What These 13 Forgotten WWE Hall Of Famers Looked Like As Rookies

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• Every year, there are several names added to WWE’s Hall of Fame, some of whom are from bygone eras in which many modern day fans may either not remember them, or simply not know about them. Either way, when looking through the Hall of Fame inductees over the years, it is certainly interesting to look back through the careers of several of them, and to see how they fared early on in their wrestling runs. Wrestling careers can sometimes be very lengthy, and competitors undergo plenty of change over time, so it is always fun to look back at what a wrestler looked like when they started out as a rookie.

WWE introduced its Hall of Fame in 1993, with André The Giant as the first inductee. Since then, the promotion has had 234 inductees into their prestigious Hall of Fame as of this writing, with 124 individual inductees, 46 legacy inductees, 18 group inductions, 12 celebrities, and 8 Warrior Award inductees.

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WWE honors the legendary performers of the pro wrestling industry by inducting them into the Hall of Fame and holds the ceremony the night before WrestleMania every year. The legends who found their way into the Hall of Fame had different paths in their careers, but their destination was the same. With that said, let's take a look back at the careers of ten forgotten WWE Hall of Famers by finding out what they looked like as rookies.

Updated On October 6th 2022 By Andrew Kelly:

13 George “The Animal” Steele

George Steele was a popular midcard act back in the 80s in WWE, with him notably facing Randy Savage at WrestleMania 3, with him having a crush on Miss Elizabeth. Before Steele played his incoherent and wild “animal” character, he was more of a basic pro wrestler in his younger years.

Steele can be seen much broader and built, rather than the more slouched demeanor he would later undertake to play up to his character. He began wrestling in the 1960s, in a career that would reach nearly forty years in length before his retirement.

12 Big John Studd

Big John Studd had several stints with the WWE, coming and going seemingly as he pleased during a career in which he also competed in the NWA and AWA. His most notable achievement came when he won the second ever Royal Rumble Match, back when the winner only received bragging rights.

Studd was in his 40s by the time he won the Rumble, with most of his success coming in the many years prior to his babyface turn towards the end of his WWE run. His look didn’t change too much, aside from his blonde hair being more luscious back in the day.

11 Sensational Sherri

“Sensational” Sherri Martel began her wrestling career back in the 1980s, where she would achieve success winning the AWA Women’s Championship, climbing to prominence before eventually joining WWE.

Once in the big time, she would manage many notable names, in addition to winning the Women’s Title. Throughout her career, she became progressively more expressive in terms of attire and makeup, making her look absolutely iconic as she became a star, and a far way from how she started out as a rookie.

10 "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

Hacksaw Jim Duggan is well-known among WWE fans for his unique personality and for being the winner of the inaugural Royal Rumble match in 1988.

He got inducted in the class of 2011, with the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase inducting him into the Hall of Fame. Duggan began his pro wrestling career in 1979 and competed in various NWA events in his early days before finding his way to WWE the same year, and here's a picture of the Hall of Famer taken during the early stages of his career.

9 Abdullah the Butcher

Abdullah the Butcher started his pro wrestling career in 1958 and started working under the name McKinley Pickens and Pussycat Pickens during the early stages of his career.

He is known for introducing hardcore style of wrestling into the business as he was involved in some of the most brutal matches of all time. He never became an official WWE wrestler throughout his career and wrestled across various NWA events and also had stints in Japan. WWE recognized his contributions to the business by having Terry Funk induct him into the Hall of Fame in the class of 2011.

8 Hillbilly Jim

The beginning of Hillbilly Jim's pro wrestling career dates back to 1975 when he started working with a biker gimmick under the name Harley Davidson. He made his first appearance for WWE in 1984 as a fan and made his in-ring debut in September 1984.

He didn't win a single championship in any of the promotions he's competed in throughout his time in the business, but he managed to be an active in-ring competitor until the early 1990s. His final in-ring appearance came at WrestleMania 17 in 2001, where he competed in a battle royal. He got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Jimmy Hart in the class of 2018 and took his place among the greats of the business.

7 The Wild Samoans

The Wild Samoans, Afa, and Sika are one of the legendary tag teams in the history of the industry. They have won 21 tag team championships across various promotions throughout their careers, including three reigns with the WWE World Tag Team Championships.

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They started their careers in 1973 when they competed in several Stampede Wrestling events. From there, they found their way to various promotions, including WWE. The Wild Samoans got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Sika's son Rosey and Afa's son Samu. Sika's other son, Roman Reigns, is one of the top stars in WWE right now and is also the current reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

6 Junkyard Dog

Junkyard Dog started his career as a pro wrestler in 1977 and started competing in several NWA events under the name Sylvester Ritter. He found his way to WWE in 1984 and competed there until he left the promotion in 1988.

He also competed for various other promotions throughout his career, including for WCW between 1988 and 1993, during which time he went on to capture the WCW World Six-Man Tag Tea, Championship with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich. WWE immortalized his name among the greats by having him inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame posthumously by Ernie Ladd as part of the class of 2004.

5 Koko B. Ware

Koko B. Ware is well-known among the pro wrestling fans for his birdman gimmick, during which he walked to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw named Frankie. He started his pro wrestling career in 1978 and appeared mostly for the Continental Wrestling Association promotion under the name Koko Ware. He made his WWE debut in 1986 and stayed with the promotion until 1997, during which time he also worked in USWA events as part of a talent exchange program.

He got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by The Honky Tonk Man in the class of 2009, where he shared the stage with other legends like Howard Finkell, Ricky Steamboat, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

4 The Honky Tonk Man

The pro wrestling fans remember The Honky Tonk Man as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time for his record 454-day reign with the title between June 1987 and August 1988.

He started his in-ring career in 1978 and competed in various CWA and NWA events. He then made his way to other promotions like Stampede Wrestling before signing with WWE in 1986 and stayed there until 1991. He continued to perform as an in-ring competitor until 2019, following which he got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Jimmy Hart as part of the class of 2019.

3 "Cowboy" Bob Orton

Father of the Legend Killer Randy Orton, "Cowboy" Bob Orton began his pro wrestling career in 1972 and competed across various promotions throughout his career, and the 71-year-old legend still laces up his boots to compete in sporadic matches on the independent circuit.

He has won multiple championships across the NWA territories and also accompanied his son Randy Orton during his feud against The Undertaker between 2005 and 2006. He got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his son Randy Orton as part of the 2005 class alongside other legends like Roddy Piper, Iron Shiek, and Hulk Hogan.

2 Rikishi

It's been a while since Rikishi got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and to be honest, his sons, The Usos,' accolades are starting to overshadow his accomplishments in the pro wrestling industry. Rikishi began his pro wrestling career in 1985 and competed across various promotions under the name Tonga Kid and Alofa. He made his WWE debut in 1992 and stayed with the company until 2004, during which time he became 3-time Tag Team Champion and 1-time Intercontinental Champion, with him being prominent during the Attitude Era, making his "stinkface" move famous.

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His sons, The Usos, inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 class, where he took his place among the greats alongside other legends like Kevin Nash, Alundra Blayze, and posthumous inductee Randy Savage.

1 The Godfather

The Godfather began his pro wrestling career in 1989 and shared his journey with legendary wrestlers like The Undertaker. He competed under the name The Soultaker during the early stages of his career and competed for USWA, where he competed against wrestlers like The Undertaker in his The Master of Pain character, Steve Austin, Jeff Jarrett, and many others.

He is a former 1-time tag team champion and 1-time Intercontinental Champion in WWE and got inducted into the company's Hall of Fame by The Acolytes Protection Agency as part of the 2016 class.