Getting the ball rolling on this thread now and congrats to the Wiseman Paul Heyman for being the first inductee! Will add more inductees as they come.
Not sure who’d be the best choice to induct him as there’ll be a few choices (Roman maybe if they wanted to tie storyline into it a bit) but would laugh if he just inducted himself “Ladies and gentlemeeeeen! My naaaame is Paul Heeeeyman!” then go into his no doubt wonderful speech.
Hopefully Sid gets inducted this year.
Keeping everything crossed for you.Originally Posted by Donald
Congrats to Heyman! Well deserved.
CM Punk stands out. If they want to go with an OG ECW guy I don't see why Dreamer wouldn't be the first choice.
Paul Heyman seems like the kind of guy who would induct himself.
Bet it won't be Brrrrrrrrooccccccckkkkk Lesnar inducting him.
Go all the way and have the whole Bloodline including Rock induct him.
It will probably be an ECW OG and I guess maybe Punk but Bloodline inducting their own wise man would make for great TV lol.
He’s probably persona non grata for the moment after his comments about the flight from hell, given all the Vinny Mac sex accusations.
Maybe. I mean they took out Flair's WOO then put it back in and I'll be honest, I totally forgot about Dreamer and a couple others trying to "defend" Flair. How many people even saw that episode? Not many.
It'll be RVD that inducts him I'd guess.
Hmm I did think about that but not sure because he occasionally appears on AEW. Depends how willing both sides are to break the “forbidden door”.
He doesn’t appear a ton but still depends on if Khan is willing.
I just figured he's the "ECW GUY" of choice for WWE. I didn't remember he had a relationship with AEW. Tony would let him do the show though wouldn't he?
I'd say dreamer should be the one but punk doesn't have anything to do for Mania so it will probably end up being him.
Congrats to Mr Heyman. Well, well deserved.
Not much of a talker is RVD, so would prefer Punk.
Possibly he might, depending upon if Tony is that competitive being WWE's biggest weekend.
Punk is probably the best option on balance. I don't really like the guy myself tbh but appreciate that he is a good talker and will no doubt give a great induction if chosen.
Whoever they pick, it won't be as good as Konnon was inducting Rey.
Another good choice would be stone cold. Big star power, was around with Paul in wcw, ecw and wwe. Known each other for decades upon decades.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Heyman, always a forward thinking guy, to ask Kayla Braxton to induct him.
Never thought of that. That would be awesome!
Totally on board with both of these ideas.
What is they threw a curveball and had Cody do it?
Bull Nakano is next person in this class.
For some reason I thought she was already in.
Surely you have Alundra Blayze induct Bull Nakano.
@Badger Keep in mind, RVD isn't signed to AEW so Tony Khan is a non-factor in this.
The weird thing though is I was listening to Rob either on Rene Dupree's podcast or his own and he said that he was actually supposed to be doing something with the WWE for Mania weekend then all the sudden he wasn't. So I wonder if they took him off whatever they had planned thinking he was going to sign with AEW maybe? IDK. He didn't say what he was going to do but I feel like the only reasonable explanation to remove him was his AEW appearances.
100%. One of her biggest rivals not just in the US but in Japan. Madusa/Blayze, very well spoken and entertaining.
I watched Aja Kong v. Bull Nakano in a steel cage death match last night. It was great. It wasn't like FMW style more like WWF Attitude Era hardcore match in a cage. A little blood but no explosions
I guess so. I know he does appear for AEW but don't know if it's a part time deal, pay per appearance etc.
I still think there are better chocies than RVD tbf though. He's not exactly known for his speeches lol.
I would think so if she is willing.
Oh absolutely there are better choices. RVD never talks like him and Paul E were even that close and they never really had any interactions on camera to my knowledge. If we're looking at OG ECW alumni, the 3 closest people to him were Dreamer, Taz, and Bubba Ray. Then you think of guys from WCW and obviously Steve Austin stands out (Dangerous Alliance) and the legendary albeit short lived ECW run he had. CM Punk is probably #1 on my list especially since he's not wrestling. Dude is well spoken, he has history, Paul E saved his career by constantly going to bat for him in WWE early on.
Now watch it'll be The Sandman lol
Taz or Bubba wouldn’t be a bad shout actually. Dreamer kinda torn…normally say yes but Dark Side of the Ring stuff fans may nitpick….actually fuck it yes lol. Time has passed.
Put a gun to my head out of those three would say Taz.
Taz is with that other company, so he’s probably off the list.
Ugh I hope not Taz. One of my least favorite wrestling personality ever
Personally I think it would be stupid to use what he (and many others) said about Flair as a reason to not work with him. Especially a guy who was with the company not just on camera but helping behind the scenes in WWE.
If Taz wasn't in AEW I think he would be a top contender. Maybe they throw us for a loop and Bischoff inducts him lol
I was being a wee bit facetious with that Dark Side and Dreamer stuff lol. It was mocking fans who perceive him that way.
Yes Dreamer would be a good shout.
Or….
What about Raven?
Raisin?
Ha, takes me back.
The US Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rontunda) were announced this morning.
That makes Windham a two time HOF'er since he went in with the Horsemen.
Happy for Mike Rotunda.
I was shocked that IRS wasn't in yet. US Express.....They did have "Real American" first. Still....I was not expecting this but I also saw a tweet from someone making the Bray Wyatt connection (Dad/Uncle) as he's also someone who is rumored to be inducted this year.
Mike Rotunda should be in already.
Muhammad Ali going in. Special Ref for main event of the first WrestleMania
Sad when chumps like Trump and Kid Rock get in before Ali.
There was a lot that was sad about Ali's appearance as a guest ref for the first Wrestlemania. As I recall, most of the world was sad to see the shape he was in at the time, as he was dealing with the early signs of Parkinsons.
He was in no shape to be a real ref, and thankfully Pat Patterson came up with the idea of using him as the special ref outside the ring. But it was such a far cry from the showman we all knew and loved Ali for, the most famous man on the planet, the greatest. This was years before he lit the Olympic torch. We didn't know it was Parkinsons, we all just thought he took too many punches in his last couple of fights and it caught up to him.
He deserves to be in every Hall of Fame, and his name helped lend credibility to the first Wrestlemania becoming the grandest stage of all.
I got HOF tickets and I hope Sly is the one who inducts him. Honestly, this is another person who could have gotten in while being alive, but from some reason didn't. I am hoping Bray is the last one announced and Alexa or LA Knight inducts him.
I think Ali going in is bigger than just him being a ref at Mania 1. This is the guy who was influenced by professional wrestling and was able to take what he loved from wrestling and translate it into what he would become. So many wrestlers cite Ali as a influence. If there's a Mt Rushmore for influential athletes, Ali is on it. He should've been inducted when he was still alive but better late than never.
Thunderbolt Patterson was announced this morning
I didn't realize he was still alive and had his arms/legs amputated. That's wild. Dude was a pioneer. Paved the way. Also from Waterloo, IA.
Yeah, he was also in (I believe) the first celebrity/wrestling crossover in '76 when he faced Antonio Inoki, and he had an in-ring segment with Gorilla Monsoon leading up to it.
The Antonio Inoki idea was great for getting attention and selling magazines, newspapers, etc., and it was credited as pioneering the first MMA exhibition event, but the event itself was a letdown to fans, as Inoki just got on the mat and kicked up at Ali, who danced around at him. The "rules" were that boxers had to abide by boxing rules, and wrestling's rules applied to the wrestler. Hence Ali had to wear boxing gloves, and Inoki couldn't throw closed fist punches. Still, the attention garnered a significant payday as a reported 50 million people watched under closed-circuit TV broadcast (close to the 50 million that watched Ali / Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle).
I did not realize Thunderbolt Patterson was still alive. I recall years ago hearing his name as the guy who got blacklisted for trying to start a wrestler's union.
Hall of Fame tonight. Here is a list I saw for who is inducting people.
* Paul Heyman will be inducted by Roman Reigns.
* Bull Nakano will be inducted by Madusa.
* The U.S. Express duo of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham will be inducted by family members.
* Muhammad Ali will be inducted by his widow, Lonnie Ali.
* Thunderbolt Patterson will be inducted by radio personality Scott Spears.
* Lia Maivia will be inducted by The Rock.
Pretty stacked HOF.
I love how Bull Nakano used the old Orient Express theme back then so that's what she got tonight. Theme is underrated.
That mic has been wonky all night.
Undertaker's hair line is about as pretty as that match he had with Goldberg. Time to shave that shit Mark.
Rock said Vince McMahon. That's a big no no Dwayne.
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