What To Expect Tonight

This year’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air live in full on the WWE Network tonight, starting with the Red Carpet pre-show at 7pm EST. Jerry Lawler, Byron Saxton and Maria Menounos will be hosting the proceedings. A one hour edit of the show will also air later on the USA Network. This year’s inductees are as follows:

– Kurt Angle, inducted by John Cena.
– Diamond Dallas Page, inducted by Eric Bischoff.
– Beth Phoenix, inducted by Natalya.
– The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, inducted by Jim Cornette.
– Teddy Long, inducted by JBL and Ron Simmons.
– Rick Rude, posthumously inducted by Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
– Eric LeGrand presented the Warrior Award by Dana Warrior

Additionally this year’s Legacy Wing (which recognizes pioneering wrestling legends) will include Haystacks Calhoun, Dr. Jerry Graham, Rikidozan, Judy Grable, Toots Mondt, Farmer Burns, Luther Lindsay and June Byers.

Inductee Ricky Morton was recently interviewed by Cult of Whatever and discussed former adversary Jim Cornette doing the honors:

It’s great that WWE and Jim have been able to put their differences aside. Time mends everything and we wouldn’t have wanted anyone but Jim Cornette to induct us into the WWE Hall of Fame.

With the WWE getting Jim to induct us and everything that has gone on between both parties, I think it opens up for a lot more guys that are out there that are deserving of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the future.

DDP also discussed being inducted:

All of the hard work and not ever listening to all the people who told me I could never do it. It wasn’t really that I wanted to prove them wrong as much as it was wanting to prove myself right. When you look back at my career and the way I got to the Hall of Fame, it started at WrestleMania VI driving Rhythm and Blues (Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine) down to the ring in a pink Cadillac convertible, that was my car and the car got the gig not me, I was just a driver.

To go from that to 27 years later being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame is super special. I heard Eric Bischoff who is going to be inducting me say being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame was the holy grail and I had never thought of it like that until he said it, and it kind of is.

The key is trying to trim my speech down so it’s not too long. I know when people are listening and watching the Hall of Fame there are some people that can hang on your every word and there are other people going, when his he going to finish. I’m up there for the people that helped me get to where I am and I’m going to tell some stories, I’m going to have some fun with it and I’m looking forward to it.

Stephanie McMahon Interview

Stephanie McMahon spoke with ESPN’s Cheap Heat to promote WrestleMania and revealed that she has always gravitated more towards heel characters:

“I always had a strong affinity for the heels, as you can imagine, and the integral role that they play in helping to create the babyface. And just how important that role is, and the psychology of it, and how everybody would respond, but in terms of people around me, and I know my brother would say this name as well, is Pat Patterson. He was the first-ever Intercontinental Champion, but he then also, he was really my dad’s booking partner, which in wrestling, you book, right? You book your attractions and then you build storylines around those attractions. Very rarely does it happen where it’s a storyline first, though it does work that way sometimes. And Pat was definitely very influential in my life. I mean, of course my father and my mother. My brother just stretched me every chance he got, so I guess I learned how to deal with that. That’s certainly a learning experience.”

Naturally McMahon said she is looking forward to her husband’s match the most on Sunday:

“In terms of the matches that I’m looking forward to most, I mean, of course, Triple H and Seth Rollins. It’s unfortunate for Seth that Hunter’s going to end his career and everything because he was on a roll there for a little while with The Authority, but that’s okay. That’s okay. It’s true [that WrestleMania season is Triple H’s time of the year], it’s true. And let’s see, Undertaker versus Roman [Reigns]. Is Roman going to be able to retire The Undertaker? That’s a huge story. Of course Brock [Lesnar] versus Goldberg. And I’m naming all of the RAW matches first because, of course, I’m the Commissioner of RAW.”

Will The Posse Back Shane?

It doesn’t look like the Mean Street Posse will be physically supporting their boy Shane McMahon at WrestleMania, but Pete Gas tells the Two Man Power Trip that he will be in attendance:

“Shane has sent me a ticket for my wife and I to go and I’ll be there to support him and I’ll be there and in my suitcase I will pack a sweater vest or two just in case but until I get the phone call we will have to wait and see.”

“…Shane always takes it to the next level whether it is in a match against Undertaker or being in High School and us sneaking into a bar and him buying us all a round of drinks, he is an extremist. He loves it and he’s an adrenaline junkie and loves the business and I wasn’t surprised.”