Arn Anderson: A Perfect Fit in the WWE Hall of Fame

Arn Anderson. The Enforcer.

He was the backbone of the Four Horsemen and one of the best wrestlers the business has ever seen. Now, 29 years after his debut, Anderson’s name is being mentioned as a possible inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The real question is, what took so long?

Arn Anderson is, without a doubt, the all-around best heel I have ever seen, next to Ric Flair. He had a cold, merciless stare that seemed to carve straight through the camera and grab hold of you. His icy tone was complex and disarming, yet brutally subtle in its simplicity.

Simply put, when Arn Anderson spoke, you believed him.

He was as effective in his promos as Ric and Dusty Rhodes. Some would argue, perhaps even more so.

Arn’s no-nonsense attitude and delivery were more than just a typical heel screaming hollow threats or going through the motions of a feud. Arn Anderson’s character was premeditated, calculating, a serial killer giving a detailed confession with no remorse.

Arn Anderson was Stone Cold long before Steve Austin ever laced up the boots.

He was one-half talker and one-half wrestler. He was the complete package during a time in the industry when a worker had to excel at both to be a success. Arn was more than capable of holding his own in the ring with the best that the NWA had to offer.

His matches with Dusty for the World Television title were some of the best in his career. Much like Flair, Arn’s methodical move set was in perfect contrast to Dusty’s charismatic energy in the ring.

Arn’s work with the Road Warriors was also top-notch. No one made Hawk and Animal look better in the ring during that time than Arn Anderson.

His facial expressions, the fear that would suddenly cover his face as he realized that his move had no effect on either man. The moments he would slide out of the ring, rather than face them one-on-one. His ring psychology worked so well, he was able to pull you into the match as well as he could his promos.

Of course, as good as Arn was as a singles wrestler, he may always be known as one of the best tag team wrestlers ever. And with good reason.

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. It will always be one of the coolest tag team names ever.

Arn and Ole Anderson were two of a kind in the ring. Each man not only looked alike, but worked alike. They would dissect their opponents in a match, taking them apart one body part at a time.

Ole’s roughhouse style mixed with Arn’s technical mat wrestling made them solid opponents for not only the Road Warriors, but Dusty and Magnum TA, the Rock 'n' Roll Express, and any other team in the NWA who needed the best heel combo to work against.

By making the other guys look good, Arn and Ole were able to look good in return. That is what it means to be a true professional wrestler. Arn selflessly gave all he had every time he and Ole stepped between the ropes, making them one of the most respected duos in the NWA.

As great as Arn and Ole were together, the pairing of Arn with Tully Blanchard was perhaps even better.

Tully Blanchard, another great wrestler in his own right, gelled with Arn. Tully's cocky, arrogant attitude just seemed to fit, and the two men became just as successful as the Crew.

Of course, the one common bond between Arn and Tully, as well as Arn and Ole, was the fact that they were three members of the most powerful, most successful group in professional wrestling history, the Four Horsemen.

Arn was the Enforcer of the Horsemen. No other explanation needed. Much like just about everything Arn did, that role came so naturally for him and his character that it just fit. And why wouldn’t it? After all, Arn was so onboard with the group and its concept that he was the guy who named them from the beginning.

Again, we’re talking about Arn Anderson here. Makes perfect sense.

If there is one disappointment that I have with Arn, it's that despite all his accomplishments in the business, he has never been World Champion.

I could only imagine Arn Anderson wearing the gold, traveling the globe, representing the NWA as world heavyweight champion.

He had the ability. He had the right attitude. He would have done very well at bearing the responsibility of being the Champ.

Of course, being Ric Flair’s best friend, in the company that Flair owned and made the most important promotion in the world, did not help Arn's cause any.

But at the end of the day, does it really matter to Arn that he was never “the man?”

Ask Scottie Pippen if he minds that he had the career he had playing next to the greatest of all time.

For me, however, in wrestling terms, Arn is more of a big-time player than Pippen ever was. He contributed more to the overall product in the NWA, WCW and during his time in WWE, than most wrestlers could ever hope to. He had the type of career that he can be proud of, and more than deserves Hall of Fame recognition.

I never understood, with Arn working behind the scenes with WWE all these years, why he has never been placed in a full-time on air role. Maybe he is happier off camera. Maybe Vince McMahon doesn’t want to give him the opportunity.

But, I have to believe that Arn would shine now as brightly as he did when he was still an in-ring performer. Is there anyone in that locker room right now who could go out, cut a promo with little to no direction, and pierce through the head of every fan in the building better than Arn Anderson?

Impossible.

The matter of who should induct Arn is also pretty impossible at this point. In a recent column, I suggested that the only man who should induct Sting into the WWE Hall of Fame, when his time arrives, is Ric Flair. The same could very well be said of Arn Anderson’s induction.

Despite who brings him to the podium, Arn Anderson deserves to be there. He has more than earned his spot, and it is a spot that he should not have to give to anyone else.

His name is Arn Anderson. But that name is a little bare. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson sounds much better.

In fact, it fits.