WWE Hall of Fame 2013 Television Broadcast (April 9, 2013 - 10/9 CT)

[Shockage]

I'm not surprised, ESPN are treating pro wrestling as a legitimate sport through Bruno.

[Shockage]

Bruno Sammartino WWE HOF news story merged into official WWE HOF discussion thread

[metfan51]

Very happy for Bruno. It's a long time coming and wow what a class. Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund inducted in the same year. Absolutely amazing.

[Shockage]

In the video, I like how Miz sounds like a fan. It really irks me how John Cena being the corporate puppet that he is refers to Bruno as his dad and grand dad's favourite 'performer'.

[Shockage]

Source: LordsofPain.net


As announced on Raw Monday, the longest-reigning WWE Champion of all time, Bruno Sammartino, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 29 at Madison Square Garden. Jim Ross offered his thoughts via Jrsbarbq.com on the "Living Legend" taking his place in the Hall.

Ross wrote, "The Bruno Sammartino video package, as I tweeted earlier in the day @JRsBBQ, I expected to be heavy duty and it was. Bruno's career IE body of work will never be replicated in today's marketplace within the genre. An eight YEAR run ON TOP in the #1 territory in the world is unfathomable if one gives that accomplishment any serious, intelligent thought. Students of the game 'get it' while squeaky wheel, attention seeking, Keyboard Warriors simply want to be defiant while refusing to acknowledge the career of a man like Bruno. Instead of celebrating a legit legend getting a WWE HOF nod after years of waiting by his long suffering fans and who, just recently, overcame philosophical differences with WWE, many who follow me on Twitter used Bruno's induction announcement as another vehicle to drive ad nauseam the Macho Man HOF questions of the day.

"Really?

"I realize that there is a generation gap as it relates to many fans between Bruno and Savage, even though their careers actually overlapped, but these are two separate entities with two, separate agendas. Older fans and fans especially those who had family growing up in the Northeast United States revere Bruno who was considered a "Sports God" to his fans. Bruno was just as big a celebrity as any professional athlete in the NE on any team during the Italian strongman's heyday....and still is to an entire generation of fans.

"I can simply tell you that when I got in the business in 1974 that the goal of virtually every wrestler that I knew was to get booked in WWWF aka WWE and if said wrestler was a villain the ONLY goal was to get your 'run' with Bruno which guaranteed that one would earn big money. A few months run with Sammartino in WWWF would be more money than most wrestlers would make in a year of territory wrestling.

"I recall how happy General Scandar Akbar was to get the WWWF call and leave the Oklahoma territory on occasion to go to the WWWF TV's and destroy some willing souls as Ak prepared for his title challenge against the Living Legend. Unfortunately, Bruno was severely injured against Stan Hansen and the Bruno vs. Akbar rivalry never happened.

"Cowboy Bill Watts career as a legit main eventer was validated by Watts tag teaming with Bruno in the WWWF and Watts subsequent turn on his partner which resulted in Cowboy Bill Watts headlining Madison Square Garden vs. Bruno in only Bill's third year in the business. Bruno liked Bill and they sold out MSG three times versus each other in the 60's which was unheard of at the time as usually a talent only got 1-2 shots vs Bruno in the Garden.

"It cannot be overstated how big it truly is for Bruno Sammartino to be inducted into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame which makes this class, even if he was going in solo, the best WWE HOF class ever in my humble opinion and that includes my own class in 2007. I pray for good health so that I can join my Pittsburgh wife and attend the most special of nights, April 6, 2013 when the Steel City's own Bruno Sammartino once again sells out MSG but this time, I'm assuming, he will go on last which is something that the main eventers never did back in the day at MSG.

"The potential projects that Bruno can be involved with in the future with WWE are virtually limitless and his mere presence adds massive credibility to what ever project is being marketed. I hope that I get to work with the Living Legend on something in the future. It would be a great honor, I assure you, for this fan who grew up not seeing Bruno wrestle but instead by reading the monthly, pro wrestling magazines which allowed my imagination to carry me from Westville, Oklahoma to far away arenas thanks to the photos that were utilized and the intriguing copy that accompanied the memorable photos. Bruno Sammartino was to pro wrestling what John Wayne was to western movies...the ultimate hero who always overcame the odds by doing things the old school way."

Ross also offered his thoughts on Raw, including CM Punk claiming to be the rightful WWE Champion, Jack Swagger and the return of Mark Henry. The full post is available here.

[Shockage]

Source: WrestlingNewsSource.com


The Rock tweeted the following upon hearing the news regarding Bruno Sammartino's 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction…

"Congratulations Bruno Sammartino: 2013 #WWEHallOfFame You're the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Thank you for paving the way. #Hero"

[Darth Shizzel]

Doesn't suprise me Rock has always been respectful of the older generation of wrestlers

[Shockage]

I hope WWE reach out to Pedro Morales to induct Bob Backlund or Bruno.

[Goldie79]

I wouldn't be surprised if they got Larry Zbysko to induct Bruno.

As WWE induct non-WWE wrestlers into their HOF, I'm wondering about a posthumous induction for Lou Thesz.
If you are talking great champions there could be an even bigger claim for him than Bruno

[listenbrother]

Bruno's induction is the legitimization of the WWE Hall of Fame. It also proves that Triple H actually cares about the Hall. Johnny Ace/Vince in previous years have proved it was just something they did (Koko, Drew Carey, bullet Bob etc) Triple h is putting together the best class in history potentially.

check out my WWE Hall of Fame Blog, featuring Current, Future and Never Going to Be WWE Hall of Famers, as well as rumors and thought, a work in progress

www.wwehalloffameblog.com

[Shockage]

Source: WrestleView.com


The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to be held during Wrestlemania 29 weekend at Madison Square Garden is officially sold out. Ticketmaster noted that tickets for the event are unavailable as of this week. Additional tickets are expected to be released by WWE. The ceremony on 4/6 will feature the inductions of Bruno Sammartino, Mick Foley, Bob Backlund and Trish Stratus.

======================

I bet fans who now in their 60s, 70s and even 80s who grew up watching Bruno helped sell out the HOF.

[Shockage]

Congratulations Donald Trump (celebrity wing)

[Macho Man]

I actually quite like this group, even Donald Trumps inclusion is fine with me. He has had involvement with a few WrestleMania's, so at least it isn't yet another Celebrity that was about for 5 minutes. Then you've also got Trish Stratus, possibly the most deserving Women to go into the Hall of Fame. She seemed to be quite often booked in rivalries with parellel's to the men, and on several occassions was involved in the big male rivalries. She helped restore the womens division, which has since dropped dramitically in the years following her departure. Trish Stratus was a big name to the womens division and there are some parrellels to Hulk Hogan in the World Championship division. There is also three big names going in, all with their own individual merits. I quite like that this is a smaller group and I think just one last addition would make this group complete. I would like to see a tag team added to this group to finish of a more intimate class. The team I'd personally back is Demolition.

I can understand that people are unloving towards Demolition due to them being WWE's version of Legion of Doom. But with Legion of Doom already being in, why not recognise the WWE's home grown team? To this day Demolition still has the longest singular reign. In their time they were a massive tag team and if over twenty years on WWE hasn't given another team a longer reign, then that says a lot about their worth to the company. Even after signing Legion of Doom, WWE stuck with Demolition having the longest reign. They could have easily pushed Legion of Doom in a way to erase Demolition, which we've seen them do, but instead they allowed Demolition to keep their place in the history books. So I think it's fair to say Demolition has worth to the WWE, and it seems fitting that they go into the WWE Hall of Fame. As one of WWE's early successful tag team I think they would finish of this group as a well rounded class for this year.

[Shockage]

Congratulations Booker T!

[thenige83]

How did I just now find out that Booker T getting inducted?

[Shockage]

Source: wwe.com


ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER WILL INDUCT "LIVING LEGEND" BRUNO SAMMARTINO INTO WWE HALL OF FAME

STAMFORD, Conn., March 25, 2013 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Hollywood icon, bodybuilding legend and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will induct Bruno Sammartino into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6, 2013 as part of WrestleMania® Week.

Sammartino and Schwarzenegger have a friendship that dates back more than 40 years. Growing up in Austria, Schwarzenegger idolized Sammartino and admired the extraordinary strength he displayed in the ring. After meeting face-to-face in 1967, they often worked out together, and Schwarzenegger was in attendance for a number of Sammartino’s main event matches. Sammartino continued to be a huge inspiration to Schwarzenegger during his entire career. In March 2013, Schwarzenegger was present as Sammartino was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio.

“It is an honor to induct ‘The Living Legend’ Bruno Sammartino into the WWE Hall of Fame,’” said Arnold Schwarzenegger, “It will be a historic night as he headlines Madison Square Garden again.”

“I am humbled that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be inducting me into the WWE Hall of Fame,” said Bruno Sammartino. “The kindness and support that Arnold has shown me over the years is truly overwhelming.”

Tickets for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are currently available through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees. Highlights of the event will be broadcast Tuesday, April 9 at 10 PM Eastern on USA Network. For more information on Bruno Sammartino, please visit www.BrunoSammartino.info.

About WWE:
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

[Shockage]

Booker T's HOF video was beautiful. I noticed the GWF footage, I know WWE doesn't own the GWF library (yet), I wonder who owns it.

[TheGame]

i had to laugh at the fact they used footage from the infamous interview where Booker calls Hogan the "n" word, cutting it off just before he says it.

[Shockage]

i had to laugh at the fact they used footage from the infamous interview where Booker calls Hogan the "n" word, cutting it off just before he says it.

I was laughing really loud at that part of the lip, especially when the stopped before the n word.

[Shockage]

Bruno's induction was expensive (so it should), so I wonder if there's still room for 3 more inductions. If we stick to the North East theme, they should look at inducting referee Dick Kroll. Dick was primarily a North East based referee for most of his career, however he was very much in demand and brought into other territories to ref important matches. Before referees were employees of wrestling promotions, they were assigned by the State Athletic Commission from each territory. Kroll reffed many of the MSG high profile matches back in the day, and when wrestling promotions were allowed to hire refs to their company, Dick Kroll became the WWWF's first senior ref. He maintained the position until his retirement in 1985.

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.co.../d/dick-kroll/

[Shockage]

Source: wwe.com


WWE Press Release:

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. : Maria Menounos to Induct Bob Backlund into WWE® Hall of Fame

WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Extra Host Maria Menounos will induct Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6, 2013 as part of WrestleMania® Week.

Maria Menounos competed at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, FL on April 1, 2012. She will induct Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall Of Fame Class of 2013 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 6, 2013. (Photo: Business Wire)

Menounos has made multiple appearances on WWE programming dating back to 2009 when she made her in-ring debut and co-hosted Monday Night Raw with Nancy O'Dell. In 2011, Menounos appeared at WWE Tribute to the Troops where she teamed with Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox to defeat the team of The Bella Twins and WWE Divas Natalya and Beth Phoenix. Menounos continued her feud after Phoenix and Eve Torres interrupted an interview segment with Kelly Kelly on Extra. This led to a tag team match at WrestleMania 28 where she teamed with Kelly Kelly to defeat Torres and Phoenix.

Menounos, a lifelong WWE fan, idolized Backlund while growing up and met him through partner Keven Undergaro, who as Head Writer of MTV's Singled Out, cast Backlund to guest star alongside Jenny McCarthy and Chris Hardwick. Menounos then worked with Backlund on the comedy feature, In the Land of Merry Misfits, and the two have been close ever since. Backlund was present at Menounos Miss Massachusetts USA competition and ran alongside her at the Nike Celebrity Road Race.

"It is an honor to induct my good friend Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame," said Maria Menounos. "Watching him carry the title for a since unmatched five years and then stage such an incredible comeback with a reinvented persona puts him in a class all his own. Add in his incredible work ethic and high moral caliber, and you have everything that defines the word champion. And astonishingly, he can still wrestle with guys a third his age! He's my hero and my friend. I can't wait for the ceremony on April 6."

"I am truly humbled to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame," said Bob Backlund. "Maria has been a friend for years and I can't think of someone I would rather have induct me at Madison Square Garden."

A one-hour Hall of Fame special will air on Tuesday, April 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. WrestleMania 29 airs live on pay-per-view Sunday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

[Shockage]

I'm so glad that Mick Foley isn't the main recipient. This is definitely Bruno (and Backlund's) night.

[Goldie79]

Its right that Bruno headlines ..... I'd actually put him at #2 of the biggest WWE superstars of all time. (After Hogan, and Austin would be #3).
Either Bruno, Backlund or Foley would be worthy headline inductees in any other given year.... so last year we had Edge headlining?? and this year we have 3 bigger names in the class.

[Goldie79]

Its a shame that Bob didn't get inducted a few years ago (though that was Bobs choice)... because Arnold Skaaland would have been the perfect choice to induct him

[Shockage]

Source: WrestlingNewsSource.com


Trish Stratus asked Stephanie McMahon to induct her into the WWE Hall of Fame this year via Twitter Monday Night. She tweeted:

"I'd be honored if @StephMcMahon would be a part of the biggest nite of my career & inducts me into @WWE #HOF, Steph will u do me the honor?"

Stephanie replied:

"Yes!!! It would be my pleasure to induct one of the greatest Divas of all time in to the #WWEHOF #overwhelmed #honored"

Stephanie and Trish were bitter on-screen rivals over the years. Check out this classic clip below: