Official WWE Hall of Fame 2013 News and Discussion Thread

[LG]

Official Hall of Fame Class of 2013 News/Discussion Thread
At the Madison Square Garden arena in New York, New York
April 6th, 2013 the night before WrestleMania XXIX

Inductees - Inducted by

Mick Foley - Terry Funk
Bob Backlund - Maria Menounos
Trish Stratus - Stephanie McMahon
Bruno Sammartino - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Donald Trump - Vince McMahon
Booker T - Stevie Ray

For videos, go here.

[the madscotsman]

Foley has to be in.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Names Being Discussed For 2013 WWE Hall of Fame
The following are the top names being discussed for next year's WWE Hall of Fame class:

The Rock
Mick Foley
Owen Hart
Bruno Sammartino
Ultimate Warrior

Both Sammartino and Warrior have turned down numerous WWE offers to be inducted in the HOF, however there remain hope within the company that a deal can be worked out at some point with both legends.

Randy Savage is said to be a long shot due to the fact that Savage stated prior to his death that he would only accept an induction offer if the entire Poffo family was inducted along with him.

Names being discussed for the celebrity wing of the HOF include Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper.

Source: WZ

[Swinny]

Smith Hart HOF Thoughts

Smith Hart of the legendary Hart Family posted on his Twitter (@SmithHart1) that he would like to see Mick Foley, The Honky Tonk Man, Mr. Bob Backlund, Carlos Colon, and Lawrence Taylor to be inducted into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame.

WNS

[Swinny]

Steve Austin On Who Should Be In WWE HOF
Source: BayNews9.com

ALLISON WALKER: With the recent return of alumni Brock Lesnar and The Rock to WWE, how likely are we to see you compete in a WWE ring again?

STEVE AUSTIN: Ah, that's a good question. Who knows? I'm really happy doing the acting things that I do. I'm really happy doing 'Redneck Island.' I love this show. I love the element of reality television. I'm having a good time. No one's chasing me around with a steel chair. I'm not traveling all over the world. I've been there, and I did it at a high level. I'm not going to rule out a return, but I'm not saying a return is in the near future."

You were introduced to the WWE Hall of Fame a few years ago. Who isn't in it ho deserves to be?

Well, if you're going to go down that road, I think 'Macho Man' Randy Savage needs to be in there. I think the Rock 'n' Roll Express need to be in there. I think the Midnight Express need to be in there. I think a guy like 'Superstar' Bill Dundee, who a lot of people haven't heard of, needs to be in there. I could go on and on, but those are a couple of people who'd be on the top of my list.

WNS

[Swinny]

Update on Sammartino/WWE
Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

In another update on Bruno Sammartino possibly going into the WWE Hall of Fame, WWE COO Paul Levesque (Triple H) definitely wants it to happen, while WWE Chairman & CEO Mr. Vince McMahon reportedly goes back-and-forth about it.

WNS

[Konan]

There was a rumor recently going around WWE that Scott Hall and Jake Roberts were under consideration for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, likely because of their recent training with Diamond Dallas Page. The report states that Page may have been the one to suggest the idea to WWE.

We noted before how Hall could be inducted with The Kliq, if they go in. It wasn't clear which group was getting more internal consideration - DX or The Kliq, but both were at least discussed.

An induction for Hall or Roberts is not confirmed and it's said that Roberts would be more likely than Hall to go in by himself. At the same time, Hall would have the support of guys like Shawn Michaels and others.

[Konan]

It is noted before that WWE reached out to Kamala for induction into the 2013 Hall of Fame. There's no word yet if Kamala accepted the invite or planning to accept but there was talk over the past few days that former WWWF Champion Ivan Koloff may be inducted in Kamala's place.

nodq

[Black Widow]

I'm glad Trish is in it not just to have Amy Dumas added into it too. It will be perfect if they induct each other

[Konan]

WWE's website has a new article up with current Divas reacting to Trish Stratus being announced for the 2013 Hall of Fame. Here are their comments:

Natalya: "Trish was a pioneer for the Divas. There were women that came before, but she broke all the barriers and all the stereotypes. Certainly, I’ve been extremely inspired by my family, but when I decided I wanted to be a lady wrestler, it wasn’t because of my family. It was because of Trish. … She is one of the reasons I’m doing what I’m doing today and I couldn’t be happier for her."

Kaitlyn: "It’s so cool to see. She made such a huge impact and she is so iconic. Everyone aspires to have just a little bit of what Trish had."

Aksana: "I’m really excited for her. I want to say congratulations to her. She’s my idol."

Lilian Garcia: "She totally deserves this. She worked incredibly hard and made such an impact."

AJ Lee: "To anyone in WWE, she’s an inspiration. She has helped us break a lot of glass ceilings. It’s really cool to have someone from our generation — that’s actually classified as a ‘Diva’ — to be in the Hall of Fame."

[Konan]

I wonder if macho man will every get in

[Black Widow]

awesome seeing Trish in this year well deserved I also think they should add Lita in this years one too

[Konan]

Source: WWE.com

The official WWE website announced today that Bruno Sammartino will be the forth inductee into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame during a ceremony which is to take place on April 6, the night before WrestleMania 29. Sammartino is the longest-reigning WWE Champion of all time regularly headlining Madison Square Garden the location of this year's Hall of Fame which will also see the inductions of former WWE Champions Mick Foley and Bob Backlund and former Women's Champion Trish Stratus.

Bruno made the following comments to WWE.com on why he felt 2013 was the right time to finally enter the WWE Hall of Fame after many years of turning it down: "Triple H contacted me and started telling me all the things that had changed and everything that was going on with WWE," Bruno said. "I started watching it after talking to him and when I saw it, I was very, very impressed."

Triple H added: "I love the history of this business," Triple H said. "Without the history, there is no tomorrow. To look back on the history of WWE, one of the most important figures in the long story of where this all came from wasn't recognized. And that was Bruno."

[Konan]

WWE published an article featuring quotes from Bruno Sammartino and Triple H regarding Sammartino’s upcoming induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Here is an excerpt from the article.

When asked Triple H's thoughts on Bruno’s previous reluctance to be inducted? Triple H replied, "Bruno has had his gripes about the company in the past and they were completely justified. But we’ve changed, we’ve grown and we’ve evolved as a company. We’ve evolved as a business. And I felt like if Bruno knew those things and was comfortable with those things, I felt like he would want to be involved. [Wrestling] is in your blood. It’s who you are. And it was important for me for a lot of reasons to have Bruno back with WWE."

nodq

[LG]

Partial Source: Pwinsider

– There was discussion about inducting Madison Square Garden (the building) into the WWE Hall of Fame. At this time it doesn’t seem as if it will happen, but there were talks.

– Plans are to induct another celebrity into the “celebrity wing” of the Hall. While not confirmed, most feel that it will be Cindy Lauper.

wzr

[LG]

I still can't believe that Trish Stratus is in the past. Gosh I miss the Attitude Era, but after watching the new Attitude Era, I remember why WWE went PG LOL

[Konan]

Bruno Sammartino reportedly approached the WWE Hall of Fame offer from Triple H as purely a business decision, giving Triple H a price that he thought would be turned down. Bruno didn't think the deal would go through and eventually believed that Vince McMahon likely nixed the deal due to his asking price. The price is apparently in line with what WWE would pay one of their top stars for a WrestleMania pay off. Nobody going into the Hall had ever asked a deal anywhere near what Bruno asked. Sammartino ended up getting a significant deal.

Vince McMahon and Bruno still have not spoken as Triple H has handled the deal. Triple H is hoping to get Vince and Bruno together to talk in April. Regarding Triple H's talks with Bruno, he portrayed himself as a student and a fan of Sammartino's era. Triple H told Bruno from the start that WWE cleaned up their product and that when he got more power, he wanted to make WWE's product similar to the product that Sammartino headlined years ago.

One of the connections between Bruno and WWE is Pittsburgh neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon. Maroon had operated previously on Bruno and worked on WWE's medical team. Sammartino credits Maroon with keeping him out of a wheelchair after successful back surgery years ago. Sammartino viewed Maroon in high regard when he spoke of changes that had been made when it came to the health of WWE's performers and their strict drug testing.

Sammartino said during negotiations that if the deal didn't happen this year, he was not open to it any time in the future. The deal will see Sammartino be involved with WWE after his Hall of Fame induction. Sammartino was asked to be part of DVD's on his era. He will also do voice-overs for some of his matches and a straight Sammartino DVD release is likely. Sammartino will also appear on WWE's Legends Roundtable shows at times.

[Kage]

So HHH lied to Bruno. That's nice.

[Konan]

Mick Foley says Bob Barker should be inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Foley tweeted:

"I might be biased WOZ93 but I think this is shaping up to be one of the strongest Hall of Fame classes ever. I think we just need Bob Barker in the celebrity wing, and the 2013 class is set. I will have no problem at all being inducted 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or anywhere else I'm asked to at the 2013 Hall of Fame."

[Konan]

WWE's website has a new article up with various stars commenting on Bruno Sammartino's Hall of Fame induction. Here are some highlights:

Tommy Dreamer: "It’s great that Bruno is being inducted into the Hall of Fame; it’s long overdue. To see him change his attitude about WWE is awesome. I credit Triple H with reintroducing Bruno to today’s WWE. I’m really glad he’s back as part of the WWE family."

Joey Styles: "As an Italian-American whose family is also from the Abruzzi region of Italy, Bruno Sammartino was and is an inspiration. The haunting story of his childhood in German-occupied Italy during World War II is even more amazing than his wrestling career. Back in high school, my paesans and I had a very bare bones gym above my friend’s garage that was adorned with posters of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, Lee Haney and, the only non-bodybuilder who inspired us to load more weight on the bar, Bruno!"

Trish Stratus: "Bruno being inducted is long overdue. It’s like how the Hockey Hall of Fame would be incomplete without Wayne Gretzky; Bruno being inducted makes the WWE Hall of Fame complete. I'm absolutely honored that I'm going to be inducted in the same class as one of our industry’s greats."

JBL: "I don’t know what has happened in the past between him and sports-entertainment, but Bruno Sammartino belongs in the Hall of Fame. He sold out the Garden 187 nights. Most people go their entire career without 187 appearances in the Garden. Phenomenal record, what Bruno Sammartino did."

Shawn Michaels: "As a Hall of Famer, I feel that, respectfully, the Hall of Fame takes on a legitimacy [with Bruno] that, could be argued, was not there before. The entrance of Bruno Sammartino is an example of the exclusivity, prestige and honor that should be the hallmark of any Hall of Fame."

nodq