He always seemed to me as a guy to market to kids for merchandise. He would always go over enhancement guys but job to the big names at the pay per views. I don’t think he is hall of fame worthy. Just my two cents. He may have been brought in just so no one else could have him. But, he was over with children which was a big deal for WWF in the late 80s.

 

He's only Hall of Fame worthy if you include his career pre-WWF. Much like many of the others in the WWE HoF,

Although I would still say it's maybe a reach?

He was a pretty consistent southern territory performer and his tag team with Bobby Eaton and manager Jimmy Hart maybe the best tag team 95% of posters here don't know about. He also had a great run in the PYT Express, and was really talented in the ring.

But I think the real issue is with the Hall itself not Koko...

There's just no consistency. And I get why...the only consistent in the WWE HoF is inconsistency.

People have blasted the WWE for years about Koko being in but did not bat an eye about guys who never wrestled in the WWE.

 

I respect your knowledge on old school, but I always get the vibe half of your posts on here are to almost talk down to the young or less educated fans who weren't around in the territory days and aren't wrestling historians. Maybe just maybe 95% you mention know more than you think but they don't need to come out and give history lessons all the time.

I know the intentions are good however so don't take offence, but I felt compelled to bring it up as I've seen you do the same, almost condescension, on other 'wrestling ol days' threads.

 

I remember seeing Koko on the 1999 documentary "Wrestling With Shadows." One could not help. but feel sorry for him. The documentary implies that he was "not all there."

 

Koko was one of the famed mid-carder gang of the Rock 'N Wrestling era, and he was generally beloved by the fans, especially kids. A career babyface, his parrot, his singing and his charm as a showman was his main strength, and he was also considered one WWF's more significant high flyers of the day, his peers being Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat.

You have to remember, he wrestled at a time when a lot of the roster was over. This era was full of fun characters that fans generally popped for.

In the '80s to early '90s if a fan liked you, he did 9 times out of 10 unconditionally. You could be not so remarkable in the ring and a fan would still think pleasant of you because you were a "good guy".

But Koko B. Ware usually didn't win too many matches. He was the guy you put in there when you needed a good worker to help put another guy over.

He'd been a contender for belts before; he had a couple of matches for the IC belt, against Tito Santana or Randy Savage, but he never won them.

 

In his prime he was more over than anyone is over currently. So he's asbolutely Hall of fame worthy. More people throughout the know of Koko B. Ware than most of today's wrestlers save a few exceptions

 

Koko was not more "over" than anyone in the WWE today. Koko was a lower mid-card wrestler, and was never an integral part of the 80s WWE.

 

Have you ever seen Koko's Ghostbuster?

 

Koko was over huge in the UK. He had a great look and could have easily held the Intercontinental title.

 

Not sure I understand the question. Koko was never a big deal, he was basically a so-called jobber to the stars meaning that he would win squash matches against jobbers on the weekend shows in order to build up credibility before inevitably losing at every PPV in order to get the midcarders over. Tito Santana had a similar role.

Koko had a unique gimmick which made him stand out, however putting him in the Hall of Fame was ridiculous.

 

Mom used to like him back in the day. For me I remember the High Energy tag team of 1992-1993 and those funny pants he wore in that tag team.

 

He's not a big deal.

 

It's the parrot, man. Bird is the word.

 

He was a good reliable worker and his gimmick with the bird was marketable. Also, his vocal skills were utilized for their music album. I have not seen any of hiswork in the Territories, but his work is often praised.

I only saw Koko in the WWF and he was indeed a good worker and was entertaining for the kiddies (which I was myself during his hey day). However, no one who was watching back then can complain about him being overpushed because outside of the squash matches on Superstars, Wrestling Challenge and Prime Time Wrestling, he was a jobber to the heel stars. He was even pinned by Bobby Heenan multiple times and jobbed to Sgt. Slaughter not with the Camel Clutch but with submitting a schoolyard bully type NOOGIE (grinding knuckles on head for you young folks).

Did Koko deserve to be in the Hall of Fame...especially ahead of many legends...IMO, NO! BUT, again IMO, you can make a case for 90% of the roster from 1987-1991 because the company was great at making you give a damn about every character and Koko was liked.

 

He was never a big deal, always a curtain jerker or low mid carder.

 

Koko was basically upper/lower midcard he has had several victories over the likes of Kamala and Nikolai Volkov hardly jobbers and was one of the top baby faces from 87-89 and if debut on NXT or the main roster today could be a top contender to the top belts.