Credit: Tony Acero of 411mania
Hello everybody, and welcome to our coverage of the WWE Hall of Fame!!! Emotions are running cray cray, and I’m sure there’s gonna be some tears flowing, but before we get there, let’s start this off proper!!
We get a nice video package covering the event itself, and ending with this year’s inductees.
We pan over the crowd, everyone looking sexy, one man looking uninterested. Our host for the evening:
Just kidding, it’s The King. He brings up Big Sexy, The Terminator, and Conor. King starts a short-lived Yes chant. He does a Bushwackers taunt, then Hogan, and it begins to settle in that I’ll be here to recap people talking…so it’s like the first 20 minutes of RAW for…ever.
Anyway, our first inductee is….
Hall of Famer: Rikishi
Inductor(s): The Usos
Induction Speech
After a video package we’ve all seen, The Usos head out all smiles. They want to start off by saying that The Usos, and all of their family, are from the Bay Area. Loud pop. Tonight, they are honored and proud to induct a hometown boy, a former IC Champ, a Tag Team Champ…Rikishi. They say they get the question all the time, how is it to grow up as Rikishi’s son. They called it normal. They saw him on TV all the time, and that’s the only way they got to see him. They saw him doing all kinds of characters, but there was one that stuck, it fit, it felt good, looked good. They remember the first time they saw this character on TV. It’s not the blonde hair, no. It’s not the 400 lb atheletically moving Samoan, no it wasn’t the moves either. No that’s not what they remember. This is what they remember:
Freeze frame shot to Rikishi’s butt.
They remember being 13 years old thinking “What is he wearing? Is Dad wearing a thong?” They point at his ass and say, “that right there…put us through college. That right there bought us Christmas presents, birthday presents, Thanksgiving Feasts, roof over our heads.” But they are very glad that Dad didn’t give them the stink face. They point out Booker getting the stink gace then puking. They claim that this isn’t the only reason why they are there tonight.
They are there for his hard work, his dedication, his sacrifices, his passion for the WWE. That same passion took him from a poor kid outside breakdancing for some change to a WWE 2015 Hall of Famer. They introduce their father.
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
He tells his son that they’re going to have a talk after this, they went too deep in the shit talking. haha. He asks how we’re doing, then, due to auditory problems, he asks again. He says he was backstage with Vinnie Mac and Triple H, and he wants the camera man to zoom in on his ring. He has his speech down.
Every professional wrestler dreams of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and now for him, this dream is reality. As you all know, I come from a direct extension of one of the most prolific, hard-working, and humble wrestling families in the WWF and the WWE history, the Anoa’i Family, known as the Samoan Dynasty. For over five decades – that’s 50 years, y’all – numerous members from one family have been on the WWF and WWE roster, including the High Chief Peter Maivia, the Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, The Rock, Yokozuna, The Tonga Kid, Umaga (shout out to Umaga – which gets a chant), Manu, The Usos, and ROMAN REIGNS (some boos for the boy). They all hail from one family, that he has been proud to be a part of. My uncles, Afa and Sika, provided wrestling road maps for me, and I am forever grateul. My father, I honor you dad – will you please stand?
I thank my parents for always supporting me. I only wish that my beautiful mother was still with us to witness this event, but I know momma that you’re down looking on me and smiling at me. I love you. I thank my brothers and sisters, I love you always. Thank you. I thank all of my children for loving me, and I love you all. And the backbone – every man has a backbone – my wife, my superwoman, Karina. I love you, honey. However, I would not be standing here tonight without the amazing support and the love from the best fans in the entire world. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel like my life has come full circle, and I’m still enjoying my love for professional wrestling, but now as a trainer – with my brother Reno, and Gangrel, we are excited for the next crop of fresh, innovative talent whom we are training to step into the squared circle. Shout out to Rusev, who represents Knox Pro to the fullest, congrats on Wrestlemania tomorrow. It is important to do what you love. I have loved what I do for 31 years. I truly stand on the shoulders of giants, with huge hearts, who afforded me the opportunity to live my dream. My passion I have for this wrestling business is evident. It’s in my DNA. It’s my entire being. I remember the brutal training being relentless in my pursuit. I remember the hotels, the motels, the late nights and injuries – all the missed birthdays, all the missed family times. I remember the characters, every show, every walk through the curtains, every pyro, every dance move, and every Stinkface. And, I remember, most importantly, each and every fans’ face worldwide, wherever I performed.
But what I will remember most of all is this moment. THIS moment, right now (careful, McGillicutty). I am honored, and humble to be inducted into the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame, where I was born and where I was raised.
Rikishi says a few words in his nation’s tongue, and although it’s a little rusty, my translation of what he says is essentially that he thanks me so much for doing this recap, and will be forever grateful of my existence. Thanks, Kish. You da man, man…
Since this is his night, he can’t just leave his fans like this. He was stretching for a little bit in the back. “Let’s do this for the people, twins.”
The Usos have the glasses!!!! They’re on! And IT’S ON!
YAS!!! Everybody get down with the bigt man. We even get THE WORM from Jimmy!!! haha.
-Network Shill-
I should note that they continually bleep out the “f” whenever someone says WWF. Interesting and slightly annoying.
Our next Inductee is….
Hall of Famer: Larry Zbysko
Inductor(s): Bruno Sammartino
Induction Speech
He wants to congratulate all of the Hall of Famers, calls them a great group for 2015, and he’s thrilled to see Arnold again. He wants to tell us a bit about Zbysko. He first met him when he was just a kid, and he pops up over to his house, Larry found out where he lived, and Larry says he was a big fan, he would like to become a professional wrestler. Bruno asks if he’s in school, and Larry said yes, he’s on the team, but he wants to be a wrestler. Bruno tells him to stay in school and get good grades. Larry shows up again, and asks for training. he kept coming and coming. Bruno started working out with him, and realized that Larry was a terrific talent. He trained religiously, got very strong, and when the time came, he said he’s ready – he’s going to graduate. Bruno says he must first go to college. You need that degree. Very reluctantly, he went to college – wrestled through it, and got his degree. He finally graduated and asked that Bruno kept his word. He never lost a step, went from 190 to 240. He was a terrific wrestler. He started with some local shows in Pittsburgh and it was very obvious that Larry was a natural. He was sent to Vancouver. He couldn’t believe what a natural he was. He told Vince Sr. that he was a natural, so they brought him in. He wanted to be at the top. Bruno brings up the double cross, and how the fans turned on him so badly. He got the same reaction everywhere. McMahon Sr deserves to be on top. Bruno brings up a 1:00 afternoon show where Larry sold out, among other shows that Larry continually sold out. He was in demand all over, and went on a lengthy career of 22 years all over the world, and finally after that, he retired but went elsewhere, broadcasting for the next 10 years. Bruno finally presents Zybsyko.
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
He calls standing there a dream that came true. He brings up driving Bruno crazy. He mentios Sigmund Freud, and how he came up with an idea that dreams become the reality of your wishes. To put that a little bit different, it’s the power of your imagination that creates the wish that becomes your life’s dream. And his dream, by the time he was 16, was to become a professional wrestler. He wanted to be like his hero, Bruno Sammartino. He allows a nice chant for himself. When he was 16, he was already one of the biggest wrestling fans alive. He drove his parents crazy. His father hated it. This was his dream, though. At 16, he had his license and a piece of junk Ford, and a mother who knew what her baby’s dream was gonna be. She gave him a list from the school she did some volunteer work at, and there was Bruno’s address on this piece of paper. Every time he went off in that direction, he went out of the way a block and drove down a side street that went right along Bruno’s back yard. You couldn’t see into his backyard, but it didn’t stop him. He would drive by over and over, then one day he drove by the side street, and through the hedges, for a second, he saw Bruno standing by his pool, tanning. He couldn’t help it, he stopped the car, got out of the car, and it felt like a hand – a giant hand of destiny – pushing him in the back, and he started crawling through the hedges. Bruno looked over at him, and he doesn’t know how Bruno kept a straight face. Larry walked over, introduced himself, told him that Bruno was his hero, and his dream was to be a professional wrestler. *snickers* He guesses he doesn’t need to go over the rest, as we all konw what happened.
Bruno started him out on a career that was unbelievable. He brings up some great old timers and says he wonders what would have happened if he never took that walk through the hedges. And he still doesn’t understand why Bruno didn’t just kick him out. Instead, he took Larry under his wing, and he doesn’t know why. He really doesn’t know why. After all the years of having a reputation of a big mouth, man, he’s speechless. (I beg to differ.) You know, he says, it’s hard to explain what happens to a young man’s dream when you get frustrated with it sometimes, and Bruno was graceous enough to get in a ring with him at a time when it was hard for him. That day in his yard, when he introduced himself, he doesn’t know what it was other than just what was meant to be. All he knows for sure is that after spending an afternoon with Bruno on that first day, his dream was going to happen come hell or high water…and it came true. It was great. Then, one day came the hell and the high water…and man, destiny took a hold of him by the pants, and threw him around like a leaf in the wind, and he drove everyone crazy around him. Right when he was ready to explode and be a pro, Bruno broke his neck. It shocked the wrestling world. He retired and started commentating. There was something wrong, though. The Old School just wasn’t ready to go out yet. He knew that with everything he was taught, something wasn’t complete. The Old School Era wasn’t going out this way. So, off they went. He is overwhelmed.
After a thank you chant, Larry says he is overflowing with knowledge and wisdom, but he still can’t put the words together to thank Bruno for what he did. Bruno, being the kind of man he is, he doesn’t even want to hear this, but he’s gonna. Bruno, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you Sir for letting a young boy’s dream come true when you didn’t have to do it. He didn’t have to do it. There was one more man involved, also. Another guy he drove crazy. He wants to send a special e-mail up to that big office in the sky to Vince McMahon Sr. He believed in Larry’s dream, and the Old School era went out rocking the world, giving birth to a new era of nationwide PPV, and it was awesome. 47 years ago, he found himself a rabbit hole in the middle of a giant row of hedges, and he dove right in, and Bruno was standing there. Now, he’s walking out of that rabbit hole, and Bruno is there again, holding the door open that finally let me out. Now he’s standing there wearing the same ring as his hero. This is a perfect ending to an outrageous dream he had. Now that this dream is over, he gets to go home and become again what he was once upon a time – one of the biggest wrestling fans alive. He’s hooked. He’s gonna cheer on a new generation who are clinging on for dear life to a collosal new, global network era, that’s exploding to life before his very eyes, and he’s thrilled to be part of its history.
There’s something he wants to say about professional wrestling fans; without each other to share the power of our imaginations with, there would be no dreams at all. He wants these words to live on forever for this is the truth. He has felt the love of standing in the ring with millions of millions of people chanting his name, Mean Gene announcing him as wrestling’s living legend, and for that moment in time he became like his hero, and his dream was coming true. He has felt the wrath of fighting his way out of riots night after night. Whiskey bottles and chairs smashing. Stabbed in the ass. By the greatest fans of all. WWE Universe, we are what’s awesome, and he hopes all of our dreams come true, too.
Gah-leeeeee!!!
-Network Shilling-
NEEEEXT
Hall of Famer: Alundra Blaze
Inductor(s): Natalya
Induction Speech:
Nattie is a kitty kind of girl. She’s got that fresh pink in her hair. She says little girls have big dreams. There are those that want to be princesses, those that want to be President, then there are girls that just want to kick some ass. Alundra is a woman ahead of her time. She is dominant and beautiful. When Alundra walked through that curtain 3 time woman’s champ, she showed up to fight. She was also a revolutionary. One icon act of defiance would change the history of Sports Entertainment forever. When she took her WWE Women’s Championship and through it in the trash on WCW TV. This moment was etched in time as what was part of the start of what we all know now as the Monday Night War. The gloves came off and it was one courageous act from this woman that started a revolution. When she first found out she would be inducting, Nattie had to tell someone and she is so glad she did because an awesome story came out of it that involves Arn Anderson.
Alundra had been working on a promo, doing roughly 20 takes. Arn was waiting behind her, and he was ready to go. He needed to go, but Alundra wasn’t having it. The story ends with The Enforcer running for his life. Alundra was running after him with her heel in her hand. It’s those moments that really make her proud to be inducting Alundra. There’s a quote (of course there is), it says The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out, they’re there to stop the other people. That’s a loose paraphrase. Nattie introduces Alundra as the only woman in the world who Arn Anderson is afraid of.
I think I just saw Molly Holly.
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
She scoffs, claiming she never saw this coming. She has an iPad. She thanks Nattie, and calls the Hart Foundation steep in rich history and tradition, and she’s proud of Nattie for carrying on that tradition.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to be standing alongside the entire class. It’s truly an honor. After 21 years, what took you so long. Just a little history on how I got here. There was a stunt coordinator back in the 80s who approached her, saying she would be good in the entertainment business. I had this vision of wrestlers, and instantly her hollywood dreams were crushed. She was introduced to Ed Sharky, who ended up being her promoter in the independent circuit. She did those early shows for no money, getting her car repossessed. He told her that’s what you do as a wrestler, you lose things. She then was introduced to Wahoo McDaniel. Wahoo wanted her to work with the legendary Sheri Martel. She worked with Sheri to become who she is. This time in the AWA facilitated her move to All Japan Pro Wrestling
I get the first network stoppage of the night, and return to Alundra mentioning Mr. Perfect and Diamond Dallas Page. She calls DDP a future Hall of Famer. She would be remiss if she didn’t mention her Japanese wrestling family. Her beliefs, morals, and values were all forged in the three years from Japan. Her style wouldn’t have evolved if it weren’t for her Japanese family and staff. She wants to thank the coolest granny on the planet, also. She thanks her parents, her newfound sister and brother, and a big thank you to all her chicas, as well as her extended family watching her right now on the WWE Network for $9.99!! Her Monster Jam family. All of her Pink Warriors, and her die hard Madusa fans. Her awesome crew chief. She also needs to take a few moments to thank some incredibly gifted and talented people. There’s a phrase “doin the job,” and she wants to acknowledge those who inspired and encourage her.
Alundra wants to give a special thanks to Paul Heyman. She loves him. Paul is the only man that can rock a mullet, carry a footlong ugly as phone, and have a mouth that only a mother could love. She says that SHE was the first Paul Heyman girl. The Verbal Assassin Paul Heyman, Stone Cold Steve Austin. She admits to the biggest crush on Austin. She calls out Arn. She congratulates Larry Zybysko. She brings up Rick Rude, and calls him a future WWE Hall of Famer as well. She is humbled to be inducted in the same class as the Immortal Randy Savage. He was an amazing man who they all miss terribly. She thanks Triple H for mending fences that many thought were broken forever. She shouts out the WWE Staff, and thanks them. Another interruption, and we are back as she thanks the troops.
She says she wants to get to some fun stuff. Let’s just get to what everybody wants to talk about. Let’s address the elephant in the room – let’s talk about the title. For that, we need to go back to 1995, as she was sitting on the toilet, no joke, she received a call from Eric Bischoff, offering her a contract from WCW. That one phone call would lead to one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history. She had no idea she would start a war. She unknowingly fired the first shot in what would become the Monday Night War. Who does that? What was she thinking? When Bischoff told her to do this, her first reaction was hell no. She did it,though. Why? She did it for job security. She did what any other wrestler would do. Her stint was used to get the WWE’s attention, and it worked. She is still asked about the incident once a day. She’ll forever be known as the bitch that threw the title in the trash. It takes a lot to be a bitch, she says. She has lived with this every day. She is at peace with it now, and so should we.
Natalya comes out with a trash can. She places the can next to her, pulls out a sports bra, and says she always hated Bra and Panties Matches. She brings out some BBQ sauce, gives a shout out to JR. Bischoff’s book is in the trash, haha. She pulls it out, says they are still friends till this day. She reaches in, grabs the title, and pulls it out of the trash. She asks if this is what we wanted to see. She says it’s a damned good belt, calls it a WRESTLING BELT. She says that the title is finally home where it belongs. She loves her career in wrestling. She calls it the highest honor to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She is honored and humbled because there are so many others qualified to be there tonight. She shares this honor with them. She tells us not to give up on our dreams. She says for the younger fans, she is the reigning WWE Women’s Champion. She’s held this title for about 20 years or so. She currently drives a monster truck. She is a 2 time Monster Jam World Champ. She is proud to say she dominated two male dominated arenas. She goes all Ric Flair on us and gives herself a bunch of nicknames. She goes full promo and says that this Diva will never be subdued. She says thank you and goodnight.
-Tapout Ad-
We’re back with Lawler, who brings up the ultimate unveiling. We go to Wrestlemania Axxess where they showed the Ultimate Warrior statue. Grab the tissues, guys…
“STOP YOUR CRAZINESS”
Hall of Famer: Conor The Crusher
Inductor(s): Dana Warrior
Induction Speech:
She says she cannot tell us what an honor it is to stand in front of us tonight. A terrifying honor, but an honor nonetheless. A year ago, she sat in the crowd and watched her husband deliver an epic speech. She may have cried the entire way through it, but it was because that’s what it evoked. She was truly, deeply proud. She believed in everything he stood for, the character he portrayed, and the depth of his personal character. She was proud to be his partner his biggest cheerleader, his soft place to fall, but most especially, proud to be called his wife. Losing him was an unspeakable blow. It felt like someone physically removed a part of her body. They dont’ tell you about the physical pain. It was like losing the air in her lungs, the beat of her heart. That kind of sadness could swallow a person whole, if you hadn’t spent 20 years with a man who embodied a warrior, and he gave a little of that to her along the way.
Big Show is crying, of course. We all are, ya big lug.
Even though she has wanted him back, she never had a dream to follow him. She knows that he would be so pissed if she didn’t step up and stand up straight, and embody a Warrior woman, so that’s exactly what she did. A wallflower cannot be married to a warrior, it would not be sustainable. She is a warrior, and that strength sustained her girls and her. This core strength was supported by many many people. She thanks them all. Thank you to her daughters, they have been her reason to get up and fight like mad to make them proud. She has never known a more fierce love than the love that they share. Please forgive her for any mistakes she has made this year, but know that she echos her father’s awesome words – “the most awesome thing I will ever do is be your Mom.” She thanks her Santa Fe tribe. Denise who showed up and gave her food she wasn’t going to eat. Thanks to the entire Legion of Warriors, we truly held her up and carried her forward, and she loves us. Thank you to the WWE Universe. Thanks to the WWE Divas, Superstars, Corporate Office and production. This isn’t just a company, it’s a family, and she’ll never forget what they’ve done for her. One thing we should know about the roster is that they made her girls smile when she never thought they would do it again. She thanks all of them. Thank you WWE for easing the burden and shining a light into her girls’ futures. She thankks Stephanie and Paul. They might be really bad guys, but they are really great friends. Finally, thanks to Auntie Deb. She called every single day. It’s impossible to move on, but you must move forward.
When she thinks about this Warrior award, she sees her first public step forward. This is the first quantum leap. As a mother, she sees photos of Conor, and she is in awe. His vibrancy is a testament to the Warrior spirit. She says that the impact that his life had on those around him and his legacy is what makes Conor a warrior. Although Conor and her husband have taken their final breath, their legacies are ultimate. Conor was a magnificent example of a little Warrior whose giant heart left this planet a better place. What if his quest was to be the impotus for curing cancer? What if we took bold steps to make that happen? She is challenging every one of us to make a donation to Conor’s Cure in the memory of The Ultimate Warrior. What greater gift can we give than to eradicate the disease that took Conor’s life too soon?
She says that if we raise a Million Dollars in a month, she will go full Ultimate Warrior for us. She’ll run to the ring, shake the ropes, and might even body slam someone. She has just the opponent in mind, too…..BROTHER. haha. She’s kidding. Nothing but love, especially tonight, and especially honoring this light of a child. Let’s raise a million, and then a million more to help families fighting this disease like Warriors themselves. It is her privelage to turn the podium over to a true gentleman and a gentle man.
Here’s Conor’s Cure Link if you’re interested, folks.
Dana introduces Bryan, and says that watching him interact with Conor made her love Bryan all the more. You can always tell a phony from the genuine article, and this guy is the real deal. She feels Warrior would have selected Bryan to do this.
Induction Speech 2:
Bryan is trying to control the crying right now. LOUD DANIEL BRYAN CHANT. He sincerely and truly appreciates the cheer, but everything that he’s done in front of all of us is fiction. It’s not real. If he has inspired any of us, that’s great, but when you talk about inspiration, he’s talking about something real, and somebody who inspired him…was Conor. When he first saw Conor, it was on a YouTube video. CONOR gets a chant. He first saw him on YouTube, requesting to meet Daniel Bryan. He, his family, his friends, the community made that video viral to the point where everyone knew about it, and even though Bryan is never on social media, he knew about it. The arrangements were made. He wants to know if we have ever met someone who the second we see them, they steal his heart. That’s what happeend when Bryan met Conor. He says there was something more there, and he has struggled to find exactly what it was. Everyone knew about his kindness and compassion. He was funny and quick witted, but what spoke to Bryan from the start was his strength, and when you got to meet Conor, he was truly amazing because here’s a kid who – at three years old – was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. He lived over half of his life in and out of hospitals, constantly getting chemo. It’s a horrible process, and despite all of that, when you met him, you wouldn’t see that in him. He was full of life and confidence. Bryan was doing the NO thing at the time. He talks to Conor, and Conor says he doesn’t like it when all those people say YES. Bryan asks why not, and he says “because you don’t want them to.” When Bryan asked if he could put him in the No Lock, Conor replied “I can put everybody in the No Lock.” There’s a clip of Conor punching Triple H in the face, and how Conor said “no, I can’t do that.” But it wasn’t out of respect, it was more like Conor was claiming he was going to hurt Triple H. Bryan thinks if we asked Hunter, he would say that kid really packed a punch.
Bryan wishes that we all could have seen Conor through Bryan’s eyes at the end of Mania last year. There he was in front of 70,000 people, confetti pouring down, and there was Conor, who despite being really sick, sat through this four hour show smiling and throwing his arms in the air. He was in his dad’s arms. To give you perspective on that, Bryan is in the ring seeing that, and it gave him a sense of what is truly important. It wasn’t what he was doing at that moment in time, it was the love between a father and a son. You could see the life in Conor’s eyes, and you could see the life in his dad’s eyes. So appreciative of being there in that moment, being able to hold his son. Bryan thinks Conor is the perfect person to get the award because of what Warrior said about passing away. What you leave is what matters, and Conor – in eight years – inpsired so many people that they created Conor’s cure in hopes that future children won’t have to go through what he went through. That’s why he’s the perfect person to get this award. THANK YOU CONOR chant. It’s his pleasure to present this award to Conor’s father, Steve Michalek
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
First, I’d like to thank Conor. Because without him, there’s no way he’d be able to talk in front of all these people. Thank you so much, Dana Warrior. Your bravery and commitment to raising your daughters after the loss of your husband can’t be overstated. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that our other children have to come first, and our grief is second to theirs. It’s just part of being a parent, and it’s impossible for others to understand, so thank you Dana for being such a great mother. Also, thank you Daniel Bryan, for first kind words about a little boy who saw you as his hero. Conor’s love and passion for the WWE began with you. He would be so happy to know that it was you to give him this incredible award and induct him into the Hall of Fame. At Conor’s age, my favorite superstar was The Ultimate Warrior. Every time he ran down the ramp or shook the ropes, he owned the crowd. And in owning the crowd, that’s where Conor’s hero thrives. Daniel has the same passion that Warrrior had years before. He found it very fitting that it was Daniel giving the WArrior award to another crowd favorite, Conor “The Crusher” Michalek. I also want to thank Stephanie and Triple H. Thanks to their love for Conor, and their compassion for all children, they started Conor’s Cure. I am so incredibly proud that the foundation is already so successful, and in short life is already producing results. A lot of success is also owned to the WWE Universe. Thanks to your commitment and bringing awareness to the forefront, the Universe is insuring that Conor’s Cure is here to stay and is here to make a difference, and for that, thousands of other children are eternally grateful for your help, so thank you.
Even though I know Conor’s here with us in spirit, in all reality, it should be him up here accepting this honor. He would be in all his glory. When Conor walked into a room, he owned it. All eyes were on him. He just put on a big smile and said whatever popped into that great mind of his. It takes a very special person to be that confident, to be so brutally honest, yet so endearing at the same time. We’ve all seen the videos with Conor’s huge personality in action. Whether it was the first time he met his hero, where within minutes he had Bryan tapping out to his own submission move. Where at six years old, he told Kane and Bryan that he and his brother were the real tag team champions. Or in Conor’s first ring appearance, completely surrounded by all the superstars and divas, he KO’d the King of Kings, even having the presence of mind to hook the leg, as all the roster cheered on. He also got to have his own Wrestlemania moment, sharing the victory with a big hug and some sweet words from the new World Heavyweight Champion. Though he may not be here because of cancer, he sure as hell never let him beat him. Where at times, cancer may have given Conor an F-5 and placed him on his back, he always got right back up, looked cancer in the eye, smiled a little brighter, and laughed a little longer. The doctors told us he would never make it to Wrestlemania, he was just too sick, but that didn’t stop The Crusher from making it to the show of shows, where he became part of Wrestlemania history. Conor will always be my best friend and my hero, and it is my prayer and hope that by living life on his own terms, with a heart and soul filled with love and happiness, and a never give up attitude, Conor will be a hero to all kids fighting for their lives against this terrible disease.
I am so humble, honored, and proud that Conor has made such an impact on so many lives. One of the last times I was with Conor, it seemed everywhere we went, someone knew him. I laughingly said to him once Geez buddy, you’re turning into a huge celebrity, and quick as always, he said “Dad, don’t you know, I’m going to be famous one day?” Now thanks to the Warrior Award, the Hall of Fame, and Conor’s Crusade, his words have come true. Thanks to all of you, Conor’s legacy will live forever. I would like to introduce Conor’s real legacy, Conor’s little brother, to say a few words.
Little man comes out waving to everyone as the crowd cheers. He blows his brother a kiss.
Jaxon has one thing to say to his brother, “I love you, Conor.”
Hall of Famer: The Bushwackers
Inductor(s): Johnny Ace
Induction Speech:
A nice little People Power chant. Ace says that each of us start somewhere while ONE idiot tries to start a WHAT chant. Ace says that people along the way give us a meaning and we end up becoming someone that we are today, but not without the people along the way. Ace says The Bushwackers helped shape his career. He mentions Dusty Rhodes and has him stand. When Ace finished wrestling camp, Dusty said to him “I’m gonna send you to Florida with two vets who will teach you everything you need to know.” We get a photo of Ace and The Bushwackers, complete with horrible hair. They were his mentors, they just didn’t tell him what to do and where to do it, but how and why. They helped shape his career. His little journey was just a short part of their long journey. They started in 1968 in New Zealand as Sweet William and The Brute, evolving into The Kiwis, then The Sheepherders, and finally The Bushwackers. They were his mentors, but they were also his roommates, and believe him they had a lot of stories. Being on the road with these guys can get anybody stir crazy. He brings up their taunts, licking, and march. They were his family, his brothers, his mentors. It’s an honor to induct them.
They head out, every bit as excited as they once were. Butch is showing some age, but his personality is all about it!
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
Luke says it’s been a long journey from 72, to today where they stand on this stage. Awww, they do the nose thing! Damnit! Butch says just like their mate Ace, they have lots of stories as well. They bring up Killer Kowalski. Luke says they were with Killer in the late 60s working with him. Another great guy? Andre the Giant. They wrestled him in the 60s and early 70s. Butch says Luke looks great today, and Luke tells Butch he looks Bloody Lovely! Tell ya motha! Luke mentions High Chief Peter Miavia. Butch has a story about the Chief. He had only been in the business for about six months and had never met this great chief. New Zealand used to govern Samoa, and they were celebrating their 10 year anniversary of such an event, and Butch was chosen to fight over there against The Samoans. Butch was super nervous, he tried to listen but couldn’t. Near the end of the match, he tossed Peter out of the ring, went to do some damage, and then they all started coming for him. Hundreds and hundreds of wild samoans wanted to string him up on a coconut tree. haha. He was so lucky to get out of there with his life, and still be here. The promoter comes to him the next day and says “we’ve decided to keep you here for another two days, we’re going to have a bloody rematch.” Butch says that night he learned to fly. He goes to the ring, Peter grabbed him every way but loose, tossed him everywhere, but he did it right and he was happy because the more he was tossed, the safer his life was. This brings Luke to another short story in 73. They had never heard of Stampede Wrestling or Stu Hart. They worked against the champions that night, and they end up getting disqualified by puttin the boots to them. The next minute, we hear “beat em up champs,” and they put the boots to those four young wrestlers. They all head to the back, and there’s Stu saying what are you guys doing, those are my kids?! They had never met Stu before that. Gist of the story is they got a lot of heat. Butch says they were doing hardcore before hardcore was called hardcore.
For whatever reason, the Network wouldn’t let me back on after an interruption for like 20 minutes, and I miss pretty much the entire speech of
Hall of Famer: Macho Man Randy Savage
Inductor(s): Hulk Hogan
Nice package for Savage.
Induction Speech:
Hogan is here all smiles. He does a Macho Man impression and calls him somethin else. He was intense, crazy, and the epitome of what we do here in Sports Entertainment. In all sincerity, it’s his honor and privelage to induct Savage into the 2015 Hall of Fame. Hogan says he was not only a great competitor but also a great friend. He was so intense. There are countless times where his intensity spilled over. The reason Hogan switched over to the canary yellow tights was cuz of Lanny.
Another interruption causes me to miss most of Hogan’s second half, so we go straight to Lanny doing a Randy Savage chant with the crowd. He says that his mother couldnt be here today, being 88. He wants to know if we saw the DVD of Macho Man’s and says she was great. Randy’s wife, Lynn, he knows she’s watching. Thank you for making my brother the happiest man in the world right up until the day he died. He tries to prevent crying by bringing up crying. Last year in New Orleans, The Ultimate Warrior got a chance to say anything he wanted right up until he passed away. The Macho Man doesn’t get that chance tonight. But since he represents those who knew him the best and loved him the most, he feels compelled to express what was in his heart. Randy had no biological children of his own. He was always a good uncle and a good father to his wife’s two kids from a previous marriage. It was his relationship with the atheletes in the special olympics. They were all his sons and daughters. Randy loved them like Mr. T loves his mother. He reads a poem about the special olympics, claiming it was Randy’s favorite. It’s alright, I suppose. He loves to remember when Randy would take him to the special olympics. Randy would make his entrance dressed in his full gear, and make a speech that built to a giant crescendo. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, it got better. Randy had a bunch of merch that he would give out personally, including authograph. After all these years, Mick Jagger still comes out singing I cant get no satisfaction – he should have hung ut with The Macho Man. We already know he was a champ in the ring, but outside of the ring he was the champion of underdogs. He drops some scripture, namedrops The Genius, and reads another poem, ending with “The Macho Man is in the Hall of Fame.
Hall of Famer: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Inductor(s): Triple H
Induction Speech:
Triple H calls this his favorite night of the year. One minute you’re crying, one minute you’re laughing. When discussing celebrities in the Hall of Fame, you look for a lot of things. Inspiration, impact, etc. Arnold embodies everything that is the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Triple H claims his nose wasn’t always this big. Arnold was also an inspiration, including a lot of guys and girls in the crowd. What if Arnold had a different hero, though. What if his hero had been Bruno Sammartino? Arnold undoubtedly could have been the biggest WWE Superstar in history, but he chose his path. He had personality and charisma, he had the look, he was a hell of a work, and came custom made with catchphrases. If wrestling was the path that he chose, imagine tomorrow, instead of chopping yes, we’d be chanting “GET TO THE CHOPPA” The great thing about Arnold is his success didn’t end with his fame. He doesn’t rest. He gives back. Arnold is the American Dream. He might even be the Global dream. Triple H brings up his role as Governor, which gets a big boo. Triple H introduces Arnold.
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
Arnold thanks us for this welcome. He does a few of his lines. Crowd loves him for it. He thanks Triple H for the wonderful introduction. calls him a greath athelete. He asks for a big hand for Triple H as a business man and promoter. He thanks the WWE for giving him this great honor. He dreamt about becomnig an entertainer, an actor. He had dreams of being a public servant. Never in his wildest dreams did he dream about being inducted in this hall of fame. He has always loved professional wrestling. He remembers an Austrian wrestler that his father would take him to see. This was what inspired him to have a muscular body. He brings up The Munic, and how wrestlers would always train there. He brings up his Mr. Universe titles, and guess who was the head judge of his third competition….Bruno Sammartino. He couldn’t believe it. He remembers Bruno asking him to do a double bicep pose. And he did it. He did all the poses. Bruno called him number one. Bruno was the one that helped him win the Mr Universe contest the third time. They formed a friendship. He was invited to watch the wrestling matches, and was in awe of Bruno’s strength. He accepts this award on behalf of the fans of him, and of wrestling. Without us, they would be nothing. He goes political and tells us to keep America the number one country in the world. He says he’ll be back. Thank you.
Hall of Famer: Diesel
Inductor(s): Shawn Michaels
Induction Speech:
Michaels makes a crack at the length of the show, making him my favorite person right now. HBK brings up the Clique, and says that they will be bringing that up again soon. One of th ebiggest reasons why Nash is worthy, according to Shawn, is because of what he did for this line of work, whether anyone wants to admit it or not. Nash, by his actions, changed the way this busines operated. Everyone on the roster, including him, now has a guaranteed contract because of the actions of Nash and Hall. While so many of them wanted to be a wrestler, Kevin Nash wanted to make money. Nash decided what a novel idea it would be if he treated this business like a business, and looked at it like maybe doing a job, and getting paid the most amount of money you can get for services. He did so by holding WCW hostage, and changed everything. Without Nash, there would be no NWO. Without Nash, there would be no guaranteed contracts.
Hall of Famer’s Speech:
Nash talks about opportunities and given to him. The one thing that he thinks doesn’t get enough credit is us, the fans. We don’t get enough credit. He says that their generation, they did do some things and made some steps, but you guys have taken it ten-fold (referring to the younger dudes). He says if he goes on his deck, he can watch anything that takes off (referring to fighter jets and the like). Every time he comes back to this company, it grows. It’s staggering. He has a feelin in the near future, he’s going to watch some type of space ship that won’t be going to Mars, but maybe the Moon because WWE has decided they’re going to run Mania on the moon. He’s not kidding. He thanks his wife. Most people probably think she is a unicorn that doesn’t exist. His first mentor in the business was Rick Rude, and Rick Rude told him one thing important: Nash, you wanna keep your wife, keep her away from the business. For 27 years, he’s kept her and she hasn’t been around so he guesses it works. She’s stuck by his side the whole way here. Without her, he would implode. He was talking to Ric Flair before they came out, and they have come to the conclusion that there are two things that are real in this business; your first championship, and getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. He thanks us.
Out comes Shawn Michaaels, Scott Hall, X-Pac, Triple H. The Clique is here! Nash and H hug it out. Pac claps.
Thus, ending the longest report of my entire life.
You’ll notice a few glaring ommissions that I’ll fix in post. Sorry about that, but Network and/or my connection was being a total bitch.
Thanks for stickin with me, guys! ENJOY TOMORROW!!
