Keep Refreshing For The Latest Results<\/p>\n
-Welcome to 411\u2019s Live Coverage of WWE\u2019s 2026 Hall of Fame Ceremony. This is always the biggest show of the year I get to cover and I believe this is the 10th or 11th year I have been honored to do this. Last year was a marathon show and we will see how long into the morning we go this year. I am watching from 90 minutes south of Pittsburgh, so the show starts at midnight for me. Have fun in the comments and we will have a good time honoring legends of the wrestling business. <\/p>\n
-The red carpet is currently airing on YouTube and Facebook. Jackie Redmond looks fantastic. Dennis Rodman was just interviewed and nearly started crying as he talked about the way WWE has honored Hulk Hogan this weekend. I will mention any other highlights as we get closer to the showtime. Thanks for joining me! <\/p>\n
-Jackie and Peter got an interview with John Cena and you can tell it means a lot to him to see AJ Styles get inducted into the Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n
-HHH also and he notes he is more comfortable this year. He was kept out of the loop of the videos being created for Steph, so his reactions are real. She has gone over parts of her speech with him, but won\u2019t share the words she has about him. <\/p>\n
-Big E is with The Bella Twins and Nikki is in a walking boot, but she is saying she is still good for tomorrow. They are excited to see Stephanie. Been a lot of that tonight. <\/p>\n
-Drew went rogue as he joked about the Fatu family always wearing spandex, but never latex. Never change Drew! <\/p>\n
-Big E is with CM Punk and AJ Lee. Take a drink as AJ says she is here for Stephanie. I mean, I get it. She does seem to mean a lot to the women that have been in WWE for the last 30 or so years. <\/p>\n
-We go to Peter and Jackie who are with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch. Becky looks amazing! We get more Stephanie talk as Big E joins the group. It is nearly showtime, so I am going to switch over and see if I can find the ceremony on ESPN Unlimited. I have 2 waters, a liter of ginger ale and a liter of Pepsi to get through the last hour or so. It\u2019s go time! <\/p>\n
2026 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony<\/p>\n
-Then. Now. Together. Forever! <\/p>\n
-We are live on ESPN Unlimited (well, for us in The US). Yes, I do have Unlimited and no, I didn\u2019t pay $30 extra a month for it. I switched from DirecTV last Fall to Hulu Live TV Plus and it saved me $100 a month. <\/p>\n
-Undertaker narrates the opening video package as we get highlights of each inductee and yes, Stephanie is the headliner. <\/p>\n
-I will say having this show back in a theater the last two years vs. the in ring set-up is a million times better. I hope they keep it this was going forward. <\/p>\n
-Michael Cole and The Miz are our hosts for this evening. Cole brings up Mania XXVII where Miz pinned John Cena in the Main Event and his undefeated streak started with a win over Jerry Lawler. He mentions the match with Lawler was voted the worst match in Mania history. I was there and funny enough, that was the last Mania I attended. Miz then puts over Cole for his passion, hard work, and dedication. He thanks Cole and calls him a GOAT. <\/p>\n
-We get jokes as Miz says there are beautiful people out there and the camera pans to his wife (and Trish) and then some not so beautiful (pans to Danhausen). Miz then thanks the fans and the Superstars who sacrifice everything for one moment that lasts forever. <\/p>\n
-Oh wait, Steph may be the headliner, but she is going on first. Going the Paul Heyman route. I assume AJ is closing then. <\/p>\n
-Stephanie video package and it\u2019s still pretty cool and surreal that she was used as one of the kid models in the magazine catalog. I need to go through my old magazines and check that out. Liv Morgan says she learned how to be a bitch from Stephanie McMahon. DROWNING POOL for her video package. Oh man, now all I can think of is Jerich\u2019s \u201clet the boobies hit the floor\u201d line. People forget how great Steph is on the mic and how she can sell a story with her mannerisms and facial reactions. We get a slap compilation and Cole notes she caused him hearing loss. Steph may be a heel on screen, but is a sweetheart off screen and we see all the charity work she has done. As you would expect, WWE production crushed it with this video package. <\/p>\n
Stephanie McMahon<\/p>\n
-Steph\u2019s daughters, Aurora, Murphy, and Vaughn are out to induct her and joining them is Linda McMahon. <\/p>\n
-Aurora speaks first and jokes since she is the oldest, she is the favorite. She talks about her mom thriving in a male dominated business and changing the women\u2019s division. Taking them from popcorn matches to the Main Event of WrestleMania. She taught her about work ethic, the power of your voice, and the power of perseverance. She wouldn\u2019t be who she is without her role model, and inspiration. There is nothing wrong with a daughter who loves and looks up to her mom. <\/p>\n
-Murphy is next and is the middle child. She is here to tell what her mom means to her. She is the most empathetic person she knows as she has the biggest heart. She talks about Connor and how Steph has made it her mission to help children with cancer. CONNOR THE CRUSHER! She talks about her mother\u2019s laugh and how it draws her back. She calls her mom a badass who raised three girls and changed the world with the women\u2019s revolution. They keep cutting to the women on the roster and they are just beaming. \u201cI love you more than you love me.\u201d I like that! <\/p>\n
-Vaughn, the youngest, is up next. She calls her mom\u2019s love infectious. We see HHH in the crowd and he is smiling ear to ear as a proud father should. Vaughn is the singer in the family and felt different because her sisters and parents were athletes. She always knew she could sing and dance in the kitchen with her mom to let go of anything that happened that day. She jokes their dances moves aren\u2019t the best. \u201cI love you more.\u201d <\/p>\n
-Linda is last and says she knows she is a bit prejudice. \u201cAren\u2019t they magnificent? Give it up!\u201d Linda notes she has worn different hats in this journey as a mom and businesswoman. She talks about Steph coming out of college with her parents being in charge of the company and her brother being a high ranking official. She talks about Shane slamming Steph on the couch as kids and then telling her not to tell dad. She notes that Steph was a natural and took to the business like a fish to water. She talks about the charisma Steph had and how she could hold the audience in her hand. She references Forbes ranking Steph as one the most influential women businesswomen in the world back in 2021. She talks about Steph being a Henry Crown Fellow. Linda: \u201cI left the company to pursue a somewhat different career.\u201d I was waiting to see if anyone booed, but nope. <\/p>\n
-Linda continues as now she gets to the mom perspective. She talks about Steph having the best hugs and her laugh being contagious. It\u2019s a loud laugh with gusto from deep in her belly. She has had a window to watch Steph grow from a little girl to a spectacular woman. She calls Paul the love of Steph\u2019s life. She notes Steph is a loving, and nurturing mother. The second part of this speech from Lind has been better than the first half. She hopes she has showed why Steph should be inducted here. She loves Steph with all her heart and congratulates her on this amazing achievement. <\/p>\n
Stephanie McMahon is out and she looks great. For fun we will time each speech this year. I will start with the first word. We get a \u201cthank you Stephanie\u201d chant but she doesn\u2019t soak it in and gets to her speech. She talks about her daughters and how her and Paul were told they may not have children on their own. She thanks modern medicine and the Grace of God. I know about the struggle as my wife had several miscarriages before our first child and more before the second one. Aurora once told Steph that she wanted \u201cPops\u201d (Vince) job. We get a story about Murphy having blow-out diarrhea. That\u2019s one way to embarrass your daughter. Murphy also played tackle football. Vaughn had both John Cena and The Rock sing Happy Birthday to her at different times. She calls them, her greatest gift and she loves them more. <\/p>\n
-She gets to her mom who was the first COO of WWE. She mentions Vince and it gets a bigger pop than you would think. A loud \u201cThank you Vince,\u201d chant. Oh boy! She notes Linda should be the one getting inducted tonight. She thanks Shane for being a protector and thanks her sister-in-law and nephews. <\/p>\n
-She talks about Uncle Ernie (The Grand Wizard) at her house and Ric Flair being there. Hulk Hogan saw her off to her 9th Grade Prom. She mentions Superstar Ice Cream Bars and gives a shout-out to CM Punk. CONTINUITY! She tried to learn from Bruce and Pat as they wrote TV from her living room. She loved everything about the business. She had every job and still remembers Howard Finkel\u2019s extension on the switchboard. The crowd gives her a \u201cyou deserve it chant.\u201d I appreciate a respectful crowd. <\/p>\n
-She puts over the other inductees and talks about being at WrestleMania III. She brings up the crowd of 93,173. SHOTS FIRED AT DAVE! She was devastated when her friend, Andre lost. She tells a story of having a dinner date with Andre. He laughed because everyone in there thought he was a dirty old man. That\u2019s funny! She talks about how everyone was different and it was normal. Pat was gay and married to Louie. Adrian dressed like a woman. Piper was out of his mind and The Iron Sheik bought me drinks\u2026once. That made me laugh! She talks about riding and dying with the characters we love. \u201cAt the end of the day, we are all the same and all we have is each other.\u201d <\/p>\n
-She brings up Connor and how they have raised so much money for cancer treatment in his name. She talks about a program launched called Superstars for Hope and we get a video package of kids in the hospital cutting promos. \u201cHow did you get the name, the destroyer?\u201d \u201cBecause I destroyed cancer.\u201d Okay, that was awesome! I applaud all this! <\/p>\n
-One of the kids, Jimmy Spagnolo, is here and wasn\u2019t supposed to live past 1 year old. In a few weeks he will turn sixteen. Steph has the family stand, and they get a standing ovation from the crowd. \u201cJimmy\u201d chant from the crowd. <\/p>\n
-She apologizes to anyone\u2019s ear drum she popped. She says the blame for the slap goes to her mother-in-law. She loves them and thanks her sister-in-law and her nieces and nephews. Quick mentions and thanks to Shawn, Taker, Nash, Flair. She then just rushes through a bunch of superstars and I can\u2019t recap them fast enough, but it\u2019s cool she shouted out so many. <\/p>\n
-Most importantly, she thanks the man of her dreams: Paul Levesque. He was everything she thought was wrong, but she could not resist him. He would flick pieces of paper at her. He asked if he could call her to talk business, \u201cand we never stopped talking.\u201d She starts to get emotional and notes, \u201cyou flirted with me first.\u201d <\/p>\n
-She thought she lost her time with WWE a few years ago, but she has been brought home. She says everyone who has touched this business is family and WWE will always be \u201cour home.\u201d <\/p>\n
-Finally, she goes full Stephanie McMahon mode as she gets a mic and cuts a heel promo. Fantastic! She calls Sami Zayn a B Plus player! Sami catching strays and filling in for Daniel Bryan. She crushed this promo! She demands they get on their feet and bask in her glory. Okay, this last bit made me smile. Her speech ended up being under 20 minutes, so props! <\/p>\n
-I am getting a run of ESPN commercials which is fine as it gives me a chance to get up and walk around. Steph\u2019s speech was solid and kept at a decent length and the big think I took away is she loves her daughters and they love her. Everyone needs a mother\u2019s love. <\/p>\n
-The crowd shows Seth and then GUNTHER and the crowd doesn\u2019t do the boo and yeah thing. Sad! <\/p>\n
-Miz talks about Legacy and how \u201cyou may not have been there to see them live, but you know who they are.\u201d Um, there are a lot of us that were there to see Sid live. Bad News too! <\/p>\n
Bad News Brown<\/p>\n
-Bad News is a Legacy Inductee and we get a solid video package narrated by Joe Tess! <\/p>\n
-The family is introduced and we see them sitting in the crowd. They are given a standing ovation. Again, no speech sucks, but it\u2019s better than they way the Legacy honorees were treated under Vince\u2019s ownership. Again, to be clear, they should still be given a chance to speak for a few minutes. <\/p>\n
Demolition<\/p>\n
-HERE COMES THE AX AND HERE COMES THE SMASHER! Joe Tess narrates this video package as well. There are some local ties here as Eadie is from Brownsville, PA (my first girlfriend went to Brownsville, and I have been to the school many time) and my friend who pushed me to write for 411, also graduated from Brownsville (shout-out Kent). Ax and Smash had a legendary run as Tag Champions and their record run lasted nearly 30 years. This is an induction this long past due. <\/p>\n
-Haku, Arn Anderson, and Warlord are out to induct Demolition. That is an interesting Trio, but I guess each is one half of a tag team from Demolition\u2019s era. Warlord says it is an honor to put up here. He talks about their achievements in the ring and we actually get WWF bleeped. I didn\u2019t know they still did that. He jokes he had a bunch of Mr. Fuji\u2019s canes broken over his back. Haku is next and jokes Andre The Giant and Bobby Heenan would be shocked he is standing here talking about Demolition. He talks about the famous feud he and Andre had against Demolition. That match at Mania VI wasn\u2019t great, but the moment where Demolition regained the Tag Title was something else and then the Andre turn afterward was the cherry on top. He says it was an honor to be in the ring with Ax and Smash. Arn is next and the crowd loves having him back. Arn says this is special for him because Barry is one of his best friends. He says they beat the hell out of him and Barry was his friend. Barry told him they had to protect the gimmick. He notes Demolition set the standard for tag teams and that music would hit and cause chill bumps (TM Rock). <\/p>\n
Demolition are out and this is great seeing them get this moment. THAT SONG STILL SLAPS SO HARD! \u201cYou deserve this,\u201d from the crowd as Barry puts over Stephanie McMahon speech. Bill looks emotional and that makes me happy. Barry talks about meeting Vince, who showed him the Demolition character. He told him he could pull off the character. He knew Bill from a mutual friend and they were partners. He notes things clicked the first day they were in the ring together. He thanks Bill for this moment as he made the decision to become Smash so easy. They have been best friends and training partners and he followed Bill\u2019s lead. He talks about the crazy depth of the tag division: Powers of Pain, Colossal Connection, Brain Busters. He thanks the late, Mr. Fuji and calls him a great man. He thanks Brian Adams (Crush) and that\u2019s wonderful to hear. He thanks his wife, who is in the crowd. \u201cShe is the best partner I ever had\u2026sorry Bill.\u201d His son is also here and is a police officer, who works with canines. Cool! He has his three grandkids stand-up and wave. I always have time for people being proud of their grandbabies! He thanks WWE, HHH, and the fans for making Demolition. <\/p>\n
-Bill is up next and says he never thought he would see this day. He sees the Superstars and envies them. That\u2019s great! I can\u2019t stop smiling! I love Hall of Fame for moments like this. These men and women deserve moments like this. \u201cYou deserve it chant.\u201d Barry thinks they should a run in at Mania and the crowd pops. Bill says he will walk! I guarantee there would be people on the roster that would sell like crazy for them. Back to Bill as he thanks Andre, Vince Sr and Jr, Inoki, and Mr. Fuji. \u201cGood manager and better friend.\u201d Seeing the wrestlers just captivated by their words is wonderful. He thanks the fans for the support. He thanks his wife Sue, who is in the crowd. She has stood with him since day one and always supported his dream. He jokes that she bought three homes while he was on the road and he could home and not know where he lived. That\u2019s funny! He thanks his daughter and son-in-law and four grandsons. \u201cThey give me the reason to keep going.\u201d He thanks Jesus, who has been with him when he was at his weakest and needed guidance. He was asked about how he would feel getting inducted and HE QUOTES DUMB AND DUMBER! \u201cI like it, I like it a lot.\u201d That was awesome and I am so happy for them! They got about 12 minutes for their speech and that seemed about right. It didn\u2019t seem like they were rushed. <\/p>\n
-ESPN commercials! <\/p>\n
-Cole brings up Miz having history with celebrities. Miz mentions McAfee and they crowd boos. Miz: \u201cInteresting as you weren\u2019t doing that when he punted me.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dennis Rodman<\/p>\n
-Joe Tess narrated video package and we see Rodman with The Bulls. I have that SI issue with Rodman on the cover. Rodman ended up in the nWo and it was perfect. Look at the crowds as they just doused the ring in trash and pop and whatever else they could throw. Nash think\u2019s it\u2019s great Rodman skipped practice to go to Nitro. I believe it was mentioned he was fined by Phil Jackson, but he made many times more going to Nitro. Ron Harper said he was a smart businessman for doing it. If you weren\u2019t watching then, you have no idea how big of a deal it was for Dennis Rodman to wrestle a match. <\/p>\n
-NWO WOLFPACK THEME! GREATEST HALL OF FAME EVER! Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman are out to induct Dennis Rodman. Nash\u2019s voice is wrecked as he says he is a hermit and doesn\u2019t speak much. The fans get him to drop a \u201cHey Yo.\u201d Sweet! Nash mentions Rodman was paid $250,000 and was fined $20,000. What I mentioned earlier. Smart man! Nash says Rodman was part of the greatest group of athletes either, the nWo! Nice! Waltman says when you are nWo, you are nWo 4 Life! <\/p>\n
Dennis Rodman is out to the classic nWo theme. He asks Vegas how they are doing and notes this is his second home. He seems emotional. He is wearing a Hollywood Hogan shirt. He jokes he had a speech written, but Stephanie said it for him, so he doesn\u2019t have to be up here long. He is happy to be here to support the wrestlers and puts over how wrestlers love their community. He talks about the people in the business that have been damaged physically and how wrestling hasn\u2019t turned their backs on them. He says if he didn\u2019t play basketball he would have been into wrestling full time. He drops the word shit and corrects himself. He doesn\u2019t want to get emotional. He thanks Jimmy Hart and puts over the career he had while noting he eats peanut butter on cucumbers in the morning. He thanks Eric Bischoff and starts to cry as he talks about his 82-year-old neighbor that he talks to everyday. He shows off the Hogan shirt and we get a \u201cHogan\u201d chant. Dennis says he is having a good time and mentions Nick Hogan. He has known Nick since he was 3 years old and puts over Hulk for always standing beside his son. He says shit again and tries to cover. CM Punk noted on the preshow he wanted to see Rodman\u2019s speech because he wanted it to be a shit show that went off the rails. We are here! I am not sure what Dennis is doing now as he just shouts out people. He promises us the ending and talks about The Hogan statue and wonders why it took so long. He cuts a Hogan promo and ends with nWo 4 Life. Yeah, not sure what that was but it was what you would expect from a Dennis Rodman induction speech into a wrestling Hall of Fame. That went a bit over 7 minutes. <\/p>\n
-ESPN commercials! <\/p>\n