition to his main event title victories at the Showcase of the Immortals, he main evented another event where he lost the belt to Hulk Hogan.  However, none of those matches are the WrestleMania battles he will be remembered most for.  His match against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III is considered by many to be the greatest match the WWE had during the '80s.

4. Bob Backlund

Bob Backlund's first WWE Champiohip reign lasted almost six years.  His title reign was the first of any length by a wrestler competing with an amateur based background.  His first title reign ended in 1983 with a controversial loss to the Iron Shiek.  Over a decade later, Bob regained the title by beating Bret Hart.  That title reign was significantly shorter as he only held onto it for a few days. 

5. Toots Mondt

Toots was a vitally important figure during the early days of professional wrestling.  Along with Ed "Strangler" Lewis and Billy Sandow, the Goldust Trio changed the way wrestling was presented to the fans.  However, that is not the reason he should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  It is because he was a co-founder of the company now known as World Wrestling Entertainment.  The company was able to break away from the NWA in part because of his relationship with Buddy Rogers, the first WWE Champion.  He convinced his partner, Vince McMahon Sr., that the company should be built around Bruno Sammartino and that decision turned out very well for the company.  Sadly, a gambling problem forced him to sell his share of the company to Vince McMahon Sr. and Toots wound up dying almost penniless in 1976 at the age of 82.

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