Inducted in 2013, Bob Backlund is a name from a bygone generation in wrestling, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be dismissed. On the contrary, Backlund is a wholly fitting example of what the WWE Hall Of Fame should be all about. The man held the then-WWWF Title for around 5 years, and was in tremendous physical condition. In fact, old Bob still keeps himself fit and healthy today, showing that old habits die hard, and had a fantastic 'out of touch' character in the mid-1990's. Unfortunately, when he returned to the WWF in 1992, Backlund looked like a wrestler who didn't really fit in with the glitzy, glamorous, cartoon-like world of wrestling which Vince McMahon had created since fans had last seen him. This would have been fine had the man been playing heel, like he did later, but he was brought in as a white-meat babyface, and fans found it difficult to relate to his goody-two-shoes image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBVoEwZTeIw Outside of some great fan support during the 1993 Royal Rumble, Bob Backlund floundered as a babyface, and it's almost embarrassing to look back at how forced some of his reactions were around this period. If this kind of character were to be introduced today, wrestling fans would be convinced that the company booking him was trolling their audience!
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
