A lot of people have said that they were shocked when Tammy “Sunny” Sytch got her nod into the WWE Hall of Fame. I challenged those people by saying, “how do you think all the current WWE Divas got their job if it weren’t for Sunny?” They quickly retorted, “Well there are so many other females that came before her that aren’t in the Hall of Fame yet. They should be in there before her!”

So it got me thinking…

Outside of Sunny, who without a doubt rightfully deserves her recognition into the Hall, who were the top five women who should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Here are my picks:

Sable – Like Sunny, she was a total package, but she also raised the bar by transitioning herself as the first cross over female wrestler. Sure, she wasn’t that good at it, but she proved that you can make a competitor out of eye-candy. Sable was also the first WWE personality to bare it all for the pages and cover of Playboy magazine. Had she not been granted the opportunity, a handful of WWE divas never would have been able to follow in their birthday suits, and we males would have to leave many graphic details in our fantasies to our imagination. When Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE this year, I figured she would be shoe-in for the next round of inductees, being that she is his wife and it may have been a perk to get him to sign. But with all the heat he’s had on himself lately, it may have cost her the chance.

Medusa– One of the best original female performers of the 90’s, who like Sherri Martel was able to remain an effective ingredient to the roster even when there was no female division to compete in. Her run as Alundra Blaze in the WWE during the early 90’s saw some decent matches with Bull Nakano, but once she jumped ship back to WCW during the Monday Night Wars and infamously trashed the WWE Women’s Title, it may be safe to say that she’s been blackballed forever.

Cindy Lauper – The 80’s pop star? The “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” chick? yep, that one. Had it not been for Lauper, the Rock and Wrestling Connection never would have materialized and opened the door for an audience on MTV thus leading to the massive promotion for the first Wrestlemania. Had it not been for Lauper’s dedication and influence, this business may not even exist today. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since she ran wild with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, but who would have thought 30 years ago that we’d be here today with a multi-billion dollar conglomerate. It was nice seeing her on a recent edition of Monday Night Raw, and we can only hope that it was setting up her induction in the very near future.

Trish Stratus – There is no denying that Trish is perhaps the most popular female pro wrestler of modern time. She dominated the business in the 2000’s and was perhaps the most decorated female wrestler for a decade. Then again, it’s not hard to achieve that when you have no other competing organizations or places to work for that matter). Not taking away from Trish’s body of work, but she was a homegrown WWE talent. She never worked the indies or Japan, and her only competition was that of the WWE divas, which was mostly compiled of other models turned wrestlers. Again, not taking a big wet shit on her work, but it would have been nice to see Trish against some real competition. I guess that’s why there was such a heated rivalry with Lita. But to Trish’s credit, she achieved the impossible and proved the nay-sayers wrong…and she actually made female wrestling look good when most had written it off as a “popcorn match”.

Miss Elizabeth – If you’re an old school wrestling fan and you talk about the first lady of pro wrestling, the only person that comes to mind is the influential valet of the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth. Her presence drew a female audience, not because she wrestled and not because she oozed sex appeal – but because her character connected with the female audience. They understood her dilemmas, and they appreciated her sophisticated and elegant appearance. Her character was based on pure emotion, yet it never crossed the boundaries of fiction. It was simplicity at its best. Miss Elizabeth is arguably the most iconic female persona in pro wrestling history.

What pro wrestling female personalities do you think belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

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DieHard Derek has been actively involved in the pro wrestling industry since 1992. You can read his controversial and outspoken opinions on his pro wrestling blog.