Ahmed Johnson on if he deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame
Former WWE Superstar Ahmed Johnson recently spoke about whether or not he deserves a spot in the company's Hall of Fame.
Johnson was signed to WWE from 1995 to 1998. During that time, the former professional football player carved out a great career for himself, from capturing the Intercontinental Championship to facing top stars like The Undertaker, Kane, and The Rock.
Speaking to Gregory Irons on the Iron-On Wrestling Podcast, Johnson spoke about whether he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame:
"Yes, I think being the first African American Intercontinental Champion, I think I deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame" (H/T: Wrestling Inc)
What were your thoughts on Ahmed Johnson? https://t.co/6qaxVKoitq
Johnson hasn't appeared for WWE since 1998. His relationship with the company is also up in the air. But, there have been recent examples where both WWE and retired stars have made amends, leading to a Hall of Fame induction.
Ahmed Johnson believes WWE Hall of Famer hindered his career
Despite gaining a large following in a short time, Ahmed Johnson never captured the company's richest prize, the WWE Championship.
Continuing his conversation with Gregory Irons, the former Intercontinental Champion said Shawn Michaels may have been the reason why he never won the big one:
"In the beginning, I thought that he was behind me and going to give me this great push, but as I went on, I found out it wasn’t Vince that didn’t want to give me the world title, it was other wrestlers like Shawn Michaels. I was still learning, but I think I was ready for the world title. Because Shawn had the belt and everything, he got to pick who he was going against, he was running the show back then and was picking who was going against him." (H/T: Wrestling Inc)
Ahmed Johnson Says Shawn Michaels & Steve Austin's Racism Cost Him Opportunities In WWE ringsidenews.com/2018/12/26/ahm…
While this is purely Johnson's side of the story, the perception of Michaels during the mid to late 1990s wasn't the most favorable. Therefore there could be some legitimacy to what Ahmed is claiming.