2015 WWE Hall of Fame Report: Kevin Nash, Randy Savage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Connor Michalek, Others

– The 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Red Carpet Special kicks off with Michael Cole and Maria Menounos in San Jose, California. We see Superstars, Divas, Legends and their families finding their seats. The hype the show and we go to Byron Saxton, who’s with Paige and Alicia Fox. We then go to Renee Young, who’s with Lilian Garcia. Lilian says this never gets old. Her favorite part is hearing all the different stories from the Hall of Famers. We go back to Saxton and he’s joined by Jake Roberts. Jake talks about how he’s tried to talk to Roman Reigns about the WrestleMania 31 main event on Sunday. Jake talks about Randy Savage and says it’s painful not knowing Savage is here. Jake also talks about Kevin Nash but says his heart is with Randy because damn it, he should be here. Renee is with Bret Hart and his wife Stephanie. Bret says Natalya tried to get him to wear a pink tie but that was nixed. Bret says no wrestler deserves to be in the Hall like Savage does. Bret says Savage was a real brother to all who knew him and Randy is probably the wrestler he misses the most next to Owen Hart.

– Cole and Menounos are with Roman Reigns and his wife. Reigns says the butterflies are starting to set in but tonight it’s about a celebration. Cole brings up his uncle Rikishi’s induction. Reigns says it seems like his family is dominating the hotel in town. We come back from a break and Renee is with Diamond Dallas Page and his girlfriend Brenda. DDP tells the inductees to make sure they breathe before going out on stage. Cole and Maria are with Eden and her father-in-law Dusty Rhodes. Maria does a rendition of Dusty’s “hard times” promo. Renee is with Maryse and The Miz. Maryse shows off her dress but Miz says he’s the one who should be interviewed. Saxton is with Roddy Piper and his wife. Piper talks about how cool WrestleMania and the Hall of Fame is. Piper is proud of everyone. He talks about working with The Bushwhackers and calls them one of the greatest tag teams. Maria and Cole are with Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan. Cole and Bryan talk about being on The Soup. Bryan also talks about inducting Connor Michalek and says it will be hard to get through but he deserves it. Bryan gets emotional when talking about Connor and Brie says there won’t be a dry eye tonight. We go to another break.

– We come back and Renee is with Booker T and Sharmell. They step into the Vine booth and record a video. Saxton is with John Cena and Nikki Bella. Cena talks about the importance of the Hall. Nikki talks about Alundra Blayze, calling her an inspiration and the first-ever true solid Diva. Cena talks about the respect he has for the Warrior Award and is looking forward to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s induction. Nikki says this is like WWE’s prom night. Cena tells her she looks beautiful and they kiss. Cole and Maria are with Big Show and his wife. He talks about some of his friends getting inducted and is looking forward to kicking off WrestleMania in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Renee is with Christian now. He says he’s been in hibernation. Christian says he’s been staying busy and trying to get healthy. Christian talks about Alundra Blayze dropping the Women’s Title in the trash can on WCW Nitro. Saxton is with Mark Henry and his son Jacob. Henry says he wants his son to get some experience so he’s not looking like a deer in the headlights when it’s his turn. Cole and Maria are with Lita next. She talks about Blayze and the trash can incident also. We go to Renee and JBL. He talks about climbing a mountain this week and calls it no big deal. We go to another break.

– We come back and Cole and Maria are with Jerry Lawler and his girlfriend. Lawler jokes on the reports of Eva Marie hosting the ceremony tonight. Renee is with The Usos and a few youngsters. They talk about inducting their dad into the Hall of Fame tonight. Saxton is with Ron Simmons now. Simmons talks about how important the Hall of Fame is to him. Randy Orton is with his girlfriend, Cole and Menounos. Orton is asked about his match with Seth Rollins. Orton says the most important thing about tomorrow is stealing the show and he’s got a good opponent to do that with. Orton talks about how fun the Make-A-Wish event was last night. We take another break.

– We come back and Renee is with Hulk Hogan, his wife, Brooke Hogan, Nick Hogan and their dates. Hogan talks about Randy Savage and how he helped raise his kids. Renee asks Brooke about Macho Man and she calls his induction bittersweet. She wishes he was still here as he’s part of the family. Renee also asks Nick about Savage’s induction and he says everything comes full circle tonight. Nick says the induction is well-deserved. Cole and Maria are with Michael “PS” Hayes. Hayes talks about how it’s going to be a great night and how the Hall of Famers sacrificed. Cole brings up last night’s NXT live event and Hayes says it was really cool. He says the future is so bright he has to wear shades. Renee with Dana Warrior and her daughters. Dana talks about how important tonight’s Warrior Award is and meeting Connor’s dad. We go back to Cole, Maria, Saxton and Renee for final hype on tonight’s ceremony. That’s it for the pre-show.

– The 2015 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony opens up with a video package on tonight’s Legends. We’re live from the SAP Center in San Jose as we see the many stars seated in the crowd. Jerry Lawler is introduced as the host and out he comes to a big pop. Lawler welcomes us and says this is his favorite night of the year. He hypes this year’s class and leads us to the video package for Rikishi.

We come back and Lawler introduces The Usos. They come out and get a big pop for saying they’re from the Bay Area. They say they’re inducting a hometown star and that gets another reaction. They talk about growing up as Rikishi’s kids and watching him evolve through different characters over the years. They say the first time they remember seeing Rikishi on TV what stood out was his huge rear in a thong and we see it on the big screen. They say that big rear end put them through college and the crowd pops. They get serious and talk about how Rikishi’s passion took him from being a poor kid break-dancing for change to a WWE Hall of Famer. They do a pretty cool introduction for Rikishi and out he comes to an ovation.

Rikishi hugs them and tells them they’re going to have a talk after this. Rikishi tells the crowd to get louder. He mentions being backstage with Triple H and Vince McMahon. He tells the camera to zoom in on his Hall of Fame ring. Rikishi says every wrestler dreams of getting inducted and now this is a reality for him. Rikishi talks about coming from the Anoa’i family and we see many family members in the crowd. Rikishi talks about the family, the Samoan Dynasty, being in WWE for over 50 years. He names Peter Maivia, Afa, Sika, Samu, The Rock, Yokozuna, The Tonga Kid and Umaga, who the crowd chants for. He names Manu, The Usos and Roman Reigns, who gets some boos. Rikishi is forever grateful to Afa and Sika. Rikishi points out his own dad in the crowd and has him stand up to honor him. Rikishi thanks his parents for always supporting him but wishes his mother was still with us to see the induction. Rikishi says he knows his mother is smiling down on them and he loves her. Rikishi thanks his brothers and sisters and gives a shout out to his wife in the crowd, calling her his Superwoman. Rikishi says he wouldn’t be standing here tonight if it weren’t for the love from the best fans in the entire world. Rikishi repeatedly thanks the fans. Fans start chanting his name now. Rikishi feels like his life has come full circle. He brings up running Knox Pro Academy in California with his brother and former WWE star Gangrel, who gets shown on camera. Rikishi gives a shout out to Rusev, who trained at his school. Rikishi says it’s important to do what you love and he’s done that for more than 30 years in this business. Rikishi says it’s in his DNA, it’s his entire being. Rikishi talks about remembering the hotels, the motels, the traveling, the missed birthdays and family events. He remembers every show, every walk through the curtain, every pyro, every dance move and ever Stinkface. Most importantly he remembers the face of every fan he performed for. Rikishi says what he will remember most of all is this moment right now with everyone here for his induction. Rikishi says he’s honored and humbled to be inducted into the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame, where he was born and where he was raised. Fans chant his name again. Rikishi says a few words in Samoan and gets another applause as we see his dad looking on. Rikishi says he can’t leave his fans like this and had been stretching backstage. Rikishi tells The Usos to do it with him for the people. They put his trademark shades on him and the music hits as they do the Too Cool dance with one of The Usos doing The Worm and everything. The crowd claps along and they wrap it up. We go to a break.

– We come back and Lawler leads us to the Hall of Fame video package for Larry Zbyszko. Lawler introduces Bruno Sammartino over and touts his legendary title reign. Bruno comes out to an ovation and thanks the crowd.

Bruno says he first met Zbyszko when he was 15 or 16 years old. Larry seemed humbled and said he was a big fan that wanted to be a pro wrestler. Sammartino told Larry to keep wrestling in high school and keep good grades then they will see. Bruno returned home again and every time he did, Larry would pop up at his house wanting to be trained. Larry came out of high school ready to get into pro wrestling but Bruno advised him to go to college, get a degree and Larry did. Bruno said he kept working out with Larry every chance he did and he became a terrific wrestler. Bruno says he started using Larry on some local shows in Pittsburgh and Larry was a natural. Bruno says he was extremely impressed with Larry and mentioned him to Vince McMahon Sr., leading to Larry getting a chance. Bruno goes on and talks about how Vince Sr. gave Larry a shot at the top. Bruno brags on how Larry was selling out major arenas and fans were turned away. Bruno says Larry was one of the hottest tickets in wrestling and had a successful career around the world for more than 20 years. Bruno then talks about Larry’s broadcast career. Bruno says Larry definitely left his mark on the business and now he’s being rewarded. Bruno introduces Mr. Larry Zbyszko and out he comes to an applause.

Larry says the WWE Hall of Fame is really a dream that came true. Larry talks about how his dream was to be like Bruno. A big “Larry” chant breaks out. Larry tells a story about he and Bruno and gives Bruno credit for getting his career started. Larry names all the big names he worked with. He says it all started by walking through this man’s backyard and talking to him through his hedges. Larry says Bruno took him under his wing and he still doesn’t know why. Larry says this is an amazing… he gets another applause. Larry says he’s had the reputation of being a big mouth all these years but now he’s almost speechless. Larry says it’s hard to explain what happens to a young man’s dream when you get frustrated… Larry goes on about Bruno and loses his train of thought. Larry says he thought this was going to be easy. Larry talks about how Bruno breaking his neck shocked the wrestling world and hung up his boots. Larry keeps losing his train of thought it seems. He says so much for trying to think up a speech because it’s not working. A “thank you Larry” chant starts and Larry says that’s what he’s talking about. Larry thanks Bruno from the bottom of his heart for letting a young boy’s dream come true when he didn’t have to. Larry says there was another man involved in wrestling history and another man who he drove crazy – Vince McMahon Sr. Larry says he wants to send an e-mail to that big office in the sky. Larry says Vince Sr. believed in his dream and the old school era went out right with the show at Shea Stadium. Larry says years ago he found himself a rabbit hole and dove in. He says Bruno was there and opened the door to a wrestling wonderland and he’s still not sure why. Larry says he just came out the other end and there was Bruno letting him out. Larry says now he’s standing here wearing the same ring as his hero. Larry calls this a perfect ending to an outrageous dream he had. Larry says now he gets to go home and be what he used to be – one of the biggest wrestling fans alive. Larry says he’s going to come home after a long hard day of golf, sit in his electric massage chair and cheer on a new generation that’s clinging on to a colossal new global era. Larry says he’s proud to be part of its history. Larry goes on and gives big credit to the WWE Universe, hoping their dreams come true too. The music hits and Larry gets another ovation before making his exit. We go to break.

– Jerry Lawler introduces the Hall of Fame video package for Alundra Blayze. Lawler says there’s only one thing that can make his heart stop again – Divas. Lawler introduces Natalya and calls her the best looking member of the Hart family. Natalya says Alundra was a woman ahead of her time. She calls her dominant and beautiful. Natalya calls her a revolutionary and talks about the trash can incident on WCW Nitro which gets some boos.

Natalya says when she first found out she was inducting Blayze she had to tell someone and hopes Arn Anderson doesn’t get mad at her for telling this story. She tells a story about Alundra standing up to Arn backstage and says that’s why she is proud to induct this special person into the Hall of Fame. She reads a quote and introduces the former Madusa to a big pop.

Blayze says she bets we didn’t see this coming and she didn’t either. She says she’s proud of Natalya for carrying on the Hart legacy. She’s honored to be inducted and asks what took so long. Madusa talks about getting into the business with Ed Sharkey and having her car repossessed while she was living in it. She talks about getting a call from Wahoo McDaniel to work with the legendary Sherri Martel. Alundra says her time working in AWA got her ready for All Japan, WCW and then laid the foundation for her introduction to Greg Valentine and Pat Patterson to get into WWE. Alundra wants to pay homage to a woman who made it possible for every other woman in this business – The Fabulous Moolah. Moolah’s name gets a big pop and Alundra thanks her for paving the way. She names other stars including Curt Hennig and Diamond Dallas Page, calling him a future Hall of Famer who inspired her. She also gives a shout out to her Japanese wrestling family and says her values were formed during her three years there. Her wrestling style would not have evolved into what it was if it wasn’t for the likes of Bull Nakano, Aja Kong and others with All Japan. She names others in Japan and gets emotional. She also thanks her 92 year old grandmother, her mother and her father she never knew. She tells him he would be so proud. She thanks other friends and family members, managing to get in a $9.99 WWE Network plug. She also gives a shout out to her Monster Jam family and her Madusa fans, which gets a pop. Alundra tells her crew chief she has a race next week and her truck better be ready. She also thanks people who “did the job” in her matches. She really thanks jobbers and names Evan Karagias, Heidi Lee Morgan, Luna Vachon, Wendy Richter and others, thanking them for facilitating her success. She gives a big shout out to Paul Heyman and says she was the first Paul Heyman Girl, which gets a big pop. She names The Dangerous Alliance – Heyman, Steve Austin, saying she had the biggest crush on him. She names Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Zbyszko and the late Rick Rude. She says Rude’s matches were mesmerizing and says he’s a future Hall of Famer for sure. She gets emotional when saying she’s honored to be inducted into the same class as the immortal Randy Savage, calling him an amazing man who we all miss. She gives a shout out to Team Madness partners Gorgeous George and Molly Holly. She thanks WWE for what they’re doing with talents and gives a shout out to Mark Carrano. She thanks her husband, who she rarely gets to see is currently deployed and has been in the service for over 30 years but he is in the crowd tonight as Army officials arranged for him to be here. He stands up in uniform and gets a big applause. Blayze asks for all first responders and service members to stand up and be recognized also. She says let’s get to “some fun shit” and is censored. She says let’s address the elephant in the room – the trash can incident. She talks about being on the toilet and getting a call from Eric Bischoff, which gets boos. She talks about how this led to her going to WCW and The Monday Night War kicking off with the trash can incident on Nitro. Blayze wonders what the hell she was thinking. She says she did it for job security but it was Eric’s idea to get WWE’s attention. She says she still gets asked about it daily and it’s become the defining moment of her career. She says she’s lived with what she did every day but is at peace with it at now and so should we be. Natalya brings a trash can out. Blayze pulls bra & panties out, tossing them and knocking Bra & Panties matches. She brings out a bottle of JR’s BBQ sauce and says she hated doing that match. She brings out a copy of Eric Bischoff’s book and says they’re still friends. She brings out the title belt next and calls it a damn good looking women’s wrestling belt. She jokes that some of the Divas today would probably kick her ass. She places the title on the podium and says the title is finally at home where it belongs. She loves her career in wrestling and says this is the highest honor for any sports entertainer. She knows so many others are equally qualified to be standing here and she shares this honor with them. She tells others coming up to never give up on their dreams because you never know what happens. She tells new fans that she’s held this title for about 20 years but currently drives a monster truck and is a two-time Monster Jam world champion. She puts herself over and says you can call her Alundra or Madusa, she doesn’t give a damn, but this Diva will never be subdued. She thanks WWE and wishes us goodnight. We go to break.

– Lawler shows us video of Triple H revealing The Ultimate Warrior statue at Axxess on Thursday night. We then get a video package for Warrior, the Warrior Award and Connor Michalek. Lawler introduces Dana Warrior and out she comes with the statue and the award. She says it’s an honor to be here, terrifying but still an honor. She talks about being here one year ago and watching her husband give his Hall of Fame speech. She says she was very proud and talks about how she believed in her husband.

Dana gets emotional when talking about how hard it was to lose her husband but she says he gave her some of that Warrior spirit along the way. Dana thanks her daughters and says they have been her reason to wake up every day and fight to make them proud. She borrows a line from Warrior and says the most awesome thing she will ever do is be their mom. She thanks her friends who have helped her get through the past year and thanks the legion of Warriors. She thanks the WWE Universe for loving them and holding them close. She thanks the Divas, Superstars, corporate office and production. She says WWE isn’t just a company, it’s a family and she will never forget what they have done for her. She thanks WWE for lightening the burden. She thanks Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, who we see getting emotional. She says they might be “bad guys” but they’re really good friends. She thanks other friends and Steve Wilton, Warrior’s best friend and business partner. Dana then starts talking about Connor. She says the award is about the impact you leave on other people and the legacy you leave behind. Dana challenges everyone to make a donation to Connor’s Cure in the name of The Ultimate Warrior. Dana says if the Warriors raise $1 million in one month, she will do something crazy Warrior related like run to the ring, shake the ropes or possibly bodyslam someone. She jokes about slamming Hulk Hogan and says she’s just kidding, there’s nothing but love there. Dana introduces Daniel Bryan and gets a “yes!” chant going. She says Warrior thought Bryan was a perfect example of an underdog making it to the top. She says Bryan is the real deal. Bryan comes out to a big pop and a chant but he’s already emotional.

Bryan apologizes for having his hands in his pockets but says he’s trying to control the crying. Fans chant his name. Bryan says he really appreciates that but everything he’s done is fiction, it’s not real. Bryan says if he’s inspired people that’s great but he’s talking about something that’s real. Bryan says Connor inspired him. Fans start chanting Connor’s name. Bryan says that’s more like it, fans should be chanting for Connor and not him. Bryan talks about first seeing Connor on YouTube when he made a video so he could meet Bryan. Bryan says Connor stole his heart as soon as he met him. Bryan says there was something special about Connor and what he noticed from the start was Connor’s strength. Bryan talks about Connor being diagnosed with brain cancer at 3 and the life he lived after that with having to go through chemotherapy. Bryan says even then, when you met Connor he was full of life and confidence. Bryan talks about the mini-match with Connor and Triple H. Bryan talks about how Connor was still watching at the end of WrestleMania XXX and Bryan looked out during his celebration and just saw the love between a father and son. Bryan talks about why Connor is the perfect recipient for the first Warrior Award and fans chant “thank you Connor.” Bryan introduces Connor’s dad Steve Michalek to accept the award and out he comes to an applause. Fans start chanting Connor’s name. Steve thanks Connor and says he wouldn’t be able to stand up here in front of these people without Connor’s spirit. Steve thanks Dana and commends her for being a great mother. Steve thanks Bryan and says Connor’s love for WWE began with Bryan. He also thanks Triple H and Stephanie for starting Connor’s Cure. He’s proud that the foundation is already so successful and producing results in the cancer community. Steve gives credit to the WWE Universe for their donations to the foundation. Steve says when Connor walked into a room he owned it and was ready to put on a show, it came natural to him. He says no moment was ever too big and Connor was never star struck. Steve goes on about how special Connor was and mentions his friendship with Justin Roberts. Steve says doctors said Connor wouldn’t make it to WrestleMania but he did and was a part of history with Daniel Bryan. Steve says Connor will also be his best friend and his hero. Steve is proud that Connor has made such an impact on so many lives. Steve introduces Connor’s little brother Jackson and he gets cheered too. Steve raises Jackson up and he waves at everyone. Jackson has just one thing to say to his brother… “I love you Connor.” The music hits and we go to break.

– We come back and Jerry Lawler introduces us to the video package for The Bushwhackers. We come back and he plugs the WWE Network, joking that there are 9 Hall of Famers tonight and once you’re done hearing them all talk you’ll feel like you’re 99 years old. Lawler introduces John Laurinaitis and out he comes to a People Power chant. Laurinaitis says tonight is not about him or People Power, it’s about The Bushwhackers. Laurinaitis talks about how he carried the flag for Butch and Luke when his career began. He was sent to Florida to work with them by Dusty Rhodes, who Laurinaitis tells to stand up for an applause. Laurinaitis talks about how The Bushwhackers started together over 30 years ago. Laurinaitis also talks about being their roommate and says he probably has stories that wouldn’t be appropriate for tonight. He says they were his mentors, his brothers, his family, his mates, his beginning and they shaped sports entertainment. Laurinaitis says it’s an honor to adopt the two into the Hall of Fame and out they come doing their march.

Butch is using one crutch but they’re both riled up. They do some Bushwhackers comedy and talk about one of their mentors – Killer Kowalski, who gets a pop. They talk about working with Killer in Australia in the 1960’s. They also talk about working with Andre the Giant in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. They both compliment each other on how they look tonight. Luke asks if Butch tastes like sardines tonight. They talk about working with Peter Maivia. Butch tells a story about working Maivia in Samoa and Luke tells a story about working for Stu Hart in Stampede Wrestling. Butch says they had heat everywhere and were doing hardcore before it was hardcore. They say they were the crazy Sheepherders but now they’re on the biggest stage and they’re The Bushwhackers, liked by kids and grandparents. They thank everyone. They say it wasn’t until they came to WWE when they went from wrestlers to celebrities and did big things around the world. They ask Roddy Piper to stand up and he gets a pop. Piper does their march over to the stage to greet Butch and back to his seat. Ted DiBiase, Sr. does the same. They acknowledge Stu Hart and get Bret Hart to do the same. He gets a big pop on his way to the edge of the stage. Finally they ask Hacksaw Jim Duggan to stand and greet them. Duggan gets a huge pop. Butch gets his wife Helen to stand in the crowd. He thanks her and tells her he loves her. Butch also gives love to his daughters watching back at home in New Zealand. Butch then thanks one more person… his Cousin Luke. This gets a pop but Luke doesn’t want to get sick by licking him, he jokes. Butch says you can’t have a better partner than the one he’s had for 34 years. Luke thanks the WWE Universe one more time for giving two boys from Down Under a chance to be on the big stage. Butch ends up licking Luke’s face any way and they do their march across the stage before leaving.

– Lawler leads us to the Hall of Fame video package for Tatsumi Fujinami. We come back and Lawler introduces Ric Flair to a big pop.

F;lair comes out and talks about how he’s honored to be here. He says the work he’s done since 2008 is some of his favorite. He also mentions his daughter Charlotte and how cool that is. Flair says he’s been going to Japan since 1972 and has wrestled all the greats. He praises how tough the Japanese wrestlers were and how the trainers at the dojos tried to break young wrestlers but they couldn’t break Fujinami. Flair asks Vader to stand and he gets a big pop. Flair talks about Vader and Fujinami battling for the IWGP World Championship and then how Fujinami defeated Flair for the NWA World Title. Flair gives props to Vader and says he can go, thanking him for their interactions over the years. Flair says he loves The Great Muta but Fujinami is the greatest Japanese wrestler in history. Flair says he’s being hurried along but it’s his honor to induct Tatsumi Fujinami into the WWE Hall of Fame. Fujinami comes out and they hug.

Fujinami says he’s proud to be here and thanks everyone. Fujinami goes on and thanks his wife and family, who are in the crowd. He thanks everyone again and wraps up the speech to an applause.

– Jerry Lawler comes back out and leads us to the Hall of Fame video for “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

We come back and Lawler praises Hulk Hogan before introducing him. Hogan comes out and does his best Macho Man impersonation. Hogan says Savage was something else… a friend, he was crazy, he was the epitome of what we do in sports entertainment. Hogan says it’s his honor and privilege to induct his friend into the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame. A big “Randy Savage” chant breaks out. Hogan talks about how Savage loved the business and had it in his blood. Hogan says they all looked up to Savage’s dad Lanny Poffo, which gets a pop. Hogan goes on and talks about how Savage made him a better man and a better performer. He says Randy was The Macho Man 24 hours a day. Hogan praises Savage big time for making everyone better when they got in the ring. Hogan says when he thinks about it, Savage is the reason Hulkamania made it. Hogan thanks WWE for honoring his friend. Hogan introduces Savage’s brother, “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, to accept the honor. Macho’s music hits and out comes Poffo.

Poffo has a nice Genius poem about his brother that talks about his career. He says the Mega Powers storyline was real and life is too short so it’s time to heal. Poffo says finally, The Macho Man is in the Hall of Fame to wrap the promo up. Poffo mentions mother wasn’t able to be here tonight. He also mentions Savage’s wife is watching on the WWE Network. Poffo cries as he thanks her for making his brother happy until the day he died. Poffo tells himself to think of baseball to stop crying. Poffo says The Ultimate Warrior got the chance to say what he wanted right before he died last year but Savage didn’t but he’s here to speak for him. Poffo says Savage never had kids of his own but he was great to Poffo’s kids. Poffo talks about Savage’s relationship with athletes in the Special Olympics and that filling a void in his heart. Poffo says Savage was their father. He says Savage loved those kids like Mr. T loves his mother. Poffo recites a poem about the Special Olympics and it gets an applause. Poffo talks more about Savage’s relationship with the Special Olympics. Poffo jokes that Mick Jagger is still complaining about not getting satisfaction after all these years but he should have hung out with Savage. Poffo says Savage was a champion of the underdog. He goes on and wraps up with another poem. We go to break.

– We come back and Jerry Lawler shows us the video package for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lawler says our next inductor is facing Sting at WrestleMania 31 and Lawler would give his pick on who will win but he likes his job. Triple H’s music hits and out he comes to a pop.

Triple H says this is his favorite night and you can be crying one minute, smiling the next. He says Arnold Schwarzenegger embodies the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, taking about Arnold’s WWE moments, including coming to SmackDown and knocking out The Game. Triple H jokes that his nose wasn’t always that big. Triple H says people are drawn to Arnold and talks about his movies. He jokes that is Arnold a hell of a worker because of how many he slayed in his movies. Triple H says Arnold gives back to everyone and rally tries to make the world a better place. He talks about Arnold’s work in health, the environment and working with the youth. He calls Arnold the greatest bodybuilder in history, the biggest box office draw in history. He brings up Arnold being Governor of California and that is met with some boos. Triple H says it’s his honor and privilege to induct Arnold and out he comes to an ovation. Arnold thanks everyone repeatedly and says, “get to the chopper!” He also throws another line out, “it’s not a tumor!” Arnold praises Triple H and calls him extraordinary. Arnold loves athletes that can bridge into something else and calls for an applause for Triple H.

Arnold talks about how he dreamed of entertaining people and everything else he’s done. He dreamed of being a public servant and brings up working for the people of California and that gets booed again. He says he never dreamed that he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Arnold says he also looked up to pro wrestlers when he was younger and talks about getting into bodybuilding. Arnold also talks about Bruno Sammartino, who Arnold inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame two years ago. Arnold says he accepts this induction on behalf of everyone who has been his fan and fans of pro wrestling. He says without fans, they would be nothing, they wouldn’t make the money, be famous or any of that. He says fans created them all. He thanks fans for making his movies successful and says he would be nothing without them. He thanks America and says America has really been the land of opportunist for him. He’s so appreciative that America received him with open arms. Arnold says it’s important we give back and keep America the #1 country in the world. He repeatedly thanks America and says, “I’ll be back… thank you!” The music hits and Arnold makes his exit.

– Jerry Lawler shows us the Hall of Fame video package for Kevin Nash.

We come back and Lawler says it wouldn’t be WrestleMania without an appearance by Mr. WrestleMania himself and out comes Shawn Michaels to a big pop. HBK tears up his paper and says this is a pro wrestler inducting another pro wrestler. He says clearly one of them is going to get in trouble when they go to the back. HBK warns us not to try this at home as he’s a trained professional. He talks about seeing Vinnie Vegas on WCW Saturday Night years ago and he made HBK chuckle. He discusses how he asked Rick Steiner about Vegas and that eventually led to them meeting so Shawn could talk about Nash being his bodyguard in WWE. He goes on and talks about how Vince McMahon fell in love with Nash and was ready to put the WWE Title on him. He tells a story about having a moment with Nash giving credit in the shower and jokes that it was pretty touching. HBK says without Nash, there would be no nWo, no guaranteed contracts. He says without the nWo there would be no DX and without DX, he jokes there wouldn’t be a lifetime of merchandise checks keeping him afloat for the rest of his life. He thanks Nash for being a great friend and introduces “Big Daddy Cool” and out comes the former Diesel to a big pop as the nWo music plays.

Nash thanks Shawn for making him have to follow his speech. Nash says he’s always thought of Shawn as their Michael Jordan but Shawn put him over pretty strong so he must not suck. Nash says without HBK’s call to Steiner, he wouldn’t be here. He addresses the name situation and it doesn’t matter as without Diesel, there is no Kevin Nash. Nash says he’s been blessed to work with some of the best wrestlers in the world. He’s never been a great dancer but can follow someone else that can dance. He thanks everyone he’s ever worked with. He says people are right when they say he got involved with wrestling for the money. Nash jokes that he has 23 of his food trucks outside so if anyone gets hungry, they should stop by. He talks about how his first match was a tag match and they had “LOD wannabes” chanted at them. Nash goes on and talks about Dusty Rhodes getting him to do the Oz character. Nash shows us the Oz character on the big screen and it gets some laughs. We have some freezing with the Network but come back to Nash calling his Diesel run fantastic. More Network issues, which haven’t happened until Nash’s speech. Nash says they did some stuff in his day but the new generation has taken it ten-fold. Nash says it’s staggering what the Divas and Superstars do. He jokes that we’ll see WrestleMania in space one day but says he’s not kidding. He thanks his wife. He mentions his first mentor being Rick Rude and says Rude warned him if he wants to keep his wife, keep her away from the business. Nash guesses it worked. He talks about how much she has put up with over the years and says he would implode without her. Nash wraps it up and thanks everyone again as the nWo music hits. Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Triple H and Michaels come to the stage to hug Nash. The Hall of Fame goes off the air with The Kliq standing together on the stage.

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