The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs live tonight on the WWE Network at 8 PM ET from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. A red carpet pre-show will air at 7 PM, hosted by Byron Saxton and Maria Menounos.
The 2017 Hall Of Fame class is a pretty star-studded one, headlined by the legendary Olympic gold medallist, Kurt Angle. It’s been a decade since Kurt appeared in WWE and he will be welcomed home with open arms tonight. Angle is a very worthy headliner of any class, given how quickly he adapted, how iconic his run was, and how fondly remembered he is. There’s not much I can say about Angle’s career that the WWE video below can’t do more justice, so just watch the awesome package. Angle will be inducted tonight by his former heated-rival, John Cena!
The next inductee in this year’s class is none other than The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix. She arrived on the scene in 2006, the same year that Trish Stratus officially retired and the women’s division was undergoing a change. To be completely frank, the WWE women’s division consisted of many ladies who were poor workers and or not given enough time on shows to prove themselves. Beth Phoenix, alongside Natalya, were among the only truly great workers at the time. Phoenix could easily be credited with keeping the division afloat, winning many titles and breaking the mould by competing in the first women’s match table match and I Quit match. She is still only the second woman to compete in the Royal Rumble match, in which she eliminated The Great Khali. Beth Phoenix is more than worthy of her place in the Hall Of Fame and to be indicted by her friend and former partner, Natalya,
DDP is perhaps one of the most interesting wrestling stories of all-time. Diamond Dallas Page didn’t get into the business until he was 32 years old, then didn’t actually wrestle until he was 35! That’s pretty much unheard of, especially considering the level of success he attained. DDP became a huge success story in WCW, facing such foes as The Macho Man Randy Savage, Bret Hart, and the NWO. Page also had a short stint in WWE, most famously facing off against The Undertaker. Since leaving the business, DDP created a hugely successful yoga program, DDP Yoga, which has helped transform the lives of countless people, including Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Mick Foley, and Scott Hall.
Next up we have “Ravishing” Rick Rude. The late Rick Rude was a character that many have tried to be but none have gotten over quite as successfully as him. With his huge ego and perfect body, the ladies wanted him and the men wanted to be him. Rick had successful runs in both WWE and WCW but maybe none better and more fondly remembered than his feud with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, who will induct the icon who has sadly passed away in 1999.
Here we have an induction that took so long, many thought it would never happen. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express are finally being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, and in a completely bonkers turn of events, Jim Cornette is inducting the duo. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were absolute rock stars in the NWA, paving the way for the likes of The Hardy Boyz, The Rockers, Edge & Christian and D-Generation X. They had their most iconic rivalry with The Midnight Express led by Cornette, as well as crossing paths with Dusty Rhodes, The Four Horsemen and more. Widely considered the greatest tag team of all-time, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express are long overdue.
Ron Simmons and JBL will induct Teddy Long into the 2017 Hall Of Fame tonight. Long is fondly remembered for his time as the SmackDown General Manager, in which he was pretty hilarious, if not ridiculous. However Long has been around for a long time, which JBL and Simmons are sure to touch on tonight. Long started his career as a referee in Jim Crockett Promotions, then became a manager for Doom, the team of Butch Reed and Ron Simmons. The trio were perfect, Reed and Simmons being smash-mouth bruisers, accompanied by the street-smart Teddy Long. He’s had a long, storied career and he has the perfect men inducting him tonight.
The final inductee tonight, who will be the recipient of the 2017 Warrior Award, is Eric LeGrand. A former defensive tackle for the New Jersey Rutgers, LeGrand suffered a very serious injury to his spine. Doctors believed he would never regain feeling and would need a respirator to live, but not only did LeGrand get some movement back, as well as some feeling through his body, but he’s also breathing on his own. LeGrand has went on to be a motivational speaker and is the epitome of a Warrior! As always, the recipient of tonight’s award will be inducted by the late Ultimate Warrior’s wife, Dana.
That’s the entire rundown for tonight’s Hall Of Fame ceremony. We will be updating this blog regularly, so get talking in the comments and remember you can get this and all your wrestling news on the free Ringside News app. Enjoy the show!
