| WWE Hall of Fame | |||
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| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | April 6, 2019 | ||
| City | Brooklyn, New York | ||
| Venue | Barclays Center | ||
| WWE Hall of Fame chronology | |||
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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, [1] [2] as part of WrestleMania 35 weekend. The event aired live on the WWE Network.
On February 18, 2019, WWE announced their first inductees to the 2019 Hall of Fame class, D-Generation X. [3] Although other members have been part of the group, only Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac will be included as part of the induction. [4] D-Generation X originally had been planned to be inducted into the 2013 Hall of Fame class, [5] but plans were scrapped after Bruno Sammartino agreed to be inducted. With D-Generation X's induction, Michaels joined Ric Flair as a two-time inductee, having been inducted individually in 2011. [6] Following Chyna's death in 2016, many industry stalwarts, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and [7] Mick Foley, spoke out in favor of Chyna being included in the Hall of Fame, [8] but she had been repeatedly excluded until 2019 due to her venture into pornography following the end of her professional wrestling career. [9]
On February 26, 2019, The Honky Tonk Man was announced as the first individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony. [10] On April 5, 2019, it was announced that former Money Inc. manager Jimmy Hart would induct The Honky Tonk Man. [11]
On March 3, 2019, Torrie Wilson was announced as the first female individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony. [12] She was inducted by fellow former women's wrestler Stacy Keibler.
On March 11, 2019, Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) were announced. [13] With Harlem Heat's induction, Booker T will join Michaels and Flair as a two-time inductee, having been inducted individually in 2013. [14] Prior to Booker T asking Stevie Ray to induct him, the two had not talked in five years. [15]
On March 18, 2019, it was announced that WWE's Senior Director of Talent Relations Sue Aitchison would be the recipient of the 2019 Warrior Award. [16] Aitchison is credited with WWE's relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation [17] and WrestleMania Reading Challenge program. [18]
On March 25, 2019, it was announced that the original Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. [19] With the Hart Foundation's induction, Hart joined Booker T, Michaels and Flair as a two-time inductee, having been individually inducted in 2006. [20]
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake was announced as the final individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony. [21] On April 4, 2019, it was announced that he would be inducted by Mega-Maniacs teammate Hulk Hogan (Hogan's third time as inductor, having previously inducted "Mean" Gene Okerlund in 2006 and "Macho Man" Randy Savage in 2015).
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The Honky Tonk Man [10] (Wayne Farris) | Jimmy Hart [11] | One-time and longest reigning WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, a record 454 days (until 2023, when it was broken by Gunther ) |
 | Torrie Wilson | Stacy Keibler | A "key figure in WCW's invasion of WWE" and "a pivotal member of the WWE women's division" who "helped blaze a trail for women in sports-entertainment". [22] Two-time Playboy Cover Girl and Golden Thong Award winner [23] |
 | Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake [21] (Edward Leslie) | Hulk Hogan [24] | One-time WWF Tag Team Champion |
| Image | Group | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-Generation X | None | One of the leading factions of the Attitude Era, they are credited as having "[pushed] the envelope as to what was accepted on TV." Different versions of the group existed into the 2010s, with The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) and Triple H and Shawn Michaels having held the WWF/World and WWE Tag Team Championship as part of the faction [4] | |
| Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) – Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in 2011 for his individual career. Triple H (Paul Levesque) – Nine-time WWF/E Champion, inaugural and five-time World Heavyweight Champion, five-time WWF Intercontinental Champion. Won the 1997 King of the Ring, 2002 and 2016 Royal Rumble matches. Chyna (Joan Laurer) -- Posthumous inductee: First woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament. Two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion (the only woman to win the title). One-time WWF Women's Champion. Recognized by WWE as a trailblazer and inspiration to many future female wrestlers. Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) – 10-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWF Hardcore Champion, 1999 King of the Ring winner. Road Dogg (Brian James) – Five-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWF Hardcore Champion. X-Pac (Sean Waltman) – Two-time WWF European Champion, two-time WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion, four-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion. | |||
| Harlem Heat [25] | None | 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champions | |
| Booker T (Robert Huffman) – Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in 2013 for his individual career. Stevie Ray (Lash Huffman) – One-time WCW Television Champion. | |||
 | The Hart Foundation [26] | None | Two-time WWF Tag Team Champions |
| Bret Hart – Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in 2006 for his individual career. Jim Neidhart – Posthumous inductee: Represented by his daughter Natalya. One-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion. | |||
| Recipient (Birth name) | Presented By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sue Aitchison [27] | Dana Warrior John Cena [28] | Longtime WWE employee, spearheaded many of WWE's charitable programs, including its partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation |
| Image | Ring name (Birth name) | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
 | Bruiser Brody [29] (Frank Goodish) | Held numerous regional NWA championships. Pioneer of the "hardcore" style. |
 | Wahoo McDaniel [29] (Edward McDaniel) | Five-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion (Mid-Atlantic version) Four time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Mid-Atlantic version) |
 | Luna Vachon [29] (Gertrude Vachon) | Part of the Vachon wrestling family One-time USWA Women's Champion |
| S. D. Jones [29] (Conrad Efraim) | Three-time NWA Americas Tag Team Champion | |
 | Professor Toru Tanaka [29] (Charles Kalani Jr. ) | Inaugural WWWF International Tag Team Champion Three-time WWWF World Tag Team Championship |
 | Primo Carnera [29] | Held numerous regional NWA championships Former boxing World Heavyweight Champion |
| Joseph Cohen [29] | Media executive whose accomplishments included developing two of WWE's eventual broadcast partners, MSG Network and USA Network (part of Comcast now, a WWE television partner) First living inductee into the Legacy wing | |
 | Hisashi Shinma [29] | Longtime Japanese professional wrestling promoter Former on-screen authority of the WWWF and the WWF Second living inductee into the Legacy wing |
 | Buddy Rose [29] (Paul Perschmann) | Held numerous regional NWA championships |
 | Jim Barnett [29] | Longtime wrestling promoter Former owner of the Indianapolis National Wrestling Alliance territory, Australia's World Championship Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling |
During the induction of The Hart Foundation, as Bret Hart and Natalya delivered their speech, a man trespassed into the ring and tackled Hart. The live broadcast on the WWE Network suddenly blacked out when the attack happened and then the broadcast returned live with cameras panned to the crowd. In the immediate aftermath, several wrestlers including his nephew Davey Boy Smith Jr., Dash Wilder, Scott Dawson, Braun Strowman, Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, Big Show, Shane McMahon, Big E, and Drake Maverick, as well as MMA fighter Travis Browne subdued the man. Hart and Natalya resumed their speech. The man was arrested. [30] The incident was removed from repeat airings of the ceremony on the WWE Network.
The man was taken into police custody and faced criminal charges, of which were not disclosed as the official was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity. [31] He was charged with two counts of third degree assault, one count of criminal trespass, and one violation of local law of disorderly conduct the next day. [32] WWE issued a statement on the incident, reading: "An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring. The individual has been turned over to the proper authorities." [33] Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Hart visited the hospital on Saturday night following the attack, suffering some discomfort with his hip replacement from the fall. Despite this, Hart made an appearance, during the entrance of Natalya and Beth Phoenix, the next day at WrestleMania 35. [34]
Reportedly, WWE writers were asked not to mention WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon when helping to write speeches for Hall of Fame inductees. As a result, after Bret Hart thanked McMahon during The Hart Foundation's induction, Robert Evans, who was responsible for writing the line in the speech, got into a dispute with McMahon, and Evans ultimately quit the company. [35]
Bret Sergeant Hart is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. A major international draw within professional wrestling, he is credited with changing the perception of mainstream North American professional wrestling in the early 1990s by bringing technical wrestling to the fore. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time; Sky Sports noted that his legacy is that of "one of, if not the greatest, to have ever graced the squared circle". For the majority of his career, he used the nickname "The Hitman".
Torrie Anne Wilson is an American model, former fitness competitor and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE.
James Ray Hart is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician. He is currently signed to WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in WWE when it was still known as the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and used the nickname "the Mouth of the South".
Roy Wayne Farris is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1991, where he performed under the ring name The Honky Tonk Man.
WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on March 27, 1988, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.
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.
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".
Rhythm & Blues was a tag team composed of The Honky Tonk Man and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in the World Wrestling Federation from 1989 to 1991 and later on in the independent circuit for a short run.
Timothy Rhys White was an American professional wrestling referee. He worked with World Wrestling Entertainment as a producer on the SmackDown! brand. During the 1980s and 1990s, White worked as André the Giant's assistant in addition to his referee duties.
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 (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. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 33. 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, 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 (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 (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.
2019 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
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 2023 WWE Hall of Fame was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE that featured the induction of the 24th class into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on March 31, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, the night preceding WrestleMania 39. 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 Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that honors professional wrestlers and wrestling personalities who contributed to the independent circuit, founded by Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) and the Orange Crush magazine.
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