This year’s WWE Hall of Fame is shaping up quite well, with the legendary D-Generation X and the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion, The Honky Tonk Man already announced.
Fans were intrigued to find out who would be the next inductee. It was revealed that Torrie Wilson would be joining the Class of 2019.
The announcement, which was confirmed by ESPNW, has received mixed reviews from fans. Some are calling for other women wrestlers, such as Victoria, Miss Elizabeth, Gail Kim and Molly Holly to be inducted instead of her. Is the former WWE Diva justified to be going in so early on?
The Hall of Fame is for the best of the best, and currently has The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Wendi Richter, Sunny, Trish Stratus, Lita, Jacqueline and Beth Phoenix. Last year saw Ivory take her place in the prestigious Hall of Fame. These women have had amazing careers and have held championship’s throughout their career. Is Torrie Wilson a fitting woman to follow such icons?
Prior to debuting in WWE she was a fitness competitor and won the Miss Galaxy competition in 1999. She had a long career in the WWE, longer than other women have, which started in 2001 (after a stint in WCW). She was one of the key figures in The Invasion storyline that was taking place. In 2002, it saw Torrie Wilson have a chance at championship gold against then champion, Molly Holly, only to be unsuccessful.
Wilson is known for a controversial feud, with Dawn Marie. The storyline saw Marie start a relationship with Wilson’s real-life father, Al Wilson. It was a storyline which kept fans engaged until it came to a conclusion at the Royal Rumble in 2003, which the match was billed as ‘Stepmother vs Stepdaughter’ match.
Although known for her time as WWE Diva, she is probably also known for her work with Playboy, which was then brought in as a storyline. The storyline would then include former WWE Diva and Playboy cover girl, Sable. From here on, she was involved in other storylines which weren’t able to catapult her into the title picture. Her last prominent storyline was when Wilson was a part of Vince’s Devils, with Candice Michelle and Victoria. The end of her career saw her have an on-screen relationship with Carlito and then manage Jimmy Wang Yang. Following taking time off, she then retired in 2008 and made guest appearances for the company ever since…
From that brief overview of Torrie Wilson’s career, does she deserve a spot in this year’s Hall of Fame? On one hand, she’s held no championship gold during her career. Was she given the chance? Yes. Being in the HOF doesn’t mean you have had to hold gold but it should do when you are putting her in it over other talent, like Melina, Michelle McCool and Victoria.
However, Torrie has proven herself over the years. She appeared in both WCW and WWE, meaning she must have had something about her to be hired from both companies. Yes, she’s got the looks, which was probably a strong factor back in the Attitude Era. Although, she did have matches against Mickie James, Victoria and Sable meaning WWE trusted her to deliver good performances.
All in all, I do believe that at some point Torrie Wilson was going to get inducted into the Hall of Fame but I didn’t think it was going to be so soon. There are other worthy contenders who have held multiple championships but her dedication to the company has to be admired. She delivered good performances throughout and her place in the Hall of Fame is deserved based on this.