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Highlights from the 2020/2021 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony

Aaron Rift

Here are the highlights from the 2020/2021 Hall of Fame ceremony which aired on Tuesday, April 6th…

* Jerry Lawler was introduced as the host. Lawler spoke from a podium by the stage while shots were shown of the Thunderdome virtual audience. There were no other people present in the arena.

* JBL talked about his dreams as a kid of wanting to become a wrestler and breaking into the business. JBL talked about falling in love with getting “white heat” and brought up the storyline with Eddie Guerrero putting his character on the map. JBL praised Ron Simmons for being his best friend and mentioned John Cena ending his run as World Champion. JBL said he would love to do everything all over again and was “eternally grateful” for his career. As for the haters, he said to “cry me a river” and called them snowflakes.

* There was a Hall of Fame red carpet segment with current stars being interviewed.

* Harry Smith did the induction speech for his father the “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith. Harry had a bulldog named Buffy which he called the “granddaughter” of Matilda. Harry thanked the fans and talked about how great of an athlete his father was. Harry brought up his father’s match against Bret Hart at Summerslam 1992 as well as matches against Owen Hart and matches with the Dynamite Kid as a tag team partner. Harry said his father’s spirit lives on through him.

* A video package was shown for Jushin “Thunder” Liger with various WWE stars talking about him. Liger, in a virtual speech, said he was very excited to be honored and had goosebumps. Liger thanked the fans and kept his speech short.

* Jerry Lawler said some words about William Shatner and then introduced the video package. Shatner, who also gave a virtual speech, talked about growing up with wrestling in Montreal and got to know the wrestlers. Shatner also kept his speech short and gave his thanks.

* The 2020 Legacy inductees were Ray Stevens, Brickhouse Brown, Steve Williams, Baron Leone, and Gary Hart.

* The Bella Twins took turns speaking about talked about how they shared everything together so it was only fitting for them to be inducted together. They brought up their history going back to the Diva search and how they found their destiny in the ring. They talked about bringing the women together instead of having them compete against other and Total Divas/Bellas bringing in new fans. Nikki’s record-length title reign was brought up as well as the appearances at the women’s Royal Rumble and Evolution. The Bellas thanked the women as well as the men that helped them along the way. There was a piped-in “one more match” chant.

* There was a video package for Titus O’Neil being the Warrior Award winner. O’Neil’s accomplishments and charitable work were highlighted. O’Neil brought up his tough upbringing with being bullied and being a victim of sexual assault. After joining the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches group for helped troubled kids, O’Neil was told “I love you” and “I believe in you” which gave him motivation to change his life. O’Neil said “real champions” of humanity treat other people with love and support. O’Neil stated “I’ve always wanted to build a life that was not only successful, but also significant” and thanked everyone that helped him grow as a human being. There were piped in “you deserve it” chants.

* The NWO video package brought up how the group were anti-heroes and wrestling started to become more popular than Monday Night Football. Hulk Hogan came out with a spray-painted replica of the WCW World Title. Sean Waltman thanked several people and Scott Hall kept his speech short. Kevin Nash said part of why the NWO worked because the Razor Ramon and Diesel characters left WWE for WCW at the same time. Nash brought up how little kids come up to them with NWO shirts and the group is truly 4-life. Hogan talked about how he saw Hall and Nash join WCW and that influenced him to turn heel. Hogan said the nastier they got, the more the fans cheered for them. Hogan brought up how NWO merchandise still sells to this day and joked about the idea of the NWO having one more run.

* The 2020 portion went about 90 minutes and then transitioned to the 2021 portion.

* Corey Graves and Kayla Braxton were the hosts for the 2021 portion.

* Rob Van Dam’s video package including footage of his run in ECW and his WWE Title win at One Night Stand in 2006. RVD talked about how it’s been full circle since 30 years ago, he would drive from Battle Creek, MI to Tampa, FL which was a hotbed of wrestling. When his father passed away, RVD stated that the positive energy from fans helped him get through it. RVD said it was an honor to join the Hall of Fame with other legends that influenced him. RVD thanked several people including The Sheik, Sabu and wrestling promoters that saw something in him. The speech ended with RVD saying that the induction is a victory for all of them and getting the crowd support during a five-star frog splash was better than any high… and he would know.

* Molly Holly’s video package included interviews from several women including Trish Stratus. Several members of the WWE crew were praised by Molly and mentioned by name. Molly kept her speech short and said she was “eternally grateful” to the fans.

* The Great Khali’s video package highlighted his WWE Title win as well as his influence in India. In a short virtual speech, Khali expressed how happy him and family were about the induction.

* Ozzy Osborne said he didn’t deserve the award but thanked Vince McMahon and Triple H in a short virtual speech.

* The 2021 Legacy inductees were Dick The Bruiser, Pez Whatley, Buzz Sawyer, Ethel Johnson, and Paul Boesch.

* Eric Bischoff’s video package recapped his accomplishments in WCW during the Monday Night War including the NWO. Footage was also shown from his run as WWE RAW General Manager after WCW closed down. The speech started with Bischoff joking that he only had three minutes for his speech. Bischoff talked about his journeys in wrestling and how he stood on the shoulders of the giants that came became from him. Bischoff closed the speech by thanking the fans from the bottom of his heart and “the best is still to come.”

* A video package aired for Rich Hering as the 2021 Warrior Award recipient. It was brought up how Hering was an “unsung” hero that worked behind the scenes for WWE and played a “crucial role” in the company’s development. Dana Warrior provided an emotional message giving her thanks to Hering. In a brief speech, Hering thanked the employees for their work and called them the “unsung warriors.”

* The song “The Red” by Chevelle was used for Kane’s video package. In the video, Kane’s run as a monster and as a more comedic character were both highlighted. Kane brought his mask in a box for the speech. The speech started with Kane saying that he was blessed by being around wonderful people including his parents and his wife. Kane thanked several people in the wrestling business that helped his career get started including Dutch Mantell, Jim Cornette, and Jim Ross. An apology was given to JR for being set on fire. Kane also gave praise to people behind the scenes that helped make WWE what it is. The speech then transitioned to his WWE career with Kane talking about his work with Undertaker and Paul Bearer. Kane called the feud with Undertaker the “greatest story” WWE ever told. Kane wrapped up the speech by thanking the fans for making Kane one of the most memorable characters ever and said that if he could achieve success with his modest beginnings, just imagine what everyone else can do.