The WWE Hall of Fame was created shortly after the death of Andre the Giant in 1993 as a way to honor him. For the next three years, the WWE inducted multiple wrestlers in a ceremony held in hotel ballrooms. From 1997 until 2003, no one was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Current Era
Starting in 2004, the induction ceremony has been held the evening prior to WrestleMania. These events have become a big part of WrestleMania weekend and tickets for it can be purchased by the public. The 2004 ceremony was released on DVD set dedicated to the Hall of Fame while the ensuing ceremonies were included as a bonus disc on the WreslteMania DVD sets.
Controversies
Unlike other halls of fame, there is no physical structure and the selection process has never been made public. There is also the issue that in order to be put into the Hall of Fame, you need to be on good terms with the WWE. This has led to Bruno Sammartino, the man that has held the WWE Championship longer than anyone else, to not be a part of the Hall of Fame. To make matters worse, some of the names in the WWE Hall of Fame have never being main event caliber wrestlers. In addition, many fans are turned off that there is a celebrity wing in this hall.
Inductees by Year
1993
Andre the Giant
1994
Arnold Skaaland
Bobo Brazil
Buddy Rogers
Chief Jay Strongbow
Freddie Blassie
Gorilla Monsoon
James Dudley
1995
Antonino Rocca
Ernie Ladd
George Steele
Ivan Putski
Pedro Morales
The Fabulous Moolah
The Grand Wizard
1996
Mikel Scicluna
Lou Albano
Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy & Johnny Valiant
Johnny Rodz
Killer Kowalski
Pat Patterson
Vincent J. McMahon
2004
Big John Studd
Billy Graham
Bobby Heenan
Don Muraco
Greg Valentine
Harley Race
Jesse Ventura
Junkyard Dog
Sgt. Slaughter
Tito Santana
2005
Bob Orton
Hulk Hogan
Jimmy Hart
Nikolai Volkoff
Paul Orndorff
Roddy Piper
The Iron Sheik
2006
Bret Hart
Eddie Guerrero
Gene Okerlund
Sherri Martel
The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan & Blackjack Lanza)
Tony Atlas
Verne Gagne
2007
Curt Hennig
Dusty Rhodes
Jerry Lawler
Jim Ross
Nick Bockwinkle
Mr. Fuji
The Sheik
The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika)
2008
Eddie Graham
Gordon Solie
Jack Brisco
Jerry Brisco
Mae Young
Peter Maivia
Ric Flair
Rocky Johnson
2009
Bill Watts
Dory Funk Jr.
Howard Finkel
Koko B. Ware
Ricky Steamboat
Steve Austin
Terry Funk
Von Erich Family
Celebrity Wing
Pete Rose (2004)
William Perry (2006)
Source: WWE.com
