Diamond Dallas Page to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017Diamond Dallas Page, a world champion-turned-fitness guru, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017 during WrestleMania 33 Week. The news was first reported by RollingStone.com.
DDP’s journey to the Hall is an unlikely one, to say the least. The Jersey Shore native broke into sports-entertainment in his 30s, starting out as a manager in Verne Gagne’s AWA while still working as a nightclub manager in Florida. Page took his flashy aesthetic from the clubs, coming to the ring clad in leather, studs and diamond-encrusted jewelry, and accompanied by beautiful bombshells he called “Diamond Dolls” on each arm. He backed up his brash look with trash talk on the microphone and cunning intellect in the corner. DDP led Badd Company to the AWA Tag Team Championship before heading to WCW.
Page took charge of the Fabulous Freebirds as Michael “P.S.” Hayes and Jimmy “Jam” Garvin turned from southern rebels to glam rock megastars, leading them to the WCW Tag Team Titles. DDP also guided the early careers of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Raven before stepping into the ring himself on a full-time basis in 1991. As a 35-year-old rookie, Page’s chances of success seemed slim, but his unmatched work ethic and determination to succeed would pay off in the long run.
Though he found moderate success as a villain in WCW, capturing the company’s Television Championship, he broke out on a worldwide scale after turning down membership in the nWo. DDP found himself an unlikely man of the people, but embraced the love of fans around the world, who continued to be amazed by the seemingly infinite ways Page found to catch his opponents out of nowhere with his signature move, the Diamond Cutter.
DDP skyrocketed into stardom through his rivalry with the nWo and one of its top members, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, taking part in a thrilling series of matches throughout 1997. Page soon became one of WCW’s top heroes, and the man that celebrities like Basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone and late night television icon Jay Leno wanted to team with when they stepped through the ropes.
Years of hard work finally paid off for DDP at Spring Stampede 1999, when he defeated a trio of wrestling legends – Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Sting – to capture his first WCW World Championship. Page went on to capture the title on two more occasions before WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001. During his career in WWE, Page tried to show the WWE Universe and some of the squared circle’s most sour Superstars what a positive attitude could do for them. His efforts resulted in a reign as WWE European Champion, which he successfully defended on The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania.
Yet for all his accomplishments inside the ring, DDP is also a Hall of Fame human being. After stepping away from the squared circle, he dedicated his life toward helping people take control of theirs. He developed DDP Yoga, a fitness program based around the exercises that helped him stay in the ring game for so long. Page also used DDP Yoga to pay back two of his friends and mentors – WWE Hall of Famers Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Razor Ramon – by having the two legends move into his home and work toward getting back into shape.
It is for his accomplishments in and out of the ring that Diamond Dallas Page is more than deserving of induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“Well, I was really surprised, you know?,” Long said, when asked about his reaction when he got the call. “I had thought about being inducted into the Hall of Fame and I thought ‘well, if they’re going to do that, I’m pretty sure my time will come one day.’ And that’s what did happen. I was real excited, it’s such an honor to be a part of something like this. To go into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame… man, it’s just great. It don’t get no better than that.
“I just want to thank Vince McMahon and the McMahon family, and the WWE Universe, and all the people that just hung out with me and wanted some more Teddy Long. I’m just excited right now so I’m kind of lost for words.”
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, March 31 at the Amway Center in Orlando.
It was first reported by CBS Sports that the legendary tag team The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express will be joining the 2017 class of the WWE Hall of Fame.
The tag team of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson thrilled fans for years as one of the most successful babyface tandems in the world. They were one of the National Wrestling Alliance’s hottest acts in the 1980s with eight reigns as NWA world tag team champions, four between 1985-87 while working for Jim Crockett Promotions.
The phone call from WWE to extend the hall of fame invitation caught Morton and Gibson off guard. Morton considers it a dream come true.
“It was a surprise,” he told CBS Sports. “I had a message on my phone [from WWE] to call the number back. I think they got ahold of Robert at the time. When they called, it was just like a suckerpunch. It just knocked us off our feet.”
“It’s an honor for Ricky and me to go into the hall of fame,” Gibson added.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express were the prototypical 1980s good-guy duo, using fast tags and double-team offense to propel them to victory. Most of their opponents were larger and more vicious than they, which only helped feed their popularity as the presumed underdogs who feared no challenge and somehow found ways to win.
In their roughly 40-year careers, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express worked all over the world, including various NWA-affiliated territories, the AWA, Smoky Mountain Wrestling and a series of WWE appearances in the 1990s. In all, the duo has held dozens of tag team titles spanning more than 15 organizations.
While Morton and Gibson were already skilled in the ring, it was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express gimmick that made them very popular with fans, first in Memphis and later in the Mid-South territory in Louisiana.
When they made the jump to the Crockett promotion, their popularity soared, thanks to a major boost in nationwide television exposure and the company pushing them to the top immediately. Morton and Gibson won the NWA tag team titles on their very first night wrestling for Crockett, beating Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev in Shelby, North Carolina.
“Robert and I were just there the other night in the same building,” Morton said. “It’s cool to go back and see stuff like that. Winning the belts at that moment was one of the biggest highlights of our careers.”
In the 1980s, two themes were commonplace in sports entertainment: The Russian bad guy and the patriotic, good-looking hero. In 1985, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Russians was a safe bet to make money. Nobody knew that better than the man known as “The American Dream,” Dusty Rhodes.
“Dusty Rhodes was the booker and Robert and I were the All-American babyfaces,” Morton said. “That’s the part that you gotta know about Dusty Rhodes. He was smart about everything. The United States had a little heat with Russia. We had this [feud] going on with Ivan Koloff and Barry Darsow [as Khruschev] and Nikita Koloff, the Russians. Man, they had so much heat. It made it a lot easier. But all the talent in those days were great entertainers.”
The Morton and Gibson that fans saw on TV at 6:05 p.m. every Saturday on WTBS were a pair of care-free, colorfully-clothed, bandana-wearing, mullet-headed youths. In terms of appearance, they would have fit in just as well opening for Def Leppard as they did double-dropkicking Ole Anderson in the mouth in a wrestling ring.
Ricky & Robert were looking for a fight, then a party — in that order. They became wildly popular with fans and attracted a large female following.
“It was crazy, man,” Gibson said. “It was like we shocked the wrestling world. We were like rock stars back then. The fans were great everywhere we went. It was unreal.”
“When Robert and I hit TV on TBS, when this rock thing come on, buddy, I’m telling you,” Morton said with a laugh. “You didn’t have all the beefed-up security when you went in the building. Man, it would be so packed. You’d be lucky to get to the ring with your tights on.”
As their fame grew, so did the safety risks associated with drawing large crowds of wrestling fans wherever they went.
“It was kind of crazy, because some places we had to go to, we had to meet with the police officers to get escorted into town,” Gibson said. “Then they would escort us out of town because the fans would line up as soon as the matches were over. They were in their cars trying to follow us out, and the police had to actually escort us in and out of the buildings.”
One time, Morton and Gibson arrived at a scheduled show in Greensboro and were trapped in their vehicle by a swarm of fans.
“Robert had just bought a brand new Trans Am,” Morton recalled. “Man, when you got 4,000 people and they rush, their faces was pushed up against the windows. It took 45 minutes for the police to get to the car to get them off. Robert’s brand new car looked like it had been in one of them derby things. It was beat all to hell.”
“Yeah, me and Ricky pulled in the parking lot and they swamped the car,” Gibson said. “I’m blowing the horn, ‘Get off my car!’ They couldn’t move. The people up front couldn’t move, because like Ricky said, it was probably 40, 50 people deep, on top of each other.”
Morton and Gibson’s greatest rivals were the Midnight Express, managed by loudmouth, tennis-racket-wielding Jim Cornette. The Midnight Express underwent a few personnel changes over the years but were most successful with two specific lineups: first with “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton and “Loverboy” Dennis Condrey, and later with Eaton and “Sweet” Stan Lane.
Both of those versions of the Midnight Express feuded with Morton and Gibson in the Crockett promotion. Some battles happened on top of a scaffold, some in a steel cage, but they were all classics, and the fans ate it up.
“Dude, we’d have matches where they’d be getting the heat on me and the fans would hit the ring and everything,” Morton said. “Bobby and Dennis, or Bobby and Stan Lane, with Cornette, I think we had some of the greatest matches of all time. It comes up a lot when I’m on the road, with every fan just about every night, man. ‘Gosh, I remember those matches with y’all and the Midnight Express!’ And they’d go through a whole bunch of ’em. It was one of the best times and one of the best rivalries, I think, of all time.”
As if being locked in perpetual battle with the Midnights wasn’t enough, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express were also challengers to the empire of Ric Flair and his Four Horsemen pals.
Being thought of as one of the top tag teams of their era is no small accomplishment considering who else was around in those days This was the era of the Road Warriors, the British Bulldogs, the Fabulous Freebirds and the Hart Foundation, to name just a handful of teams.
But the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express were as influential as any of their peers. Just ask Shawn Michaels or Marty Jannetty, who saw their careers take off once they started dressing like Morton and Gibson and referring to themselves as the Midnight Rockers.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express will join fellow inductee Kurt Angle in this year’s class. The 2017 Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place on March 31 at the Amway Center in Orlando as part of the WrestleMania 33 weekend. You can watch the entire ceremony live on WWE Network.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express was formed with Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson in 1983 in Memphis by head booker Jerry Lawler. They were originally paired together as an alternative to the popular team of The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) when they could not wrestle in certain towns. The gimmick of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express was a couple of high flying wrestlers who loved glam metal music, as it was a popular genre of music at the time. In 1983 and 1984, the team participated in a series of matches against The Galaxians, the Bruise Brothers (Porkchop Cash and Troy Graham), and the team of Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage.
They soon made their way to Mid-South Wrestling where they started a feud with the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton, Dennis Condrey, and manager Jim Cornette). The feud began when Cornette threw a celebration for the Midnight Express after they won the Mid-South Tag Team Championship. During the celebration, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express shoved Cornette’s face into the celebratory cake. The rivalry between the two teams carried on into the National Wrestling Alliance.
That’s a no-brainer. I had just started with WWE and had a program with Austin right after I beat Rock for the world title. I had a quick skit with Stephanie and Triple H, and then it was right on to Austin. We had some memorable feuds and some very funny segments, so he is at the top of my list.
Steve was one of the most giving individuals. He took me in and allowed me to shine even when it was still his time. I don’t ever compare myself to Stone Cold. He is the guy who elevated wrestling to a level that nobody ever went before, but he enabled me to show my talents when he very well could have said no. He was a very giving individual, and he is one of the guys who had the biggest impact on my career.
Angle spoke with ESPN after being informed of the news on Monday. He said:
“I was shocked. I’ve been out of WWE for a long time and out of touch with them so I didn’t really expect this. It’s a huge honor. This is the only Hall of Fame that I’m not in and probably [the one] I want to be in the most. This is the one that means the most for me. I had a lot of fun entertaining the fans for seven years with WWE, and I’m glad that my hard work paid off.”
Angle revealed that he received a phone call from Triple H on Monday with the news.
“I figured they either decided they didn’t want to do anything with me or they forgot. Hunter said they never forgot and he called and told me this is the first thing they want to do. And whether I wrestle or not after this — which is irrelevant right now — I’m just really proud to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I gave a lot of energy and time to WWE those first seven years, and I’m grateful that they recognized it.”
Angle also told ESPN that his current deal runs through the Hall of Fame ceremony but does not include a WrestleMania 33 match.
“We have not talked about any wrestling. Whether we do or not, that remains to be seen… There are no guarantees. I think right now the most important thing is the Hall of Fame — and I think both sides feel that way.”
It’s true, it’s true! Kurt Angle will be taking his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 just two days before WrestleMania 33, as first reported by ESPN.com.
“Kurt Angle’s accomplishments both in the Olympics and WWE were extraordinary,” said WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul Levesque. “He was one of the most gifted athletes to ever enter the ring, and we are honored to welcome him into the WWE Hall of Fame.”
Before becoming a legend of the squared circle, the proud Pittsburgh native was a world-class amateur competitor, becoming a two-time All-American and a two-time NCAA Champion while wrestling for Clarion University in his home state of Pennsylvania. His incredible amateur career culminated at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he fought off the incredible pain of a “broken freakin’ neck” to win the gold medal for the United States of America.
In 1998, Angle made the jump from amateur to professional wrestling by signing with WWE. One year later, the gold medal grappler made his debut at Survivor Series 1999, picking up the first win of an undefeated streak that saw Angle capture the European and Intercontinental Championships. His unbelievable rookie campaign culminated at WWE No Mercy in October 2000, where he defeated The Rock to capture his first WWE Championship.
Though his wrestling ability was unparalleled, Angle adapted to the entertainment side of sports-entertainment better than anyone could have expected. Whether it was preaching his “three Is” – intensity, integrity and intelligence – taking part in a five-second pose with Edge & Christian or joining “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for a backstage sing-along, The Olympic Hero was able to make the WWE Universe laugh when he wasn’t wowing them with his athleticism.
By the time he left WWE in 2006, Angle had become one of the company’s most decorated stars in a short period of time. His resume includes four reigns as WWE Champion, a World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW, United States, Hardcore, Intercontinental and World Tag Team Championships. In addition, Angle was the 2000 King of the Ring and even served as General Manager of SmackDown.
In honor of these accomplishments, along with his incredible contributions to the WWE Universe during his storied career, Angle will be enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Tickets for the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony will be available starting this Friday, Jan. 20, at 10 a.m. ET. For complete information on how you can see Kurt Angle take his place in sports-entertainment history, visit Ticketmaster.com.
Word now is that WWE NXT General Manager William Regal will get the nod for this years WWE Hall of Fame.
Other names considered for the 2017 class are WWE’s 12th Grand Slam Champion Christian, current agent and former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotunda (Irwin R. Schyster) and former WWE Tag Team Champions The Natural Disasters – John Tenta (Earthquake) and Fred Ottman (Typhoon), according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio. Tenta would be inducted posthumously as he passed away in 2006.
As noted, we also know that former World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page and former Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude will be going in this year.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 1st from the Amway Center in Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend. WWE may announce the headliner next week as tickets for the event officially go on sale.
Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider. No word yet on the headliner for this year’s class but it does not appear to be DDP.
DDP, one of the most-liked names in the business, has had success behind-the-scenes and in the ring but became somewhat of a household name after launching DDP Yoga and going on to help troubled stars WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Page has helped numerous other wrestlers, including Mick Foley and Vader.
WWE officials are finally planning on inducting “Ravishing” Rick Rude into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider.
Roode, who passed away in April 1999, made appearances for WWE, WCW and ECW, among others. He held the WWE Intercontinental Title and the WCW United States Heavyweight Title, among others. He was forced to retire after suffering a back injury during a match against Sting in 1994.
There are rumors of a current WWE employee being inducted this year but we haven’t confirmed that name yet.
The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 1st from Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend.
A new graphic e-mailed out by WWE Network today confirms that rapper Snoop Dogg will be inducted into the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame next Saturday night in Dallas.
Snoop, a big pro wrestling fan, has made several WWE TV appearances over the years and is Sasha Banks’ cousin.
The Fabulous Freebirds revolutionized tag team wrestling in their heyday, and now, one of the biggest beneficiaries of their innovations will induct them into the WWE Hall of Fame. Before a sold-out American Airlines Center and a worldwide audience watching on WWE Network, reigning WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day will present Michael “P.S.” Hayes, Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts and Jimmy Garvin as members of the Hall’s Class of 2016.
“You talk about smooth tag team wrestling and people that wrestled like a family, the Freebirds were one of the first wrestling families that were able to take over,” Kofi Kingston told WWE.com.
The tie that binds these two factions is the “Freebird Rule” Hayes and his crew created, allowing any two members of their team to participate in a match or defend their titles. Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have used the Freebird Rule to their advantage, using it to hang on to the WWE Tag Team Titles during their two reigns as champions.
“The Freebird Rule has helped The New Day in many ways,” Xavier Woods said. “It allows us to create a different kind of strategy against our opponents that no other team has. You don’t know if you’re going up against Kofi and Big E, Kofi and myself, or Big E and myself. We have different strategies for different opponents. You never know what you’re going to get, like a box of Booty-Os.”
And just how does the always entertaining trio plan on honoring the Freebirds? WWE.com tried to get Kingston, Woods and Big E to offer a hint, but The New Day would not budge.
“Oh, you want our secrets, huh? You want us to open our box of secrets?” Big E replied. “No, sir! You have to wait and see!”
How will The New Day pay homage to one of sports-entertainment’s most influential factions? Find out when the WWE Tag Team Champions induct The Fabulous Freebirds into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 2, live at 8 ET/5 PT, only on WWE Network!
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