1 amazing fact about 5 members of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2017

Two nights before Wrestlemania, WWE will honor men and women who’ve paved the path for the current generation by inducting these trailblazers into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Everybody knows that Kurt Angle won an Olympic Gold Medal with a broken neck and that Beth Phoenix is married to Edge. No, this article will not state the obvious. Instead, it will bring to light certain interesting facts that you had no idea about. Some of these facts are funny, others are well, not so much!

Here’s one surprising fact before we even begin the actual countdown. This is the first year since 2010 to not have a celebrity induction, as of right now.

Anyway, without further ado, sit back, fasten your seat belts, and gear up for an adventure into WWE trivia land with Sportskeeda Wrestling.

#5 Beth Phoenix got her nickname from Sex and the City

Sarah Jessica Parker inspired The Glamazon

With her amateur wrestling background, Beth Phoenix is an imposing figure. At the same time, she is gorgeous in her own way, something she wanted to capture in her character when she was wrestling in WWE’s developmental territory. To get noticed as a standout character in OVW, Beth Phoenix wanted to be seen as a ‘beautiful terror’ and hence came up with the name ‘Glamazon’.

Here’s the funny story: it wasn't an original term. She first heard Sarah Jessica Parker use the term in the HBO series- Sex and the City. WWE liked it so much that when she was called up to the main roster, they asked her to use it as her official gimmick.

With the name ‘Glamazon’, Beth Phoenix wanted to break down barriers and deliver the message that strong women can be beautiful.

#4 WWE said DDP couldn’t work through run with the company

Before they put him in the Hall of Fame, WWE had a poor opinion of Diamond Dallas Page

DDP was one of the biggest stars in WCW during the Monday Night Wars and probably the best worker in the entire wrestling promotion, with the exception of the Cruiserweights. However, when he chose to come into WWE for only a fraction of the money that he had been making in WCW, there was enormous resentment from the entire roster.

Dave Meltzer recently said that he frequently heard sources in WWE say things like ‘DDP can't work’ or ‘DDP sucks’. Moreover, even though he was a huge star under Eric Bischoff, WWE did not renew his contract after the one year period was up. Meltzer was surprised that a company that buried him so badly would put him in their Hall of Fame in 2017.

#3 Teddy Long once faced racism from Ric Flair

Ole Anderson and Bill Dundee were the other offenders that Long mentioned

During an interview, Teddy Long revealed that he has faced racism from many superstars in the business, including Ric Flair. Flair once used an offensive term when accusing Theodore Long of allowing some girls to come to the backstage area. He had once also shot down the idea of Teddy Long being the manager for The Nature Boy.

Jim Herd and Gary Hart also mentioned the fact that Flair didn't like Long to him several times. Things have become more cordial since then between Flair and Long, but some wounds can never be healed.

#2 WWE paid The Rock n’ Roll Express around $26 in Royalty

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson got $13 each

Before the WWE became the single largest wrestling promotion in the world, The Rock n' Roll Express were the hottest tag team in professional wrestling. While they were at their peak in popularity, they were offered a chance to come to WWE but they turned it down, and years later they have admitted to regretting it. However, all of us can relive their career on the WWE Network and DVDs. One would assume that they would get paid a huge royalty for the same. Wrong!

Both men received around $13 in royalties from WWE in their mailboxes. As we can see in the interview below, Morton asked his son to take the cheque from him. We hope these two men finally relive their glory days at the ceremony.

#1 Kurt Angle once dominated Brock Lesnar in a real backstage fight

Both Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar have rich amateur wrestling backgrounds. Lesnar is a NCAA Division I champion while Kurt Angle is an Olympic Gold Medalist for the USA. Once, someone mentioned the idea of a real wrestling match between the two men and Lesnar replied that Angle was too small. Irked, not only did Angle take him on but even bested him when the match was finally done. Both men have tremendous respect for one another.

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