WWE Hall of Fame

The "celebrity wing" of the Hall of Fame is dedicated to celebrities that have made memorable appearances on WWE programming, and/or have had longtime associations with WWE.

Dana Warrior presents the inaugural Warrior Award at the 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony

In 2015, WWE introduced the Warrior Award for those who have "exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior."[13]

While WWE promotes Warrior Award recipients as Hall of Fame inductees,[14][15] they are not included in the Hall of Fame section at WWE.com.[16] and an image gallery which shows "every WWE Hall of Famer ever" does not contain any recipient.[17]

The award was created following The Ultimate Warrior's death. During his April 2014 Hall of Fame speech shortly before his death, he proposed that there be a special category called the "Jimmy Miranda Award" for WWE's behind-the-scenes employees.[18][19] Miranda, who died in 2002, was part of the WWE merchandise department for more than 20 years[20] Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts expressed disappointment at how WWE used portions of Warrior's Hall of Fame speech to promote the award, but left out Warrior's intentions of honoring WWE's off-screen employees[21][22] WWE responded, "It is offensive to suggest that WWE and its executives had anything but altruistic intentions in honoring Connor and his legacy with The Warrior Award", adding that "moving forward the award will be given annually to acknowledge other unsung heroes among WWE's employees and fans".[23] 2019's recipient, Sue Aitchison, is the only WWE employee to receive the award thus far.[24]

Traditionally, Dana Warrior (widow of The Ultimate Warrior) presents the award.

In 2016, WWE introduced a new category for the Hall of Fame called the "Legacy" wing. Inductees in this category are from several eras of wrestling history, going back to the early 20th century.[25] All but two inductees, Hisashi Shinma and MSG Network creator Joseph Cohen, have been inducted posthumously. Legacy inductees are recognized with a video package at the ceremonies.[26][27]

The Legacy wing also has some criticism around it, specifically regarding the abbreviated way of the inductions. Professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer said "this is the category they (WWE) use to honor people who, for whatever reason, they don't feel are marketable names to the modern audience to put in their actual Hall of Fame".[28] In contrast, long time pro wrestling promoter and manager Jim Cornette criticized the fact that recognizable names like Jim Londos or El Santo were part of a video package.[29] Bruiser Brody's widow stated that she did not know her husband was going to be inducted into the 2019 class until the day of the event and that she was not invited to the ceremony.[30]

WWF Hall of Fame (1993) was the inaugural class of the WWE Hall of Fame. During the March 22, 1993 episode of Monday Night Raw a video package announcing André the Giant's induction was shown.[4] No ceremony took place, and André was inducted posthumously. In March 2015 a condensed version of the 1994 ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[31] Due to no original ceremony, the 1993 induction of André was discussed by Gene Okerlund and Renee Young as part of the 1994 commentary.

Image	Ring name (Birth Name)	Inducted by	WWE recognized accolades
	André the Giant (André Roussimoff)	None	One-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, one-time WWF World Tag Team Champion.[4]

WWF Hall of Fame (1994) was the event which featured introduction of the second class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on June 6, 1994 from the Omni Inner Harbor International Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The event took place the same weekend as King of the Ring.

In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[31] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.

Image	Ring name (Birth Name)	Inducted by	WWE recognized accolades
N/A	Arnold Skaaland	Bob Backlund	One-time WWWF United States Tag Team Champion and long-time manager of Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund in WWF[32]
	Bobo Brazil (Houston Harris)	Ernie Ladd	Seven-time WWWF United States Heavyweight Champion, one-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion[33]
	Buddy Rogers (Herman Rohde Jr.)	Bret Hart	Posthumous inductee: One-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion[34]
	Chief Jay Strongbow[35] (Luke Scarpa)	Tatanka	Four-time WWWF/WWF World Tag Team Champion[36]
	"Classy" Freddie Blassie	Regis Philbin	Held over 30 NWA regional championships. Long-time manager in WWF[37]
	Gorilla Monsoon (Robert Marella)	Jim Ross	Two-time WWWF United States Tag Team Champion. Former WWF announcer and onscreen President[38]
N/A	James Dudley	Vince McMahon	First African American to run a major arena in the United States[39]

WWF Hall of Fame (1995) was the event which featured the introduction of the third class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on June 24, 1995 from the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event took place the same weekend as King of the Ring.

In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[31] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.

The 1995 class featured two posthumous inductees. Antonino Rocca was presented by his wife, and The Grand Wizard was represented by Bobby Harmon.

Image	Ring name (Birth Name)	Inducted by	WWE recognized accolades
	Antonino Rocca (Antonino Biasetton)	Diesel	Posthumous inductee. One-time WWF International Heavyweight Champion. Pioneer of the acrobatic wrestling style[40]
	"Big Cat" Ernie Ladd	Bobo Brazil	Won several NWA regional titles, and was one of few professional wrestlers to have had a successful career in American football[41]
	George "The Animal" Steele (William Myers)	Doink the Clown	One of professional wrestling's first monster heels[42]
	Ivan Putski (Józef Bednarski)	Scott Putski	One-time WWF Tag Team Champion[43]
	The Fabulous Moolah (Mary Ellison)	Alundra Blayze	A four-time WWF Women's Champion prior to her induction, her first reign is recognized as lasting a record 28 years[44] The first woman to be inducted.
N/A	The Grand Wizard (Irwin Roth)	Sgt. Slaughter	Posthumous inductee. Long-time heel manager in WWF[45]
	Pedro Morales	Savio Vega	Savio Vega accepted the induction. One-time WWWF World Heavyweight Champion whose reign lasted nearly three years, and the first WWF Triple Crown Champion[46] He was also the first Latino to win the world title[47]

WWF Hall of Fame (1996) was the event which featured the introduction of the fourth class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the WWF on November 16, 1996 from the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York. The event took place the same weekend as Survivor Series.

In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the WWE Network.[31] Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.

Due to Vincent J. McMahon's passing in 1984, he was posthumously inducted by the McMahon family.

Image	Ring name (Birth Name)	Inducted by	WWE recognized accolades
	"Baron" Mikel Scicluna	Gorilla Monsoon	One-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion and one-time WWWF United States Tag Team Champion[48]
	"Captain" Lou Albano	Joe Franklin	One-time WWWF United States Tag Team Champion. As a manager, he led 13 different tag teams to a record 17 tag team titles,[49] and four singles wrestlers to various championships. His association with Cyndi Lauper was pivotal in turning professional wrestling into a mainstream phenomenon[50]
	Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka	Don Muraco	One-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, two-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, two-time ECW Heavyweight Champion[51]
	Johnny Rodz (John Rodriguez)	Arnold Skaaland	Wrestled in WWF for nearly two decades[52]
	Killer Kowalski (Edward Spulnik)	Triple H	One-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion, held seventeen NWA regional championships[53]
	Pat Patterson (Pierre Clermont)[54]	Bret Hart	One-time and first WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, one-time AWA World Tag Team Champion and held over 20 NWA regional championships. Credited as the creator of the Royal Rumble match Patterson won the WWF Hardcore Championship in 2000 and the WWE 24/7 Championship in 2020[55]
	Vincent J. McMahon	Shane McMahon	Posthumous inductee. Founder and longtime promoter of the World (Wide) Wrestling Federation[56]

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2013 headliner Bruno Sammartino previously refused to accept an induction

In 2012, The Post and Courier columnist Mike Mooneyham noted that the Hall has garnered criticism due to the inductions of questionable performers, and the omissions of major names within the industry.[224] Bob Backlund declined induction multiple times,[225] and The Ultimate Warrior wrote that he refused the honor in 2010;[226] they were eventually inducted in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Randy Savage was long recognized as being noticeably absent;[227] Chris Jericho said that the Hall achieved a level of legitimacy by inducting him in 2015.[228]

Bruno Sammartino, the longest reigning WWWF World Heavyweight Champion, was once critical of the Hall of Fame. Sammartino disapproved of celebrity inductees such as Pete Rose and William Perry, and said of the ceremony: "What's the point to a Hall of Fame? Is it a building I can actually go to? No. Give me a break".[229] Sammartino declined previous induction offers, before accepting in 2013. Paul Levesque (Triple H) said that it was important for Sammartino to be inducted from a "legitimacy standpoint" and ESPN said that his induction was an opportunity to legitimize the Hall of Fame.[230] After being announced as an inductee, Sammartino said he considered the Hall to be legitimate.[231]

For years, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley pointed the absence of Chyna and Big Van Vader, stating in 2020 that Vader is "the most glaring and obvious omission from the #WWEHOF".[232][233]

Koko B. Ware's 2009 induction remains controversial

Ric Flair has stated there are several wrestlers in the Hall of Fame that didn't deserve it, but he didn't name names.[234] Koko B. Ware, who worked as an undercard wrestler in WWF, is often billed as a controversial inductee since he was selected before wrestlers such as Randy Savage or Bruno Sammartino.[235][236][237][238][239] Caleb Smith of Slam Wrestling questioned how Ware was inducted, but former WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Ivan Koloff never was before his 2017 death.[240] 411Mania writer Steve Cook defended his Hall of Fame status since he was very popular with fans and some of his losses were historic, while Kevin Pantoja described him as "the floor for inductees".[241]

Superstar Billy Graham publicly slammed the hall and demanded that WWE remove him from it, due to the 2011 induction of Abdullah the Butcher. Graham wrote: "It is a shameless organization to induct a bloodthirsty animal such as Abdullah the Butcher into their worthless and embarrassing Hall of Fame and I want the name of Superstar Billy Graham to be no part of it".[242] In 2018, Bret Hart, who headlined the 2006 ceremony, criticized the omissions of several wrestlers, primarily Dynamite Kid and his brother Owen, as well as the inductions of the likes of The Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Fabulous Freebirds, who experienced little success in WWE. Hart said he would not go to another ceremony until WWE inducts "proper, deserving candidates".[243] However, Hart attended the 2019 ceremony as he was inducted for a second time as part of The Hart Foundation.[27]

In 2021, after the riot and violent attack on the US Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters,[244] Mick Foley asked Vince McMahon to remove Donald Trump from the Hall of Fame.[245]

Dave Scherer of PWInsider has questioned how WWE can sustain the 2004–present Hall of Fame model, due to legends being rapidly inducted. He wrote: "There are only so many people that they can have headline a class. They really need to make more new stars to ensure that they can keep filling arenas for the ceremony".[246] 411Mania's Ryan Byers said WWE standards are "weird", since several inductees have Hall of Fame careers, but other "they’ve made it in for political reasons, longstanding loyalty to the promotion".[247]

Owen Hart's widow, Martha Hart, responded to calls for him to be inducted by stating: "They don’t even have a Hallway of Fame. It doesn’t exist. There’s nothing. It’s a fake entity. There’s nothing real or tangible. It’s just an event they have to make money. They put it on TV and have a celebration, and it’s just so ridiculous. I would never even entertain it. It’s garbage."[248] Sabu also criticized the Hall of Fame, saying "I'd only do it because I need the money... I don't consider it a real Hall of Fame."[249]

Others have offered praise for the Hall of Fame. World Wrestling Council promoter and 26-time WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion Carlos Colón Sr. said that his 2014 induction was a "realization of a dream".[250] Arn Anderson, who was inducted in 2012 as part of The Four Horsemen, said that the induction was the "pinnacle of [his] wrestling life".[251] 2015 Hall of Fame headliner Kevin Nash stated that two things in the professional wrestling business are real: "When you win your first championship and when you get inducted into the Hall of Fame." Nash claimed this is a sentiment to which colleague Ric Flair also subscribes.[252] During his 2013 induction, future U.S. president Donald Trump said that the honor meant more than "having the highest ratings in TV, being a best-selling author or getting a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."[253]