Since the announcement that Demolition—one of the most iconic tag teams in WWE history—would be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame, there have been several articles written about who should have the honor of inducting Bill Eadie (Ax) and Barry Darsow (Smash) into the HOF.
Names like Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Tito Santana and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan have been bandied about. While any of those wrestlers would do a fine job with the induction, when old-school wrestling fans think of “Demolition,” Hart, Santana, Duggan and a whole host of other wrestlers are not ones that immediately come to mind. Unfortunately, many wrestlers you might think of when you talk about Demolition—such as Mr. Fuji or the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom—have passed away.
So if you can’t find wrestlers from Demolition’s generation to do the induction, why not find wrestlers linked to Demolition who were part of the next generation?
In other words: What about The New Day?
Here are five reasons why Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods should induct Demolition into the HOF:
1. Passing the torch between two legendary tag teams
Demolition defined WWF tag team dominance in the late 1980s, while The New Day defined it in the modern era. Having one generation honor the other would symbolize the evolution of tag team wrestling.
2. The record connection
Demolition held the longest WWF tag team title reign for decades until The New Day finally broke that record in 2016. That historical link between the two teams makes The New Day the perfect group to acknowledge the team whose record they surpassed.
3. Respect for tag team history
The New Day has often spoken publicly about respecting tag team history. Inducting Demolition would highlight the importance of tag teams in WWE history rather than focusing only on singles stars.
4. A fun contrast in styles and personalities
Demolition’s intimidating, face-painted, post-apocalyptic warrior look is the complete opposite of The New Day’s colorful, comedic, upbeat personalities. That contrast could make for a memorable and entertaining Hall of Fame segment.
5. It helps correct a long-overdue omission
Many fans believe Demolition should have already been inducted due to their popularity and success during the golden era of the WWF under Vince McMahon. Having a modern, beloved team like The New Day introduce them would underline that they truly belong.
In short, having The New Day induct Demolition would be the perfect “past meets present” moment—one record-setting tag team honoring another while celebrating the long legacy of tag team wrestling in WWE.