| WWE Hall of Fame | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | April 6, 2019 | ||
| City | Brooklyn,New York | ||
| Venue | Barclays Center | ||
| WWE Hall of Fame chronology | |||
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The 2019WWE Hall of Fame was aprofessional wrestling event produced byWWE that featured the introduction of the twentieth class into theWWE Hall of Fame. It took place on April 6, 2019, from theBarclays Center inBrooklyn,New York,[1][2] as part ofWrestleMania 35 weekend. The event aired live on theWWE Network.
On February 18, 2019, WWE announced their first inductees to the 2019 Hall of Fame class,D-Generation X.[3] Although other members have been part of the group, onlyTriple H,Shawn Michaels,Chyna,Road Dogg,Billy Gunn andX-Pac will be included as part of the induction.[4] D-Generation X originally had been planned to be inducted into the2013 Hall of Fame class,[5] but plans were scrapped afterBruno Sammartino agreed to be inducted. With D-Generation X's induction, Michaels joinedRic Flair as a two-time inductee, having been inducted individually in 2011.[6] Following Chyna's death in 2016, many industry stalwarts, such asStone Cold Steve Austin and[7]Mick Foley, spoke out in favor of Chyna being included in the Hall of Fame,[8] but she had been repeatedly excluded until 2019 due to her venture intopornography following the end of her professional wrestling career.[9]
On February 26, 2019,The Honky Tonk Man was announced as the first individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony.[10] On April 5, 2019, it was announced that formerMoney Inc. managerJimmy Hart would induct The Honky Tonk Man.[11]
On March 3, 2019,Torrie Wilson was announced as the first female individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony.[12] She was inducted by fellow former women's wrestlerStacy Keibler.
On March 11, 2019,Harlem Heat (Booker T andStevie Ray) were announced.[13] With Harlem Heat's induction, Booker T will join Michaels and Flair as a two-time inductee, having been inducted individually in 2013.[14] Prior to Booker T asking Stevie Ray to induct him, the two had not talked in five years.[15]
On March 18, 2019, it was announced that WWE's Senior Director of Talent Relations Sue Aitchison would be the recipient of the 2019 Warrior Award.[16] Aitchison is credited with WWE's relationship with theMake-A-Wish Foundation[17] and WrestleMania Reading Challenge program.[18]
On March 25, 2019, it was announced that the originalHart Foundation (Bret Hart andJim Neidhart) would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.[19] With the Hart Foundation's induction, Hart joined Booker T, Michaels and Flair as a two-time inductee, having been individually inducted in 2006.[20]
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake was announced as the final individual inductee for the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony.[21] On April 4, 2019, it was announced that he would be inducted by Mega-Maniacs teammateHulk Hogan (Hogan's third time as inductor, having previously inducted "Mean"Gene Okerlund in 2006 and "Macho Man"Randy Savage in 2015).
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
 | The Honky Tonk Man[10] (Wayne Farris) | Jimmy Hart[11] | One-time and longest reigningWWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, a record 454 days (until 2023, when it was broken by Gunther) |
.jpg) | Torrie Wilson | Stacy Keibler | A "key figure in WCW's invasion of WWE" and "a pivotal member of theWWE women's division" who "helped blaze a trail for women insports-entertainment".[22] Two-timePlayboy Cover Girl and Golden Thong Award winner[23] |
 | Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake[21] (Edward Leslie) | Hulk Hogan[24] | One-timeWWF Tag Team Champion |
| Image | Group | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-Generation X | None | One of the leading factions of theAttitude Era, they are credited as having "[pushed] the envelope as to what was accepted on TV." Different versions of the group existed into the 2010s, withThe New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg andBilly Gunn) andTriple H andShawn Michaels having held theWWF/World andWWE Tag Team Championship as part of the faction[4] | |
| Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in2011 for his individual career. Triple H (Paul Levesque) –Later inducted in2025 for his individual career. Chyna (Joan Laurer) --Posthumous inductee: First woman to participate in the Royal Rumble match and King of the Ring tournament. Two-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion (the only woman to win the title). One-timeWWF Women's Champion. Recognized by WWE as a trailblazer and inspiration to many future female wrestlers. Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) –10-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-timeWWE Tag Team Champion, one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWF Hardcore Champion,1999 King of the Ring winner. Road Dogg (Brian James) –Five-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWF Hardcore Champion. X-Pac (Sean Waltman) –Two-timeWWF European Champion, two-timeWWF Light Heavyweight Champion, two-timeWCW Cruiserweight Champion, four-time WWF Tag Team Champion, one-timeWCW World Tag Team Champion. | |||
| Harlem Heat[25] | None | 10-timeWCW World Tag Team Champions | |
| Booker T (Robert Huffman) –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in2013 for his individual career. Stevie Ray (Lash Huffman) –One-timeWCW Television Champion. | |||
 | The Hart Foundation[26] | None | Two-timeWWF Tag Team Champions |
| Bret Hart –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in2006 for his individual career. Jim Neidhart –Posthumous inductee: Represented by his daughterNatalya. One-timeNWA Southern Heavyweight Champion. | |||
| Recipient (Birth name) | Presented By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sue Aitchison[27] | Dana Warrior John Cena[28] | Longtime WWE employee, spearheaded many of WWE's charitable programs, including its partnership with theMake-A-Wish Foundation |
| Image | Ring name (Birth name) | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
 | Bruiser Brody[29] (Frank Goodish) | Held numerous regionalNWA championships. Pioneer of the "hardcore" style. |
 | Wahoo McDaniel[29] (Edward McDaniel) | Five-timeNWA United States Heavyweight Champion (Mid-Atlantic version) Four timeNWA World Tag Team Champion (Mid-Atlantic version) |
 | Luna Vachon[29] (Gertrude Vachon) | Part of theVachon wrestling family One-timeUSWA Women's Champion |
| S. D. Jones[29] (Conrad Efraim) | Three-timeNWA Americas Tag Team Champion | |
 | Professor Toru Tanaka[29] (Charles Kalani Jr. ) | InauguralWWWF International Tag Team Champion Three-timeWWWF World Tag Team Championship |
 | Primo Carnera[29] | Held numerous regionalNWA championships Former boxing World Heavyweight Champion |
| Joseph Cohen[29] | Media executive whose accomplishments included developing two of WWE's eventual broadcast partners,MSG Network andUSA Network (part ofComcast now, a WWE television partner) First living inductee into the Legacy wing | |
 | Hisashi Shinma[29] | LongtimeJapanese professional wrestlingpromoter Former on-screen authority of the WWWF and the WWF Second living inductee into the Legacy wing until his death in 2025 |
 | Buddy Rose[29] (Paul Perschmann) | Held numerous regionalNWA championships |
 | Jim Barnett[29] | Longtime wrestling promoter Former owner of the IndianapolisNational Wrestling Allianceterritory, Australia'sWorld Championship Wrestling, andGeorgia Championship Wrestling |
During the induction of The Hart Foundation, as Bret Hart and Natalya delivered their speech, a man trespassed into the ring and tackled Hart. The live broadcast on the WWE Network suddenly blacked out when the attack happened and then the broadcast returned live with cameras panned to the crowd. In the immediate aftermath, several wrestlers including his nephewDavey Boy Smith Jr.,Dash Wilder,Scott Dawson,Braun Strowman,Heath Slater,Drew McIntyre,Big Show,Shane McMahon,Big E, andDrake Maverick, as well as MMA fighterTravis Browne subdued the man. Hart and Natalya resumed their speech. The man was arrested.[30] The incident was removed from repeat airings of the ceremony on the WWE Network.
The man was taken intopolice custody and faced criminal charges, of which were not disclosed as the official was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on the condition ofanonymity.[31] He was charged with two counts of third degreeassault, one count of criminaltrespass, and one violation oflocal law ofdisorderly conduct the next day.[32] WWE issued a statement on the incident, reading: "An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring. The individual has been turned over to the proper authorities."[33]Dave Meltzer fromWrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Hart visited the hospital on Saturday night following the attack, suffering some discomfort with hiship replacement from the fall. Despite this, Hart made an appearance, during the entrance of Natalya andBeth Phoenix, the next day atWrestleMania 35.[34]
Reportedly, WWE writers were asked not to mention WWE chairman and CEOVince McMahon when helping to write speeches for Hall of Fame inductees. As a result, after Bret Hart thanked McMahon during The Hart Foundation's induction,Robert Evans, who was responsible for writing the line in the speech, got into a dispute with McMahon, and Evans ultimately quit the company.[35]
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