| WWE Hall of Fame | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various WWE Hall of Famers | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | March 30 and April 1, 2021 (aired April 6, 2021) | ||
| City | St. Petersburg, Florida | ||
| Venue | WWE Thunderdome atTropicana Field | ||
| WWE Hall of Fame chronology | |||
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The 2021WWE Hall of Fame was aprofessional wrestling event produced byWWE that featured the induction of the 21st and 22nd classes to theWWE Hall of Fame. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony did not occur—as a result, the originally announced Class of 2020 was inducted alongside the Class of 2021 at the 2021 induction ceremony. Theevent was taped on March 30 and April 1, 2021, at theWWE ThunderDome, hosted atTropicana Field inSt. Petersburg, Florida, and aired on April 6 onPeacock in the United States and theWWE Network internationally.Jerry Lawler served as the host for the Class of 2020 portion of the show whileCorey Graves andKayla Braxton were the hosts for the Class of 2021 portion.
The 2020WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on April 2, 2020, from theAmalie Arena inTampa, Florida, as part ofWrestleMania 36 week, and would have aired live on theWWE Network. However, the event was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[1] On August 27, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Class would be inducted alongside the Class of 2021 duringWrestleMania 37 week; WrestleMania 37 itself was relocated to Tampa from its original location ofLos Angeles, California.[2] It was later confirmed that the 2021 ceremony would take place at theWWE ThunderDome atTropicana Field inSt. Petersburg, Florida. The event waspre-taped on March 30 and April 1 to air on April 6 onPeacock's WWE Network channel in the United States and on the standard WWE Network internationally.[3] Fan reactions for the ThunderDome's virtual fans were also filmed ahead of time.[4] There were no inductors for the Hall of Fame recipients. Instead,Jerry Lawler,Corey Graves, andKayla Braxton hosted the show—with Lawler hosting the 2020 portion of the show and Graves and Braxton hosting the 2021 portion—and short video packages were played before the inductees made a short speech, which was limited to five minutes.[5][6][7]
The first inductees for the 2020 Class of the WWE Hall of Fame were announced on December 9, 2019. The first of these was theNew World Order (nWo). The members recognized for this induction were"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan,Kevin Nash,Scott Hall, andSean Waltman. This induction made each of these members two-time inductees, with Hogan, Hall, and Nash previously being inducted for their individual careers and Waltman being previously inducted as part ofD-Generation X in 2019, which also made Waltman the first back-to-back inductee.[8] The next inductees were announced duringAlexa Bliss' segment of "A Moment of Bliss" on the February 21, 2020, episode ofSmackDown, where she announced thatThe Bella Twins (Brie Bella andNikki Bella) would be inducted into the 2020 Class.[9][10] This was followed up on the March 3 episode ofWWE Backstage, where it was announced thatJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield would be inducted.[11] On the March 12 episode of theWWE After the Bell podcast, host Corey Graves revealed thatThe British Bulldog would be inducted posthumously, while on March 16, WWE andYahoo! Japan announced that Japanese wrestlerJushin "Thunder" Liger would be inducted.[12] On March 30, 2021,William Shatner was announced as an inductee into the Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame; Shatner was announced as part of the Class of 2020 instead of 2021 as he was originally intended to be inducted in 2020.[13] On March 31,Fightful Select reported thatTitus O'Neil received the 2020 Warrior Award during the 2021 induction ceremony as he was also originally intended to be inducted in 2020.[14]
On March 10, 2021,Molly Holly was announced as the first inductee into the Class of 2021. Her announcement as the first inductee was made onWWE The Bump by her former tag team partner,The Hurricane.[15]Eric Bischoff was announced as the next inductee into the 2021 Class during theWWE After the Bell podcast on March 18.[16] According to Sean Waltman, the original idea was to induct Bischoff as a surprise member of nWo in 2020.[17] On March 24,Kane andThe Great Khali were announced as the next inductees into the 2021 Class, with Kane's announcement made byThe Undertaker onWWE The Bump and Khali's made byRanjin Singh onWWE Now India.[18][19] On March 23,Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported thatRob Van Dam (RVD) would be inducted as part of the 2021 Class.[20]Sabu, who worked with RVD in bothExtreme Championship Wrestling and WWE, also affirmed this report.[21] RVD's induction was officially confirmed by WWE viaFox Sports on March 29.[22] On April 4,Dave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter reported thatOzzy Osbourne was inducted as the 2021 celebrity inductee.[23] On April 6, it was confirmed that long-time WWE employee Rich Hering would receive the 2021 Warrior Award.[24]
On December 9, 2019,Batista had been announced as an inductee into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.[25] Prior to the 2021 event, however, his induction was retracted.Fightful Select reported that WWE wanted Batista to be inducted "when a full crowd can enjoy it."[26] Batista himself posted toTwitter, confirming his removal, citing previous obligations as a reason for why he could not attend the 2021 event. He also said that WWE honored his request to induct him at a future ceremony.[27][28][29]
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
.jpg) | John "Bradshaw" Layfield[30] | One-timeWWE Champion One-timeWWE Intercontinental Champion One-timeWWE United States Champion Three-timeWWF Tag Team Champion One-timeWWE European Champion 18-timeWWE Hardcore Champion 2013Slammy Award winner for Favorite Web Show of the Year (withMichael Cole andRenee Young) Longtime commentator and creator of WWE'sTribute to the Troops series. |
 | The British Bulldog (David Smith)[31] | Posthumous inductee: Represented by his ex-wifeDiana, his sonHarry and his daughter Georgia One-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion Inaugural, two-time and longest reigningWWF European Champion Two-timeWWF Hardcore Champion Two-timeWWF World Tag Team Champion. |
 | Jushin "Thunder" Liger (Keiichi Yamada)[32] | Accepted via video message 11-timeIWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion One-timeWCW Light Heavyweight Champion Considered by WWE to be one of the most revolutionary competitors in sports-entertainment history. |
| Image | Group | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
.jpg)  .jpg)  From top left to bottom right: "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman | New World Order[33] | One of the most famous stables inWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) during theMonday Night Wars, generally believed to be the primary catalyst behindWCW Monday Nitro's success and 83 consecutive ratings victories overWWF Monday Night Raw. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash each held theWCW World Heavyweight Championship (Hogan is the longest reigning champion) while part of the stable, while Scott Hall was a two-timeWCW United States Heavyweight Champion. Hall and Nash, also known asThe Outsiders, held theWCW World Tag Team Championship six-times. Sean Waltman, then known as "Syxx", was a one-timeWCW Cruiserweight Champion and was also co-champion during one of The Outsiders' WCW World Tag Team Championship reigns under theFreebird Rule. |
| "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in2005 for his individual career. Kevin Nash –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted in2015 for his individual career. Scott Hall –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted as "Razor Ramon" in2014 for his individual career. Sean Waltman –Two-time inductee. Previously inducted as "X-Pac" in2019 as a member ofD-Generation X. | ||
 Nikki (left) and Brie (right) Bella | The Bella Twins[9] | 2006WWE Diva Search finalists 2013 Diva of the YearSlammy Award winners (won jointly) Gained fame as mainstream celebrities after starring in the WWE produced reality showsTotal Divas and spin-offTotal Bellas. |
| Nikki Bella (Stephanie Garcia-Colace) –Two-time and longest reigningWWE Divas Champion, 2015 Diva of the YearSlammy Award winner. Brie Bella (Brianna Danielson) –One-timeWWE Divas Champion, 2013 and 2014 Couple of the YearSlammy Award winner (withDaniel Bryan). | ||
| Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | William Shatner[13] | Actor | Accepted via video message Made numerous appearances on WWE programming, including serving as aRawguest host in 2010 and a narrator for theWWE Network reality seriesBreaking Ground. |
| Image | Recipient(Birth name) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Titus O'Neil (Thaddeus Bullard Sr.)[14] | Global Ambassador of WWE One-timeWWE Tag Team Champion One-time and inauguralWWE 24/7 Champion Warrior Award recipient in honor of his charitable work, especially in his hometown ofTampa, Florida. |
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | WWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
 | Molly Holly (Nora Benshoof)[15] | Two-timeWWE Women's Champion One-timeWWF Hardcore Champion |
 | Eric Bischoff[16] | Former Senior Vice President ofWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), who led WCW to an 83-consecutive week ratings win over WWE (then WWF) during theMonday Night Wars Also one-timeWCW Hardcore Champion First General Manager for WWE'sRaw brand Creator of theElimination Chamber match andRaw Roulette (wrestlers spun aroulette wheel to determine the stipulation of their match; used six times over the course of 2002–2013). |
 | Kane (Glenn Jacobs)[18] | One-timeWWF Champion One-timeWorld Heavyweight Champion One-timeECW Champion Two-timeWWF/WWE Intercontinental Champion One-timeWWF Hardcore Champion One-timeWWE 24/7 Champion Two-timeWWE Tag Team Champion Nine-timeWorld Tag Team Champion One-timeWCW Tag Team Champion SmackDown's2010 Money in the Bank winner Two-timeSlammy Award winner ("Best Family Values" in 2010 for beating upJack Swagger and "Match of the Year" in 2014 for theSurvivor Series elimination match) Most cumulativeRoyal Rumble match eliminations at 46 (with 11 of them coming in 2001, which was the single-Rumble record for thirteen years) Most Royal Rumble match appearances at 20. |
 | The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana)[19] | Accepted via video message One-timeWorld Heavyweight Champion, which made him the first Indian world champion in WWE 2008Slammy Award winner for "Damn!" Moment of the Year (hosting the Kiss Cam on the November 7 episode ofSmackDown). |
 | Rob Van Dam (Robert Szatkowski)[22] | One-timeWWE Champion One-timeECW World Heavyweight Champion Six-timeWWF/WWE Intercontinental Champion Four-timeWWF/E Hardcore Champion One-timeWWE European Champion (and the last Hardcore and European Champion) One-timeWWE Tag Team Champion Two-timeWorld Tag Team Champion One-timeECW World Television Champion Two-timeECW World Tag Team Champion 2006 Money in the Bank winner. |
| Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Ozzy Osbourne (John Osbourne)[23] | Musician | Accepted via video message Made multiple appearances for WWE, notably appearing atWrestleMania 2, performing at aSmackDown taping in 2007, and serving as a guest co-host ofRaw in 2009. |
| Recipient (Birth name) | Notes |
|---|---|
| Rich Hering[24] | Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Risk Management More than 50 years working for WWE, he helped expand the company from a regional to a worldwide promotion. |
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