411’s 2023 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony Report

-WrestleMania weekend is here and it all starts with the show that celebrates wrestling history. This is always a fun show and no matter who gets inducted and what people may think of the way people are selected, it’s still a wonderful event to honor people who have entertained arenas full of fans. It’s always a joy seeing these people get another turn in the spotlight. We have a small class this year, which could be a good thing as they were burning through some big names at a rapid clip. I have included the pre-show coverage because I enjoy the red carpet stuff. Let’s get to it!

-WWE: Then, Now, Forever, Together!

-We are getting a kickoff show which makes sense as we see the ring crew getting the ring ready for the Hall of Fame Ceremony. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show and is joined by Wade Barrett at the commentary table.

-Byron Saxton and Maria Menounos are on the red carpet and are joined by Corey Graves and Carmella. Graves is pumped he got to meet The Great Muta and Konnan for the first time. He is a massive Muta fan it seems and is excited that he is being given his flowers tonight.

-Back to Cole and Wade as discuss the impact The Great Muta has had on pro-wrestling.

-Cathy Kelley is backstage with Hall of Famers Booker T and Sharmell. She asks Booker about NXT Stand and Deliver tomorrow. Booker says they can’t look past tonight though and mentions being here to see Rey and Muta go into The Hall of Fame. Sharmell is excited to sit back and see her fellow Nitro Girl get inducted into the Hall of Fame.

-To Byron and Maria where they were supposed to be joined by a Hardcore Legend, but he got called away. So they are able to get Hall of Famer, Kurt Angle, and his wife, Giovanna. Kurt is surprised they are inducting Rey before he retires, but notes the same thing was done to him. He says he was more nervous for his Hall of Fame induction that he was for any WrestleMania. I can see that! Maria tells a story of working for Channel One (WOOO) and seeing Kurt on a plane and freaking out.

-Back to Cole and Barrett and Cole gives his congratulations to Rey. He is proud of Rey for not only going into the Hall of Fame, but for also continuing to kill it in the ring. Wade talks about facing Rey in Mexico and says it was like facing a God.

-Cathy is standing by with Charlotte Flair and she feels great. Tomorrow is her seventh WrestleMania and notes she is matching with her husband tonight. I mean, it’s no surprise he is there. Charlotte notes that her dad just follows her around and makes sure she has eaten. He can tell when she needs her space though.

-Back to Byron and Maria who are with The Miz and Maryse, who looks amazing. The discuss the job Miz and Maryse did with WrestleMania: The Musical. It seems Maryse sings to Miz in his ear at night. Byron wants to hear some Hootie and The Blowfish and Miz crushes him for that.

-Cole brings up Tim White as he will be getting The Warrior Award tonight. He brings up that Tim was the main man and best friend for Andre The Giant. He also brings up The Friendly Tap.

-Sami Zayn and his wife are next with Byron and Maria. Sami mentions PWG and how everyone knows the story with him and Kevin Owens. LA has been a home base for where they started. The crowd gives a big “Hooo” chant, so I assume Hacksaw Jim Duggan is there. Sami is here for Rey and hopes Dom doesn’t try anything tonight.

-Cole tells us we are just a few moments away and notes there are over 16.000 people crammed in the Crypto.com Arena tonight. Now a very loud “Rob Van Dam” chant which even Cole has to recognize.

-The Street Profits are with Cathy and they have a blinged out red solo cup. Saxton and Maria show up and Byron and Ford are wearing the same blazer. They bust on Dawkins for being a little simple with his suit. I think he looks clean!

-Cole signs off and says he will see us tomorrow!

-Peacock Commercials!

2023 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony

-WWE: Then, Now, Forever, Together!

-Hall of Fame opening video package which is always awesome it’s my childhood flashing in front of me. I LOVE WRESTLING! Tonight, we celebrate: Rey Mysterio Jr, Andy Kaufman, The Great Muta, Tim White, and Stacy Keibler.

-Live: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
-Hosts: Kayla Braxton and Corey Graves

Stacy Keibler

-Just to get this out of the way, I had a massive crush on Stacy since her Miss Hancock days in WCW. She is just drop dead gorgeous! Now, to more important things as the video package covers her time as a cheerleader for The Baltimore Ravens and then she won a contest to become a WCW Nitro Girl. From there she became Miss Hancock and then came over to WWE after the sale of WCW. I forgot she was paired with Hurricane for a bit. From there she killed it on Dancing With The Stars and was robbed as she finished third. She used that to get some TV parts and was on talk shows and in magazines all over the world.

-Torrie Wilson and Mick Foley are here to induct Stacy. Well, Foley said he got the call to induct someone we wouldn’t expect.

-The crowd starts a massive Foley chant and he makes sure to note this evening is not about him. He says he has been asking the same question we all have, “what the heck am I doing here inducting Stacy Keibler?” He tells us that Stacy sent him a text asking him to induct her. He wants Stacy to have a match with Molly Holly to determine the nicest person in the history of the WWE. He speaks to the newer fans to let them know about women like Stacy who came before the The Women’s Revolution. He calls the women like Stacy and Torrie pillars of the division. He talks about the last time he texted Stacy and they both happened to be at the same New York Jets game. They found their way to each other and the crowd erupted when they found each other and hugged. Mick talks about being given this moment and how it gives you memories for a lifetime. He then hands it over to Hall of Famer, Torrie Wilson.

-Torrie says she will do her best not to cry because she loves Stacy so much. She met Stacy when she was 19 years old when she won the spot as a Nitro Girl. They were all in awe of her beauty and her long legs. They soon realized she had a heart of gold and there was no need to be intimidated. She mentions they both cried their eyes out when they first learned to take bumps in the ring. Torrie talks about Stacy finding her way to Dancing with Stars and then crossing over to Hollywood. She was named one of People’s 40 Most Beautiful People and her legs were insured by Lloyds of London. The most important thing she has done though is become a mom. She puts over how Stacy was the first to use the WWE to crossover to Hollywood. She then introduces the lady of the hour.

-Stacy Keibler is out (with her Kid Rock “Legs” music) and still looks stunning! She gets a great reaction from the crowd and it makes me happy to hear that. No matter what anyone thinks of who should be in and who shouldn’t, just be respectful of their moment. Stacy says it is great to be home and thanks for the fans for giving her the confidence to be on stage. She earned her first check as a 7 year old doing a cough medicine commercial. Mick is just beaming standing there! He’s like a proud father! The crowd starts a “Stacy” chant and she puts over the crowd for being the magic behind WWE shows. The put a photo on the Tron of Stacy in the crowd at Nitro holding up a Bret Hart sign. That’s awesome! She entered the Nitro Girl contest thinking if she won maybe she could meet Bret Hart. Another photo of her in the crowd at Nitro wearing a red and black nWo shirt. Amazing! She talks about Grit and Edge has to be loving this speech! She tries to show grit with grace and teaches that to her children. She is humbled and proud to be accepted into this gritty and graceful group. She notes that no matter how much pain she went through she always found grit she didn’t know she had. She says Madusa was her first teacher and kicked her butt. She felt like she had been hit by a train after that first day and knows now that Madusa was pushing her to be her best. She mentions Lita, Trish, Molly Holly, Victoria, Ivory, Jacqueline, Jazz, and Gail Kim. She thanks Fit Finlay for teaching a dancer how to wrestle. She calls The Dudley Boyz her greatest teachers and she loves Shane Helms. Then there is her Thelma to her Louise, Torrie Wilson. They became fast fans and Torrie always had her back. She showed her and the world what it meant to be strong, sexy, driven, powerful, and kind. Torrie is in tears as you would expect and she thanks her and Mick for being her tonight. Mick will always have a place in her heart. She thanks her husband and thankfully, the crowd doesn’t boo like they did when Trish brought up her husband during her speech. We see her husband and her three kids in the front row. WE LOVE FAMILIES! She thanks her number one fans, her mom and dad. They taught her to never forget where she came from. They watched every episode of WCW and WWE in her enture career. WE LOVE PARENTS! Finally, she thanks the fans for being there for her from day one and calls them the heartbeat of the WWE. She hopes she inspired us to be the best version of ourselves. “Thank you all for making my dreams come true.” She killed that!

-Back-to-back WrestleMania Hollywood commercials!

Andy Kaufman

-ANDY KAUFMAN TEACHING THE PEOPLE OF MEMPHIS ABOUT SOAP! Jerry Lawler was there to stand up for Memphis and Kaufman takes a piledriver and gets stretchered out of the arena. Then history is made as they appear on Letterman and Lawler slaps the piss out of him. I watched that segment a few weeks back and it’s great! Kaufman died after a battle with lung cancer and then had a movie made about him. Bob Zmuda says to forget the movies and Taxi as Kaufman lived out his dream in Memphis.

-Jerry Lawler joins us from his home in Memphis and he wishes he could be here in person. It’s great to see The King but you can tell he is still recovering. God Bless you Jerry! He tells us that he has asked Jimmy Hart to handle the induction on what would have been the greatest night in Kaufman’s career.

-Jimmy Hart heads to the ring and it was great they were able to get Lawler involved even if just in a small way. Jimmy mentions Andy was great at getting heat and he managed Andy for a year and a half. He loved the wrestling business and didn’t want to give autographs so he didn’t break character. Hart warned him to do it because there was no telling what they would do to their food. He tells the story of Kaufman taking the piledriver and refusing to get out of the ring as he wanted another ambulance. Lawler wasn’t paying for another one and told Jimmy to let Andy know he would put him in a full body cast. Andy got up and did a dance and left the ring.

-The Kaufman Family heads down to accept the honor on Andy’s behalf. We have three women and an older gentleman here to accept. The older gentleman starts by thanking Jerry Lawler. Without Jerry none of this would have happened for Andy and they haven’t forgotten that. It seems this is Andy’s brother. He notes his brother got into wrestling because he was a lifelong fan. They would watch wrestling on a little black and white TV in the 50s. Andy would let his brother put him in a headlock. Carol speaks next as she talks about Andy describing the beauty of pro-wrestling and how he ignored the people who told him that wrestling was bad for his career. To even be billed as a wrestler made Andy happier than anything. She notes tonight would have meant the world for him. His daughter mentions her father would have been thrilled, thanks everyone, and then the music plays. I am not sure if they cut them off there or not.

-Theory/Cena commercial!

-Peacock commercials!

-Prison Dom and Rhea are show on the screen and so too is Charlotte.

The Great Muta

-Here we go! Muta getting a WWE produced video package is awesome and it’s glorious! Muta showed up in the NWA when I was 7-8 years old and he was the coolest wrester I had ever seen. Moonsault blew my mind as a kid. MUTA-LOCK! SHINING WIZARD! They note The Mist and how it inspired Tajiri and Asuka. Asuka says she became a wrestler because of The Great Muta. We get highlights of his match against Nakamura earlier this year. Cool! Again, this was amazing!

-Ric Flair is here to get the honor of inducting Muta and someone start a clock as we could be here for some time. Now I understand why Peacock has this blocked off up until 1 AM. The crowd is rather pumped to see Flair and man, is he moving gingerly. How was this man in a ring just last year? Flair says he received a call from Kevin Dunn and he wondered what he did wrong. He was told he was picked to induct The Great Muta and Flair wondered if Muta wanted Sting to do it, but Muta wanted Flair. I assume he wasn’t given the choice of Sting for obvious reasons. Ric calls Asuka a bad ass and technically unbelievable. Flair has stories and here we go! In 1983 he went to Japan and he was to lose the NWA Title to Jumbo, but the NWA didn’t want to do the change, so they were sent Harley Race as backup. Flair was insulted they didn’t think he could take Jumbo by himself. He puts over The Steiners and the matches they had with the kids in Japan. He then says shit which the censors are late trying to cover. He puts over how tough the kids in Japan were and how they were so committed to excellence and work ethic. In 1989 he was called into the office in Atlanta and they needed Ric to show Muta around the city. “Why would you pick for me?” Ric says Muta is the greatest Japanese Wrestler he has ever faced in a ring. Ric says he is an entertainer and not a shooter. He runs through the Japanese guys that would shoot and stretch him. Choshu, Fujinami, Kabuki, Tenryu, Jumbo Tsuruta (Ric wants to induct him one day), Misawa, Chono, Baba, and Inoki. Flair knows he has to keep it short as he doesn’t want Hunter wrapping him up again. “How embarrassing was that?” He notes that Muta competed in the same class with Steamboat and Michaels. He then tells Shawn he didn’t invent the moonsault as Muta did. That was short by normal Flair standards.

-The Great Muta makes his way out and he looks pimp! His suit game is on point! Flair again as he notes he left his son in Muta’s care 10 years ago and Muta took care of his son as if he was his own. Damn onions! Muta introduces himself and notes he doesn’t speak English very well. He thanks everyone and thanks WWE. He thanks Ric and is so honored to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. He wishes everyone good luck and thanks everyone in Japanese. I figured that would be short, but didn’t matter as it was awesome! MUTA SPITS OUT GREEN MIST! That’s all that needed to be! Again, I LOVE WRESTLING!

-Peacock commercials!

-NXT Stand and Deliver commercial!

Warrior Award: Tim White

-I forgot how long Tim was with WWE. For whatever reason I only noticed him during the Attitude Era. It seems I didn’t pay attention as a kid to who was the ref outside of The Hebnars and that’s only because of the greatness of Hogan/Andre II. Tim being a plant on editions of Piper’s Pit is a cool Easter Egg. I laughed when Tim noted he would always make sure he did Godfather’s matches. The man liked The Hos! As we all know, Tim was the handler basically for Andre and they became best friends. White breaking down talking about Andre’s passing is still tough to watch. Sadly, we lost Tim in 2022! He dedicated his life to WWE and he will always be remembered.

-JBL and Ron Simmons get the honor of inducting Tim White. No Dana Warrior? JBL and Ron got the honor of inducting Teddy Long a few years back and did a good job. The crowd chants “APA” and that lets Simmons hit his catchphrase: DAMN! Tim was a great friend of everyone and would always tell Andre stories and how he was great friends with Arnold Skaaland. JBL brings up that there was a hidden hardcore drinking room in The Friendly Tap and they spent many hours inside there. Simmons says anytime Tim needed something new in the bar, he would ask the writers to have the APA beat someone up in his bar. I mean, that’s pretty genius as he knew the WWE would pay for anything that was destroyed. JBL says that Tim asked him toy a guy through what was a broken jukebox so he could get a brand new, digital one. Again, genius! They note there is nobody who has ever had anything bad to say about Tim White. They bring out Tim’s brothers, Tom and Pat White!

-Wow, they weren’t kidding as the one brother looks very much like Tim. Pat starts and thanks everyone on behalf of the entire White family. Pat sounds like Tim! He mentions Tim’s famous line: “There is no crying in wrestling.” If his brother was here today he would express his deep gratitude to everyone in the WWE past and present and to the fans. Someone yells out, “we loved Tim.” That’s great! Tom doesn’t say anything and instead just raises the Warrior Award high as we cut to commercial!

-WWE2K23 commercial!

-Bianca vs. Asuka commercial!

-They show Bianca and Asuka in the crowd and it seems like the crowd may be siding with Asuka.

Rey Mysterio

-Much like I was blown away by Muta in 1988-89, Rey was like something from another planet when I saw him debut in WCW in 1996. Angle: “I just got beat by a 12-year-old,” still kills me! We see home footage of Rey in his early days in a ring in Mexico. The talking heads talk about the mask and they have always done a great job ignoring the period where WCW took the mask off the man. That had to cost them thousands in merchandise sales. Naturally they touch on the Rey and Eddie relationship. Rey wins The Rumble and becomes World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 22. ELEMENTARY PRISON DOM! Rey sums it up saying he is truly a blessed man!

-Konnan is out and gets a strong reaction from the crowd. If he hits the catchphrases, I will lose it! THERE IT IS! WOOOO! He says it is an electric atmosphere in LA and a Mexico chant breaks out. Konnan mentions today there are Superstars of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds and it wasn’t like that thirty five years ago. He met Rey when he was 12 years old and he was a surfer. They show a photo of Rey in those days, and crazy to see that kid and think he would be one the most famous pro-wrestlers of all time. Konnan notes Rey was a tough sell to promoters, but he knew what Rey could do. He took Rey to LA first when he was fifteen years old and let him work in bars where he had to lie and say he was nineteen. He told them Rey was a mini luchador. Next Konnan went to AAA and took Rey and Psychosis. “I know he doesn’t look like he hit puberty.” Next was Paul Heyman and ECW. He told Paul that Rey and Psychosis would blow away anything else Paul’s roster was doing. Next was WCW and Konnan had to sell Rey to Kevin Sullivan and ironically, Sullivan mentioned Rey was too short. Konnan mentioned that Sullivan was vertically challenged himself, but look how far he came. Man has a point! Konnan told Kevin that Rey was a generational talent and they would regret not signing him. Sullivan said he would give him a try-out match and Konnan thanks God it was against Dean Malenko. Dean wasn’t bitter and went out to help make Rey a star. Everyone started gathering around the monitor and popped for what Rey was doing. He got a standing ovation from the boys and three weeks later he was cruiserweight champion. He credits Rey for helping to bring lucha libre to every promotion in the world. He puts over all the charity work Rey has done and credits Rey for being the reason he is alive today after being on his death bed. Konnan quotes Victor Hugo and loves Rey is getting his flowers while he is still active. He calls Rey an Angel and says he is an incredible family man. “Maybe I can replace Dominik.” AWESOME! Konnan drops a 4 Life which makes he smile! Konnan crushed it here and I am so happy he was given this spot.

-Rhea greets Angle, Booker, Drew, Sami, and HHH on the stage while Prison Dom, Rhea, and Priest stay seated and not clapping. KAYFABE LIVES! Great reaction from the crowd and they start a “You Deserve It” chant. He tells the crowd to stop it or they will make him cry more. He wanted everyone to see the tough Rey Mysterio, but they have him crying right now. He thanks Konnan for his introduction. Judgment Day get up and leave the stage to mega heat from the crowd. The crowd is pissed! Rey notes his will handle business tomorrow! BIG POP! Again, this isn’t the first time someone has used the Hall of Fame to promote a Mania match. Flair did it when he was inducted before he faced Shawn and Steamboat did it before 25 and his match with Jericho. Rey talks about starting in Tijuana. He started training at the age of eight which is insane! He didn’t get any special treatment and remembers being chopped by his uncle so hard it made him cry. His Uncle didn’t console him and waited for Rey to ask to get back in the class. His lesson was the drives home and everything his uncle shared with him. As mentioned, he met Konnan when he was twelve. They clicked right away and he notes Konnan is like a big brother. Rey felt he was ready for his first match at fourteen, but had to take a test to get a wrestling license. The test was about conditioning, mat wrestling, and then an exhibition match. The judges were all veterans in the business and he passed at the age of fourteen. It was the first time they gave a license to a minor and his parents had to sign a waiver. His father signed thinking Rey would give up at some point, but he proved his father wrong. He notes getting booked by promoters was the hardest part of the journey. His first match was in the parking lot of a church in Tijuana. He looked like a kid from the crowd, and he had no idea that his journey was just starting. He knew he had to make it to The Auditorium in Tijuana and remembers seeing Andre The Giant there when he was nine years old. He knew he had just seen a real Giant. He got booked on a show and invited his future wife to watch him. They had met only a few months prior.

-At 17 he got a call from Konnan about starting a new company called AAA. Rey told Konnan he couldn’t leave as he was still in school. Konnan: “How much money are you making in school?” Rey was also working for his brother at a pizza place. He also knew his parents wouldn’t let him drop out of school and Konnan said he would talk to them. He also had his girlfriend and Konnan had more advice: “If she loves you, she will wait for you.” Now she is Rey’s wife and that starts an “Angie” chant. Rey says he ran out of money and has to sleep in the gym. He called Angie crying, and wanted to come home. She told him to stick it out. She was studying medicine at the time and put it on hold to get a job to send Rey. Rey breaks down talking about it and that gets another “Angie” chant. Rey is a lucky one! Rey says AAA was the run of his career and from there he went to ECW. Cue the chant! “There would be no Rey Mysterio without Psychosis.” After ECW came WCW and his try-out match on PPV against Dean Malenko at Great American Bash 1996. He gives thanks to Dean and mentions Dean is in the building, but I assume they can’t show him on camera. In WCW he got to reconnect with someone he met when he was 12, Eddie Guerrero. Rey does the Eddie shimmy and the crowd pops. He notes that Eddie always had the same heart. Their bond became tighter and they created the match that put him on the map: HALLOWEEN HAVOC 1997! AMAZING MATCH!

-After the close of WCW, Rey took some time off as his daughter was born. He tells his daughter he loves her. He wasn’t sure if WWE would want someone as small as him. He didn’t look like a typical WCW Superstar, but in 2002 he got a call from Jim Ross. For more than 20 years, WWE invested time and money in him. He thanks everyone in WWE and everyone who believed in him and gave him the opportunity of a lifetime. The crowd starts a “Thank You Rey” chant! He thanks the WWE for letting him break the mold of what a Superstar can look like. He brings up doing things like winning The Royal Rumble and becoming World Champion. He thanks anyone who had anything to do in his life and his success. He thanks God and then his mom and dad for conceiving him. AWESOME! He thanks his brothers and his uncle, who is like his second father: Rey Mysterio Sr. He thanks his trainers and all the veterans who broke him in in Mexico. He tells Konnan that without him, none of this would be possible. “We always thank God first for the life we have, and then Konnan second.” He thanks Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff, and Kevin Sullivan. He thanks the following for being in the ring with him: Dean Malenko, William Regal, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Batista, The Undertaker, Edge, JBL, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Eddie Guerrero. Massive “Eddie” chant! Finally, he wants to thank the WWE Universe! They have made the name, Rey Mysterio immortal. He thanks the people who have made his outfits and masks over the years. One more thank you and Rey is out! That was wonderful!

-This was a fun night and I enjoyed every speech. The time actually flew as we went about 2 hours and 45 minutes if you count the preshow. It didn’t seem like there was any time restrictions with only five people being inducted, but it kept a good pace. Rey’s story about his wife was the most touching moment for me. Konnan delivered the goods as he still has the gift of gab. Flair did well and thankfully, kept things on the shorter side. I enjoyed Stacy’s speech more than others apparently. The Kaufman family seemed thrilled and made it known that Andy would have been in awe of being inducted into a Wrestling Hall of Fame. Just having Muta on WWE TV was enough and Tim White’s family was gracious and charming as well. I will always be a sucker for this show and I appreciate anyone who steps in a ring or behind a mic in this wonderful world of wrestling that I have loved since I was 4 years old. Thanks for reading and Happy WrestleMania Weekend!