411’s WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony 2022 Report

Pre-Show

-Well, I guess the show isn’t starting at 10 as the kickoff show is starting us off instead. I mean it makes sense as they switch over from SmackDown. It seems the show will be starting in just under 14 minutes according to the clock on the screen.

-Michael Cole and Pat McAfee welcome us and throw us to the back where Maria Menounos and Byron Saxton are standing by with our hosts: Kayla Braxton and Corey Graves. They run down the class tonight and it’s the smallest class since 1993 when it was just Andre The Giant.

-Back to Cole and McAfee as they throw to a video package running down the class: Vader, Shad Gaspard (this one is going to break me as I sit at my desk with my 17-month-old playing beside me), Queen Sharmell, The Steiners, and The Undertaker.

-Back to Cole and McAfee as Cole discusses being at Axxess Superstore last night when Taker’s statue was unveiled. Cool moment! McAfee calls it an honor to be here and mentions there are 8-year-old boys and girls and 75-year-old women dressed up like Taker here tonight.

-Back to Maria and Byron as they are with Montez Ford and Bianca Belair. She is ready to walk out Mania tomorrow as RAW Woman’s Champion. Montez talks about The Steiners and the foundation they laid for teams like The Profits. He is thankful and blessed to be here and just want to relish in greatness tonight.

-McAfee marks out as he talks about walking around backstage and seeing all the legends. That throws us to our next video package as it shows highlights from years past. I was lucky enough to be at the ceremonies before Mania XXV, XXVI, and XXVII. This is great! Heenan: “Damn, I’m having fun.” They put in a Flair “Woo,” so he can’t rail against that. Piper getting emotional talking about the fans! Race, Lawler, Inoki, Austin, HBK, nWo. My life as a fan!

-Maria and Byron are on the red carpet with Mayor Kane. I mean, he is a Hall of Famer himself, and no way he would miss Undertaker’s induction. The crowd is chanting RVD over this interview with Kane and RVD apparently plays along as we hear “ROB VAN DAM.” Maria thinks Vince may cry tonight and Kane says he wouldn’t be shocked by it.

-We are 30 seconds away and it looks like The Legends and Superstars are sitting on the stage below The Tron. It’s go time. Let’s get to it!

2022 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony

-Then! Now! Forever! Together!

-Show opening and again it makes me so happy seeing all these legends I’ve spent a lifetime watching. It’s the cool thing to hate on this Hall of Fame and how the selections work, but it’s still fantastic to see these legends get one more go-round in the spotlight and to get remembered.

-Our hosts are Corey Graves and Kayla Braxton as they are at the podium in the middle of the ring, so this is like the set-up for The Hall Of Fame Class of 2019.

The Steiner Brothers

-Great video package to start and it’s crazy to see Scott’s footage back on WWE TV. They included an early promo where Rick said “shit” but made sure to bleep it out. Perhaps just teasing us with what might come from Scott later. Nash calls them God-awful strong. Scott Steiner was a freak and could have been a massive singles star early in his run, but he enjoyed teaming with his brother. They didn’t include it obviously, but credit them for mentioning Steiner Math in the video. They also make sure to work in some footage of Bron and maybe we will be getting the name change we all want.

-Bron Breakker is out and gets the honor of inducting his father and uncle. This man is going to be a star soon! Bron talks about how crazy it was growing up in The Steiner Family. Above all the championships it was how great each was as a father and a uncle. Bron jokes he is going to take the biggest risk of his career and turn the mic over to his Uncle Scott. Fantastic! He calls them the greatest tag team of all time and brings them out.

-Big Poppa Pump looking pimp in his suit. Main Event Mafia vibes! Here we go! The crowd is jacked for this! “Where’s all my freaks at in Texas?” Scott says giving him a live mic can go good or go off the rails. Scott wants to thank all the teams that they wrestled as it takes four men to make each other great. Scott gives a shout-out to Randy Savage and says they clicked right off the bat and always traveled together with Lex and Owen. Savage was always competitive with them on the road. He once told Scott to pull the van over and they were going to have a contest to see who could get a cow to come over to them. Scott gives a moo and this is everything I wanted. “I Don’t know why I thought those cows spoke English.” THIS IS AMAZING! Scott couldn’t get them to move and yet three ran over to Randy and to this day, Scott swears Macho knew those cows. He tells those working at Mania to whip some ass and have fun. He talks about the days flying by and wondering where all the time went as you stand on a Hall of Fame stage. He believed in hard work paying off and calls their team the best. He talks about being World Champion as a great time in his life. The greatest time in his life is when he met and married his wife. He doesn’t have any great marriage secrets other than “she is always right and when I am right, she is even righter.” Scott talks about his two boys as we see the family in the front row. His greatest legacy is his two boys.

-Rick takes over and jokes that his brother didn’t give him much time to speak. He calls in an honor to be here as he never thought they would make it here as his gives his brother a look. He and his brother always went out and did their best. He thanks his family for dealing with him being on the road. He thanks Scott as he gets a little emotional. He mentions Scott always set the standard high and he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did without his brother pushing him and he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. We get some barking and they are out. That was wonderful!

-Brock/Reigns WrestleMania commercial!

-Stupendous WrestleMania commercial!

Sharmell

-Credit to Sharmell as she really was a key piece in what made King Booker great and finally got him a run as a World Champion in the WWE. Bianca talks about being inspired by Queen Sharmell. For some reason I forgot that Sharmell was a Nitro Girl. THE BOOGEYMAN! I mean Booker and Sharmell deserve Hall of Fame nods just for The Boogeyman feud.

-Booker T is out to induct his wife and good for him. His kids are in the front row and he gives his daughter a kiss on the forehead. Booker mentions he was inducted in 2013 and then got to do it again with his brother in 2019. He quotes Michael Hayes: “When I’m good, I’m good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.” That is Sharmell and he says that he would tell her I Do a thousand times and has made him a better man. He says his run as King Booker was about Sharmell and he has always called her his Queen. He breaks down a bit as he talks about that run and he asks the crowd to join him in welcoming his love and his wife, Queen Sharmell. Props to Booker for belting out “All Hail Queen Sharmell” over and over again as she makes her way to the stage.

-The crowd starts a massive “You Deserve It” chant and good on them. She says this is the stuff that fairytales are made of as she gets to stand by her King in the WWE Hall of Fame. Her story is of a Nitro Girl that became Queen. She thanks them and thanks Medusa and Molly Holly for The Power Plant. She thanks Kurt Angle for being her first angle on WWE TV. She thanks Rey and namedrops The Filthy Animals. SWEET! She mentions The Boogeyman and thanks all the wrestlers that helped and worked with her. She credits Booker for being so great that it was easy to follow. She gives out an “All Hail King Booker” for old times sake and thanks the fans for all the boos. She thanks everyone in production over the years. She thanks Johnny Ace and Bruce Prichard. She mentions the wrestling school her and Booker opened seventeen years ago and their hope is to make their dreams come true like many in the room did for her. She thanks her family and friends that traveled here and her brother Ron. She thanks her mother, who is also her hero. Moms are the best! She thanks her twins and showing her what unconditional love truly means. Back to Booker as she says she still gets lost in his eyes and the crowd starts wooing. Booker is her proof that fairytales come true and after a goodnight, she is finished. That was pretty good!

-Commercials!

-Break out the tissues as it is time for The Warrior Award!

Warrior Award: Shad Gaspard

-Video package: MONEY MONEY YEAH YEAH! Shad Gaspard lived for wrestling until he found something better. The footage of him with his son both makes me smile and makes my eyes swell with tears. “When that moment came. That moment we all fear…he saved his son.” I saw this package when it dropped on Twitter and it’s still tough to watch. “I love you son….I love you daddy.”

-Back to the crowd who are giving a standing ovation to the video package and there are men wiping tears from their eyes. I’m right there with them!

-Dana Warrior is out to present the award as has become customary. She talks about the nobility and character of Shad. He is the definition of a hero and true warrior. She talks about how great he was as a father and husband and says it is customary to see tough guys become softies around their kids. She talks about wanting our sons and daughters to stand on our shoulders. He accomplished his greatest earthly assignment by assuring his son would live to see another day. It is her honor to present this award to Shad’s wife and son.

-JTG is out with both of them to Cryme Tyme’s music and it’s still a banger. JTG and Shad’s son throw the dice and do Cryme Tyme’s signature pose. Ok, I’m done! His wife (I’m sorry, I didn’t catch her name) thanks Dana for presenting them this award. Thankfully they put their names up on the screen and it is Aryeh and Siliana. The crowd starts a “Shad’s a hero chant.” Yep! She states Shad was a hero every day of his life and mentions he stopped an armed robbery at a gas station in 2016 in Florida. He kindly escorted the man out of the gas station and slammed him on the ground and held him there until police came. She jokes that Jason didn’t help! Ha! She talks about their dog running away from home and how Shad saved him on a freeway. He would tell his son about wolves and sheepdogs and how he should always be a sheepdog. They know how to watch over the flock and know of violence and aggression but only use it when needed. She tells her son he is a sheepdog and Shad knew it before she did. She says her son is the best of Shad and I can’t stop crying. “You had a bad ass dad.” PREACH! “Anyone should be so lucky to have a dad like you had.” She leaves with one final quote as men are remembered for what they do. Her son raises up the award as we fade to black. That was amazing and made this show for me! God bless that family and Shad!

Vader

What time is it? It’s about time they put this man into The Hall of Fame! Of course, Big E is included in this video as he is all about Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat! Foley mentions that Vader’s stiff looked rough because it was rough. See him take out Gorilla Monsoon and break Yokozuna’s leg. BOY MEETS WORLD! Yes, they have footage! Vader mauling Heath Slater!

-Standing ovation for Vader and Jesse White, Vader’s son, is here to do the honors. He is accompanied by his mother, who is dressed in black and sporting red gloves. They ask for the time and obviously it is Vader Time. Debra thanks us for all the love and support and knows Vader is watching with the biggest smile. Jesse says the fans and everyone in the back and on the stage have put food on his plate for a long time. He mentions Leon played in The NFL including in a Super Bowl. He jokes he then had an eye popping experience before getting to Boy Meets World and Baywatch. He notes he is a 13 time World Champion on 4 different continents. He talks about what his father taught him and says if there was a Hall of Fame for being a father: “Papa you were in it a long time ago.” He asks everyone to throw their best “V”s in the air and asks again, “What Time is It?” THEN THEY UNVEIL VADER’S HELMET AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL! That thing terrified me as a kid and now it just makes me smile!

-WWE2K22 commercial. I still don’t have it as it has been sold out each time I’ve stopped at a store.

-WWE Evil commercial. I reviewed all eight episodes which you can find right here on 411mania.

-Austin/Owens commercial and we cut back to Owens who gets booed while he has the biggest smile on his face.

The Undertaker

-Metallica Video Package that they played when he retired. Still awesome! There goes Foley flying off the Cell. I wonder how much money he would have if he was paid a dollar for every time that has been show over the last 24 (I’m old) years. Taker dragging Hogan with his motorcycle. THE STREAK! Reminder that CM Punk is the answer to the question of the last man in the winning streak. CELEBRITY DEATH MATCH! Brock laughing and Taker sitting up! BONE YARD MATCH! HHH says it best: “his legacy is there will never be another.”

-Vince McMahon is out to induct Taker and inside the ring is all the various costumes Taker has rocked in his career. Nice touch! The crowd sings along with “No Chance in Hell.” Vince says this is his favorite night of the year as they get to say thank you to all the inductees. They can thank all the people who have contributed to the success of the WWE and touched our lives for the better. He says there is nobody more deserving of this honor than the man they are inducting tonight. For 30 years he has performed and traveled thousands and thousands of nights. He has been to hell and back! He has accepted many challenges in the ring and goes over a long list of opponents: Vince jokes he will read them quickly so they can’t interrupt him. He rolls through the names and mentions Brian Lee and notes he was the fake Undertaker. Jeff Hardy is mentioned among others just to name a few. Vince did fly through those to keep the crowd at bay. Next Vince talks about Shotgun Saturday Night and how they shot a match with HHH and The Undertaker fighting on an escalator at Penn Station. He tells the story of Taker filming a vignette in a freezing, rainy night for five hours. He stood on a WWE float for 5 hours in the Thanksgiving Parade. He talks about Taker going down into a sewer just to get a shot of him coming up through the smoke that was bellowing out of it. Vince says Taker has more integrity than anyone he has ever known. He credits Taker for being loyal and says WCW never called Taker because they knew he wouldn’t answer. Respect: The way Taker carried himself as a performer and man. He goes through more qualities and we get the What chant. Vince tells the crowd he will have Taker come out and kick their ass. Nice! He credits love as the greatest quality Taker has as you can’t accomplish what he has done without a love of this business. He has love for this business and for those he has performed with inside the ring. Vince brings out Mark Calaway, The Undertaker.

-Hearing that music and seeing that entrance again is sweet! Taker is wearing a suit (all black naturally) and he tells Vince he loves him as he gives him a hug. Well, Vince didn’t cry unless it happened during that hug. Taker has a headset on which is why we heard him tell Vince he loved him. Massive “Undertaker” chant and this could go on for a bit. Taker is already emotional. The ovation continues as nobody has sat down yet. This is tremendous! Edge looks so happy watching this from the stage as does everyone else really. The ovation just grows as I am having Hogan in Montreal flashbacks. “You deserve it” chants. Taker wipes a tear from his eye and tries to compose himself at the podium. “Taker” chant next! “Thank you Taker.” It just won’t stop as each time it seems to die down, it grows louder again. “Rest in Peace” chant now! I probably should have timed this ovation!

-Taker finally starts as he says for the last 30 years his identity has been Undertaker. He goes through his list of nick names and they crowd doesn’t “What” him. He is going to take us behind the curtain and meet the man Mark Calaway. He wants to show the fans the respect they have shown him for 30 years. He loves this business with all his heart, and it doesn’t come without sacrifice. He talks about sacrifice of family, health and privacy. He wouldn’t be where he is today without the help of all the people inside and outside the ring. His first thank you is to The WWE Universe. They were his motivation many nights to push through the pain and perform. Tonight is not only about him, but about each and everyone of them. “One More Match” chant briefly starts, but dies down.

-Taker takes us back to 1986 when he is a semester from college graduation. He talks to his brother as he is miserable and isn’t sure what he wants to do. He was torn between graduating or playing basketball overseas. He spent years chasing basketball, but his heart was already into wrestling. He had just started his training, but already knew that is what he wanted to do with his life. He was worried about his teammates being disappointed and worried what his parents would say. His brother told him he couldn’t live his life for what his parents or teammates wanted him to do. He needed to live his life for what he wanted to do and it became clear that he was going to do whatever it took to be a pro-wrestler. It wasn’t glamorous as he had to live in his car and bust heads in bars to make money so he could eat. He didn’t want to disappoint his family, but had to go after his own identity and face his own failures. He had to chase his dreams without fear of what other people thought. His dreams lead him to become The Undertaker.

-One of the earliest lessons he learned came from Vince himself. They were doing TV in Rochester and he was working a SQUAH Match, which he corrects himself and calls it an enhancement match. He says the kid was doing the best he can but was messing up each move. Taker roughed him up out of frustration and then stormed to the back. Vince told him perception is reality and the reality is that everyone in the arena and backstage “thinks you’re an asshole.” He jokes most of the crowd wasn’t born yet, but some may know that match and formed an opinion of Taker. He learned the hard way that perception is reality. He kept that lesson with him no matter if he was in the ring or outside. He learned that his actions mattered. He mentions Stephanie McMahon and Taker says jokes she is a lot bigger brat off screen and is the sister he never wanted. He tells her he loves her and her family. He talks Shane McMahon and how he pestered him about the ridiculous bumps he wanted to take in his matches. The Godfather next as he was one of the main influences in his life outside his father. They have been friends for over 30 years and have drank gallons of Jack Daniels. They have fought over hats, watches and anything else you can imagine. The reality is he always knew Godfather had his back. He shouts out The BKS and gives them live while saying he will take the stories to the grave with him. Speaking of BSK, he talks about the co-founder of the group, Yokozuna. They put Yoko’s picture on the screen as Taker talks about them being in a forever brotherhood. He gets emotional talking about Brian “Crush” Adams. He mentions Adams was one of the few guys that would rib him. Brian convinced Taker to fly to Florida to learn how to break bricks with their hands. That would be the last time they saw each other as Brian passed a few weeks later. He didn’t understand why he agreed to break bricks with him, but now it all makes sense.

-Paul Bearer, who was a vital part of The Undertaker character. He calls Paul a tremendous friend who also liked to play practical jokes on him. It seems Paul liked to put cucumbers in Taker’s drinks. “Who puts cucumbers in a drink? An evil man.” Next is Kane as their story stretches over two decades. He calls their story the greatest in wrestling history and jokes than he has to call him Mr. Mayor now. “I didn’t get mad when you stole all my moves.”

-The next lesson learned happened over a piece of cornbread. He was twenty-five years old and had just won the World Title for the first time. He was at home eating with his parents and his dad was giving him a lecture. He asked Taker if he was paying his taxes. He asks if Taker is living beneath his means. “The toes that you step on to the way to the top are connected to the same asses you will have to kiss on the way down.” His dad taught him to treat anyone he comes across with respect. He was World Champion, but it made him no more important than those working catering or security. One smile or handshake could change or save someone’s life. He learned that respect and loyalty go a long way.

-He names Dusty, Harley, Andre, Bruno, Bret and Ric Flair and thanks them for paving the way for his generation and those to come. He thanks Bruce Prichard for getting him in front of Vince and without that meeting there may be no Taker. He thanks the director of The Last Ride documentary. He thanks Kathy for booking all the rides for his family. He thanks Terri Anderson who created all the iconic looks of The Undertaker. He thanks his outstanding team of doctors and gives each a shout-out for putting him back together.

-His next lesson came before WrestleMania XXV. I was there for that! Greatest match I have ever seen live! Taker says he was talking to Shawn about the match and Hayes told them they were on 3rd and had 15 minutes. Taker and Shawn were insulted so they raised some hell and were moved to later in the show and were given more time. “We weren’t on last, but everyone who followed probably wished we had been.” He thanks Shawn for his friendship and for giving him one of the best matches of his career. He learned to never be content and that lesson applies to the guys and girls on the stage. Triple H next and that gets a big reaction from the crowd. He tells H it was always a pleasure to share a ring with him. They have been great friends and he wants to thank H for reminding him who he really is when his confidence was at it’s lowest. Taker gets choked up as he says HHH’s words that day got him through that match at Mania XXVIII and the rest of his career. He talks the photo with Shawn and HHH and how it was the End of an Era.

-Taker is beyond proud of his son, Gunner and will love him more than he will ever know. He speaks to his daughters and gives them his love. We see his youngest as she is hugging her mom. He asked her what she wants Taker to tell the world about her and she responds, “I don’t care what the world knows about me.” Colt, is his newest addition, and the little man has a mohawk which draws an aww from the crowd. He credits his parents for being his biggest fans. Taker tells a story of wrestling Sid one night and members of his family were in the second row. He told Sid that his mom was a pistol and to be careful. Sid has his him in a chinlock and turns Taker to his mom. He yells, “is this your little boy” and calls her an old lady. Taker: “Here she comes.” She climbs over the people in the front row to try to get in the ring. She is restrained by Taker’s dad and brother and she ended up with bruises on her arms. “That’s how mom got banned for wrestling.” He tells his father his misses him everyday and lets the crowd give it up for him as he was pretty awesome. His mom was on him for years about getting that damn ring and he mentions he finally did it as she shows off his Hall of Fame Ring. Michele McCool: She is the rock and foundation the family is built on. She made him want to be a better man and husband. He tells the story of how Michelle came to WWE and didn’t want to meet Kane or The Undertaker. Kane because he was pick and scary and Taker because of the long hair, tattoos and reputation (thanks Godfather). He jokes after a long exhausting chase he finally said yes. Nice! He credits Michelle for restoring his relationship with His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He calls her an awesome mother and says she can still lace up her boots and hang with the best women in the world. He loves her with all his heart and calls her his soulmate.

-Vince McMahon: He says Vince wasn’t completely sold on him in the beginning, but gave him the chance of a lifetime. He is standing here because of Vince and he changed his entire life. He taught him so much about the business and became a father figure, especially after his father passed away. Now, I assume Vince is in Gorilla crying now. He laughs as Vince says he loves him, but yet has put him in Bodybag matches, Hell in a Cell, Casket Matches, Inferno Matches, Buried Alive Matches and even a Punjabi Prison Match (which nearly killed everyone). Vince never got him to do The Taker-roni and he will take that with him to the grave. He thanks Vince for the gift of The Undertaker and most importantly for his friendship.

-He thanks the WWE Universe again and dares us to wake up tomorrow and make his lessons part of our lives. Perception is reality, respect and loyalty go a long way, and never be content. Even if your true self means spending 30 years taking souls and digging holes. Now that The Undertaker has taken his place in The Hall of Fame, “I will Rest in Peace.”

-Another standing ovation and we hit the music as Taker teases leaving, but heads back in the ring and the music turns off. He puts on the coat and hate one last time to thunderous applause. The crowd stated a “One more match,” chant and Taker responds with “never say never.” He kisses his wife and walks up the ramp and pauses to raise his fist as we got the lightning crash.

-This was a fun night and Taker may have set a record for longest Hall of Fame speech, but it never felt long. Truthfully, he probably could have gone another hour and nobody would have cared. The rest were all solid and it was just a fun and emotional night all around. A must watch I would say and especially The Warrior Award presentation with JTG and Shad’s family and then Taker’s speech. Thanks for reading!