IWE Hall of Fame
From Iwe
| IWE Hall of Fame | ||
| IWE Hall of Fame logo since 2019. | ||
| Formation | March 22, 1993 (28 years ago) | |
| Members | 228 total inductees 120 Individual inductees 46 Legacy inductees 17 Group inductees (49 wrestlers) (-8 inducted twice) 12 Celebrity inductees 7 Warrior Award inductees | |
| Webstie | ||
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by IWE. Originally known as the "IWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993, when André the Giant was posthumously inducted with a video package. The 1994 and 1995 ceremonies were held in conjunction with the annual King of the Ring pay-per-view events and the 1996 ceremony was held with the Survivor Series event. After an eight-year hiatus and after the International Wrestling Federation (IWF) had been renamed to International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), the promotion relaunched the Hall of Fame in 2004 and has held the ceremonies in conjunction with WrestleMania ever since. Since 2005, portions of the induction ceremonies have aired on television and since 2014, the entire ceremonies have aired on the IWE Network.
As of 2021, there have been 228 inductees, with 120 wrestlers inducted individually, 46 Legacy Inductees, 17 group inductions (consisting of 49 wrestlers within those groups), 12 celebrities, and 7 Warrior Award recipients. Eight wrestlers have been inducted twice (individually and as part of a tag team/group): Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Bret Heart, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean McCurry. McCurry's two inductions are both as a member of a group, D-Generation X (as X-Pac) and the New World Order. 58 members have been inducted posthumously.
[edit] History
[edit] Specialty inductees
[edit] Celebrity wing
[edit] Warrior Award
[edit] Legacy inductees
[edit] Legacy inductees
In 2016, IWE introduced a new category for the Hall of Fame called the "Legacy" wing. Inductees in this category are from several eras of wrestling history, going back to the early 20th century. All but two inductees, Hisashi Shinma and MSG Network creator Joseph Cohen, have been inducted posthumously. Legacy inductees are recognized with a video package at the ceremonies.
The Legacy wing also has some criticism around it, specifically regarding the abbreviated way of the inductions. Professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer said "this is the category they (IWE) use to honor people who, for whatever reason, they don't feel are marketable names to the modern audience to put in their actual Hall of Fame". In contrast, long time pro wrestling promoter and manager Jim Cornette criticized the fact that recognizable names like Jim Londos or El Santo were part of a video package. Bruiser Brody's widow stated that she did not know her husband was going to be inducted into the 2019 class until the day of the event and that she was not invited to the ceremony.
[edit] Classes
[edit] Class of 1993
| IWE Hall of Fame (1993) | ||
| Promotion | IWE | |
| IWE Hall of Fame chronology | ||
| ← Previous First | Next → 1994 | |
IWF Hall of Fame (1993) was the inaugural class of the IWE Hall of Fame. During the March 22, 1993 episode of Monday Night Raw a video package announcing André the Giant's induction was shown. No ceremony took place, and André was inducted posthumously. In March 2015 a condensed version of the 1994 ceremony was added to the IWE Network. Due to no original ceremony, the 1993 induction of André was discussed by Gene Okerlund and Renee Young as part of the 1994 commentary.
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | IWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| André the Giant (André Flemming) | None | One-time IWF World Heavyweight Champion, one-time IWF World Tag Team Champion. |
[edit] Class of 1994
| IWE Hall of Fame (1994) | ||
| Promotion | IWE | |
| Venue | Omni Inner Harbor International Hotel | |
| City | Baltimore, Maryland | |
| IWE Hall of Fame chronology | ||
| ← Previous 1993 | Next → 1995 | |
IWF Hall of Fame (1994) was the event that featured the introduction of the second class to the IWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the IWF on June 6, 1994 from the Omni Inner Harbor International Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The event took place the same weekend as King of the Ring.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the IWE Network. Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | IWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland | Shane Matteson | One-time IWWF United States Tag Team Champion and long-time manager in IWF. | |
| Bobo Brazil (Houston David Hardman | Ernie Ladd | Four-time IWWF United States Champion, one-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion and held over thirty NWA regional titles. | |
| Buddy Rogers (Herman Ed Reeves Jr.) | Bret Heart | Posthumous inductee, One-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and first IWWF World Heavyweight Champion. | |
| Chief Jay Strongbow | Tatanka | Four-time IWWF/IWF World Tag Team Champion. | |
| "Classy" Freddie Blassie | Regis Philbin | Held over thirty NWA regional championships. Long-time manager in IWF. | |
| Gorilla Monsoon (Robert Paul Majesty) | Killer Kowalski | Two-time IWWF United States Tag Team Champion. Former IWF announcer and onscreen President. | |
| James Dudley | Vince Matteson | First African American to run a major arena in the United States. |
[edit] Class of 1995
| IWE Hall of Fame (1995) | ||
| Promotion | IWE | |
| Venue | Marriott Hotel | |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| IWE Hall of Fame chronology | ||
| ← Previous 1994 | Next → 1996 | |
IWF Hall of Fame (1995) was the event that featured the introduction of the third class to the IWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the IWF on June 24, 1995 from the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event took place the same weekend as King of the Ring.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the IWE Network. Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.
The 1995 class featured two posthumous inductees. Antonino Rocca was presented by his wife, and The Grand Wizard was represented by Bobby Harmon.
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | IWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonino Rocca (Antonino Tommy Bergeron) | Miguel Pérez | Posthumous inductee. One-time IWF International Heavyweight Champion | |
| "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd | "Cowboy" Bill Watts | Won several NWA regional titles, and was one of few professional wrestlers to have had a successful career in American football | |
| George "The Animal" Steel | Pat Myers | One of professional wrestling's first monster heels | |
| "Polish Power" Ivan Putski | Scott Putski | One-time IWF Tag Team Champion | |
| The Fabulous Moolah (Marjorie Martin) | Alundra Blayze | A three-time IWF Women's Champion. Her first reign is recognized as lasting a record 28 years The first woman to be inducted. In 1999 she won the Women's title one more time. | |
| The Grand Wizard (Ernie Woods) | Sgt. Slaughter | Posthumous inductee. Long-time heel manager in IWF | |
| Pedro Morales | Gorilla Monsoon | Savio Vega accepted the induction One-time IWWF World Heavyweight Champion whose reign lasted nearly three years The first IWF Triple Crown Champion He was also the first Latino to win the world title |
[edit] Class of 1996
| IWE Hall of Fame (1995) | ||
| Promotion | IWE | |
| Venue | Marriott Marquis | |
| City | New York City, New York | |
| IWE Hall of Fame chronology | ||
| ← Previous 1995 | Next → 2004 | |
IWF Hall of Fame (1996) was the event which featured the introduction of the fourth class to the IWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by the IWF on November 16, 1996, from the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New York. The event took place the same weekend as Survivor Series.
In March 2015 a condensed version of the ceremony was added to the IWE Network. Due to the original ceremony only being partially recorded and not originally intended to air, Gene Okerlund and Renee Young host the program with added commentary.
Due to Vincent J. Matteson's death in 1984, he was posthumously inducted by the Matteson family.
| Image | Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | IWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Baron" Mikel Scicluna | Gorilla Monsoon | One-time IWWF World Tag Team Champion One-time IWWF United States Tag Team Champion | |
| "Captain" Lou Albano | Joe Franklin | One-time IWWF United States Tag Team Champion As a manager, he led 13 different tag teams to a record 17 tag team titles, and four singles wrestlers to various championships His association with Cyndi Lauper was pivotal in turning professional wrestling into a mainstream phenomenon. | |
| Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka | Don Muraco | One-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Two-time NWA World Tag Team Champion Two-time XCW Heavyweight Champion | |
| Johnny Rodz (Rich Rodriguez) | Arnold Skaaland | Wrestled in IWF for nearly two decades | |
| Killer Kowalski (Brian Edward McAlmond) | Triple K | One-time IWWF World Tag Team Champion, held 17 NWA regional championships | |
| Pat Patterson (Greg Trenary) | Bret Heart | One-time and first IWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion, one-time AWA World Tag Team Champion and held over 20 NWA regional championships Credited as the creator of the Royal Rumble match Patterson won the IWF Hardcore Championship in 2000 and the IWE 24/7 Championship in 2020 | |
| Vincent J. Matteson | Shane Matteson | Posthumous inductee. Founder and longtime promoter of the International (Wide) Wrestling Federation |
| Group | Inducted by | IWE recognized accolades |
|---|---|---|
| The Valiant Brothers | Tony Garea | One-time IWWF World Tag Team Champions First tag team to be inducted into the IWE Hall of Fame |
| Jimmy Valiant (Michael Fannaly) – four-time NWA Television Champion Johnny Valiant (Johnny Scarle) – became a manager in the IWF and AWA during the 1980s | ||
[edit] Class of 2004
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2004)
[edit] Class of 2005
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2005)
[edit] Class of 2006
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2006)
[edit] Class of 2007
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2007)
[edit] Class of 2008
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2008)
[edit] Class of 2009
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2009)
[edit] Class of 2010
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2010)
[edit] Class of 2011
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2011)
[edit] Class of 2012
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2012)
[edit] Class of 2013
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2013)
[edit] Class of 2014
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2014)
[edit] Class of 2015
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2015)
[edit] Class of 2016
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2016)
[edit] Class of 2017
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2017)
[edit] Class of 2018
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2018)
[edit] Class of 2019
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2019)
[edit] Class of 2020
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2020)
[edit] Class of 2021
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2021)
[edit] Class of 2022
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2022)
[edit] Class of 2023
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2023)
[edit] Class of 2024
- Main article: IWE Hall of Fame (2024)
[edit] To be inducted
[edit] Future Class (TBD)
| Category | Inductee | Inducted by |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Batista | N/A |
[edit] Ceremony dates and locations
| Ceremony | Date | Location | Venue | Host | Associated Event |
|---|
[edit] Reception
[edit] Omissions and refused inductions
[edit] Quality of inductees
[edit] Praise and criticism
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Template:IWE Hall of Fame Template:Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame
