With Triple H, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg reuniting to close the October 10th edition of WWE Raw, D-Generation X celebrated their 25th anniversary.
Billy Gunn of AEW was noticeably absent from the reunion. According to reports, WWE considered bringing Gunn back for the reunion, but that did not happen.
Gunn’s longtime tag team partner, Road Dogg, stated on his podcast that Gunn wanted to appear and that it broke both of their hearts that it didn’t happen. He also stated that Triple H, Michaels, and Waltman were upset that Gunn didn’t appear.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reported that WWE and AEW were in “meaningful talks” about having Gunn appear on the show. Money was not a factor because neither WWE nor AEW President Tony Khan offered or requested money.
According to Meltzer, “Khan agreed to let him do to the show, but on the air, they would have to mention he’s from AEW, or that AEW allowed him to appear or some wording, but there had to be one mention that in some form he works for AEW, just as WWE already did when they got Mickie James for the Royal Rumble this past year.”
According to the report, WWE stalled when responding to Khan and would not agree to the terms at the last minute.
On the latest episode of X-Pac 12360, Sean Waltman discussed getting approval from Vince McMahon to use his name during DX’s WWE Hall of Fame speech last Saturday night.
As noted, McMahon has been notorious for not wanting his name mentioned during the Hall Of Fame speeches, which led to an incident with writer Robert Evans during the ceremony last Saturday. Evans reportedly got heat for Bret Hart’s induction speech for the Hart Foundation, which he had helped out with.
“I think Bret mentioned Vince a bunch of times and Vince got really hot,” Waltman explained. “I think someone might have gotten fired. Then we went out and said it a million times and no one got fired… I’m not kidding! Vince was pissed!
“I get it, that’s a thing for (Vince). Like it’s his company, and then people go out there and they do that.”
Evans, who has worked on the WWE creative team since the fall of 2016, clarified on Twitter this week that he actually quit the company after getting heat for the incident.
Waltman said that Joe Belcastro, who is the head writer for WWE NXT, helped produce their speech. Waltman noted that Belcastro was nervous with DX mentioning Vince after the incident with Evans. Waltman said that he turned to Shawn Michaels to step in.
“I said, ‘Shawn, you go ask (Vince)!’,” Waltman said. “Shawn went and asked him and Vince just said, ‘Have fun’.”
DX went on to do a gag for several minutes during their speech about how they could not mention Vince’s name while saying it many times.
WWE and ESPN have confirmed that DX will be going into the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class during WrestleMania 35 weekend. It will be Chyna, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” BG James, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels going in together as a group.
“I think it’s the most meaningful for us all to go in together and to be recognized together,” Triple H told ESPN. “Because I think both groups were [just] as impactful.”
Triple H told ESPN that the idea to induct DX as a group had been “swirling around” for some time before a few key events and decisions allowed everything to slide right into place.
“It’s a funny thing, because DX was something that, before Kevin [Nash] and Scott [Hall] left, at the time we all talked about using ‘The Kliq’ as it was — kind of morphing that into television, since it was so out there anyways,” Triple H said. “But things worked out the way they did — they left, and the timing was right. Shawn and I still wanted to do it. Vince saw the value in it, I guess, and finally let us go at it. By that point in time I was looking for a heater, and we had brought Chyna.”
ESPN noted how fans have wanted Chyna’s role in WWE history to be better recognized, and how her induction with DX is a major step forward in that regard. Triple H said Chyna absolutely deserves to be in the Hall.
“Look, people believe what they want to believe. When I said a few years ago on the Austin podcast, or show, or whatever you want to call it, there’s complexities around it,” said Triple H. “But absolutely, definitely deserves to be in there. It’d be tough to pick a female that was more impactful on the business. She did something that was completely so out of left field that it wasn’t even being considered when we first brought it up for her to come in. It wasn’t even a consideration… it wasn’t an easy thing, and against all odds she did all of that. She earned everybody’s trust. She won over the fans. She won over the boys. She did all of it. From that standpoint, absolutely 100 percent deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and should probably be more than once — as a group, but individually as well. There’s more complexity to that than meets the eye, but here we are. I’m just happy that it’s here. I’m happy for her family, the people that she was close to, that hopefully this is super meaningful to them. I know it would be to her. It’s a great thing — very deserving.”
Below is WWE’s full announcement on the induction:
D-Generation X to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019Are you ready?
As first reported by ESPN, D-Generation X, the most rebellious group in WWE history, are the first inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019. As first reported by ESPN, Triple H, Shawn Michaels (who now joins Ric Flair as a two-time inductee), Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac and the late Chyna will take their place in sports-entertainment history during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., during WrestleMania 35 Week. Tickets for the ceremony will be available starting Friday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. ET.
DX was born out of the friendship between Shawn Michaels and Triple H, along with Chyna and their “insurance policy,” “Ravishing” Rick Rude. The two pals were lewd, rude and in-your-face, bucking authority and letting anyone in their way know that they had two words for them. Their penchant for crossing the line with regularity led to Bret “Hit Man” Hart calling Michaels “nothing more than a degenerate,” which HBK embraced, sparking the idea behind the alliance’s name.
When Michaels went on a hiatus from the squared circle following WrestleMania XIV, Triple H expanded the membership of the group, welcoming in The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg & Billy Gunn, and the cocky X-Pac. Though you might not think it would be possible, the new DX turned up the irreverence to 11 and helped lead WWE into the Attitude Era. DX’s defiance wasn’t just limited to WWE. In one of the most infamous and groundbreaking moments of the era, the rebels hopped aboard a tank and drove from Monday Night Raw to rival WCW’s Monday Nitro, launching one of the biggest attacks in The Monday Night War.
The group eventually went their separate ways, but the DX name would not be limited to the history books after that. Following a long rivalry against each other, Michaels and Triple H patched things up and donned the green and black once again. The reunited DX may have only been the tag team of The Game & HBK, but that did not stop them from making Mr. McMahon’s life a living hell. The two troublemakers were a thorn in the side of the WWE Chairman, subjecting him to a flurry of pranks, even going so far as to vandalize Mr. McMahon’s personal limo and jet, and leaving their mark on the façade of WWE’s world headquarters. But it wasn’t only fun and games for Michaels & Triple H, as they also captured the WWE Tag Team Championship along the way.
Even though they disbanded once again and moved on to other roles within the industry, the DX Army maintained a close bond, and the tight-knit unit got the band back together for special occasions like Monday Night Raw’s 25th Anniversary, where they shared a “too sweet” moment with the Bálor Club.
And now, D-Generation X will enter the annals of sports-entertainment history. What will the rebels have to say when they take their place in the WWE Hall of Fame? Find out during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. during WrestleMania 35 Week. Tickets for the ceremony will be available starting Friday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. ET. Don’t miss your chance to witness history!
Iconic stable D-Generation X (DX) look to be the headliners of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony … and Chyna appears to be going in with them.
An advertisement apparently aired locally in the New York area, seen below, which states the popular group will be inducted this year and tickets go on sale Friday.
Shawn Michaels, Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and Chyna are all featured in ad.
Chyna’s mother and friends have been on a public mission to get the deceased wrestler inducted into the Hall of Fame ceremony this year. Based on the advertisement, it looks like they achieved their goal.
This will also be the first inductions for Triple H, the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac.
After live blogging for 3 hours and 15 minutes last night and having a blast doing it, how do I start with this post. My favorite moment (several), favorite match (again, more than one), biggest surprise (two huge ones, so I don’t know which to choose), best segment (it would be easy to say the entire show). So where do I go?
How about THANK YOU WWE and your entire staff, AND THANK YOU Mr. McMahon for what you did for us – the fans of the WWE Universe!
Check out how The Boss opened the show. And for everyone who thinks he is arrogant and cocky, this may shock you. How could Vince have been more humble than this:
First, is the DX reunion (PG Version). Of course it was great when HHH and HBK came out, but I really popped loud when HHH said, “Didn’t there used to be more of us”? Out comes The Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac and the band was back together. Check it out here:
Next let me share with you the Legends moment of the night where Lita was Heath Slater’s opponent but after Slater got a little over confident – she brings out the APA, yes Ron Simmons and JBL. That sent Slater headed back up the ramp but then, blearing from the speakers comes the words, “Whhhhhaaattttt A Rush”, that’s right Road Warrior Animal and ALL the Legends that have had a part in the weekly Heath Slater beat downs come down the ramp and throw Slater back into the ring. Aww heck, the video says it way better than I can so I will end this part with ONE word, Ron Simmons style – DAMN!!!!
Ok I do have to add, didn’t Lita look awesome with the Twist of Fate and the Moonsault from the top rope.
Finally, I loved the HHH/Brock Lesnar segment, and it may have been Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon who stole the segment, that and HHH clotheslining Lesnar over the top rope and out of the ring.
Ok, I can’t keep it to just three – I’ve got to include the “cold chill” moment of the night – the reunion of the Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker and Kane.
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