PRE-SHOW
INDUCTION CEREMONYQuote:
- The 2014 WWE Hall of Fame Red Carpet Special opens up with Michael Cole and Maria Menounos. They talk about tonight's ceremony and we go to Renee Young on the red carpet. We're going to be going back to her for interviews. Renee talks about how excited she is for her first ceremony. Cole talks about how we have members of the media from all over the world. We go back to Renee and Roman Reigns. Reigns talks about how important of a night this is. This is Reigns' first ceremony as a WWE Superstar.
- We go to Byron Saxton on the red carpet. He stops Maryse and The Miz. Miz talks about looking forward to seeing The Ultimate Warrior inducted. He also jokes that Maryse still wants a match with Lita. Saxton cuts Miz off and we go back to Renee. She has Hulk Hogan and his wife Jennifer. Hogan says this is as big as it gets for him. We also see Brooke Hogan and Nick Hogan. We go back to Menounos and Cole before jumping back to Saxton. He talks to Pat Patterson about how special it is to be in the Hall. We go back to Renee and Randy Orton. Orton compliments Renee on her look. We hear fans chanting for Hogan in the background. Orton talks about inducting his father back in 2005. Orton is looking forward to Warrior's speech and says he didn't come out during rehearsals. We see Orton's new girlfriend next to him. We go back to Maria and Cole, who talk to Summer Rae and Fandango about dancing, WrestleMania and the Hall of Fame.
- We come back from a WrestleMania promo and Byron Saxton is with The Usos, Naomi and some of their friends. Jimmy Uso is looking forward to Carlos Colon's induction. Naomi is looking forward to Lita's induction because they were both athletic Divas. Renee has Booker T and Sharmell on the red carpet. Sharmell says last year was her favorite but says it's always a great night at the Hall of Fame. Booker talks about being proud of Lita's induction. Booker says he told Mr. T to make sure and mention his wife in his speech. Renee sends it back to Cole and Menounos, who has Dolph Ziggler for comment. Ziggler talks about the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and says Sheamus is the biggest threat. Ziggler flirts with Maria and says he's a big fan. Ziggler talks about how special it is to be here after watching these legends as a kid. We go to another promo.
- We come back and Renee is with Roddy Piper and his family. Piper is most looking forward to Mr. T's speech. Piper says he will come after T if he has to. Saxton is on the red carpet with Alicia Fox. She talks about what it's like to be a presenter at the Hall of Fame. We go back to Maria and Cole. Jerry Lawler and his girlfriend Lauren walk up. Lawler will be the host of tonight's ceremony. Lawler says this is his favorite night of the year. Renee is with Natalya, her sisters and Tyson Kidd. Natalya talks about proving she's the best at WrestleMania. Saxton is on the red carpet with Tamina Snuka. Tamina talks about all of her family members that are in the Hall. She talks about how the Hall is motivation for every Superstar and Diva. Tamina is with The Rock's mother and daughter. Saxton talks to Rock's mom about how special the Hall of Fame is. She hopes Rock will be inducted one day. Rock's daughter also talks about how excited she is. Menounos and Cole are with Big Show. Show talks about wanting to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. We've been seeing side videos of other stars arriving with their families. We go back to Renee and she's with Steve Austin. Austin gives Renee props for her enthusiasm. Austin says this is one of his favorite events. Austin is looking forward to Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena at WrestleMania. He talks about having respect for Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker and says he would like to see Taker keep The Streak intact. Austin talks about having fun in New Orleans this week and some of his many favorite WrestleMania moments. Austin and Renee pick on Cole wearing a singlet and we go back to Saxton, who is with Cody Rhodes and Brandi "Eden" Rhodes. Rhodes also talks about how the Hall of Fame is motivation. Cole and Maria are with Alberto Del Rio and his family. He talks about inducting his father before and the battle royal at WrestleMania. One of Del Rio's sons talks about being excited to be at his first WrestleMania.
- Renee is with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who is riled up and ready to go. Duggan talks about the fans and what it was like to film Legends House. He says Tony Atlas was a big pain in the butt and a prima donna. Duggan is looking forward to Jake Roberts' speech. He says there's no chance Lesnar will defeat The Undertaker. Saxton is on the red carpet with Zeb Colter, who is twisting his beard. Zeb says it's great to see guys he competed against get inducted. Zeb says these men are well deserving of their inductions. Cole and Menounos are with John Cena and Nikki Bella. Cena agrees that this is the most important night of the year for WWE. He predicts tonight's ceremony will be one for the ages. Cole brings up the past beef between Maria and Nikki. Nikki says she was hurt at SummerSlam and wants a rematch. We come back from a promo and Saxton is with Cesaro. Cesaro says he considers himself a throwback so of course he enjoys the Hall of Fame. Cesaro talks about learning from history and says tonight's class is unbelievable.
- Maria and Cole are with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie says the Hall of Fame is one of her most favorite events of the year. Triple H says he's a big history buff and this is the biggest night for him. Renee is with Santino Marella, his girlfriend and daughter. There's a magic Scooby-Doo mirror that they take a selfie in. She presses a button and tweets it out. Byron is with Arn Anderson. Arn says tonight is an honor like none other. Arn says the Hall of Fame is the end of the rainbow, if you think about it, and if you don't aspire to be a Hall of Famer then you're spinning your wheels. Cole and Maria are with Bruno Sammartino. We hear "yes!" chants start up and see Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella hitting the red carpet. Bruno talks about being excited to see this year's ceremony. Renee is with Bryan and Brie. Renee points out the big reaction Bryan just got. Bryan is excited about this year's inductions. Brie can't wait for Lita's speech. Bryan says with all luck, they both will walk out of WrestleMania with gold. We go to a break.
- We come back to Cole and Maria, now inside the arena. We go to Byron and Ted DiBiase, Sr. DiBiase says it's a very humbling experience to be inducted. He's excited to be here and excited for everyone going in. Renee talks to Ryder about the Hall and being in the battle royal tomorrow. Ryder says winning the battle royal would mean getting his career back. He calls it his Last ReZort. Back to Cole and Menounos. She talks about being a fan of Warrior and Jake. Saxton is in the crowd with Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter talks about how incredible the Hall of Fame has become. He's most looking forward to Warrior and talks about their history. Slaughter says he hopes Warrior leaves the ego at home. Renee is in the crowd with Damien Sandow. Back to Saxton, who is with Mick Foley. Foley talks about how special it is to be here and gets a cheap pop from the crowd. Foley asks WWE not to cut to him during Jake's speech so we won't see him crying. Cole and Maria hype the Hall one last time and that's it for the pre-show.
Alberto Del Rio was interviewed and he came off really, really well. If WWE ever tapped into him as the man he is, it would be big money.
Hacksaw Duggan then came out and plugged Legends House. Piper was his roommate and they became friends. Tony Atlas was a big pain in the ass. He also said Jake Roberts was in his wedding 25 years ago.
Zeb Colter came out and did well. He talked about the people going in, including his friend Carlos Colon. Cesaro came out and the fans did a We The People chant.
John Cena was with Nikki Bella. He put over how great the Hall is. He then promoted his match with Bray Wyatt. He did a good job.
By the way, the feed looks awesome.
Cesaro came out and said he was a throwback and put over the Hall Of Fame. They showed Bruno Sammartino in the small box.
Maria and Cole had Triple H and Stephanie. She thanked them for inviting her. They said they love her. Steph said it's one of her favorite nights of the year since it honors the legacy. H put over how great the Hall is too since he loves history so much. Cole said good luck tomorrow and H joked about it, totally out of character.
I just posted about The Rock so I missed the Twitter mirror. I think that is a good thing. Bruno was just interviewed and did well. He seems happy to be there.
Daniel Bryan then came out with Brie Bella. He put over how much fun it will be. Brie can't wait to hear Lita's speech. Bryan is looking forward to a great year.
Bryon was joined by the Million Dollar Man. He talked about how great the Hall is and how it was an honor and humbling. Zack Ryder got some mic time. He has always been a big fan so he loves this.
Sgt. Slaughter said he is looking forward to seeing the "Ultimate Puke" inducted the most. He hopes he leaves his ego at home. OUCH!
Damien Sandow was up next and came off well. With a little luck the Network will allow guys that can speak to get a better push. Sandow is looking forward to this class. He worked for Colon for years.
Mick Foley did a cheap pop gimmick. He asked that they don't cut to him during Jake's speech because he will be crying.
The Hall Of Fame is next.
The show opened with a great video of the class and the members already in the Hall. Tonight we celebrate, and they showed the inductees. I am pretty sure they put them in the order of: Razor, Carlos Colon, Paul Bearer, Mr. T, Lita, Jake Roberts and then Warrior. I may have missed the order though.
Jerry Lawler then came out, as he is our emcee. Tonight it going to be a celebration. It's an honor to share the stage with them. He then send us to a WWE promotional video package to a Kid Rock song. It was a good piece, especially for long time fines as you got to see footage of some great ones. It really put over the company and the stars from outside of wrestling that have been part of the company at various times.
Lita is the first inductee. They open with a video package and Superstars talking about how great she was.
Trish Stratus came out to induct Lita. Jerry put her over well. Trish came out, with her now trademark brown hair. She was happy when "Amy" asked her to induct her. She referenced that Amy is the Godmother of her child. She said that their careers paralleled. Her first and match were against her, and they debuted within weeks of each other. They had that chemistry and you can't ask for anything more. Because of that, they got to share so many great moments including main eventing Raw. She said Amy was cool and did things we never saw from a woman. She was relatable and girls saw something in her that they saw in themselves.
She is best know for her time in Team Extreme. She wasn't a side dish, she was an equal part of that group. She had the "I want to hang out with this chick" quality. They are still really, really tight to this day. She is a pretty awesome chick. Trish ran down her accolades, and they were pretty damn impressive. She noted that Amy is making her long dress debut, her bestie Lita. Great speech by Trish.
Lita came out in a long red dress, to a great reaction from the crowd. She said she was just going to take it in for a minute. She said the wrestling crowd is a different arena. She took in the moment and said she was "super into it". A Thank You Lita chant broke out. She thanked them back. She asked if she ever heard about the time she called a travel agent. She wanted to go to Mexico. She had almost no money or plan. She made sure to keep a 20 in her bra, and she still does that. She pulled out a twenty from her bra. She was asked for more information and she asked the agent where Lucha Libre is most popular, that is where she wanted to go. The woman didn't know, so Amy asked what was the biggest city was. It was Mexico City. She told a story about going there to pay her dues and become a wrestler and tied it into how it hooked her, and we will see it tomorrow at WrestleMania XXX. She talked about her first TV bit which she did with Sean Morely/Val Venis. They did a pre-tape with Rayo De Jalisco Jr. and he left his mask and she took it. She pulled it out and showed us, she still has it.
She then talked about being a mark for Rey Mysterio Jr. (and if you didn't see him back in the early to mid 90s, he was freaking awesome for AAA. She talked about what a mark she was for him, including having his name on a personal license plate. It led to her supposed to get a meeting with Rey and Arn Anderson got involved. Rey finally met Rey so she owned Arn Anderson a Miller Lite. She brought out a Miller Lite for Arn and Rey. Her and Trish drank some wheatgrass. Arn chugged a beer. He has Rey's. Lita said Arn was double fisting so he took Rey his beer and they drank and saluted Lita.
After that, she ended up in ECW for six months. That led to an ECW chant. Her first PPV was Heat Wave 1999. She was with Danny Doring and Roadkill. Doring proposed to her with a condom, not a ring. She then went on to her marriage to Edge. It was the most Slutacular Wedding Dress ever. Then she was with Kane. She relayed how crazy the stuff with Kane was, then topped it with her run with Snitsky. She then told a story about how Kane isn't a monster. They really mean no time limits this year. This one has gone on too long.
She talked about how doing the season finale of Dark Angel she got dropped on her head. She knew something was wrong. She went to doctors and found out that she had a broken neck. She put on a hard collar because it was the release date of her bobble head. She went to the hospital instead of Raw and was told she needed emergency surgery since her neck was broken in three places. It mean her career was over. She asked to talk to Steve Austin. They showed him and he smiled. She said this is the bubble we live in. She doesn't want to talk to the doctor, she wants advice from Steve Austin. He said go to Dr. Youngblood, who did a lot of neck surgeries for WWE workers back in the day. She had many more successful years because of it.
She then started thanking people. There were a lot. I won't list them all but will mentioned a few. She thanked Tommy Dreamer and it took a while for the camera to find him. She thanked Victoria (Tara) as they did the first steel cage match. She thanked Manami Toyota for being awesome, and damn she is right about that. She thanked Essa Rios, who she was a big fan of. She thanked Team Extreme, huge honor to work in the TLC crew with The Hardy Boys, Dudley Boys and Edge and Christian. She then thanked the crew and her bestie Trish Stratus. Their friendship will last the ever and that means the most to her. She thanked her Mom and Brother for their support. She said she loved them. She thanked Monster Jock and Anthony, as well as the punk rock and hardcore scene. They have made her who she is today. She encouraged people to find you punk rock, you lucha and it will lead you to where you want to be.
Jake Roberts is up next. We see a video of his work. Man, his stuff was awesome. He is an all time great promo.
Jerry brings out Diamond Dallas Page to present. DDP got a great pop and a chant. He deserves it. What he has done for Jake is amazing. He said there is some kind of divine intervention but tonight is his 58th birthday....which got a chant. He can't think of anything better than having two of his boys rising up and receiving the recognition they both deserve. He said "thank you Hunter, very cool". He put over Dusty Rhodes for all that he did for him. And he had two of the greatest of all time to be his mentor. The other was Jake. He got fired when he was hurt, but a negative turned into a positive. Dusty believed in him and Jake called him to check on him. He said to his ex-wife Kim, why not let Jake stay with us. He can teach me. She said OK with one condition. No snakes in the house. Of course not DDP said. He told a story about how Jake brought a 12 foot cobra into his house and lost it. Of course. Then he said that Jake always prepared him and it's a debt he has been working on paying back ever since. He got emotional and said "BREATHE". He put over his great feuds with Steamboat, Rude and Savage. He talked about taking Jake into the Accountability Crib. A roller coaster ride. He said dreams can come true as long as you put the work in. Never underestimate the power you give someone by believing in them. He then introduced Jake. AWESOME intro by Page.
Jake came out and was serenaded with a "Thank You Jake" chant. He was choked up and said, "all of the sudden I forgot what I was going to say". He then said he always loved professional wrestling (and hated ties). They are special men, a breed of their own. He saw many greats on his way up. They had a love and passion for what they were doing. He hated wrestling because his father wrestled and he never saw him. He thought it was wrestling's fault. It wasn't the truth. It was the man, he was hellbent on being a wrestler.
He said he would hate for wrestling for that and damn if he didn't do the same thing. He walked away from the responsibilities of family and didn't have a minute to spare for them because he loves wrestling. He said he should have spent his time more wisely but when it comes down to it, he loves wrestling and there is nothing like it. He made a joke about young girls having fathers when they look at you with that smile. He almost said something he shouldn't, then he said it but I missed what it was due to a phone ringing. He said you don't understand what the high of being a wrestler is like. He is 58, he won't lie like Dallas (which was funny). He said it hurts that he can't work anymore. He can still do a few things and hit a DDT, and then called out Steamboat.. Then said just kidding. The fans chanted you still got it and he said no, I don't. He said his heart and mind still want it, but it reaches a point where you can't do it justice. When he fell in love with the woman he called the ring, he couldn't cheat on her. But he did, he was a rotten son of a bitch. Someone laughed and he said it's not funny. He talked about wanting to medicate his pain with his drugs and alcohol. The pain wasn't from the ring but the pain you did to your family. You are tired of lying to your children. You don't want to carry on. Your career is gone and all you have in your heart is pain and shame. You have nothing left. And when you are alone you make bad choices. He was jealous of his friends that were gone, why not me? He didn't want to kill himself. Some assholes yelled stuff. Idiots. But then, one person stuck their hand out, DDP. It wasn't a job anyone could do, he didn't want to live. But DDP is sorry stubborn sorry happy son of a bitch. Dallas saved his life. He knows it and he is grateful. He mentioned that he needed surgery and Dallas got the fans to pay for it. He said he had wasted the money in drugs. The fans chipped in 30 grand overnight and it woke him up. It told him somebody does care. He said God gave him a lot of talent and he is ashamed he wasted most of it, but he is happy tonight. He has special people here, called family. He has a hero, he is 18 months old. He brings up a baby. He was small at birth, as was his sister. He will be at Mania in 50 years Vince. He got emotional. He asked his family to stand up and said they were his heroes. He loves them and they gave him a second chance. God bless them and WWE because they did too.
That was a freaking awesome, awesome speech. Wow.
Jerry Lawler came out and for some reason they did a stupid segment where Hornswoggle and El Torito came out and Torito rammed Lawler in the nuts. Why, I have no idea. Anyway, next up is Mr. T. They showed a video.
Time for Tutti Fruity as Mean Gene is inducting Mr. T. I am cool with that. Gene was funny about time marching on and chasing him with a shovel. Gene said T was his friend. He talked about Mania 1 and their match. It is funny he mentioned the people in that match and the only one that isn't here is Mr. Bitterful Paul Orndorff. Tomorrow will be a day to remember. He talked about T and then brought out T's son T Jr. to introduce his dad.
T came out to the A Team music. He came out looking like T. He seem humbled by the reaction and thanked the fans. He is grateful, honored and humbled to be here. He thank God for making it possible and did a prayer. He paid tribute to his mother and thanked us for indulging him. It means a lot to him. He hopes he doesn't bore you. He then told his story. His mother was great and all mothers are. He believe God expresses himself through mothers. He was very respectful and loving about his mother.
He did a great great speech and as he was thanking his kids, they played Kane's music and he gave him the hook. Not for nothing, T was awesome. Lita went way too long. That sucked. But if you have the Network, watch T's speech. It was really uplifting. He was awesome.
Kane said he was sorry to run off T talking about his momma but he had to talk about his daddy. Paul Bearer, Bill Moody.
I was eating dinner when Kane spoke so there is no big recap. Watch it, Kane was awesome. He did Percy solid. At the end he talked about about Percy passing last year. He said we lost a great one, and he was right. He was the best. He said that Percy was what everyone who entered the business aspired to be, an international superstar. Kane made reference to him being referenced at Mania 29 and said he would loved it. And he would have. Kane was ridiculously great in his tribute.
Kane brought our Percy's sons, Michael and Daniel Moody. They thanked us for appreciating their father. Michael said we can't leave before this and did OH YES, just like his dad. The lights went off, the gong hit. Undertaker came out. A graphic in memory flashed on the screen. Taker brought out the urn and raised it to the graphic. It was freakin' awesome. Perfect. That was awesome, totally awesome.
Next up is Razor Ramon. They did a really good intro package. Kevin Nash is inducting.
Nash started out by saying the Bible says gray hair is a sign of wisdom, referencing Mr. T. He said that the guy in charge says speed it up. He talked about giving up being Vinny Vegas to become Diesel. He said as the bodyguard he had a ringside seat to watch two of the greats of all time make magic. He also got to watch the process play out in the car on the road. He talked about how his first program was with Razor, and he was the Jolly Green Giant and they had to draw money. He used about 1000000000 inside terms. Well not that many, but you get it. He said that Hall was a mentor. Shawn, Razor and he travelled the road together. No one liked them so they all stayed together. He said he thought when Shawn got inducted he never thought anything would be more emotional. He said he has a biological brother, but this business gave him four more. Shawn got him to the beach, but Scott Hall kept him there. He said that this is more emotional than Shawn. He is putting in another of his brothers tonight, Razor Ramon.
Hall came out and did the Wolfpac signs. He hugged Nash, who kissed him.
Hall said he fell in love with wrestling when he was 8. He had his first match in his 20. No matter how his life was going, when he went through the curtain he had some power and control and he dug it. He learned he could have a relationship as a performer with the audience and he has always treasured it. He thanked the fans here and all the fans watching around the world. The fans chanted Thank You Razor. He thanked all of the people who helped him along the way and got a little emotional. He said that hard work pays off. Dreams come true. Bad times don't last, but bad guys do. They played his music and he looked shocked it was done. But it wasn't. Nash, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Sean Waltman came out and they redid the Curtain Call from MSG. They all did the Wolfpac symbol as it ended.
As Jerry was about to do the next intro, he got interrupted by Wade Barrett who said this is as close you wannabes will get to the Hall. Jerry then ran a video package for Carlos Colon. Primo, Epico and Carlito will do the induction. Jerry said they were all his sons. Ouch.
Carlito said he is used to working in bingo halls so this sounds nice. Carlito said we got our time cut, it's like I never let. He then said this about my dad, I love him so much. Primo talked about how Carlos grew up in NYC and talked about the greats he saw wrestle. Carlos started training at 14. He promised he would graduate high school. He did, on a Monday, and the next day he was in the ring wrestling. Primo talked about all the places Carlos worked. He said finally Carlos came back home to Puerto Rico and founded Capital Sports promotions. He brought in great workers. Epico remembered that Carlos is his uncle and mentioned how he sold out places everywhere. Primo talked about all of the places Carlos sold out. He then said Paul Heyman got his ECW ideas from Carlos Colon in Puerto Rico. Primo then brought out his dad (and Carlito was done talking).
Carlos hugged the Matadors, then Carlito (who acted goofy). Carlos talked about family and talked about all of the greats that he worked with. He is honored to join this great group, along with his countryman Pedro Morales. He then spoke in Spanish. He said he loved his mother (I think, he pointed to someone). That was it.
And now, the one we have all been waiting for, The Warrior. They started by showing a video recap. Inducting him will be Linda McMahon.
She said that Warrior called her to induct him. She said that this is her favorite night of the year. Warrior is a motivation speaker and she thinks he will inspire the people tonight with his special way. She talked about how he changed his name to Warrior because he believes in living his life that way. She said she loved the way he went to the ring. She made a joke that he got so much speed running to the ring that he had to run around the ring because he couldn't stop his momentum. She talked about how he was a loner and wasn't always easy to work with. She said when he came back for his last run, he asked that Linda be his personal contact because she understood his way of looking at things. She said there were times when he would boil over he would call her. And when he is agitated, he tends to yell. She said she would put the phone on speaker and let him vent, and that is what he needed. After that, they would have great conversations. She said one time he called her Mom. She said he was acting like a child and if he was there, she would put him over her knee. And they both laughed. She said he has no tolerance for whiners or excuses, but he will always help and coach. He is a devoted husband, father and patriot. He thinks if your first thought of the day is you can't, you won't. Warrior was escorted by his daughters.
Warrior came out and took it all in. He then did a Warrior grunt into the mic. He got a pop and took it in. He talked about how this is the most anticipated speech in Sports Entertainment. He then told his wife she came in his life in 1996 when he got back into wrestling. Things fell apart but not with them. They have a great family. He told his mom he is glad she was there tonight. He talked about how his dad walked out on them and Mom didn't skip a beat. She worked hard for the five kids. He got his work ethic and self discipline from her. He told his daughters they weren't alive when he was Ultimate. He said he told them that Mr. McMahon and WWE do incredible stuff, just like he told them. He said the most awesome thing he will ever do will be their father.
He said he was glad Linda mentioned sweat because he sure does. He already is. He said sitting in the back before this, he was shocked when he realized that this was going to happen. He said a kid in the back said sir this is awesome you are getting into the Hall Of Fame. He said no, he is talking about DDP Yoga kid. I am finally getting into it. He said for second he thought he was watching a DDP informercial. Then he said he was kidding and it's inspiring to see him help people fix their self destructive ways, playing off of the DVD. He was joking. He put over Triple H, who he called Paul, for making this all happen. He talked about H's comments that he only spent five minutes with Warrior and knew he was a tool. Warrior told him that H learned a lot in those five minutes. Great line.
He said if you want to do something great in your life, practice his brand of Self Destruction. He said even after 18 years of exile, you can still come back and be the headliner at the landmark 30th WrestleMania. The fans chanted one more match. He said now you're being kind, and that's cool. He said that is not going to happen, but other things are. He wanted to thank some people.
He said even people who told him what he didn't want to hear taught him something. He mocked his little training from Red Bastien (that it was noticeable he wasn't a long term student, not a shot at Red). He mentioned learning with Sting, Steve Borden. He talked about going to work in Memphis and all the great people he met there. Then, on to Watts and UWF and all they learned there. He told Ted DiBiase he fashioned his clotheslined after him. He said that Ted wanted him and Sting to go home, and his clotheslines to his throat sent that message.
He talked about what he learned in WCCW, doing Dingo Warrior, and all the great people there. He talked about George Scott coming into WCCW to help him out. He said WWF and it was bleep. He said he wished they could put the F back in. The fans chanted YES. He said he couldn't believe Jerry McDevitt got his ass kicked by the wild people. He said that Scott and Bronco Lubich told NY about him. He said he was green but it got him into NY.
He talked about working with Jose Estrada making him press him 16 times to see if he was blown up. He said he was blown up way before that. He put over Steve Lombardi for taking his "green punishment". He said that the boys have a pretty good BS factor. He said that the DVD said he wasn't welcome and he was an a hole. He said when he saw the DVD it made him mad, but also broke his heart. He said that anyone who couldn't deal with the Bulldogs crapping in your highly secure bags, you didn't stay long. He said a legend said he was a good guy and he is a good guy. When those kinds of things were said about him......and fans clapped.
He then said he wanted to thank all the people who work behind the scenes. They are the superstars who make it happen. The ring guys, for all they do. He said they were great and he will never forget them. He said they are what make the company work, the thirtieth WrestleMania tomorrow. He said at the office you are already on to 31, and it will make it to 75. He said it would happen when Vince wasn't around, but he will live forever. He said that there should be a behind the scenes wing of the HOF. The first one should be Jimmy Miranda, who was a great merchandise guy back in the day.
He said he wouldn't be here tonight, and it sounds cliché, but he wouldn't be here without you Ultimate Warrior fans. He said he is Warrior but they are Ultimate Warrior fans and you are legendary. You waited all the years, fighting for this. You fought the lies and you didn't let them reprogram your memories. He is here tonight because of you. They chanted thank you Warrior. He said NO. They chanted YES! He said you taught me something, I have been out of the business way too long. He thanked them for all they did to allow him to just be me.
He said that he has always been respectful. Him and Sting got where they did because they already showed respect and appreciated the veterans who let them in the business and give it a try. It's good to know that what he put into it has now paid off. He would already respect the older guys. When people told him stop shaking the ropes, the one person who never told him to stop was Vince McMahon. Vince allowed him to be himself and be himself. He said that the boys used to say that they would tell Vince how they felt and they all walked out of meeting with Vince bobbling his head. He talked about Bad New Brown being upset. He was tough and thought he would take Vince down. Nope, he was Bad News Bobblehead.
Warrior talked about how he kept a journal and notes. He wasn't on TV. He said that he told Vince he had ideas for how he could make him money. Vince fought back laughter but he respected it too. He got a meeting with Vince whenever he wanted after that.
He talked about that in the business there are few legitimate tough guys. "The rest of us get to play that role". He talked about how great it was to be able to do that, and to play hero. He said it hit him the first time he did a Wish. He then put John Cena over for the awesome work that he does with Make a wish. He said he also know Cena is an Ultimate Warrior mark. Cena nodded. He said that making that wish come true was amazing to him. He talked about Ray Lewis and Rock being Ultimate Warrior fans. He said wrestlers don't put on other sports gear on, but the athletes do put wrestling gear on. That is how powerful it is and how great it is to be a role model in WWE.
He said if you get to be able to play a tough guy in WWE, you should be able handle life. He said it's great when you get to present that picture to people outside of the right. He said people say he doesn't respect the business. Not true. He thinks about it every day. The business gave him everything he needed to make his life work. He appreciates it. He said he also appreciates blowing up. Guys would mock him, and still do. He is blown up now. But his entrance blew him up, but he kept going. Being able to experience pushing his body that far is what he misses the most. You can do so much more than you think you can. He remembers blowing up so badly that he could only hear his heart beating. He would give up some of the few years he has left to experience it again.
He said people wondered what he would do and say tonight. A lot of people say he doesn't know where to draw the line between the work and his real life. He said everyone today with social media works their gimmick, but his gimmick was his. He said his gimmick is still popular today due to the message. He said if the gimmick inspires the people, what is wrong with using it to inspire yourself? People wondered what he would say. All he can say is that when he was in the business, no one ever said stuff to his face. He was respectful. The DVD was wrong, that's all. It made him angry and it was hurtful. The fans cheered.
He said he was honored to be with the other inductees. He is proud to be here this evening. He is also proud to be an ambassador for the company in a multi-year deal and he is looking forward to that too.
There are a lot of great characters in this business and it makes it work. Ultimate Warrior was one. And he is proud. He then said he forgot something. He pulled out a check from 1991 and talked about the letter Vince wrote him. He joked and asked if the check was gonna bounce. He said that Vince said that he thought he was a legend in his own mind. He said he wasn't, he was a young kid finding his way. But Vince, he is a legend now! He said is proud of everyone who fought for that.
After a one more match chant, he said no. He said that it isn't easy to walk away when you are an athlete, but he said that the business needs older guys to step up and help the next generation. RVD is in the audience by the way. He told the young guys your time will come and go. He said but make sure to go out in life and do what needs to be done. He thanked everyone for coming and said goodnight.
To say Warrior was awesome would be an understatement because he was so much more than that. He was amazing. Freakin' amazing.
