USA Network has increased the coverage of the Hall of Fame ceremony on Tuesday by 15 minutes and will now run for a total of 75 minutes.
The addition comes mainly due to the addition of Mick Foley’s segment on the show which was added after WWE fans complained about him being left out.
Originally, Trish Stratus, Donald Trump, and Bruno Sammartino were going to be featured on the show which will air at 10PM EST.
It will be interesting to see how WWE will edit the speeches considering everyone – maybe except Trump who wasn’t given time by fans to speak because of the booing – had a fantastic speech and it surely must be a headache for the editors.
The full Hall of Fame ceremony will be included in the WrestleMania 29 DVD and Blu-Ray.
Live tonight from the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, WWE will present the biggest pay-per-view on the calendar – WrestleMania 29. The full card is as follows:
The Rock vs John Cena for the WWE title; The Undertaker vs CM Punk; Triple H vs Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred match and Triple H’s career on the line; Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight title; Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show vs The Shield; Ryback vs Mark Henry; Team Hell No vs Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston for the WWE tag team titles; Chris Jericho vs Fandango; and Brodus Clay, Tensai, and the Funkadactyls vs Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, and the Bella Twins. Plus Wade Barrett vs The Miz for the Intercontinental title in the pre-show.
The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame ran for three and a half hours yesterday with stories from Mick Foley, Trish Stratus, Booker T, Bob Backlund, Donald Trump, and Bruno Sammartino.
Their respective inductors – Terry Funk, Stephanie McMahon, Stevie Ray, Maria Menounos, Vince McMahon, and Arnold Schwarzenegger – also had some stories to tell, most of which were welcomed, while another, Maria Menounos, was booed.
From dropped elbows, to Santa Claus, to baby announcements, to crazy behavior, etc, the Class of 2013 didn’t disappoint when it came to their speeches.
Some fans however decided to tarnish the show by disrespecting two of the celebrities involved in the show – Maria Menonous and Donald Trump. Booing, chanting obscenities, and causing disturbance, it still showed that some wrestling fans have no business to attend on such a night.
There’s a certain type of friendly boo – like Trish Stratus’ husband got when he was mentioned – to a completely different “get off the stage” boo like Menounos and Trump received.
This event is the honor and appreciate everyone involved and not to voice your displeasure at someone. Hopefully one day, WWE will realise that the Hall of Fame should be in an intimate setting, ensuring the total respect for the inductees and whoever is inducting them.
The Empire State Building in New York will be beaming with the WrestleMania 29 colors tonight as WWE takes over one of the world’s most recognizable and popular buildings.
Blue and yellow will be the colors lighting up the 102-floor, 1,454 feet long building with blue at the top, yellow underneath it, then blue halo, yellow, and blue fins.
If you are not in the area to see it in person, don’t worry, WWE will certainly be showing images of it tonight during the WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view broadcast.
Former WWE and ECW champion Rob Van Dam was at the Hall of Fame ceremony in Madison Square Garden, joining other former stars such as X-Pac, MVP, Tommy Dreamer, Lita, and others.
Van Dam was last seen in the WWE during the 2009 Royal Rumble and he has been working for TNA for the past couple of years. His contract expired recently and a few weeks ago he declared himself a free agent.
Van Dam told WWE.COM that he was there to support his friend Booker T and when he was asked if he’s coming back, he replied, “There’s always a chance.”
The main event of the night was obviously the induction of the living legend, Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino was introduced by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger is a big friend of Sammartino and said it was a great honor for him to be there to induct his friend. Arnold talked about the weight lifting the two did and said that recently he bench pressed the New Jersey Governor out of his seat to a large pop from the crowd.
Sammartino came out to two standing ovations from the crowd and peers as fans chanted “one more match,” but the soon-to-be 78 year old was having none of that!
Sammartino talked about the war, coming to America in 1950, being bullied at school, marrying his high school sweetheart, working for McMahon Sr., selling out Madison Square Garden and more.
He thanked his doctors for keeping him in shape, Triple H for making all this possible, and the fans for returning every time he came to Madison Square Garden.
Sammartino’s speech didn’t last that long as the clock hit the three and a half hour mark by the time he wrapped it up.
You can see a video of Bruno’s introduction below.
Maria Menounos wasn’t the only person booed at the Hall of Fame as Donald Trump got some pretty nasty welcome in Madison Square Garden as well. Vince McMahon did the Trump induction and even though McMahon tried to soften Trump up with the crowd by saying how he is a big friend of WWE, the crowd wasn’t having any of it.
Trump was booed for most of his speech and eventually cut it short after the abuse. He challenged Vince McMahon to a match at WrestleMania 30 and vowed to kick his ass.
Trump said he received many awards and had many accomplishments in his life but being in the WWE Hall of Fame was one of the best feelings. He then introduced his son, who also got booed out of the building and his daughter Ivanka, who got cheered for obvious reasons. Trump noted that at least there is a member of the Trump family that the MSG crowd liked!
Donald wrapped his speech quick and was the least person to talk while on stage.
Perhaps the craziest Hall of Fame speech followed Booker T’s segment with Bob Backlund giving Iron Sheik a run for his money for the wackiest induction.
TV host and actress Maria Menounos did the introduction for Backlund and the hostile New York crowd showed absolutely no love for the celebrity. As she was recounting stories of how she met Backlund and his accomplishments, the crowd kept booing her and shouting obscene things in a total show of lack of respect.
Eventually the cheers came out as Backlund – in full gimmick – came on stage and started his weird speech. Shouting in the microphone and sometimes running around on stage, Backlund cracked the crowd with some hilarious stories.
He then turned into a serious mode however just as he was about to return to his normal self, Vince McMahon came out slowly and told Backlund to hurry up, motioning to his watch. Backlund freaked out again and went back into crazy mode but eventually wrapped up the speech.
While the in-between segment commercial was going on he tried to speak again but the microphone was off and he then gave up and left.
The third person to get honored at the Hall of Fame was former five time, five time, five time, five time, five time WCW champion Booker T, inducted by his older brother Stevie Ray.
The former one half of the Harlem Heat looked genuinely excited to be there to honor his brother and recounted a few stories of when they were kids. Ray said that they lost both of their parents when they were very young and while Booker was always attached to his hip, he couldn’t help him when he was jailed for a few years.
In jail, all the two talked about was professional wrestling so when Booker got out they started training and were offered to go try wrestling out by Ivan Putski.
Booker came out and thanked his brother as well as some other people including JBL, Jim Ross (again), Michael Cole, the Undertaker and some other people. He said he started with nothing and eventually won the big prize and made it to the top of the mountain.
He told a story when it was the last WCW Nitro back in March of 2001 and Dave Penzer – the WCW ring announcer – came up to him crying asking him what he was going to do now. Booker told him that he was going to WWE and compete with the very best in the world.
Booker also thanked his very emotional wife and former WWE Diva Sharmell who had their baby daughter with them clapping for her father.
Booker wrapped up his speech with his usual “can you dig that” and tried to walk off but his brother told him to go back and do the spinaroonie. Booker took his jacket off and gave the crowd a Hall of Fame spinaroonie on the stage.
Former seven time Women’s champion Trish Stratus was the second person inducted into the Hall of Fame with Stephanie McMahon doing the honors.
McMahon came out following the video introduction for Trish and one person immediately screamed “You’re hot” when the crowd silenced down. Yes, she did indeed look hot. McMahon put over Trish for being a successful wrestler and business woman and called her an inspiration.
Stratus came out in a long dress showing some cleavage and thanked Stephanie for her intro and returning the favor with some nice words of her own.
Trish thanked her trainer, and some other influential people in her life including Fit Finlay, Jim Ross, the McMahon family, and the fans. She also thanked her fellow former Divas – Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Jazz, Molly Holly, Victoria, and last but not least, Lita, who she called her best friend.
Stratus recounted a story of when she went to the WWE HQ in Stamford for the first time to meet Jim Ross and how she was in awe of all the stuff displayed in the building. Trish then picked a pen from her cleavage, yes, it was hiding there, which JR used to sign her contract and put her thumb on the F of the old scratched WWF logo so “the pandas don’t get pissed.” Big pop for that.
She then thanked her family, including her mom who was battling cancer when she retired and is now cancer free. Her last thanks went to her husband Ron, who was booed out of the building every time she mentioned his name or a cute story. He took it well and laughed along and then Trish revealed that she is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
The fans and her peers gave her a standing ovation for the announcement and she is expected to be a mom in September.
The Hall of Fame ceremony kicked off with the induction of the hardcore legend himself, Mick Foley. After the fantastic tribute video, Terry Funk came out for the speech which ended with him pulling out an envelope for the “nominees” – all four of them – which were Dude Love, Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Mick Foley.
Foley came out to a loud ovation and did a few comedy spots. He thanked several people including Jimmy Snuka, Jim Ross, Randy Orton, The Rock, and The Undertaker. Foley talked a bit about that Hell In A Cell match against the Undertaker and put over Ross for his contribution to that match.
The highlight of Foley’s speech came when he said that he never managed to beat Chris Jericho and expressed his wish to at least drop an elbow on him. Jericho rushed to the stage and laid down on the floor as Foley prepared to drop an elbow. CM Punk then joined in on the fun and acted as the referee as Foley hit the elbow, followed by a three count by CM Punk.
During his speech he mentioned he wished Santa Claus was there and after he wrapped up, Santa Claus came out and gave Foley a jacket as Christmas music was played in the background.
Foley’s speech went almost an hour and was the person who spoke the longest.
You can see a video of Foley dropping the elbow on Jericho below courtesy of YouTube user djPortaRock.
It looks like WWE’s gamble to host WrestleMania 29 in an open-air stadium in New Jersey is going to pay off as the weather for tomorrow seems to be going to cooperate.
The weather forecast for tomorrow for the MetLife Stadium area has a high of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 49 degrees Fahrenheit. That is 16 degrees Celsius and a low of 9 degrees Celsius for non U.S. readers.
The chance of rain stands in at 20% all day long although the forecast says there will be clouds.
Regardless if it rains or not, fans are encouraged to get proper clothing as it will be still cold, especially after sitting for so many hours.
TNA President Dixie Carter sent in her best wishes to WWE this weekend for the big WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view.
Writing on Twitter, Carter said she met Stephanie McMahon for the first time this week, and although she didn’t mention where, it most likely was at the Reid Flair funeral since both Stephanie and her husband Triple H are big friends of Ric Flair.
“Wish her and her family much success this weekend,” Carter wrote. TNA capitalized on the thousands of fans who are in the area for WrestleMania and put up a non-televised show in New York yesterday night which also featured an appearance by Hulk Hogan.
Soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus launched her Hall of Fame merchandise exclusively on her Stratusphere Shop at TrishStratus.com.
There is a men’s t-shirt, a women’s t-shirt, an iPhone case, and a Hall of Fame photo, the first 100 of which will be signed for free. The prices are $24.99, $24.99, $34.99, and $19.99 respectively and will ship worldwide.
Trish will be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight, April 6, at Madison Square Garden by WWE executive Stephanie McMahon.
Casey Collins, the Executive Vice President of Consumer Products for WWE revealed this morning at the WWE Global Business Partner Summit that The Rock will be on the cover of the upcoming WWE 2K ’14 video game.
Despite working only part time with WWE, the current WWE champion got the coveted spot on the cover of one of the most popular video games which is expected to be released in Fall 2013.
This will be the first game under the 2K Sports video game license after 2K won the rights from the bankrupt THQ.
CM Punk was on the official cover of WWE ’13 although several versions and limited editions of the game came out with different covers.
Other Wrestling Themed games
Among the most famous wrestling video games of all time, two of them deserve special mention: Saturday Night Slam Masters and WWF No Mercy.
Saturday Night Slam Masters was released in the year 1993 by Capcom, the famous Japanese video games company, which launched versions for Arcade, Super Nintendo, FM Towns and Mega Drive.
This game is characterized by containing more graphics details than its predecessors, in addition to having large-sized characters and striking colors. Also, this game stood out for its melodies with many guitar and drums sounds, as well as very well achieved sound effects, including a phenomenal audience cheering sound.
Moreover, this game stands out because it has general but also specific movements for each character, each of which can also throw objects and climb the ring poles to jump on top of their rival. Finally, it has two game modes: Single Match and Team Battle Royal, the last of which allows the simultaneous participation of four players.
On the other hand, WWF No Mercy was created by THQ in 2000 for Nintendo 64. It’s a WrestleMania sequel that includes a Create-a-Wrestler feature and allows the customization of more physical attributes, movements and even the creation of female characters, which was very difficult to perform on WrestleMania’s latest version. Finally, this was the first game that featured backstage fights.
Now, when it comes to casino wrestling themed slots games, Lucha Libre is a great online Mexican Wrestling based RTG game, so you’ll find lots of nachos, peppers, beers, chips and specific championship cups. This incredible game contains five reels, 25 pay lines, and Auto Play plus Speed Gaming options. Also, it allows you to play with two characters: “Guacamolio” and “Taco-Malo”, which count as wild symbols and appear exclusively on reel 3.
There are two symbols for scattering: Mask and Wrestling Ring. All symbols pay from left to right. However, the Wrestling Ring symbol pays either. Furthermore, 3 Wrestlings of these symbols start a bonus round named “Time To Rumble,” in which one chooses between 3 fighting movements by which it is possible to defeat your adversary. By the way, if you beat your adversary during this bonus round, you’ll win free spins (6 to 14 of them) with x2 multiplier.
Besides, you’ll love Lucha Libre’s “Mask of Fiery Doom” feature, according to which if a mask symbol appears on reels 1 and 2, along with three wrestlers on reel 3, you’ll gain an instant free spin. Minimum and maximum bets are $ 0.25 and $ 6.25, respectively. Finally, you will not find a better place to play “Lucha Libre” than Raging Bull Online Casino, where you will be able to deposit easily and quickly to play more than 200 casino games, and count with our 24/7 customer support service via phone and live chat. Also, new players currently enjoy, among other things, at 350% welcome bonus + 50 free spins on Funcanglong. Learn more about Raging Bull Online Casino’s promotions.
Hornswoggle won the 2013 2K Sports Superstar Challenge yesterday at Axxess, defeating Big E. Langston in the final WWE ’13 match to win the trophy. Last year’s champion AJ Lee did not participate in the tournament.
The Superstar Challenge had 16 WWE Superstars face off against each other in a tournament style. In the qualifying rounds, JTG defeated Tyson Kidd, Big E. Langston defeated Zack Ryder, Jey Uso defeated Epico, Jimmy Uso defeated Primo, Kofi Kingston defeated Alex Riley, Hornswoggle defeated Damien Sandow, Hunico defeated Sin Cara, and Rosa Medes defeated Kaitlyn.
In the quarter finals, Big E defeated Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso defeated Hunico, Hornswoggle defeated Kofi Kingston, and JTG defeated Rosa Mendes.
Moving to the semi finals, Hornswoggle defeated JTG and then Big E defeated Jimmy Uso to set up the big man vs little man finale which this time around, the quick fingers of Hornswoggle proved to be a bit too much for Langston.
The event was streamed live on the Internet by the new WWE video game license holders 2K Sports.
Live tonight from Madison Square Garden, WWE will present probably the most star-studded Hall of Fame of all time.
Headlining the show will be the man who many believe would never accept the invitation – the living legend and longest reigning WWE champion ever Bruno Sammartino. He will be inducted by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mick Foley will join the all time greats this year, being the first person announced for this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony. He promised an epic speech and fans fought to have his speech appear on the HOF broadcast on USA Network next Tuesday. He will be inducted by his longtime friend and former tag team partner Terry Funk.
One of the greatest – if just not the greatest – WWE Divas of all time will also be honored at tonight’s show. The former seven time Women’s champion Trish Stratus will join the Hall of Fame after she gets inducted by WWE executive Stephanie McMahon.
Former five time, five time, five time, five time, five time, WCW champion Booker T will add Hall of Famer to his resumé tonight with his brother and former Harlem Heat tag team partner Stevie Ray inducting him.
One of the longest reigning WWE champions Bob Backlund also joins the class of 2013 and many believe he should have been there already by now. TV host, actress, and longtime friend of Backlund Maria Menounos will be inducting Backlund.
And last and certainly not least, the newest member in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame will be Donald Trump. Trump, who hosted WrestleMania IV and V and his Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, will be inducted by his friend and WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
Ric Flair, along with his girlfriend Wendy Barlow, made their way to New Jersey and are now at the WWE base at the Westin Jersey City Newport hotel.
Flair was pulled out of the WrestleMania Axxess signing and replaced by the Undertaker after his son Reid passed away. Flair was also pulled from all non-WWE events at WrestleMania weekend. Funeral for his son was held on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It looks like the two-time WWE Hall of Famer will be in the audience for tonight’s big Hall of Fame event in Madison Square Garden and will be backstage for WrestleMania tomorrow.
His girlfriend Wendy Barlow is the former Fifi The Maid in WCW.
Bruno Sammartino was honored by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy when today he was presented with the key to the city, one day before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the place where he sold out most events – New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The Mayor described Sammartino as a living legend and people still love him because he is so humble. The Mayor added that it was an honor for him to pay tribute to Sammartino, someone who he recalled watching when he was around 12 years old.
“I’m so fortunate that you guys thanked me here today,” Sammartino said today at City Hall in comments picked up by NJ.com. “I used to look forward to coming (to Jersey City). I have so many memories.”
Bruno Sammartino will headline the Hall of Fame ceremony tomorrow night and will be inducted by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The big reveal that Vince McMahon plugged on his Twitter was the reveal of the huge set of WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium.
“Are you ready world? Here’s a sneak peak at MetLife Stadium, the home of WrestleMania,” McMahon said as he stood in the darkness at the stadium.
Right on cue, the lights go up and Sean “Diddy” Combs ‘Coming Home’ song kicks in to reveal the Statue of Liberty, a massive Brooklyn Bridge that goes across the set and the Empire State Building in the background.
“How about those apples, huh?” McMahon concludes as the video fades to black.
The set looks magnificent and the Brooklyn Bridge replica is pretty amazing. You can see the video below.
