Here are the categories I am voting on, and the names in RED are being eliminated from consideration right now. These are people who I absolutely feel 100% certain don't belong. If somebody is 99% (and there are plenty on this list that fit that bill) i'm not writing them off but it will take significant evidence in whatever research I do to sway me. But for now, you can cross off anybody in red, and I can not be swayed:
I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES
Bob Armstrong
Batista
Edge
Owen Hart
Curt Hennig
Ivan Koloff
Brock Lesnar
Fabulous Moolah
Pedro Morales
Dick Murdoch
Ken Patera
Rock & Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Sgt. Slaughter
Jimmy Snuka
Sting
A.J. Styles
Johnny "Mr. Wrestling II" Walker
I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES
George Gordienko
Gran Hamada
Volk Han
Masahiko Kimura
Yuji Nagata
Seiji Sakaguchi
Kensuke Sasaki
Mike & Ben Sharpe
Kiyoshi Tamura
Hiroshi Tanahashi
NON-WRESTLERS
Bill Apter
Dave Brown
Jim Crockett Jr.
Jim Crockett Sr.
Gary Hart
Jimmy Hart
Howard Finkel
Jerry Jarrett
Takashi Matsunaga
Gorilla Monsoon
Gene Okerluind
Don Owen
Jesse Ventura
Stanley Weston
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There are three names I am absolutely voting for 100%. In no order:
Rock & Roll Express - You could argue that they didn't invent the North American "babyface in peril" style of tag team match, but they perfected it, and their influence on tag team wrestling in enormous. Nearly every tag team match you see was spawned from the RnRE playbook. They also spawned dozens of imitation teams. They were legit main eventers in multiple territories. They were outstanding workers for their time, and really, any time. So they definitively tick two of the three boxes and drew well enough to almost tick the third. But the workrate is top level, and the positive influence is off the charts, so they get my vote rather easily.
Kensuke Sasaki - Workrate is a no brainer. Main evented multiple sold out Tokyo Dome shows and was a main eventer at the end of the last great New Japan period previous to this one. Elite level trainer with his Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring promotion/dojo. Let's get this out of the way. He killed a man (a trainee). That's his only drawback. By all accounts it was an accident caused by hard Japanese style training. Nobody thinks he murdered him. But you could argue it's an argument against positive influence. I just chalk it up to being an accident. Only man to hold the top world title in New Japan, All Japan, & NOAH, which probably sounds silly to bring up in this context, but that stuff still matters in Japan as the top titles are not passed around like cheap hookers like they are in the U.S. Being the champ in Japan still means you are the top guy and are expected to carry business.
Hiroshi Tanahashi - Probably the best active wrestler overall (you could argue Daniel Bryan and I won't fight you) & undoubtedly the best "big match" wrestler alive today. A legit all time great, and it's not worthy of debate. A legit draw that took his promotion from near death levels to the #2 promotion in the world. He may not get in this year, but he's a virtual lock to get in at some point, on workrate alone.
