411’s 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony Report

-Welcome to my yearly report on The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony. This year is an historic one as HHH is in charge (and possibly The Rock as well). It’s a small class and no Warrior Award winner, but it should be a fun night. Let’s get to it!

Countdown to WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony

-Peter Rosenberg welcomes us to the Wells Fargo Center as we see the ring crew changing things over to the Hall of Fame set. Kayla Braxton and Cathy Kelly are backstage dressed in some lovely gowns. They both look great! Cathy asks Kayla if she is going to give respect to Paul Heyman and Kayla is flustered. I appreciate their long running story together. It makes me miss their run together on Talking Smack.

-Back to Rosenberg who runs down this year’s class and it’s on the smaller side.

-Back to Kayla who is with WWE Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus. She is asked what she remembers about her night and says it is just a special night. She is asked about her first WrestleMania and she says it was WrestleMania X-7 and she was chased by Head Cheese. Eh, I will be that guy as it was WrestleMania 2000, but the point remains.

-Cathy Kelly is with Nattie and she mentions they have 4 members of The Hart Family in the Hall of Fame. This is a night to celebrate those that paved the way. Nattie is most excited about Yeet vs. No Yeet and says her favorite Mania match is Bret vs. Owen. She says The Usos are cool and make everything cool, but she is down for Team Jey.

-Kayla is with CM Punk and he looks spiffy in his suit. The crowd pops for him. Punk says this is his favorite event and he is here for Paul Heyman and everyone. He says WrestleMania is special because at Mania I they weren’t sure there would be a Mania II. Punk has jokes as he can’t remember the names of the two guys in the match he is announcing.

-Cathy who is with Michin and she can’t wait to see AJ/Knight so it can be put to bed, and AJ can come back to The OC. Nikki Cross yells as she runs on screen and they both agree they are excited to see Bull Nakano and put over the two women’s title matches this weekend. They argue over who will win between Iyo and Bayley.

-Back to Rosenberg who notes he spoke to Madusa and she told him the story of how Bull saved her from Luna Vachon in the locker room.

-Kayla is with Maxxine and they discuss Bull Nakano. She says those matches were what they watched in The Performance Center and it’s great to see her honored. Maxxine wants to leave anyone she meets better.

-Shayna Baszler is with Cathy and they mention she had a match in Philly already this weekend. Shayna says it was great and she won and got to beat somebody up. She is excited to see Bull and Ali inducted because she is a woman fighter. She is keeping her eye on who walks out as either Women’s Champion. She wants to face anyone that has four limbs that she can tear off. If she is being honest, she would never complain about getting the chance to beat the snot out of Rhea again.

-Kayla is with Charlotte Flair and today is her birthday. She is looking forward to seeing Mike Rotunda and Paul Heyman going in tonight. She says Paul is like an uncle and that she loves him. She gives a shout-out to her husband, Andrade. She is meeting some special VIP Ticket Holders tomorrow.

-Cathy is now with Grayson Waller. He says today has been the worst day of his life. He notes he does look good and is out shining Cathy, which isn’t hard. He was excited to see Ken Shamrock and saw some ECW Legends, but doesn’t want to spoil anything. They pan down to Waller’s shoes as Cathy is impressed by them.

-Peter Rosenberg is sitting next to Bayley and she says after Sunday she will be a Hall of Famer. I think she has that on lock already. She is also looking forward to Bull Nakano.

-Bronson Reed next as he is backstage with Kayla. He is also looking forward to seeing Bull Nakano. He mentions he did win The ARMBAR tonight and is paying close attention to GUNTHER/Sami as he will be waiting for the winner.

-Cathy is with Bianca and Montez Ford and I am digging Ford’s all black suit. Bianca notes they show up looking their best and Ford says they appreciate all the hard work by those that came before them and use them as inspiration.

-Note as this year they have the Superstars back on the floor around the ring instead of sitting on the stage. I assumed we would get something different since they used a smaller set for SmackDown to jam more people into the building.

-Peacock commercials!

2024 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

-Fantastic opening video package. I say every year that some people like to dunk on this ceremony, but it’s always a highlight for me. I have loved pro-wrestling for forty years and hearing the stories of these men and women and letting them get another moment in the spotlight is tremendous. Let’s have a good night here folks!

-Jackie Redmond and Corey Graves are our hosts and of course Jackie looks fantastic! Jackie notes that she knows Carmella is behind Corey’s look tonight. Graves gives a shout-out to HHH, CM Punk (big CM Punk chant). Jackie mentions Jimmy and Jey Uso and that they are separated from each other. Trish Stratus is here, Kurt Angle (PITTSBURGH) as well, and Rey Mysterio rounds out the Hall of Famers that were name dropped.

-Based on the introduction from Jackie and Graves it seems we are starting with Paul Heyman. That’s surprising as I thought he was closing the show. Interesting!

-Fun video package with legends and members of the current roster talking about Heyman. Then it transitions to a rundown of his career. AWA, NWA, WCW, ECW, WWE footage all over the place. DANGEROUS ALLIANCE! They note that ECW helped pave the way for The Attitude Era. “HHH didn’t want to work Tuesday.” Just great stuff! I always say it and will again, WWE production staff rules at creating this video packages.

Paul Heyman

-Roman Reigns is out to handle Paul’s introduction. Of note, Jimmy and Nia are both holding up a finger in honor of their Tribal Chief. The crowd with many boos towards our Tribal Chief! Roman would like to be acknowledged and that does get a more positive reaction. He admits this is a tough spot to be as he has to cut a promo to introduce the greatest promo guy. He almost said no, but he loves his Wise Man and couldn’t say no. He knows Paul will talk about his history and transition to promoting the future, so he will talk about the Wise Man from his perspective. He was told by Paul that if you are not learning, you are not growing. So, we’re really doing “What” chants? Just one night, let that go! Roman has said shit twice so far for anyone counting and tells a story of being black out drunk when he received advice one night from Paul. Roman asked to have Heyman on his side once, and Paul told him he didn’t need him or anyone else. He just needed to believe in himself. Those are the words that Roman needed to hear as Paul always says the words you need to hear. Paul knows what to say, how to say it, and when to say it which makes him the greatest communicator of all time. He admits the moment he is not with The Wise Man, we won’t see The Tribal Chief anymore. He wants us to acknowledge the newest member of the Hall of Fame: Paul Heyman! ECW THEME!

-Paul Heyman hugs RVD, Tommy Dreamer, and Bubba Ray on his way to the ring. THAT’S AWESOME! Then a big embrace for Roman before the ECW chants right out in the building. “You Deserve It,” chant! Heyman: “You damn right I deserve it.” I think he may have dropped an F bomb, but it was obviously bleeped. That gets a massive pop and a standing ovation from everyone in the building. Massive ECW chant! Paul notes he did not prepare anything tonight as he wanted to feel the room. He isn’t good at speaking as himself, so he asked advice from RVD. Crowd chants for RVD! Heyman lets us know that RVD was smoking pot and didn’t tell him much else. Funny! Heyman points out his son, who is sitting next to his daughter, and next to a man he has all kinds of respect for, CM Punk! Here’s the CM Punk chants! Apparently, Jacob smoked pot as well when Paul asked him for advice, and he told his dad to ask RVD. “The stash is in the car.” Paul says he gets to work with the men and women in this beautiful art called sports en….professional wrestling. He notes he is the first headliner and person picked in a class chosen by Paul Levesque. Only one person can drive the car out of chaos and that is Paul Levesque. Many cheers and a standing ovation for the crowd towards HHH. Heyman notes that HHH told him to please not speak about him, but Heyman is not one for rules. You can tell, HHH isn’t comfortable with all this praise. Heyman: “I will be a Paul Levesque guy.” Steph looks so proud! The two Pauls shake hands to a massive pop! We get a Paul Levesque chant which is a first. Heyman mentions Stephanie and says if his daughter grows up to be 1/2 the lady she is, he will be beyond proud. He points out Steph is wearing an ECW cap. LONG LIVE THE ALLIANCE! “It’s time for Stephanie to admit she married the wrong Paul.” FANTASTIC! ECW Chant again. You could probably take a drink each time the crowd chants ECW.

-Heyman starts to break a little as he gets to his children. This is what he wants them to do with their lives. It’s not about money or being on television. “If anyone screws with you, you are two seats down from Haku.” AMAZING! He says it is about being worthy of people’s respect. It’s about going after your dreams again and again and failing 101 times, but succeeding on the next. Another F bomb and that one got passed the censors. He says his father was a far greater speaker than him, and he will never find the words to explain how desperately he loves them both. He so wishes his mother was here tonight to see this and he so wishes his father was here tonight. Paul is going to make us all cry. He mentions Cody Rhodes and we get some boos from the crowd. It’s Philly! “I so wish your father was here to see this tonight too.” Dusty chant! Cody is on the verge of crying! Someone yells “We love you Paul.” Heyman: “I love me too.”

-Now it’s time to talk about ECW! Heyman has a box with duct tape on it and he pulls out his old ECW leather jacket, headset, and HE BROUGHT AN OLD SCHOOL CELLPHONE. He thinks he broke it over the head over Sting when Rick Rude became US Champion and drops another F bomb when mentioning WCW. How is anyone supposed to follow this man?

-Heyman: “In 1993, this industry sucked.” He was a kid running around bullshitting his way into MSG and he knew if he got his hands on this art knows as wrestling, he would show people the way. WCW would not listen to The Wise Man, so he had to find a place to bring sexy women fighting, men bashing each other in the face, and a place to build The Tribe of Extreme. It never would have happened in any place other than Philadelphia. Another F Bomb! Steve Austin drank his first at the ECW Arena. Eric Bischoff got the idea for a cruiserweight division from The ECW Arena. Where did the Dudleys put people through a table? Another F bomb! ECW was not meant to last forever but they were NAPSTER and were there to change the industry. He disagrees with those that say ECW doesn’t live anymore. You can see ECW in the WWE or any promotion on the planet. “If you think ECW died in a bankruptcy court in 2001, you can suck my fucking dick.” Well, again, who is following this? Heyman says Punk leaned over and told his son, “Your dad is getting cancelled.” Heyman says he was cancelled by WCW and he comes back bigger and better than ever. He goes through all the ways he came back with The Samoan Swat Team, Mean Mark, The Dangerous Alliance. Then he went to ECW and when he was cancelled there he came to WWE and got cancelled and came back with Brock Lesnar. When the entire world was cancelled by a Pandemic and Brock went home to kill things to eat on his table he was pulled from irrelevancy. He works in a Bob Holly reference and tells us to “google it bitches.” He was cancelled as director of RAW and was saved by The GOAT, Roman Reigns! His message tonight to everyone is, “they can’t cancel you. Only you can let them cancel you.” He has the honor of working with Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo, and a Samoan Dynasty that will rule for 100 years to come. He gets to work with Bron Brekker, Rhea Ripley, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Jade Cargill, and he sees the things in them he saw with CM Punk, Steve Austin, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, and Charlotte Flair. He closes with his spiel which includes naming Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns! “I’m blown up. I have to pee, and I have taken too long. Yo, bitches I am just getting started. You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He says they will disrupt the business all over again and that’s not a prediction, but a spoiler. Good luck following that!

-WrestleMania commercial!

-WWE MLB Titles! Go Pirates!

Bull Nakano

-Some sweet footage of a young Bull in Japan in her video package! Dusty on commentary! That makes me smile! The video package obviously plays up the rivalry with Madusa and how it changed women’s wrestling. In Nov of 1994, Bull beat Alundra for the WWF Woman’s Title in Japan in front of 40,000 fans. CM Punk is a fan and calls Bull a complete bad ass.

-WWE Hall of Famer, Alundra Blayze is out to handle induction duties, which makes perfect sense. Will just mention she was also part of The Dangerous Alliance. “Paul Heyman sure knows how to light up a room.” She congratulates Paul and notes she was part of The Dangerous Alliance. She notes Bull started her career at age 18 and started with All Japan Women. She was picked out of hundreds of women because of her charisma, and competitiveness. She puts over Bull’s in ring ability and how they pushed the boundaries of what women’s wrestling was during their day. Tonight, we celebrate the legacy Bull has forged. She calls Bull a pioneer, inspiration and best of all, her friend!

-Here’s Bull and she looks quite elegant! That’s a bad ass woman right there! She gets a solid reaction from the crowd as I was worried Heyman burned them out. She is very happy to receive this award. She has waited a long time. She had a great experience with WWE in 1994. She was 26 and life in WWE was tough as all she knew was pro-wrestling. She takes about the challenge of getting to the arena because she could not speak English. Trying to find a hotel without a cellphone. We had public phones back then. With the help of friends she was able to continue the tour. Pro-wrestling is a universal language. She felt alive when she was in the ring and the days were like a dream. She gave all her heart and gets a little emotional. She wants to thank Madusa, who continued to fight along her. “Thank you Bull” chant. That’s what we need! Props to the crowd for that! She thanks Luna Vachon and is grateful for all the superstars. She wants to thank WWE for this great opportunity. She did her best not to waste this opportunity. She thanks the WWE Universe which accepted Bull Nakano. Oh man, she is breaking down some here and I want to cry with her. They pan to Asuka who looks to be openly weeping! She says if there is such a thing as being reborn she wants to be Bull Nakano again and looks forward to seeing us all again then. That was wonderful and heart felt! Madusa presents her with flowers!

-Peacock commercials! Those not watching on Peacock, I am not sure what you’re getting.

Muhammad Ali

-“I SHOOK UP THE WORLD.” Some great boxing footage in the video package. It’s always fun hearing and seeing wrestlers talk about Ali as they usually mark out like little kids. Cody notes that Ali and Gorgeous George were templates for wrestlers that followed. They show an Ali interview where he admits to stealing from Gorgeous George. ALI VS INOKI and ALI VS GORILLA! Ali was part of WrestleMania I and helped validate the show. Punk loved Ali because he was a rebel and stuck to his principles. Ali fought Parkinson Disease and passed at 74 in 2016.

-The Undertaker is inducting Ali. Okay then! Taker is in an all-black suit and makes sure to give JBL a fist pound on the way to the ring. Taker recites Ali’s famous, “float like a butterfly,” promo. He notes Ali will always be The Legend Amongst Legends! It is his honor to induct The Champ! The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, into the WWE Hall of Fame!

-Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s wife, is here to accept on his behalf. She notes Muhammad lived his life with purpose and continues to inspire a new generation. She says Ali never learned to cook, but always had a sweet tooth. Muhammad loved people…all people and they loved him right back. He was an incredible self-promoter and learned it from Gorgeous George. He was a global icon and you could say he was the first global sports entertainer. WWF gets bleeped! Fuck got let through, but WWF gets censored. The power of The Panda! She brings up how Ali hit Roddy Piper with his famous anchor punch. Ali was a great trash talker that could back it up in the ring. He used his voice and platform to attack racism at a time when black athletes were told to keep their mouth shut. Ali remained an ambassador for goodwill even as Parkinson’s destroyed his body. She knows he would have been thrilled and honored to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She credits the fans for giving Ali the name of The People’s Champion. She says The Rock asked to use the name out of honor in 1998 and wants to present The Rock with The People’s Championship. Some boos from the crowd, mixed with a Rocky chant as The Rock makes his way to the ring (no music). The Rock is presented with a custom People’s Champion belt, and this all seems weird. I guess we are getting words from The Rock now. Heavy boos now! I don’t know if this was the right time or place for this. The Rock notes he is a lucky SOB and has a lot of nicknames and tells the fans booing to shut their mouths. The People’s Champion nickname will always be the one closest to his heart and he thanks everyone. Again, that was weird.

-Peacock commercials!

The US Express

-The video package includes HHH giving Barry and Mike the call that they are being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I like when they do that and wish they had recorded more reactions. Barry is already a Hall of Famer with The Horsemen, but it is great to get Mike in there as well. For some reason I forgot they won the Tag Titles back from Shiek and Volkoff after losing them at Mania I. They do touch on each man’s run as a solo worker: IRS and Windham as NWA Champion and Horseman.

-Taylor and Mika Rotunda are here to induct their father and uncle. Oh man, we’re going to get Bray chants or fireflies and I am not ready for it! There’s the fireflies! Taylor says before they get to The US Express they have to mention Windham Rotunda, Bray Wyatt and here we go. He says he should be standing on this stage tonight, but “we know….He’s here.” Beautiful! Mika does a great job introducing them like a ring announcer would with weight and hometown. Another WWF bleep from the censors. Good job by Taylor and Mika!

-Barry and Mike are rocking matching black tuxedos with a red bowtie. That might be a tribute to Bray as they noted on the documentary there was a lot of red and black at his funeral. Mike thanks the WWE Universe around the world as there are not here without them. Philly is a full circle moment for him as his mom and sister moved to Philly when he was eight years old and competed in a Punt, Pass and Kick contest at Franklin Field during a Steelers/Eagles game. Barry grew up in the wrestling business and is a former World Champion. Mike says he would never have gotten into the business if not for Syracuse University. He met The Destroyer there and was asked if he wanted to be a pro-wrestler. He learned to wrestle with The Destroyer in Germany for 4 months at age 23. He went to The Carolinas and learned from countless Hall of Famers. Dusty Rhodes made the call to team Mike and Barry. Barry says his sister was staying with him and Mike was staying with him. They were married 6 months later and are still going strong 40 years later. That’s awesome and congrats to them! Mike says they were 26 and 24 at the first WrestleMania and were crazy as hell. Mike goes back to thank his wife. He says they deserved hazard pay for all the matches with Shiek and Volkoff. Ha! Mike breaks down a bit as he says he wishes Windham was here. The crowd starts singing “He’s Got The Whole World,” and Taylor starts to break. Mike puts up his phone light and they play Shatter as the arena fills with fireflies and we fade to black and a commercial for Bray’s documentary. Oh man! That was tough and I can’t begin to think of what Mike and the family have been through. I know people are saying Bray should have gone in this year, but perhaps the family just isn’t ready yet.

-Commercials!

Claude “Thunderbolt” Patterson

-The New Day (including Big E) are out, and the crowd is happy to see him. Sharp suits they are rocking as they look like something held over from Easter. Woods notes it has been a long time since all three of them have stood in the ring together, but tonight is not about them. Big E gets super excited as they note he has missed the fans so much. Kofi notes they have spent the past few weeks meeting Mr. Patterson and he had a simple message, “I love people.” Big E notes it is people like Thunderbolt and their fight, that black people like them in the business can do what they are doing. Without the work of Patterson, Woods is never King of The Ring, Big E is never WWE Champion, and Kofi never gets Kofi-Mania. Big E gets to do his spiel with it modified for Thunderbolt Patterson.

-Thunderbolt Patterson is pushed in a wheelchair, but stands up to give Gerald Brisco a hug. That’s fantastic!

-Now we get Patterson’s video package and the man had charisma and could talk on the mic. He became NWA Southern Champion by beating Dusty Rhodes. This is what I love about The Hall of Fame. The pioneers getting their recognition and one more moment in front of the fans. You can easily see the influence on Big E. Cody says Dusty stole a great deal from Patterson. Road Dogg admits he stole from him as well including the “Call Somebody.” Patterson also broke out “It’s a New Day.” Patterson spoke up about black wrestlers not getting the same pay and Booker mentions Patterson couldn’t eat in restaurants where he was Main Event in an arena down the street.

-Scott Spears (thanks to the comments section) is with Patterson and helps give the induction speech. When Patterson said, “Ole Anderson, don’t you move. That meant Ole was going to the hospital.” In his opinion, Patterson is the Jackie Robinson of pro-wrestling. Muhammad Ali once said hating people because of their color is wrong and no matter what color is doing the hating, it’s just wrong. Patterson was once told not to come to Abilene, Texas because the sheriff’s wife had been killed. Dory Funk said he was bringing Thunderbolt and the sheriff made a composite of Thunderbolt as the person responsible for the murder. It was found that the sheriff killed his own wife. Geez! Patterson went to Texas anyway. The sport of wrestling is better because Thunderbolt was in it. The crowd starts a Thunderbolt chant. Classy!

-Thunderbolt gets his time and he says he must pray and asks if that is okay. Preach sir! He comes today as humble as he knows how. He credits God for having all power to full-fill and supply all his needs. That man has a set of pipes still! He gives all honor and glory to The Lord for putting him in the path of good people. He tells the crowd to hold on just a minute and I can see where Slick may have borrowed from Mr. Patterson as well. He says everyone in the building has a little more education than him. He was taught that what you say and think comes back to you. The Devil doesn’t need any help and he asks for an Amen. AMEN! He wants to people to stop the hating and killing. He is here for a purpose and was chosen by our Father in Heaven to do his will. He wants The Lord to touch our minds and spiritually renew our minds so we can have clear and full understanding. If it had not been for Gerald Brisco, and Brian Blair he would not be. He does start to ramble about the WWE a bit. It’s all about wrestling and real bad people. God is good and he would not be here without God and good people in his path. We must love one another, come together, and stop playing the race card. He wishes he had more time, but it’s almost the sixth and he is keeping people too long. He loves us all and tell us to be good to each other. The man is a legend, and is older so let him have his time in moment. Heyman gets to drop F bombs and this man gets to praise God and take us to church. After Heyman’s induction, church is probably a good thing.

-Commercials!

Lia Maivia

-The video package starts with Rock singing to his Grandma’s grave in Hawaii. The video package is narrated by the actress who played Lia in Young Rock. Lia took over the promotion from her husband after his passing and told him on his deathbed that she would continue with the promotion and achieve his dreams. They focus on A Hot Summer Night which was a stadium show in Hawaii featuring Ric Flair in the Main Event. They touch on her being charged with extortion but note she was acquitted. We get some great photos of Lia and Peter and then Lia with The Rock over the years. The man loves his grandma! I wish my grandparents were still here. My last one (grandfather) passed away last year and I regret never getting a picture of him, my dad, myself and my two sons together.

-The Rock is here, now with his music, to induct his grandmother. He congratulates all the inductees tonight and goes over the story of his grandfather wanting to make his promotion a success. His grandmother promised to make that dream a reality as Peter was on his deathbed. The Rock gives a lesson the territories and mentions Vince McMahon which draw some boos. He may have been referencing Vince Sr to be fair. Rock mentions Dusty Rhodes and says he is one of his heroes. Lot of love for The Dream tonight. Rock about to cut a promo here as he turns towards Cody. Cody stands up and Rock says he has respect for Dusty, Mama Rhodes, but when it comes to this weekend, what happens between the four of them is personal and not business. He will see them tomorrow night. Cody chant from the crowd as I assume this is why Heyman went on first. Rock has his mom stand up and says she is the real final boss of the family. Rock tells Cody that his mom wanted to lay the smackdown on his candy ass, but he told her he would handle it. The Rock thanks the crowd and tells them to get ready for WrestleMania. The Rock yells at someone in the crowd and mouths, “shut your fucking mouth,” as we close the show. That’s one way to close the show. I guess Rock was the inductor and accepted. That was just a weird way to end what was a fun night.

-Heyman’s speech was tremendous and stole the show like everyone expected. Nakano killed it and then we had the emotion of The US Express due to Windham’s passing. That was all done in a classy and respectful way. The Ali induction was fun, but Rock getting presented with a title at the end of it was weird. I mean, good for Rock, but I assume that could have been done some other time and place. Thunderbolt took us to church and thankfully the crowd stayed with him. Then we get to the finally which was just more of The Rock getting what he wants. I am fine with his Grandmother being honored, but couldn’t Rock’s mom have come out to accept? Instead Rock talks a little about his grandma, cuts a promo on Cody, thanks his mom, takes another shot at Cody, and then leaves with his music playing while mouthing off to a fan. Not the ending I thought we would be getting. I saw in the comments were this was more of The Rock getting heat for this weekend, but I still think they should have closed with Heyman. I assume once it was decided Heyman wasn’t going to close, he opted to open the show much like Brock did at WrestleMania XXXV. Overall, this is always a night and I thank everyone who followed along in the live feed. Thanks for reading this as well and now it’s time for two days of WrestleMania! Enjoy the next two days!