W.W.E Hall of Fame

**superboy** · 03-04-2008, 09:30 AM

Who would you like to see in the W.W.E Hall of Fame?
The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 with the induction of WWF alumnus André the Giant, who had died earlier that year. The Hall inducted additional members annually thereafter until 1996 with the 1994 and 1995 ceremonies held as part of the King of the Ring weekend, then went dormant until it was revived in 2004 to commemorate the company's twentieth WrestleMania event. Since living inductees appear at a Hall of Fame acceptance event, induction is contingent upon the candidate being on good terms with WWE. As a result several notable alumni have not been inducted, including Bruno Sammartino, who has called the Hall of Fame a farce because there is no actual building and because non-wrestlers such as Pete Rose are inducted. The process by which inductees are selected is not transparent; the criteria for induction have never been disclosed. Although the Hall in theory honors those with important WWE careers, since the revival in 2004, some inductees such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne and Nick Bockwinkel, achieved much or all of their success outside of WWE, though the companies where they did achieve their success have been assimilated by WWE.

1993 André the Giant

1994 Arnold Skaaland

1994 Bobo Bobo Brazil

1994 "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers

1994 Chief Jay Chief Jay Strongbow

1994 "Classy" Freddie Blassie

1994 Gorilla Monsoon

1994 James Dudley

1995 Antonino Rocca

1995 "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd

1995 George "The Animal" Steele

1995 Ivan Putski

1995 The Fabulous Moolah

1995 Grand Wizard

1995 Pedro Morales

1996 "Baron" Mikel Scicluna

1996 "Captain" Lou Albano

1996 Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka

1996 The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny Valiant)

1996 Johnny Rodz

1996 Killer Killer Kowalski

1996 Pat Patterson

1996 Vincent J. McMahon

2004 Big John Studd

2004 Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

2004 Don Muraco

2004 Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

2004 Harley Race

2004 Jesse "The Body" Ventura

2004 Junkyard Dog

2004 Sgt. Slaughter

2004 "Superstar" Billy Graham

2004 Tito Santana

2004 Pete Rose

2005 Hulk Hogan

2005 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

2005 "Cowboy" Bob Orton

2005 "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

2005 "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

2005 Nikolai Volkoff

2005 The Iron Sheik

2006 Bret "The Hitman" Hart

2006 Eddie Guerrero

2006 "Mean" Gene Okerlund

2006 "Sensational" Sherri

2006 Verne Gagne

2006 The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza)

2006 "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas

2006 William "The Refrigerator" Perry

2007 "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

2007 "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig

2007 Jerry "The King" Lawler

2007 Nick Bockwinkel

2007 Mr. Fuji

2007 The Sheik

2007 The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika)

2007 Jim Ross

2008 Gordon Solie

2008 Briscoe Brothers

2008 The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

2008 High Chief" Peter Maivia

2008 "Soulman" Rocky Johnson

2008 Mae Young

2008 Eddie Graham

Who would you like to see in the W.W.E Hall of Fame?

edawg99 · 03-04-2008, 11:16 AM

Why is Mae Young going to the Hall of Fame for ? What has she done to deserve to be there. It seems like now there running out of people to induct when Mae young is in there.

Mat · 03-04-2008, 11:56 AM

Mae young made her mark. I dont think The Rock's family deserve it though. That is a joke.

I think Owen Hart deserves it the most.

I also would add Jake "the snake" roberts and like him or not, Chris Benoit.

**superboy** · 03-04-2008, 01:19 PM

There are Jake "the snake" Roberts rumors that he might join the Hall. I kinda doubt it.
I'd like to see British Bulldogs and the Road Warriors inducted into the hall. My main wish would be The Ultimate Warrior! But thats as likely as Macho Man being inducted into the hall.

M@tt · 03-04-2008, 02:05 PM

I doubt they'll be any more big names this year, as noted Jake Roberts is being rumored and Gordon Solie and the (original) Briscoe Brothers are the other likely candidates.

edawg99 · 03-04-2008, 07:53 PM

I think Benoit will be inducted this year and no one deserves it more then him. He was one of the toughest and talented wrestlers. To bad he is gone now.

**Gumby** · 03-04-2008, 08:27 PM

Benoit will never be in the hall of fame. As much as he deserves it as a wrestler, they've pretty much erased him from history because of what he did as a person.

I'd say Jake "The Snake" Roberts deserves it the most. The Rock's family doesn't, but WWE probably wants to make nicey-nice with him for WrestleMania or something. You could probably put in Ted DiBiase as well, or maybe Rick Martel.

Mo · 03-05-2008, 12:36 AM

heheh you think the The Ultimate Warrior will make up with vince??
but i think also Jake "The Snake" Roberts & maybe mick foley??

**superboy** · 03-28-2008, 11:50 PM

The WWE HOF show will be broadcast on USA network at 11pm eastern time. I doubt its the whole show.

**superboy** · 04-01-2008, 05:50 PM

WWE held their annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Among the honorees were Eddie Graham, Rocky Johnson, Peter Maivia, and Gordon Solie. However, the night clearly belonged to Ric Flair, as The Nature Boy delivered an emotional and memorable acceptance speech.
The proceedings began with Dwayne Johnson, who received an outstanding response from the audience. Fans chanted “Please Come Back!” and “No More Movies” throughout Johnson’s speech. The former Rock directed comments toward Steve Austin, Mick Foley, John Cena, and others before introducing his father, Rocky Johnson.

Rocky commended Jimmy Snuka for opening the professional wrestling door to islanders and spoke of his appreciation for Ric Flair, whom Johnson feels assisted him in becoming a black grappler fans could support. Rocky stated that he would like to be remembered as someone who paved a road for all wrestlers, not just colored performers.

Dwayne Johnson mentioned John Cena, Shawn Michaels, and Rey Mysterio as three men he has always wished to wrestle before introducing his mother, Ata Johnson. Ata accepted the award on behalf of her late husband, Peter Maivia and thanked the Monsoons, Skaalands, and Strongbows for the support they showed to Samoan wrestlers.

John Bradshaw Layfield then inducted Jack and Gerald Brisco. JBL referred to the brothers as the greatest team in wrestling history and said that Native Americans got revenge for Manhattan when the Briscos sold Georgia Championship Wrestling to Vince McMahon in 1983. Upon their introduction, Jack and Gerald thanked family, as well as Eddie Graham and Jim Crockett Sr. Gerald stated that the pressures of the business are far more rigorous today than during his career and expressed his faith in today’s stars.

Jim Ross inducted Gordon Solie next. JR called Solie the greatest announcer of all-time and presented the HOF award to Gordon’s five children. Solie’s son spoke of his father’s love for the wrestling business.

Pat Patterson inducted Mae Young, who spoke about meeting The Fabulous Moolah and Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Young also promised to wrestle on her one-hundredth birthday.

Gene Okerlund introduced Dusty Rhodes, who was on hand to induct Eddie Graham. Rhodes credited Graham with helping him become The American Dream and brought out Eddie's son Mike Graham, who accepted the award on behalf of his father. Mike spoke about his dad’s career before pulling out a framed black-and-white picture of the inaugural National Wrestling Alliance meeting in 1961, where Eddie Graham, Pat O’Connor, Buddy Rogers, and others were photographed.

John Cena led the audience in a standing ovation for the night’s inductees as well as the entire Hall of Fame roster.

Triple H arrived on stage to induct The Man himself, Ric Flair. Hunter credited Flair for inspiring him to become a wrestler and stated that The Nature Boy deserves to have his own wing in the Hall. Triple H said that Flair is the greatest promo in the history of the industry and spoke of his idol’s many classic matches throughout the past thirty-five years against the likes of Sting, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and others. The Game proclaimed Flair the best wrestler of all-time.

Flair was introduced to an incredible ovation (no surprise there). The sixteen-time World Champion thanked many people for their support throughout his career, including Kevin Dunn and WWE’s production crew, the creative team, his attorney John Taylor, booker George Scott, and even those who designed his clothing. Flair referred to Ricky Steamboat as his greatest opponent and gave special props to Edge, calling him a special guy and a great champion.

Flair mentioned The Four Horsemen, saying that nobody will ever know how good the group was both inside and outside the ring. He emotionally spoke of Arn Anderson and said he loved Double-A. Flair thanked Gordon Solie and Jim Ross for providing the “soundtrack” for his career and called Bobby Heenan the greatest manager in history.

Flair strongly put over John Cena, calling him WWE’s “go-to guy” and also praised Batista and Randy Orton. The Nature Boy referred to Steve Austin as the best wrestler in company history, saying that he was tired of Hulk Hogan receiving that accolade.

Flair concluded the speech by expressing love for his family and thanked his first two wives for the incredible job they did raising his children.

**superboy** · 04-10-2008, 11:33 PM

WWE collecting, storing for future Hall of Fame site

With World Wrestling Entertainment honoring its Class of 2008 recently at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Orlando, WWE Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon discussed an actual WWE Hall of Fame facility.

''We've been close a number of times,'' McMahon said. ``We actually looked at a place in Orlando a few years ago. We don't know where it's going to settle, yet. I think it's probably still a couple of years away, but we're really anxious to do it.

``We've been collecting memorabilia. We have this warehouse that's under lock and key that we just collect every single little thing. We date it. We put it on there. So, when it opens, it will be really cool.''

• McMahon, 38, said further global expansion is the next step for WWE. The company has increased its international touring and has been discussing business with other countries including an emphasis on Latin America.

Legendary promoter/wrestler Carlos Colon of the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico wants to work more with WWE. Other reps from Latin America including the Dominican Republic would like WWE to start a training program in its country, grooming wrestlers at an international WWE developmental territory or for a specific international WWE brand.

''[An international brand] is a potential,'' McMahon said. ``It's something, excuse the pun, we wrestle with. It's very hard because when you see this caliber of product with Raw and SmackDown! and even ECW, when you see the caliber of athletes and the production value and everything that we put in there with the storylines, that's hard to duplicate.

'My dad [WWE Chairman Vince McMahon] likes to call it, `America's greatest export.' It's hard to argue with him at certain things because we are pretty much ubiquitously distributed throughout the world.

``There could be another entity that develops. We'll have to see what happens.''

WWE is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto and Sydney. The company also plans to open an office in Sao Paulo.

''The countries that we are in, we want to make better,'' McMahon said. ``The countries where we are not currently, which aren't that many, we want to get in, get the market and then bring all of our properties in there.

``The first thing that we do, from our game plan standpoint, is you have to get on the air. So you need television. Once you have a television partner, you start to build certain things with them. After that, you usually bring in a live event. That's usually the next hit. Then from there, you bring in your merchandising, your licensing and all the other intellectual property aspects, and that's how we build the marketplace.''

WWE's television programming can be seen in more than 130 countries around the world. Each year, more than 7,500 hours of WWE programming is broadcast in 23 languages throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America.

In January, WWE in conjunction with Bakus International thrilled Brazilians with the debut of the internationally renowned television programs WWE RAW and WWE SmackDown! on Sistema Brasileiro de Televisóo.

''We're excited to be teaming with Bakus International to get WWE programming on SBT, one of Brazil's top TV networks,'' Carl DeMarco, WWE President, Latin America, China and Canada, said in a release. ``The tremendous athleticism and charisma of the WWE superstars and Divas are going to capture the imagination of all Brazil.''

Gian Teppet, director of New Business Development and Board of Director member, said: ``SBT is proud to welcome WWE as the newest member of our great family. Knowing the Brazilian desire for quality entertainment and WWE's proven success in over 120 countries, we are certain that WWE will be a huge success.''

Bakus International's COO Bill Bakula said: ``The time has come for Brazil to experience WWE at full throttle. WWE is an experience, packed with plenty of thrills, action and fun for the entire family. WWE offers the greatest entertainment value in the universe.''

WWE programs reach more than 16-million total viewers domestically during the average week. WWE is rated among the top weekly cable programs especially in the male demographic.

• Signing wrestlers

WWE has 165 superstars under exclusive contracts, ranging from multi-year guaranteed contracts with established superstars to developmental deals.

''We welcome all styles because we want everybody to have a little something,'' McMahon said. ``What I got out of WWE is different than what you'll get out of WWE. Some people like bug guys. Some like small guys, high fliers, ground soldiers. So we always try to have a good eclectic mix.

``We welcome all of it, but they got to fit, first and foremost, in our locker. Because if you don't fit with our guys -- those are the guys you work with, travel the road with and you're competing against -- it's all about that. Sometimes I enjoy the Mexican style, but you look at what Rey Mysterio has done of adapting the high-flying aspect with the American style with much more of what we do with the psychology aspect.

``It's not just triple backflip into something else. Everything that we do has a meaning, and you're telling the story to the audience. That's one of the secrets of our business.

``Until people can adapt into that style, you won't see more. If those, who can come in, can adapt to it, great.''

**superboy** · 04-14-2008, 11:51 AM

Jim Ross has once again updated his blog with some interesting tidbits. When it comes to next year's class for the Hall of Fame which will be inducted in Houston, there are plenty of good names that can go in and Good Ol' JR shares this thoughts.
"Just glancing at the list of many, many viable and worthwhile candidates one preliminary list might include, in no particular order, Steve Austin, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Von Erich Family, The Funks, the late Houston Promoter Paul Boesch, The Million Dollar Man and Ricky Steamboat. How’s that for starters? Personally, I would add Danny Hodge, Scandar Akbar, and Bill Watts but I am not overly objective when it comes to those that I have admired since I was a kid or those that have helped me throughout my career."

View Poll Results: Who will be inducted next?
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin	0	0%
Shawn Michaels	1	50.00%
The Ultimate Warrior	0	0%
The Rock	1	50.00%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 2. You may not vote on this poll

03-04-2008, 09:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	W.W.E Hall of Fame Who would you like to see in the W.W.E Hall of Fame? The Hall of Fame was created in 1993 with the induction of WWF alumnus André the Giant, who had died earlier that year. The Hall inducted additional members annually thereafter until 1996 with the 1994 and 1995 ceremonies held as part of the King of the Ring weekend, then went dormant until it was revived in 2004 to commemorate the company's twentieth WrestleMania event. Since living inductees appear at a Hall of Fame acceptance event, induction is contingent upon the candidate being on good terms with WWE. As a result several notable alumni have not been inducted, including Bruno Sammartino, who has called the Hall of Fame a farce because there is no actual building and because non-wrestlers such as Pete Rose are inducted. The process by which inductees are selected is not transparent; the criteria for induction have never been disclosed. Although the Hall in theory honors those with important WWE careers, since the revival in 2004, some inductees such as Harley Race, Verne Gagne and Nick Bockwinkel, achieved much or all of their success outside of WWE, though the companies where they did achieve their success have been assimilated by WWE. 1993 André the Giant 1994 Arnold Skaaland 1994 Bobo Bobo Brazil 1994 "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers 1994 Chief Jay Chief Jay Strongbow 1994 "Classy" Freddie Blassie 1994 Gorilla Monsoon 1994 James Dudley 1995 Antonino Rocca 1995 "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd 1995 George "The Animal" Steele 1995 Ivan Putski 1995 The Fabulous Moolah 1995 Grand Wizard 1995 Pedro Morales 1996 "Baron" Mikel Scicluna 1996 "Captain" Lou Albano 1996 Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka 1996 The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy and Johnny Valiant) 1996 Johnny Rodz 1996 Killer Killer Kowalski 1996 Pat Patterson 1996 Vincent J. McMahon 2004 Big John Studd 2004 Bobby "The Brain" Heenan 2004 Don Muraco 2004 Greg "The Hammer" Valentine 2004 Harley Race 2004 Jesse "The Body" Ventura 2004 Junkyard Dog 2004 Sgt. Slaughter 2004 "Superstar" Billy Graham 2004 Tito Santana 2004 Pete Rose 2005 Hulk Hogan 2005 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper 2005 "Cowboy" Bob Orton 2005 "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart 2005 "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff 2005 Nikolai Volkoff 2005 The Iron Sheik 2006 Bret "The Hitman" Hart 2006 Eddie Guerrero 2006 "Mean" Gene Okerlund 2006 "Sensational" Sherri 2006 Verne Gagne 2006 The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza) 2006 "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas 2006 William "The Refrigerator" Perry 2007 "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes 2007 "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig 2007 Jerry "The King" Lawler 2007 Nick Bockwinkel 2007 Mr. Fuji 2007 The Sheik 2007 The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) 2007 Jim Ross 2008 Gordon Solie 2008 Briscoe Brothers 2008 The Nature Boy" Ric Flair 2008 High Chief" Peter Maivia 2008 "Soulman" Rocky Johnson 2008 Mae Young 2008 Eddie Graham Who would you like to see in the W.W.E Hall of Fame? Last edited by superboy : 04-01-2008 at 05:51 PM.

04-01-2008, 05:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	2008 Hall of Fame recap WWE held their annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. Among the honorees were Eddie Graham, Rocky Johnson, Peter Maivia, and Gordon Solie. However, the night clearly belonged to Ric Flair, as The Nature Boy delivered an emotional and memorable acceptance speech. The proceedings began with Dwayne Johnson, who received an outstanding response from the audience. Fans chanted “Please Come Back!” and “No More Movies” throughout Johnson’s speech. The former Rock directed comments toward Steve Austin, Mick Foley, John Cena, and others before introducing his father, Rocky Johnson. Rocky commended Jimmy Snuka for opening the professional wrestling door to islanders and spoke of his appreciation for Ric Flair, whom Johnson feels assisted him in becoming a black grappler fans could support. Rocky stated that he would like to be remembered as someone who paved a road for all wrestlers, not just colored performers. Dwayne Johnson mentioned John Cena, Shawn Michaels, and Rey Mysterio as three men he has always wished to wrestle before introducing his mother, Ata Johnson. Ata accepted the award on behalf of her late husband, Peter Maivia and thanked the Monsoons, Skaalands, and Strongbows for the support they showed to Samoan wrestlers. John Bradshaw Layfield then inducted Jack and Gerald Brisco. JBL referred to the brothers as the greatest team in wrestling history and said that Native Americans got revenge for Manhattan when the Briscos sold Georgia Championship Wrestling to Vince McMahon in 1983. Upon their introduction, Jack and Gerald thanked family, as well as Eddie Graham and Jim Crockett Sr. Gerald stated that the pressures of the business are far more rigorous today than during his career and expressed his faith in today’s stars. Jim Ross inducted Gordon Solie next. JR called Solie the greatest announcer of all-time and presented the HOF award to Gordon’s five children. Solie’s son spoke of his father’s love for the wrestling business. Pat Patterson inducted Mae Young, who spoke about meeting The Fabulous Moolah and Ed “Strangler” Lewis. Young also promised to wrestle on her one-hundredth birthday. Gene Okerlund introduced Dusty Rhodes, who was on hand to induct Eddie Graham. Rhodes credited Graham with helping him become The American Dream and brought out Eddie's son Mike Graham, who accepted the award on behalf of his father. Mike spoke about his dad’s career before pulling out a framed black-and-white picture of the inaugural National Wrestling Alliance meeting in 1961, where Eddie Graham, Pat O’Connor, Buddy Rogers, and others were photographed. John Cena led the audience in a standing ovation for the night’s inductees as well as the entire Hall of Fame roster. Triple H arrived on stage to induct The Man himself, Ric Flair. Hunter credited Flair for inspiring him to become a wrestler and stated that The Nature Boy deserves to have his own wing in the Hall. Triple H said that Flair is the greatest promo in the history of the industry and spoke of his idol’s many classic matches throughout the past thirty-five years against the likes of Sting, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and others. The Game proclaimed Flair the best wrestler of all-time. Flair was introduced to an incredible ovation (no surprise there). The sixteen-time World Champion thanked many people for their support throughout his career, including Kevin Dunn and WWE’s production crew, the creative team, his attorney John Taylor, booker George Scott, and even those who designed his clothing. Flair referred to Ricky Steamboat as his greatest opponent and gave special props to Edge, calling him a special guy and a great champion. Flair mentioned The Four Horsemen, saying that nobody will ever know how good the group was both inside and outside the ring. He emotionally spoke of Arn Anderson and said he loved Double-A. Flair thanked Gordon Solie and Jim Ross for providing the “soundtrack” for his career and called Bobby Heenan the greatest manager in history. Flair strongly put over John Cena, calling him WWE’s “go-to guy” and also praised Batista and Randy Orton. The Nature Boy referred to Steve Austin as the best wrestler in company history, saying that he was tired of Hulk Hogan receiving that accolade. Flair concluded the speech by expressing love for his family and thanked his first two wives for the incredible job they did raising his children.

03-04-2008, 11:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
edawg99 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 8,395 My Profile	Why is Mae Young going to the Hall of Fame for ? What has she done to deserve to be there. It seems like now there running out of people to induct when Mae young is in there.

03-04-2008, 11:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mat Senior Member Join Date: May 2000 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 1,030 My Profile	Mae young made her mark. I dont think The Rock's family deserve it though. That is a joke. I think Owen Hart deserves it the most. I also would add Jake "the snake" roberts and like him or not, Chris Benoit.

03-04-2008, 01:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	There are Jake "the snake" Roberts rumors that he might join the Hall. I kinda doubt it. I'd like to see British Bulldogs and the Road Warriors inducted into the hall. My main wish would be The Ultimate Warrior! But thats as likely as Macho Man being inducted into the hall.

03-04-2008, 02:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
M@tt Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: UK Posts: 1,962 My Profile	I doubt they'll be any more big names this year, as noted Jake Roberts is being rumored and Gordon Solie and the (original) Briscoe Brothers are the other likely candidates.

03-04-2008, 07:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
edawg99 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 8,395 My Profile	I think Benoit will be inducted this year and no one deserves it more then him. He was one of the toughest and talented wrestlers. To bad he is gone now.

03-04-2008, 08:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
Gumby Ya Rly! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 943 My Profile	Benoit will never be in the hall of fame. As much as he deserves it as a wrestler, they've pretty much erased him from history because of what he did as a person. I'd say Jake "The Snake" Roberts deserves it the most. The Rock's family doesn't, but WWE probably wants to make nicey-nice with him for WrestleMania or something. You could probably put in Ted DiBiase as well, or maybe Rick Martel.

03-05-2008, 12:36 AM	#8 (permalink)
Mo LH/FH.Com 0ld Skool Join Date: May 2000 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 1,307 My Profile	heheh you think the The Ultimate Warrior will make up with vince?? but i think also Jake "The Snake" Roberts & maybe mick foley??

03-28-2008, 11:50 PM	#9 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	The WWE HOF show will be broadcast on USA network at 11pm eastern time. I doubt its the whole show.

04-10-2008, 11:33 PM	#11 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	WWE collecting, storing for future Hall of Fame site With World Wrestling Entertainment honoring its Class of 2008 recently at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Orlando, WWE Executive Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon discussed an actual WWE Hall of Fame facility. ''We've been close a number of times,'' McMahon said. ``We actually looked at a place in Orlando a few years ago. We don't know where it's going to settle, yet. I think it's probably still a couple of years away, but we're really anxious to do it. ``We've been collecting memorabilia. We have this warehouse that's under lock and key that we just collect every single little thing. We date it. We put it on there. So, when it opens, it will be really cool.'' • McMahon, 38, said further global expansion is the next step for WWE. The company has increased its international touring and has been discussing business with other countries including an emphasis on Latin America. Legendary promoter/wrestler Carlos Colon of the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico wants to work more with WWE. Other reps from Latin America including the Dominican Republic would like WWE to start a training program in its country, grooming wrestlers at an international WWE developmental territory or for a specific international WWE brand. ''[An international brand] is a potential,'' McMahon said. ``It's something, excuse the pun, we wrestle with. It's very hard because when you see this caliber of product with Raw and SmackDown! and even ECW, when you see the caliber of athletes and the production value and everything that we put in there with the storylines, that's hard to duplicate. 'My dad [WWE Chairman Vince McMahon] likes to call it, `America's greatest export.' It's hard to argue with him at certain things because we are pretty much ubiquitously distributed throughout the world. ``There could be another entity that develops. We'll have to see what happens.'' WWE is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto and Sydney. The company also plans to open an office in Sao Paulo. ''The countries that we are in, we want to make better,'' McMahon said. ``The countries where we are not currently, which aren't that many, we want to get in, get the market and then bring all of our properties in there. ``The first thing that we do, from our game plan standpoint, is you have to get on the air. So you need television. Once you have a television partner, you start to build certain things with them. After that, you usually bring in a live event. That's usually the next hit. Then from there, you bring in your merchandising, your licensing and all the other intellectual property aspects, and that's how we build the marketplace.'' WWE's television programming can be seen in more than 130 countries around the world. Each year, more than 7,500 hours of WWE programming is broadcast in 23 languages throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America. In January, WWE in conjunction with Bakus International thrilled Brazilians with the debut of the internationally renowned television programs WWE RAW and WWE SmackDown! on Sistema Brasileiro de Televisóo. ''We're excited to be teaming with Bakus International to get WWE programming on SBT, one of Brazil's top TV networks,'' Carl DeMarco, WWE President, Latin America, China and Canada, said in a release. ``The tremendous athleticism and charisma of the WWE superstars and Divas are going to capture the imagination of all Brazil.'' Gian Teppet, director of New Business Development and Board of Director member, said: ``SBT is proud to welcome WWE as the newest member of our great family. Knowing the Brazilian desire for quality entertainment and WWE's proven success in over 120 countries, we are certain that WWE will be a huge success.'' Bakus International's COO Bill Bakula said: ``The time has come for Brazil to experience WWE at full throttle. WWE is an experience, packed with plenty of thrills, action and fun for the entire family. WWE offers the greatest entertainment value in the universe.'' WWE programs reach more than 16-million total viewers domestically during the average week. WWE is rated among the top weekly cable programs especially in the male demographic. • Signing wrestlers WWE has 165 superstars under exclusive contracts, ranging from multi-year guaranteed contracts with established superstars to developmental deals. ''We welcome all styles because we want everybody to have a little something,'' McMahon said. ``What I got out of WWE is different than what you'll get out of WWE. Some people like bug guys. Some like small guys, high fliers, ground soldiers. So we always try to have a good eclectic mix. ``We welcome all of it, but they got to fit, first and foremost, in our locker. Because if you don't fit with our guys -- those are the guys you work with, travel the road with and you're competing against -- it's all about that. Sometimes I enjoy the Mexican style, but you look at what Rey Mysterio has done of adapting the high-flying aspect with the American style with much more of what we do with the psychology aspect. ``It's not just triple backflip into something else. Everything that we do has a meaning, and you're telling the story to the audience. That's one of the secrets of our business. ``Until people can adapt into that style, you won't see more. If those, who can come in, can adapt to it, great.''

04-14-2008, 11:51 AM	#12 (permalink)
superboy Sports/Starlets Mod Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philly Posts: 11,633	Jim Ross has once again updated his blog with some interesting tidbits. When it comes to next year's class for the Hall of Fame which will be inducted in Houston, there are plenty of good names that can go in and Good Ol' JR shares this thoughts. "Just glancing at the list of many, many viable and worthwhile candidates one preliminary list might include, in no particular order, Steve Austin, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Von Erich Family, The Funks, the late Houston Promoter Paul Boesch, The Million Dollar Man and Ricky Steamboat. How’s that for starters? Personally, I would add Danny Hodge, Scandar Akbar, and Bill Watts but I am not overly objective when it comes to those that I have admired since I was a kid or those that have helped me throughout my career."

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