The night before WrestleMania XXVI, the WWE will be enshrining several legends into the WWE Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be taking place on March 27, 2010, at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona.
Antonio Inoki
Photo of Antonio Inoki: Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
Antonio Inoki was trained by Rikidōzan, "the Father of Puroresu" (wrestling in Japan). In 1972, he founded New Japan Pro Wrestling, the largest wrestling promotion in Japan. He is most famous to American fans for his 1976 boxer vs. wrestler match against Muhammad Ali. In 1979, he beat Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship in Japan and lost it back to him a week later. At different points in time, the WWE has recognized that title change. Currently, they do not. In 1995, a record crowd of over 190,000 fans in North Korea saw him beat Ric Flair. He was also a force in the political world as he founded his own party and was elected to the House of Councilors of the National Diet of Japan.
Gorgeous George
Gorgeous George is the man that brought entertainment to the world of sports entertainment. He was a true pop culture icon in the '40s and '50s and has been credited as an inspiration for the careers of Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Bob Dylan. "The Human Orchid" was possibly the first wrestler to use music as part of his entrance which was unmatched by any of his peers. Led to the ring by his servant Jeeves, he would hand out his Georgie Pins to his lady fans in the audience and have the ring sprayed with Channel #10 before he would start wrestling. I highly recommend a biography that was recently released about him and there is talk of a movie about his life about to be filmed.
Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon
The Mad Dog is most famous for his success in the AWA. In the mid-60's, he won the AWA World Heavyweight Championship five times. He also won the AWA Tag Team Championship with his brother Paul "The Butcher" Vachon and with Verne Gagne. The Vachon wrestling family also includes his sister Vivian and his niece Luna. Shortly after retiring in the mid-80's, he was struck by a hit and run driver and lost his leg. Younger fans will best remember him for a bizarre incident in 1996. At In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies, he was sitting at ringside for a No-Holds Barred Match between Diesel and Shawn Michaels. During that match, Diesel ripped Mad Dog's prosthetic leg out and tried to use it as a weapon to hit Shawn with.
Stu Hart
Stu Hart was the patriarch of the Hart wrestling family. While younger WWE fans will most remember him as the father of Bret and Owen Hart, he was also the owner of Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. Many famous wrestlers got their start by training in Stu Hart's infamous Dungeon. In addition to every member of the Hart family, wrestlers such "Superstar" Billy Graham, Brian Pillman, and The British Bulldogs were trained in the dungeon.
Ted DiBiase
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase invaded the WWE in 1987 and followed the creed that every man has his price. The highlight of his purchasing power came when Andre the Giant sold him the WWE Championship after beating Hulk Hogan in 1988. A year after WWE President Jack Tunney voided that title change, Ted wound up doing the next best thing, he bought himself a new title, the Million Dollar Championship. A few years later, he won tag team gold in the WWE as part of the tag team Money Inc. with Irwin R. Schyster. Younger fans know Ted as the father of Legacy member Ted DiBiase Jr. Just like his son, Ted knows about following in the footsteps of his parents. He is the son of pro wrestlers Mike DiBiase and Helen Hild.
Wendi Richter
Wendi Richter won the Women's Championship on two occasions. The first time was in match that garnered unmatched media coverage at the time. Managed by pop star Cyndi Lauper, her title victory over the Fabulous Moolah at an event called The Brawl to End it All was broadcast on MTV and garnered the highest rating for the network at that point. Her first title reign was ended by Lelani Kai who was managed by the Fabulous Moolah. Wendi would regain the title at WrestleMania. Despite her short time in the WWE, she was the female face of the Rock-n-Wrestling Connection which change the WWE from a regional promotion to a national powerhouse and her popularity rivaled that of Hulk Hogan.
Bob Uecker
Bob Uecker joins Pete Rose and William Perry in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Mr. Baseball is a former player known for his self-deprecating humor about how bad of a baseball player he was. Since retiring, he has been the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers for almost four decades and has appeared in many commercials, TV shows, and movies. Bob made appearances at WrestleMania III and WrestleMania IV.
