WWE Hall of Fame (2017) | |||
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Promotion | WWE | ||
Date | March 31, 2017 | ||
City | Orlando, Florida | ||
Venue | Amway Center | ||
WWE Hall of Fame chronology | |||
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WWE Hall of Fame (2017) was the event which featured the introduction of the 18th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on March 31, 2017, from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. [1] The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 33. [2] This was the first time the Hall of Fame ceremony was not held the night before WrestleMania instead NXT TakeOver: Orlando was held the night before WrestleMania. The event aired live on the WWE Network, [3] and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired the following Monday after Raw on the USA Network. [4]
On January 16, 2017, WWE announced that Angle would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. [5] As a celebrated amateur wrestler, Angle had an aversion to professional wrestling, considering it "beneath" him. [6] He was offered a 10-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) following the 1996 Olympics, [7] but talks fell apart when he told company chairman Vince McMahon that he would be unwilling to lose any matches. [8] Angle's opinion of professional wrestling changed when he began watching the WWF's Monday Night Raw in 1998: he observed "world class athletes doing very athletic things", and developed an admiration for Stone Cold Steve Austin's talents as an entertainer. [7] Angle later conceded that his negative attitude toward the industry was misguided and "stupid". [6] Angle was signed to a five-year deal by August 1998, following a three-day tryout. [9] On August 25, 2006, Angle was granted an early release from his WWE contract because of health reasons. [10] [11] Angle stated in the Kurt Angle: Champion documentary DVD that he asked for his release from WWE because he could not take time off and was working hurt, severely on some occasions. He also stated that when he quit, WWE lost their top talent, as he was at the very top of the payroll. [12] Following his release, Angle did not reappear on any WWE programming until his Hall of Fame induction.
Due to the launch of the WWE Network shortly before WrestleMania XXX, this event featured the fourth "Red Carpet" event as a one-hour pre-show prior to the start of the event. Michael Cole and Maria Menounos hosted the pre-show.
In 2016, WWE introduced a new category for the Hall of Fame called the "Legacy" wing. Inductees under this new category feature wrestlers from the early years of professional wrestling, primarily during the early part of the 20th century. [13] All inductees in 2017 were inducted posthumously and were recognized with a video package at the ceremony. [14] Those inducted in the 2017 legacy category were Martin "Farmer" Burns, June Byers, Haystacks Calhoun, Judy Grable, Dr. Jerry Graham, Luther Lindsay, Joseph "Toots" Mondt, Rikidōzan, and Bearcat Wright.
Following The Ultimate Warrior's death in April 2014, [15] WWE introduced the Warrior Award, in 2015, for those who have "exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior." [16] As is the normal case, his widow Dana Hellweg presented the award. The 2017 inductee was Eric LeGrand. LaGrand was recognized for being a former Rutgers University football player. After LeGrand was paralyzed in 2010, rather than letting it defeat him, he became a motivational speaker.
Theodore Long was inducted by his long time travel-mates The APA (John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Ron Simmons). During the induction ceremony Layfield and Simmons shared memories of Long on the road, how he never was willing to pay for anything, and how much money he owed them.
Diamond Dallas Page was inducted by his former boss Eric Bischoff. During his induction speech, Page spoke about how much Dusty Rhodes, who had died two years prior, meant to him, and helped guide his career.
Natalya inducted her best friend Beth Phoenix. The two shared stories of how their careers started and how much the other meant to them and how it got them both where they are too. Phoenix went to introduce her husband however she was interrupted by Tony Chimel who offered to help her, and then announced Edge. [17] Phoenix also shared stories about Edge and stories of them from before they retired.
"Ravishing" Rick Rude was inducted by Ricky Steamboat. Due to Rude's passing in 1999, Rude's induction was posthumously accepted by his widow Michelle and his two surviving children, daughter Merissa and son Rick Rood Jr.
The Rock 'n' Roll Express members Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were inducted by Jim Cornette. Cornette shared stories of managing them during their early years. Gibson and Morton discussed what it was like to travel with each other for so many years, and discussed how they are as close as brothers.
Kurt Angle was the final member to be inducted, with his induction being done by John Cena (who had debuted against Angle back in 2002). This event marked Angle's return to the WWE after an over 10-year absence (most of which he spent working with rival promotion TNA). Angle roasted himself during his speech, referencing many of his old bits, including singing "I'm Just a Sexy Kurt" (his version of Shawn Michaels' theme) and finished by chugging two bottles of milk (a Stone Cold Steve Austin-inspired taunt he had previously done once in 2001 as part of his milk-based re-enactment of Austin giving The Corporation a beer bath in 1999).
On the April 3 episode of Raw after WrestleMania, Angle made his first WWE appearance in nearly 11 years after Mr. McMahon appointed Angle as the new general manager of Raw. [18] On October 20, WWE announced Angle's in-ring return after 11 years, replacing Roman Reigns due to medical issues and teaming with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to face The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, and Kane in a 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. [19]
Image | Group | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
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The Rock 'n' Roll Express [42] [43] [44] | Jim Cornette [45] | Four-time NWA World Tag Team Champions (Mid-Atlantic Version) Four-time NWA World Tag Team Champions Ten-time SMW Tag Team Champions [46] | |
Ricky Morton (Richard Morton) Robert Gibson (Ruben Gibson) |
Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Presented By | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Eric LeGrand [47] [48] | Dana Warrior | Former Rutgers University football player LeGrand was paralyzed during the 2010 game against Army. He has gone on to become a renowned motivational speaker. [49] |
Kurt Steven Angle is an American retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and podcaster. He first earned recognition for winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics despite competing with a broken neck, and achieved wider fame for his tenure in WWE and TNA. He is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers and amateur wrestlers of all time.
Paul Heyman is an American professional wrestling manager, executive and former promoter. He is signed to WWE, where he appears on the SmackDown brand. He is highly regarded as one of the greatest managers and creative minds in the history of professional wrestling.
Nora Kristina Benshoof is an American retired professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, under the ring name Molly Holly, as a producer. She is also known for her tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Miss Madness and Mona from 1999 to 2000.
Richard Erwin Rood, better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
Raymond Louis Heenan was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, and wrestler. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bobby "the Brain" Heenan.
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously inducted with a video package as the sole inductee that year. The 1994 and 1995 ceremonies were held in conjunction with the annual King of the Ring pay-per-view events and the 1996 ceremony was held with the Survivor Series event. Since 2004, the promotion has held the ceremonies in conjunction with WrestleMania ever since. Since 2005, portions of the induction ceremonies have aired on television and since 2014, the entire ceremonies have aired on the WWE Network, which was extended to Peacock in 2021 after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock that year.
Howard Finkel was an American professional wrestling ring announcer, backstage worker, and occasional professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in WWE. He began working for Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1975, and was a Madison Square Garden ring announcer since 1977. Finkel was WWE's longest-serving employee and was widely regarded as the greatest ring announcer of all time. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
James W. Ware Jr., better known by his ring name Koko B. Ware, is an American retired professional wrestler. He debuted in 1978 and became widely popular in 1986. He later went on to the World Wrestling Federation, where he went from strong mid-carder to jobber to the stars. "The Birdman" came to the ring with a blue-and-yellow macaw named Frankie, both flapping and dancing before and after his matches. Before joining the WWF, he was in several tag teams, most notably with Bobby Eaton in Memphis and with Norvell Austin in several promotions. In 1993, during the premiere episode, he lost the first Monday Night Raw match to Yokozuna. In 2009 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His Hall of Fame induction has been critiziced over the years, since he was inducted before world champions like Randy Savage or Ivan Koloff, pointing him as the "floor for inductees".
WWE Hall of Fame (2014) was the event which featured the introduction of the 15th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on April 5, 2014, from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania XXX. The event aired live on the WWE Network, and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired the following Monday after Raw, on the USA Network.
WWE Hall of Fame (2015) was the event which featured the introduction of the 16th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on March 28, 2015, from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 31. The event aired live on the WWE Network, and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired the following Monday after Raw, on the USA Network.
WWE Hall of Fame (2016) was the event which featured the introduction of the 17th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on April 2, 2016, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 32. The event aired live on the WWE Network, and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired the following Thursday on USA Network, after SmackDown.
WWE Hall of Fame (2018) was the event that featured the introduction of the 19th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on April 6, 2018, from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 34. The event aired live on the WWE Network, and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. The following night, a condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired on USA Network.
WWE Hall of Fame (2013) was the event which featured the introduction of the 14th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on April 6, 2013, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 29. The event was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired on the USA Network the following Tuesday. In March 2015 the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.
WWE Hall of Fame (2012) was the event which featured the introduction of the 13th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on March 31, 2012, from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania XXVIII. The event was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired on the USA Network the following Monday, before Raw. In March 2015 the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.
WWE Hall of Fame (2004) was the event which featured the introduction of the 5th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on March 13, 2004, from the Hilton Midtown in New York City, New York. The event was hosted by Gene Okerlund.
The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE that featured the introduction of the twentieth class into the WWE Hall of Fame. It took place on April 6, 2019, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, as part of WrestleMania 35 weekend. The event aired live on the WWE Network.
The 2020-2021 WWE Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE that featured the induction of the 21st and 22nd classes to the WWE Hall of Fame. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony did not occur—as a result, the originally announced Class of 2020 was inducted alongside the Class of 2021 at the 2021 induction ceremony. The event was taped on March 30 and April 1, 2021, at the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, and aired on April 6 on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network internationally. Jerry Lawler served as the host for the Class of 2020 portion of the show while Corey Graves and Kayla Braxton were the hosts for the Class of 2021 portion.
The 2022 WWE Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE that featured the induction of the 23rd class into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on April 1, 2022, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the night preceding WrestleMania 38. It aired live at 10pm Eastern Time on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network internationally, immediately after the airing of WWE's regular Friday night program, SmackDown. The event was headlined by the induction of The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The 2024 WWE Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE that featured the induction of the 25th class into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on April 5, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the night preceding WrestleMania XL. It was livestreamed at 10 pm Eastern Time on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network internationally, immediately after the airing of WWE's regular Friday night program, SmackDown. Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, The U.S. Express, Lia Maivia, Muhammad Ali, and Thunderbolt Patterson were among the inductees.
2020 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
Kurt Angle recently signed a five-year deal with the World Wrestling Federation.