| WWE Hall of Fame (2013) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | April 6, 2013 | ||
| City | New York City,New York | ||
| Venue | Madison Square Garden | ||
| WWE Hall of Fame chronology | |||
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WWE Hall of Fame (2013) was the event which featured the introduction of the 14th class to theWWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced byWWE on April 6, 2013, fromMadison Square Garden inNew York City,New York.[1] The event took place the same weekend asWrestleMania 29.[2] The event was hosted byJerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired on theUSA Network the following Tuesday.[3] In March 2015 the ceremony was added to theWWE Network.[4]
After leaving the WWF (now WWE), Sammartino became an outspoken critic of the path on which Vince McMahon has taken professional wrestling. He particularly criticised the use of steroids and "vulgar" storylines.[5][6][7] In 2013, Sammartino accepted an invitation for induction into the Hall of Fame, after having declined several times in prior years. He finally accepted the offer to join because he was satisfied with the way the company had addressed his concerns about the direction of the business.[8] In April 2018,Sean Waltman announced on his podcast, that should Sammartino not have accepted the invitation to be inducted,D-Generation X would have been inducted.[9]
Mick Foley was inducted by his long time friendTerry Funk. The two discussed all their times on the road together which included time at WWE,World Championship Wrestling andExtreme Championship Wrestling. Foley also said that he had regrets from his career. The main one was that he never beatChris Jericho. Jericho then ran up on the stage, laid down, and told Foley to pin him. Foley originally acted like he couldn't and was walking away when he ran back and dropped an elbow on Jericho. He then pinned Jericho andCM Punk counted the one-two-three, jokingly giving Foley his first victory over Jericho.
Bob Backlund was inducted byMaria Menounos.
Trish Stratus was inducted byStephanie McMahon. During Stratus' speech she announced that she was expecting her first child, a son, later in 2013.[10]
Vince McMahon inducted businessman and future U.S. presidentDonald Trump. Vince spoke of Trump and their working relationship duringWrestleMania IV andWrestleMania V, as well as the "Battle of the Billionaires" atWrestleMania 23.
Booker T was inducted by his brotherStevie Ray, whom he had teamed together with for many years asHarlem Heat. Booker T later admitted during an interview withJohn Layfield, on his showLegends with JBL on theWWE Network, that prior to him asking Stevie Ray to induct him, that the brothers had not spoken in nearly 5 years.[11]
The final inductee of the evening wasBruno Sammartino who was inducted byArnold Schwarzenegger. Although Sammartino saw great success in New York City during his career,[12] this event marked Sammartino's return to the WWE after 25 years.[13] It was just the second time in Hall of Fame history that Vince McMahon would be seen on camera, after 2009 when he inducted Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Sammartino appeared on the October 7, 2013, episode ofRaw and received a birthday greeting in his hometown ofPittsburgh.[14] On March 28, 2015, Sammartino inductedLarry Zbyszko into theHall of Fame class of 2015.[15]
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Mick Foley[16] | Terry Funk | Wrestled using various ring names, namely Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love Three-timeWWF Champion Eight-timeWWF Tag Team Champion Two-timeECW World Tag Team Champion One-timeWCW World Tag Team Champion FirstWWF Hardcore Champion[17] |
 | Bob Backlund | Maria Menounos | Two-timeWWWF/WWF World Heavyweight Champion (technically held it three times but WWE recognizes his first two reigns during the late 70s and early 80s as one continuous one) Two-timeWWF Tag Team Champion[18] |
.jpg) | Trish Stratus[19] (Patricia Stratigeas) | Stephanie McMahon | A record Seven-timeWWF/E Women's Champion One-timeWWF Hardcore Champion Three-time WWE Babe of the Year Voted Diva of the Decade during theRaw 10th Anniversary special[20] |
 | Booker T (Robert Huffman) | Stevie Ray | Five-timeWCW World Heavyweight Champion One-timeWorld Heavyweight Champion A record six-timeWCW World Television Champion Four-timeWWF/WWE United States (Heavyweight) Champion One-timeWWE Intercontinental Champion Two-timeWWF Hardcore Champion Three-timeWorld Tag Team Champion A record 11-timeWCW World Tag Team Champion (10 of which came with his brotherStevie Ray asHarlem Heat) 2006King Of The Ring winner[21] |
 | Bruno Sammartino[22] | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Two-timeWWWF World Heavyweight Champion/WWWF Heavyweight Champion Holds the records for longest consecutive and cumulative reigns of seven and 11 years, respectively[23] |
| Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Occupation | Inducted by | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Donald Trump[24] | President of the United States of America Businessman Reality TV host/Producer | Vince McMahon | HostedWrestleManias IV andV atTrump Plaza Faced Vince McMahon in the "Battle of the Billionaires" atWrestleMania 23 Brieflybecame the owner ofRaw in 2009[25] |
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