The WWE Hall of Fame seems to divide opinions. On the one hand, it is the pinnacle of achievement in professional wrestling, and it is a great honour to be inducted. On the other hand, however, it is filled with politics and the WWE pushing its own agenda, leaving some people to express their disgust at how things are run.
No matter what your opinion is, though, there is no denying the fact that the Hall of Fame is filled with some of the most notable names in the history of the business. With all the hoopla surrounding the induction on the night before Wrestlemania every year, there are a lot of eyes on the event when the list of inductees are announced, and the ceremony itself rolls around.
And, sure everyone knows the major points when it comes to the Hall of Fame such as the Chyna issue and that active superstars are generally not included, but there are quite a few fascinating facts which aren’t quite as well known. So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 little-known facts about the WWE Hall of Fame:
#5 The WWE Hall of Fame was created to honour Andre the Giant
Andre the Giant was one of the most beloved superstars ever to walk the face of the planet, and it left fans all around the world devastated when he passed away in 1993. Just a couple of months after The Frenchman’s death, the WWE announced that it would be creating a Hall of Fame to honour the fallen giant.
He was the first and only inductee into the Hall of Fame that year, and the whole concept grew from there to become one of the most prestigious honours in the entire world of professional wrestling. Say what you will about the WWE, but it was a grand gesture to create such a tribute to the legacy of one of the greatest superstars in the history of the sport.
Also read: 10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1993
#4 Pete Rose was the first celebrity to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
Nowadays, it is commonplace to have one celebrity inductee in every year’s Hall of Fame ceremony. We see the hardcore fans of professional wrestling whine and moan about the fact that the celebrity wing of the company is nothing more than a PR stunt, and for the most part, they are right.
But, this wasn’t the case for the first inductee into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Former baseball star Pete Rose will go down in history as the first celebrity to receive that honour way back in 2004.
Rose had been a part of a running gag at three different Wrestlemania events where he would somehow be involved with – and get attacked by – Kane. It was one of the few things with celebs that didn’t feel like a commercial and Rose was inducted by his longtime tormentor, The Big Red Machine, in 2004.
#3 The first woman was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995
While the Hall of Fame was originally created for Andre the Giant, it started inducting other legends of the business from 1994 onwards. In the year after the creation of the Hall of Fame, seven people were inducted, but none of them was a woman. No, we would have to wait one more year for the first woman inductee.
The Fabulous Moolah was a part of the Class of 1995, becoming the first member of the fairer sex to receive the honour and there are few women who deserved it more. After all, Moolah still holds the record with her decades-long title runs during a career that saw a female wrestler reach unprecedented heights of success.
#2 2004 had the most number of inductees, and 2013 had the least
The number of inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame varies from year to year. For example, 2004 had the most number of inductees ever with a whopping 11 new members joining the WWE illustrious club of legends.
The year with the least number of inductees – excluding the first one in 1993 where only Andre the Giant was inducted – was 2013 when only six new members were added to the Hall.
#1 There were no inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame between 1997 and 2003
The WWE Hall of Fame went on a seven-year hiatus from 1997 to 2003. While there was no official reason given for the break, it is widely believed that Vince McMahon took the decision to fully focus on building the company and dealing with the Monday Night Wars.
There was so much bad blood between the two companies at that point that it just didn’t make sense for a Hall of Fame ceremony where half the pro-wrestling world would be excluded.
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