WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony


Inductees

Stephanie McMahon
AJ Styles
Demolition (Ax & Smash)
Dennis Rodman
Sid (Legacy)
Bad News Brown (Legacy)
Immortal moment: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, WrestleMania III





— The show opens up with Jackie Redmond and Peter Rosenberg welcoming us as we see the arrivals of several stars. They talk about what a great night the Hall of Fame is. They introduce Big E and he talks about how excited he is to see everyone get inducted. We then see tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame class.

— Carmelo Hayes and Kelani Jordan are the first to be interviewed on the red carpet. Hayes said he was particularly looking forward to Dennis Rodman’s induction. Jordan talked about how Styles is a mentor to her.

— Big E interviewed Danhausen and his wife. Danhausen referred to himself as a Hall of Famer. He said he’s friends with Demolition, and didn’t want to curse anyone being inducted that night.

— Je’Von Evans was interviewed next. He also spoke about Styles being a mentor to him. The Miz and Maryse spoke with Big E.

— Dennis Rodman was with Rosenberg and Redmond and spoke about his time appearing in WCW during his NBA career. R-Truth was with Big E and talked about Little Jimmy.

— Damian Priest and Lola Vice were with Redmond and Rosenberg. Priest mentioned he was in Gorilla for the match and didn’t know she was winning the title.

— John Cena was seen on the red carpet. Lillian Garcia as well.

— We then got a video package for Stephanie McMahon.

— Mickie James and Nick Aldis were with Big E. Aldis talked about it being important for him to be there to honor Styles. James said she was also excited for Stephanie’s induction. Big E mentioned that he is eagerly awaiting Mickie’s induction into the Hall of Fame.

— Cena spoke with Rosenberg and Redmond. He said there’s much less stress being around WrestleMania when you are retired. Cena also spoke about Styles for quite a bit.

— Stephanie Vaquer was with Big E. She said she’s most looking forward to McMahon’s induction.

— Triple H was with Rosenberg and Redmond and said he’s more excited for Stephanie’s induction this year than he was his own last year. He also spoke quite a bit about Rodman.

— The Bellas were with Big E. Nikki was in a walking boot and specifically told Big E she’s still entered into the match tomorrow.

— Drew McIntyre and his wife were with Rosenberg and Redmond. Spoke about his rivalry with Jacob Fatu.


— The main Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony opens up with The Undertaker narrating the opening video package and we get highlights of each inductee with Stephanie McMahon as the headliner.

— Michael Cole and The Miz welcome us and Cole brings up WrestleMania XXVII, where Miz pinned John Cena in the Main Event and his undefeated streak started with a win over Jerry Lawler. He mentions the match with Lawler and how it was voted the worst match in WrestleMania history. Miz puts over Cole for his passion, hard work and dedication. He thanks Cole and calls him a GOAT. We get jokes as Miz says there are beautiful people out there and the camera pans to his wife and Trish. The camera then pans to Danhausen. Miz thanks the fans and the Superstars who sacrifice everything for one moment that lasts forever.

— Stephanie McMahon is up first.


We get a Stephanie McMahon video package. Liv Morgan says she learned how to be a b***h from Stephanie McMahon. We get a slap compilation and Cole says she caused him hearing loss. Steph’s daughters, Aurora, Murphy, and Vaughn are out to induct her and joining them is Linda McMahon. Aurora speaks first and jokes since she is the oldest, she is the favorite. She talks about her mom thriving in a male dominated business and changing the women’s division. Taking them from popcorn matches to the Main Event of WrestleMania. She taught her about work ethic, the power of your voice, and the power of perseverance. She wouldn’t be who she is without her role model, and inspiration. There is nothing wrong with a daughter who loves and looks up to her mom.

Murphy is next and is the middle child. She is here to tell what her mom means to her. She is the most empathetic person she knows as she has the biggest heart. She talks about Connor and how Steph has made it her mission to help children with cancer. CONNOR THE CRUSHER! She talks about her mother’s laugh and how it draws her back. She calls her mom a badass who raised three girls and changed the world with the women’s revolution. They keep cutting to the women on the roster and they are just beaming. “I love you more than you love me.”

Vaughn, the youngest, is up next. She calls her mom’s love infectious. We see HHH in the crowd and he is smiling ear to ear as a proud father should. Vaughn is the singer in the family and felt different because her sisters and parents were athletes. She always knew she could sing and dance in the kitchen with her mom to let go of anything that happened that day. She jokes their dances moves aren’t the best. “I love you more.”

Linda is last and says she knows she is a bit prejudice. “Aren’t they magnificent? Give it up!” Linda notes she has worn different hats in this journey as a mom and business woman. She talks about Steph coming out of college with her parents being in charge of the company and her brother being a high ranking official. She talks about Shane slamming Steph on the couch as kids and telling her not to tell dad.

Linda is last and says she knows she is a bit prejudice. Linda says she has worn different hats in this journey as a mom and business woman. She talks about Stephanie coming out of college with her parents being in charge of the company and her brother being a high ranking official. She talks about Shane slamming Stephanie on the couch as kids and telling her not to tell dad. She notes that Stephanie was a natural and took to the business like a fish to water. She talks about the charisma Stephanie had and how she could hold the audience in her hand. She references Forbes ranking Stephanie as one the most influential women businesswomen in the world back in 2021. She talks about Stephanie being a Henry Crown Fellow.

Linda continues as now she gets to the mom perspective. She talks about Stephanie having the best hugs and her laugh being contagious. She says it’s a loud laugh with gusto from deep in her belly. She says she has had a window to watch Stephanie grow from a little girl to a spectacular woman. She calls Paul the love of Stephanie’s life. She notes that Stephanie is a loving and nurturing mother. She says she hopes she has showed why Stephanie should be inducted here. She says she loves Stephanie with all her heart and congratulates her on this amazing achievement. Linda introduces Stephanie.

Stephanie McMahon comes out to the stage and embraces her daughters and her mother. Some people start to chant, “Thank you, Stephanie.” McMahon mentions that the only person missing is her grandmother. Stephanie says both she and Paul Levesque wanted to be parents. Stephanie says early on, they were told they could not have children. Stephanie says through modern medicine and the grace of God, they have three beautiful daughters. Stephanie says you have to fight for what you want. Stephanie says she’ll fight for her daughters every day. Stephanie says Aurora grew up on their tour bus and always wanted Pop’s job to be the boss. She talks about her daughter, Murphy, pooping on their head of security. Stephanie says Vaughn has been sung to by John Cena and The Rock.

Stephanie talks about her mother and puts over her father, Vince McMahon. A “Thank you, Vince” chant picks up. Stephanie says she wouldn’t be here without them. Stephanie talks about her childhood, when she saw The Grand Wizard or Uncle Ernie as she knew him, at the house, with a boat in the driveway. Stephanie says it wasn’t unusual to come home and see Ric Flair on the couch or to have Hulk Hogan see her off at her ninth-grade prom. Stephanie says it was a great childhood. She talks about working her way up from modeling in WWE Magazine to the Hall of Fame. A “You deserve it” chant picks up. She puts over the other inductees as well as the Immortal Moment. Stephanie says she remembers being at the Pontiac Silverdome. Stephanie says she remembers watching her friend, Andre the Giant, come out on the slowest cart of all time.

Stephanie says she was devastated when he lost to Hulk Hogan. Stephanie says she went on her first dinner date with Andre at a French restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut. Stephanie says Andre joked that everyone thinks he’s a dirty old man. Stephanie says they all have a shared passion for what happens in the ring. Stephanie says we ride or die with the characters we love, with the stories that give us hope and make us human. Stephanie says all we have is each other. She talks about working with everyone to raise millions of dollars for Connor’s Cure.

She talks about a program launched called Superstars for Hope and we get a video package of the kids in the hospital cutting promos. One of the kids, Jimmy Spagnolo, is here and wasn’t supposed to live past 1 year old and in a few weeks he will turn sixteen. Stephanie has the family stand and they get a standing ovation from the crowd. We get a “Jimmy” chant from the crowd.

She apologizes to anyone’s ear drum she popped. She says the blame for the slap goes to her mother-in-law. She says she loves them and thanks her sister-in-law and her nieces and nephews. She mentions several people and says thanks to Shawn, Undertaker, Nash, Flair. She just rushes through a bunch of superstars says most importantly, she thanks the man of her dreams: Paul Levesque. She says he was everything she thought was wrong, but she could not resist him. She says he would flick pieces of paper at her. She says he asked if he could call her to talk business and they never stopped talking. She starts to get emotional and says you flirted with me first.

She says she thought she lost her time with WWE a few years ago, but she has been brought home. She says everyone who has touched this business is family and WWE will always be their home. She goes full Stephanie McMahon mode as she gets a mic and cuts a heel promo. She calls Sami Zayn a B Plus player. She demands they get on their feet and bask in her glory. The people come to their feet and applaud her.

— We get a video package of how AJ Styles will be inducted later tonight. We’ll also see the Immortal Moment video package. Michael Cole and The Miz talk about the Legacy Award.

— We get a video package on the career of Bad News Brown and the family of Bad News Brown is shown in the crowd.

— We then get a video package on the career of Demolition.


Haku, Arn Anderson and Warlord make their way out out to induct Demolition. Warlord says it is an honor to put up here. He talks about their achievements in the ring and the word WWF gets bleeped. He jokes about how he had a bunch of Mr. Fuji’s canes broken over his back. Haku is next and he jokes how about Andre The Giant and Bobby Heenan would be shocked he is standing here talking about Demolition. He talks about the famous feud he and Andre had against Demolition. He says it was an honor to be in the ring with Ax and Smash. Arn is next and the crowd loves having him back. Arn says this is special for him because Barry is one of his best friends. He says they beat the hell out of him and Barry was his friend. He says Barry told him they had to protect the gimmick. He says Demolition set the standard for tag teams and that music would hit and cause chill bumps. Arn Anderson introduces Demolition.

Demolition make their way out. Smash talks about following Stephanie McMahon and says she’s incredible. Smash remembers being called by Vince McMahon and being introduced to the gimmick. He realized he could be Demolition Smash. All they needed was Bill Eadie. Their first day in the ring, it just clicked. The next thing he knew, they were in the Trump Plaza beating Tito Santana and Rick Martel for the Tag Team Titles. Smash puts over the teams they faced. It’s been an incredible career. He thanks Mr. Fuji (Fooj the Stooge). He was a great man and a good guy to be around. Smash also thanks Brian Adams, Crush. Adams was a great guy. Smash puts over his wife and his son, Dakota. He’s the greatest son a man could have. Barry Darsow’s family is shown. Smash talks about his daughter-in-law and has his grandkids stand up. Darsow thanks the fans and the WWE crew.

Bill Eadie/Ax never thought this day would come true. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame has been a great honor. It’s unbelievable. Ax envies the superstars. They’re doing a fantastic job. They’ve been in the wrestling community for a number of years. Now they’re allowed in the fraternity house in the WWE Hall of Fame. The crowd chants, “You deserve it.” Ax thanks them. Smash suggests they do a run-in at WrestleMania, but Ax says he’ll walk in. Eadie thanks everyone who gave him guidance and support, particularly his trainer, Geto Mongol, George Scott, Andre the Giant, Vince McMahon, both Junior and Senior, Mr. Fuji, and others. They’ve had so many good matches. Without a good opponent, the match just doesn’t work. Eadie thanks the people they went into the ring with. Eadie thanks the fans. They gave them drive, ambition, and desire. They’re truly thankful.

Ax thanks his family members, particularly his wife, Sue. Bill Eadie’s family is shown. She supported him from the beginning of the dream. She bought three homes while he was on the road. One time, he didn’t even know where he lived when he came home from Japan. Eadie thanks his daughter, Heather Davis, and his son-in-law, Michael Davis, for their sacrifices as well. He’s got four wonderful grandsons. They give him the reason to keep going. Eadie finally thanks his Lord, Jesus Christ. He was with him at his weakest and needed guidance. Eadie has been asked how he’ll feel about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and receiving that acknowledgment. He harkened back to a movie he liked… “Dumb and Dumber.” He likes it, he likes it a lot. Ax and Smash thank the crowd.

— We get a video of AJ Styles still set for tonight to go into the WWE Hall of Fame and next up, we’ll have Dennis Rodman’s induction.

— John Cena is shown in the crowd. Michael Cole and The Miz talk about celebrities coming into wrestling. The Miz says it’s not easy to come into their yard as a celebrity and be good.

— We get a video package of Dennis Rodman’s stint in WCW.


Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman of the nWo make their way out to induct Dennis Rodman. They come out to the “Wolfpac” theme song. Nash’s voice is totally shredded from some illness. Nash talks about Dennis Rodman’s Hall of Fame basketball career. He talks about how Rodman blew off practice before the 1998 playoffs to go to WCW. The story goes that he was paid $250,000 by WCW and was fined $20,000 by the NBA, so he got to smoke some cigars on Nitro and leave with $230,000. Waltman says Rodman shares one code: when you’re nWo, you’re nWo for life.

Dennis Rodman, sporting a pink goatee, makes his way out onto the stage and hugs Nash and Waltman. Rodman says Las Vegas is his second home before he starts walking around. Rodman says he was going to do a speech, but Stephanie McMahon did it for him so he won’t be so damn long. Rodman puts over the nWo and says he’s happy to be here to support this company. Rodman says he loves this community. Rodman thanks Jimmy Hart and Eric Bischoff. Rodman gets emotional talking about someone.

Rodman takes off his jacket, revealing a Hulk Hogan shirt. Rodman gets emotional and mentions Nick Hogan, saying his father always stood by his side no matter what. Rodman talks about Hulkamania and being friends with Hulk Hogan. Rodman shouts nWo is for life.

— We then get a video package that the Immortal Moment is going to be honored next.

WWE Hall of Famer “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart makes his way out to enshrine this moment into the WWE Hall of Fame alongside Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, and Andre the Giant’s daughter, Robin Roussimoff. Before they got to the Pontiac Silverdome, the Pope had been there a week earlier. Three days before, the Rolling Stones were there. Hogan wasn’t sure they could get more people in there, but they did. Hart then thanks everyone involved in the main event. Hart then brings them over to a podium. It’s a mini statue of Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant. Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” theme then plays.

— Michael Cole and The Miz talk about the next recipient of the Legacy Award.

— We go to a video package of the career of Sycho Sid Vicious and the family of Sycho Sid Vicious is shown.

— After a break, we get a video package on the Phenomenal career of AJ Styles set to Creed.


The Good Brothers are out to induct AJ Styles into the WWE Hall of Fame. They note AJ went from the Heart and Soul of TNA to the man that pushed The Bullet Club in the mainstream to The Face that Runs the Place in WWE. They joke AJ could have asked Cena, Nakamura, Balor or Taker to induct him, but he called on The Good Brothers. Anderson tells a story of AJ being at an independent show in 2006 and a wrestler asking for advice. AJ tells him if you can’t throw a forearm get out of the business and then throws a forearm at the kid. Gallows wants to go old school Japanese style and wants Anderson to bring out Machine Gun. Anderson calls AJ the “Greatest Professional Wrestler on God’s Green Earth.”

AJ Styles makes his way out and he gets a standing ovation. AJ starts off by saying Shane Helms told him not to go out there and get emotional. AJ says you can call him a baby if he does get emotional. AJ says he is asked if misses wrestling and the crowd starts a “one more match” chant. AJ says he enjoyed being AJ Styles. AJ then says he loved the ring, the ropes and taking crazy bumps. AJ says he tells the wrestlers they love the same thing and he can see the passion when he was in the ring with them. AJ says it’s addictive and it’s great. AJ says it’s fun. AJ brings up how there are more pro athletes in football, baseball and basketball than there are in WWE. AJ says that’s how hard it is to get here and shows they made it because of that passion.

AJ says he does not miss wrestling because he is lucky enough to go home to his family every night. AJ says he doesn’t have to miss soccer games and birthday parties. He says he doesn’t have to miss scraped knees or wrestling matches. AJ says he loves the time he gets away with his wife now and they can reconnect. He talks about how long this night can be, but he has a lot of people he needs to thank. He thanks any promoter he worked for and any talent he ever worked in the ring with. AJ then says, “If I ever told you I love you, I meant it.”

He talks about his new job with WWE and he is there to find the next Phenomenal One. He says he may set a record tonight. AJ says his faith had in the right place and right time with the right person watching. He says it was Divine Intervention. AJ says he is saved by The Grace of God and is thankful for what he has been able to do. AJ says he looks in the mirror and knows guys like him were never supposed to make it to places like this. He says because of the fans he is here. AJ says he is humbled and honored to be a member of the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. AJ says he loves us and thanks us. AJ then waves to the crowd and they come to their feet to give him a standing ovation. Michael Cole and The Miz conclude the show.