Since 2004, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony has been hosted in conjunction with WrestleMania weekend. Widely regarded as the unofficial beginning of WrestleMania, the ceremony has had many notable entries over its two decades of existence.
As entrants for this year’s class have begun to be announced, there’s no better time to start investigating who may induct each of them into the illustrious Hall of Fame.
Muhammad Ali
We’ll begin in the celebrity wing, as Muhammad Ali has been announced as one of the latest entrants into the WWE Hall of Fame. Ali’s history with professional wrestling goes back to 1976 when the three-time World Champion took on Antonio Inoki in an exhibition match in the Tokyo Dome.
Ali’s most notable involvement with the sport will likely be his role as the special guest referee in the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania. He delivered a signature right hand to Roddy Piper, restoring order to the match after a chaotic spell.
One of the victors from that evening (Hulk Hogan and Mr. T) may be a suitable selection for inducting Ali. However, it’s more likely that his widow, Lonnie Ali, will bear the responsibility.
The pair were married for thirty years until his unfortunate passing in 2016. During their time together, they were inseparable and worked hard to ensure each other had the best quality of life.
Lonnie acted as Muhammad’s primary caregiver for many years, and Ali financially aided his wife in finishing her MBA education.
Between them, they also adopted a son, who would be a fine contender to induct his father into the Hall of Fame. Either way, it seems set that Lonnie, perhaps alongside her son, will induct ‘The Greatest’ into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The US Express
Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda were one of the most exciting tag teams in professional wrestling when they debuted as The US Express in 1983.
Windham came from a historic wrestling family. His father, Blackjack Mulligan, has also been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of The Blackjacks, and Windham himself has previously entered the Hall of Fame as a member of the Four Horsemen.
With the concept of family playing such an important part in the group’s existence, it seems logical to go down that route when thinking about who will induct them.
From the very first #WrestleMania… to the WWE Hall of Fame.
Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham are a legendary tag team with deep family ties to our business. Their influence will be felt for generations to come.
It was an honor to tell the US Express that they’re #WWEHOF bound. pic.twitter.com/PT4m7rQVIt
— Triple H (@TripleH) March 8, 2024
Rotunda’s sons, Windham and Taylor (known as Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, respectively), have both had successful careers in WWE and having Rotunda’s youngest son induct the duo into the Hall of Fame would make sense here.
In what would be an undoubtedly emotional affair, having Dallas induct his father’s team would be a poignant moment for the family. Taylor Rotunda would be the perfect candidate to take on this responsibility.
Thunderbolt Patterson
In the 1960s, Thunderbolt Patterson broke onto the professional wrestling scene in Kansas City and went on to work for a number of promotions across the United States.
He had an impressive career over his years, winning championship gold in various promotions, including the NWA National Tag Team Championship. However, Patterson is more notably recognized for his work as a pioneer of racial equality in wrestling.
He was one of few to speak out about the poor working conditions for wrestlers at the time, and this “rebellious” behavior saw him blacklisted from wrestling as a whole in the mid-1970s.
His complaints about racist behavior from promoters saw him struggle to be booked for work for a long time during a dark period in professional wrestling history.
Patterson’s blacklisting was lifted by the ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, which leads me into the man that I believe should induct him into the Hall of Fame.
Although ‘American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes is scheduled for a busy weekend at WrestleMania, he would be an excellent candidate to induct Patterson into the WWE Hall of Fame.
BREAKING: As first reported by @andscape, Thunderbolt Patterson will be inducted into the #WWEHOF Class of 2024!
FULL DETAILS 👉 https://t.co/0auS3qvmfW pic.twitter.com/ybNCRuY0nn
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2024
Rhodes has discussed his work in previous interviews, explaining that Patterson was one of his father’s biggest inspirations.
Allowing Rhodes to utilize his exceptional public speaking skills would be a smart choice, elevating the importance of this induction even further.
Although the 2024 Royal Rumble winner has big plans for both nights of WrestleMania, having him feature in a prominent role at the Hall of Fame ceremony would be an intelligent choice.
Bull Nakano
As a former WWF Women’s Champion, you’d be forgiven for thinking Bull Nakano spent more time in WWE than she truly did. Her stint with the company was, in fact, only around nine months. However, during that time, it could be argued that she found her greatest rival in Western wrestling.
Her match with Alundra Blayze at SummerSlam 1994 for the title was the beginning of a feud between the two, which saw both women earn victories over the other throughout. Nakano was released shortly after losing the title back to Blayze, but their rivalry was long from over.
After she departed from WWF, Nakano found her way to WCW, where she worked her way through the women’s roster before meeting Madusa (formerly Blayze in WWF) and picking up where they left off.
Madusa won the feud over Nakano, destroying her motorcycle and solidifying herself as the victor. She later credited Nakano as “an incredible talent” and is widely respected as one of her best-ever opponents.
For this reason alone, Alundra Blayze should be the one to induct Bull Nakano into the Hall of Fame in 2024.
As a member of the WWE Hall of Fame herself, I believe it would give the induction some added weight and present an opportunity to celebrate Nakano’s career from the perspective of her greatest opponent.
Paul Heyman
The first name to be announced for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Paul Heyman, had been rumored to be entered for a long time.
With WrestleMania XL being hosted in Philadelphia, the spiritual home of ECW, the announcement that Heyman would be entering the Hall of Fame came as no surprise to anyone. Interestingly, Heyman has declined entry on multiple occasions but finally appears to have become open to the idea.
As one of the most celebrated and successful advocates in wrestling history, it seems challenging to pick just one person to induct Heyman.
Some of his prestigious ECW alums would be the best choice.
Tommy Dreamer, The Dudley Boys, and Rob Van Dam immediately spring to mind. Each of them owes a great deal of their success to Heyman. However, RVD’s current affiliation with All Elite Wrestling may make this a difficult concept to implement.
Instead, one of Heyman’s former clients should be the one to induct him.
He has worked alongside multiple WWE Champions, including Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns, all of whom notably worked with the ‘Wise Man’ to further their careers. However, one man who seems to be without a set plan for WrestleMania is CM Punk.
Punk worked with Heyman throughout his record-breaking run as WWE Champion in 2012/2013, with the pair bringing out the best in one another. Of course, this may need to be clarified in kayfabe.
However, WWE has steered away from the kayfabe aspect of the Hall of Fame ceremony in recent years, and Punk’s involvement would be sure to boost the excitement of the live crowd.
As the original “Paul Heyman Guy,” CM Punk would be able to pay a fitting tribute to his former advocate’s career and would be the perfect selection to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Entrants Yet to Be Announced
As there are still a couple of weeks before WrestleMania XL, one or two additions could still be made to the Hall of Fame class.
If reports are to be believed, Lia Maivia (The Rock‘s grandmother) will be announced at a later date. Only when reports are confirmed, however, would it be smart to suggest anything further.
Let us know if you agree or disagree with any of the above decisions! Here’s looking forward to April 5th, when we will find out for sure whether these were right or wrong.
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