History

The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 with the induction of WWF alumnus André the Giant, who had died earlier that year. The Hall inducted additional members annually thereafter until 1996, then went dormant until it was revived in 2004 to commemorate the company's twentieth WrestleMania event.

Since living inductees appear at a Hall of Fame acceptance event, induction is contingent upon the candidate being on good terms with WWE. As a result, several notable alumni have not been inducted, including Bruno Sammartino (the longest reigning WWF Champion, who, as recently as 2006, refuses to be inducted as he sees the Hall as a joke due to the inductions of Johnny Rodz, James Dudley and Pete Rose). The Ultimate Warrior has declined to be inducted, claiming it would sully his reputation to accept. Bret Hart was long opposed to being inducted to the Hall, but after a thaw in the relations between him and the WWE due to a joint DVD project and other discussions, he accepted. The process by which inductees are selected is not transparent; the criteria for induction have never been disclosed. Although the Hall in theory honors those with important WWE careers, some inductees, such as Harley Race and Verne Gagne, achieved some or all of their success outside of WWE, though it should be noted that the companies where they did achieve their success are now largely part of the WWF/WWE.

At the In Your House "Good Friends, Better Enemies" PPV in 1996, Vince McMahon announced Mad Dog Vachon as a future Hall Of Famer. On an episode of RAW in March 2006, Shane McMahon described play-by-play announcer Jim Ross as a future Hall of Famer. In December 2003 WWE released a magazine entitled "The 50 Greatest WWE Superstars Of All Time", which stated that the Superstars on the list were current Hall of Famers, or future Hall of Famers. Jake Roberts was also referred to as a future Hall of Famer by Vince McMahon on the DVD, Pick Your Poison.

As of 2006, Harley Race, "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Verne Gagne, and Big John Studd are the only wrestlers to be inducted into both the WCW Hall of Fame and the WWE Hall of Fame. In addition, Harley Race is the only man to be inducted into the WCW, WWE, and NWA Halls of Fame.


Inductees


1993 - June 3, 1993

* André the Giant was inducted. There was no ceremony, only a video package that was played on an episode of WWF Superstars in 1993 that announced his induction.


1994 - June 9, 1994, Omni Inner Harbor International Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland

* Arnold Skaaland inducted by Bob Backlund
* Bobo Brazil inducted by Ernie Ladd
* "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers inducted by Bret Hart
* Chief Jay Strongbow inducted by Tatanka
* Freddie Blassie inducted by Shane McMahon
* Gorilla Monsoon inducted by Jim Ross
* James Dudley inducted by Vince McMahon (his induction came as a surprise that night, not even James Dudley himself knew about it.)



1995 - June 24, 1995, Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

* Antonino Rocca inducted by Diesel
* Ernie Ladd inducted by Bobo Brazil
* George Steele inducted by Doink The Clown
* Ivan Putski
* The Fabulous Moolah inducted by Alundra Blayze
* The Grand Wizard inducted by Sgt. Slaughter
* Pedro Morales accepted by Savio Vega


1996 - November 16, 1996, Marriott Marquis, New York City, New York

* Baron Mikel Scicluna
* Lou Albano
* Jimmy Snuka inducted by Don Muraco
* Jimmy Valiant and Johnny Valiant inducted by either The British Bulldog or Owen Hart
* Johnny Rodz inducted by The Brooklyn Brawler
* Killer Kowalski inducted by Triple H
* Pat Patterson inducted by Bret Hart
* Vincent J. McMahon inducted by Shane McMahon


2004 - March 13, 2004, The Hilton, New York City, New York

* Big John Studd inducted by The Big Show, represented by his son John Minton, Jr.
* Bobby Heenan inducted by Blackjack Lanza
* Don Muraco inducted by Mick Foley
* Greg Valentine inducted by Jimmy Hart
* Harley Race inducted by Ric Flair
* Jesse Ventura inducted by his son Tyrell Janos
* Junkyard Dog inducted by Ernie Ladd, represented by his daughter LaToya Ritter
* Sgt. Slaughter inducted by Pat Patterson
* "Superstar" Billy Graham inducted by Triple H
* Tito Santana inducted by Shawn Michaels
* Pete Rose (celebrity inductee) inducted by Kane


2005 - April 2, 2005, Universal Ampitheater, Los Angeles, California

* "Cowboy" Bob Orton inducted by Randy Orton
* Hulk Hogan inducted by Sylvester Stallone
* Jimmy Hart inducted by Jerry Lawler
* Paul Orndorff inducted by Bobby Heenan
* Nikolai Volkoff inducted by Jim Ross
* Roddy Piper inducted by Ric Flair
* The Iron Sheik inducted by Sgt. Slaughter


2006 - April 1, 2006, Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, Illinois

* Bret Hart inducted by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
* Eddie Guerrero inducted by Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero and Chris Benoit, represented by Vickie Guerrero
* "Mean" Gene Okerlund inducted by Hulk Hogan
* "Sensational" Sherri inducted by Ted DiBiase
* Verne Gagne inducted by Greg Gagne
* The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza) inducted by Bobby Heenan
* Tony Atlas inducted by S.D. Jones
* William "The Refrigerator" Perry (celebrity inductee) inducted by John Cena


Television broadcast

The first two hours of the 2006 show were shown live on WWE.com from 9pm-11pm EST on Saturday, April 1 from Rosemont, Illinois. USA Network aired the last hour of the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony at 11pm EST. The last hour featured the inductions of Gene Okerlund, Eddie Guerrero and Bret Hart. Steve Austin's introduction and Bret Hart's acceptance speech were both heavily edited for the television broadcast. Jerry Lawler hosted the event. The event also went head to head with TNA iMPACT!. This was the first time TNA and WWE aired at the same time.

2007 - March 31, 2007, Fox Theatre, Detroit, Michigan

* "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes inducted by Cody and Dustin Runnels
* "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig inducted by Wade Boggs, represented by his wife, his four children, his mother and his father Larry Hennig
* Jerry "The King" Lawler inducted by William Shatner
* Nick Bockwinkel inducted by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
* Mr. Fuji inducted by Don Muraco
* The Sheik inducted by Sabu and Rob Van Dam, represented by his wife Joyce Farhat
* The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) inducted by Samu and Rosey
* Jim Ross inducted by Steve Austin


Trivia

Set pieces from the WWF Slammy Awards from 1986, 1987, 1996, and 1997 are recycled at the Hall of Fame awards show.