Not only is the WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony one of the most awaiting evenings of the WWE years, it’s also one of the most emotional. Nostalgia reigns supreme as the fans and today’s stars pay homage to the superstars of yesteryear. It’s giving plenty of these legends one last time to bask in the spotlight and the fans one last time to give them the respect they deserve.
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Thankfully, the WWE Universe is always respectful and let’s each inductee tell their story, no matter how great or terrible they might be. Here are the 5 best and 5 worst WWE Hall Of Fame induction speeches.
10 BEST: Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
It had been far too long since the wrestling world got to hear from the G.O.A.T. He was inducted as part of WrestleMania XX weekend. He roasted his fellow inductees, had the crowd in stitches and touched everyone’s hearts when he longed for his friend Gorilla Monsoon to be there.
The Brain had everyone on their feet when he rattled off nearly every animal that was part of the WWE in the '80s. Every fan knows that Bobby is the greatest, and this speech just cemented it.
9 WORST: Mr. T
We all love our mothers, don’t we? But Mr. T. really loves his mother. He loves his mother so much that he repeatedly thanked her during his speech to the point of self-parody.
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He would still be thanking her to this very day if the Big Red Machine hadn’t come out to put a stop to the proceedings. It was, to date, this was only the second time anybody ever was interrupted to end their Hall Of Fame speech.
8 BEST: Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Thanks to years of falling flat on his face and finally working with Diamond Dallas Page to save his life, each and every fan knew that Jake's induction would be an emotional induction and it was.
Jake the Snake, the prodigal son, had worked so hard to get his life back. Much like the rest of his career, when Jake spoke, the world didn’t just listen; it sat under the learning tree of the best promo guy in the business. As he always did, Jake took the fans on a journey that captured the imagination.
7 WORST: Hillbilly Jim
For all intents and purposes, it seems that the big man from Mudlick might be one of the nicest guys in the business. Thing is, listening to Hillbilly Jim’s manner of speaking coupled with a 35 minute Broadway-length speech was a little plodding.
But if you can make it through the speech, it will teach you about listening to opportunity and knowing when to say "Yes" to them, because if you say no, opportunity will find the next guy. At least we got that moral lesson from such a meandering monologue.
6 BEST: “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
While there have been many great promos over the years from all kinds of performers, very few if any can be summarized what the promo was about: “Hard Times.” After the raucous and crowd pleasing induction speech by his sons Cody and Dustin. As the Motor City cheered him on, Big Dust' once again delivered and closed the show.
The entire Rhodes family and WWE Universe listened as Dusty razzed his friends and spoke about the passion as he once again spoke to hard times, and how it’s the wrestlers' duty to give the crowds good times. As far as we're concerned, Dusty delivered a good time as promised.
5 WORST: Goldberg
The WCW legend has his career share of critics throughout his peers and fandom. And yet, he was still able to carve a path of destruction and he dominated the competition in the likes of which the wrestling world has never seen. Goldberg wanted to be a role model for the kids and, in a way, he was.
But “Da Man” was never a good promo to begin with, and his ability to captivate a crowd with his words still wasn’t there for his Hall Of Fame speech. Even the usually participative crowd didn’t know when to laugh, cry, or cheer while Goldberg was up there. Goldberg speaks better through actions, and this showed up at the worst possible time.
4 BEST: The Fabulous Freebirds
By 2016, it had practically become a running gag that the ‘Birds were never going to get their just due. But there couldn’t have been a better spot than in Dallas, not far from the world famous Sportatorium, home of World Class, where the Fabulous Freebirds got their start.
Michael P.S. Hayes and Jimmy Jam Garvin rocked out and rambled on, paying tribute to not just their fallen fellow 'Birds, via the sons of Bam Bam and Buddy Jack Roberts. They also paid homage to the stars of WCW and praised the future of the industry.
3 WORST: Donald Trump
Note: This has nothing to do with politics, so leave those thoughts at the door.
Donald Trump and his partnership with WWE goes all the way back to WrestleMania IV and V which, to date, are the only back-to-back 'Manias to take place in the same place. Simply put, the Donald has always been a friend to WWE so this kind of makes sense.
However, listening to him get booed out of New York City should've be an indication that his ability to deliver a speech wasn’t very good. Basically, he just gave a recap of what he did with the company plus some introductions for his family. The ceremony was about legendary wrestlers, not him, but he found a way to put himself in the center of attention.
2 BEST: Beth Phoenix
The Glamazon was one of the revolutionary woman that helped to bring forth the Women’s Evolution. Beth Phoenix, even to this day, is still showing the WWE Universe and the world that she’s one of the best performers in Women’s Wrestling history.
Related: Hall Of Fame: Every Female Inductee, RankedAs she took the stage and her rightful place in the Hall Of Fame, she spoke to her Hart family inspirations, gave props to her husband, Edge, and spoke to the hilarious issues married wrestlers might have (“Are these his Zubaz or mine?”). She also has words of inspirations for her daughters: Accept the wonderful differences in people and it will help make your dreams a reality.
1 WORST: Drew Carey
Being “forced” into competing in the 2001 Royal Rumble eventually paid off years later with a Hall Of Fame induction for Drew Carey. While he is a beloved comic and TV star, his induction was a bit of a joke. It seemed that even he knew it was a puff induction.
All he did was praise the superstars for their contributions and how much they put their bodies on the line. This was nothing no fan already knew and admittedly, the whole ceremony could've done without Carey. If you ask him, he'd probably agree.
NEXT: WWE Hall Of Fame: 10 Members With The Fewest Accolades
