Ultimate Warrior in the WWE Hall of Fame 2010?

It is being reported that names being considered for induction into the WWE Hall of Fame next year includes the likes of The Honky Tonk Man, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, and....the Ultimate Warrior.

Wrestlemania 26 weekend is in Arizona and it would make sense to induct Warrior/HTM since they are both from the area.

Warrior being inducted might be a long shot since there is still an ongoing lawsuit between Warrior and WWE. Vince McMahon has not made any final decisions yet regarding inductions for 2010.

Liddell and Mask to enter UFC Hall of Fame

Taken from UFC.com

By Thomas Gerbasi

One was perhaps the greatest light heavyweight of all-time, a feared striker who ruled the 205-pound weight class with an iron right hand and in doing so became mixed martial arts’ first crossover superstar.

The other was his close friend, a visionary who helped create a brand that is now synonymous with the sport, but who did it not with a ruthless business sense, but with an infectious enthusiasm and an attitude that could light up a room.

On Friday, July 10th, the UFC Hall of Fame inducts its two newest members, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and TapouT co-founder Charles “Mask” Lewis.

“I appreciate this gesture and I’m glad that people appreciate what I do and that they think that I deserve this, but I’m just one of the guys that fight out there,” said Liddell, who admitted that this crowning moment of his storied career does come with some bittersweet feelings due to the fact that he won’t be able to share it with his longtime friend Lewis, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in March. “It’s gonna be a little rough being that it’s Charles and me, but for us to go in together, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The official UFC Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at the UFC Fan Expo on Friday, July 10th at 6:30pm. Liddell and Lewis join Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, and Mark Coleman in the UFC Hall of Fame.

CHUCK LIDDELL

Everyone knows who Chuck Liddell is. Camera crews follow him around, flocks of reporters jot down his every word, but remarkably, he remains the same person he’s always been. Sure, the bank account’s bigger, the clubs are nicer, and the trappings of fame more expensive "both literally and figuratively" but of anyone in professional sports today, Liddell has remained true to what got him here in the first place.

“I’ve got a lot of friends that I’ve hung out with for 10-15 years that still hang out with me, and I don’t think they’d let me start acting like a jerk,” he told me in 2006. “They knew me when I was the guy going to college and working behind the bar. Plus I still live in the same small town, and things like that (celebrity) aren’t really that big a deal around here. I think I’m a normal guy, and I try to be as normal as I can.”

That’s rare in a day and age where image and spin is everything. Liddell has the same Mohawk, the same trainer, the same friends, and the same attitude. He has always boiled fighting down to its no essence. For him, when he stepped into the Octagon, it was a fight �" not a chess match, not a clashing of styles or comparison of techniques. He was going to hit you, you were going to try to hit him, and more often than not, you were going to fall down. It was a fight, plain and simple, and no one wanted to win that fight more than him.

“Whether it was shooting pool or anything, I just hated losing. I’ve kind of moved that focus and tried to keep it to my professional life.”

That was bad news for the men he faced in the Octagon. From 2004 to 2007, he went on a tear that not only established him as the game’s unquestioned superstar, but as the most terrifying light heavyweight in the game. Strangely enough though, as Liddell’s fame grew, the respect he received (and still receives) from his peers never waned. Liddell was a true fighter’s fighter, and that’s an accolade you can’t buy or receive from newspaper clippings or television appearances.

“I think the reason people like me is because I’ll fight anybody, anywhere, I don’t talk bad about people that don’t deserve it, and I’m not a guy who’s out there trying to trash talk and make a name for myself,” said Liddell in 2006. “I earned the name that I have �" I went out and fought for it.”

And during his reign of terror over the UFC’s 205-pound weight class, he wasn’t beating cupcakes, as his seven fight unbeaten streak over that span included wins over world champions Randy Couture (twice) and Tito Ortiz (twice), as well as respected contenders like Babalu Sobral and Jeremy Horn. What made this run even more spectacular was that he won all of those bouts by knockout, punctuating each with the only outward sign of emotion you would ever see from him, a post-fight scream that became his trademark.

As UFC 100 approaches, the organization celebrates the career of the organization’s newest Hall of Famer. It’s a type of celebration that Liddell would probably do anything to steer clear of, as he was never about the attention, getting pats on the back, magazine covers, or glowing television features. He was always about the fight, and when asked a couple years ago how he would like to be remembered a hundred years from now, his answer wasn’t as terse as it usually was, and it spoke volumes.

“As a fighter,” said Liddell. “As someone who didn’t duck anyone, someone who fought everybody that came up, and that always came out there to fight tough. I love to fight, I love the fight game, and I went out there and performed.”

That he did.

MASK

A staunch supporter of mixed martial arts and one of the select few who can rightly claim to be a pioneer in the sport, Charles “Mask” Lewis started the TapouT clothing company with Dan Caldwell (aka Punkass) in 1997, not with a business degree and a marketing plan, but with a true love for a new sport that made an impact on him the first time he saw Royce Gracie win the first UFC tournament in 1993.

“I bought every color Gracie Jiu-Jitsu shirt,” said Lewis. “I don’t think they made it in pink, but if they had, I would have bought that too. (Laughs) It was like my armor when I went out into the world. I bet I could walk on water and the sea would part with this shirt on.”

Soon, Lewis would come up with his own armor �" shirts with the logo TapouT on them - and in the process of selling the shirts out of the trunk of his car and at local MMA shows, he helped build a brand that is synonymous with the sport today, one that you can find not only at every fight event, but in your local shopping mall. Needless to say, his perseverance paid off �" not only for the company, but for all the fighters it sponsored.

“Our shirt sales were doing two things,” Lewis explained. “It was going to make more shirts for the next show, and the biggest thing, we were paying for our fighters in the show. We had to sell enough shirts to pay our fighters at the end of

the night. And sometimes, it might have taken us selling at two shows to pay a fighter from the previous week, but they knew that. I was like ‘this is what we’ve got right here; we’ll give you this now, we’ve got another show next week, I’ll pay you the rest of the money next week, and if you come, we’ll even get you in the show free.’ To me, I’m a fighter. It was as though we were all on the same team. We were going to the same underground shows, and it’s always been that we’ve been in the foxhole fighting together. You don’t lie to the guy in the foxhole sitting next to you.”

Strangely enough, despite TapouT’s emergence as a multi-million dollar company, what people may remember Lewis most for is his unmistakable war paint and outfits that forever branded him as “Mask”.

“I don’t care if you call us the TapouT guys, TapouT crew, TapouT fools, two nerds and a cool guy �" you know who we are,” he said. “Mask allows me to give my true opinion at all times. Who cares about Clark Kent? I want Superman. Now that my name has come out and who me and Danny are, it’s okay, but the reason I used to fight it so hard in the beginning is ‘who cares?’ You don’t care about Bruce Wayne, Bruce Banner, Clark Kent �" you want the superhero. I hated Spider-Man 3 when Tobey Maguire was going around without his gear on. I was like ‘will you put your damn outfit on?’”

Then he would just laugh, and if you ever heard him let it loose, it was infectious. That’s how his personality was as well, and if you walked away from a conversation with him without liking him, there was something wrong with you.

Tragically, Mask, was killed in an automobile crash on March 11, 2009. Yet while the MMA world misses his presence, it will never forget him, and he will forever be immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Visit www.UFCFanExpo.com for information.

Stone Cold Intverview about Career / HOF

RATTLESNAKE SPEAKS OUT

Stone Cold Steve Austin knows that he wasn’t the best technical wrestler in the business. At 6-2 and only 250 pounds, he wasn’t even close to the biggest. He wasn’t the handsomest or most muscular, either.

Most exciting? Now there -- Stone Cold would give any wrestler who ever stepped into the ring a run for his money.

All he did, better than anybody, was put fannies in seats.

“I did sell a ton of tickets to the matches, and I did sell a ton of merchandise. In the wrestling business, it doesn’t really matter how many times you were champion. It’s how many tickets you sold. For whatever reason, I sold more tickets than anybody else. I broke pay-per-view TV records. That’s my legacy. That’s the thing I’ll hang my hat on,” says Austin.

He’s the main reason that 15,000 people will pack Toyota Center for the World Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday. They will watch Austin, maybe for the last time in his role as a wrestler, take his place among the legends of the business he loves.

“I grew up 100 miles south of Houston on down Highway 59. I grew up watching Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling. I fell in love with the business when I was 7 or 8 years old. All I ever wanted to be was a professional wrestler. Wrestling was the biggest thing in my life. It made my heart beat and my blood flow,” he says.

He loved wrestling even when things were rough, when he was making no money (paying dues and starving), when he was fired from promotions and his career seemed stalled.

He broke into wrestling in 1989, after seeing an ad for a wrestling school in Dallas. He had long, flowing blond hair and not a clue where wrestling might take him, but a lot of desire and a fierce competitive streak.

“I was by no means an overnight success. What success I eventually did attain was the result of hard work. I always had a competitive nature. I learned the mechanics of wrestling really well and really fast. I learned how to have a good match, but I didn’t have the right gimmick.,” he says.

He foundered in smaller wrestling promotions, calling himself Superstar Steve Austin, Stunning Steve Austin and even one of the Hollywood Blonds and a member of the Stud Stable. Nothing caught the fans’ attention. He was a worker, a jobber, a mechanic — someone that bigger stars beat on their way to championship matches and bigger paychecks. .

In 1995, when Vince McMahon offered him a job with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), Austin still didn’t have a clear idea who he was.

“They brought me up there strictly as a mechanic. There were no plans to make me a star,” he says.

A year later, it, the gimmick he was searching for, happened. He shaved his head and became Stone Cold Steve Austin, the ultimate renegade and anti-hero. His character didn’t give a flip for authority in general, and Vince McMahon in particular. Together, they began a run that shattered every box office and TV ratings record in wrestling history. Every night, in the biggest arenas around the world, the show ended with Stone Cold giving the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment a Stone Cold Stunner, followed by Austin toasting the crowd by slamming two cans of beer together and pouring them over his face.

Although he continued to appear on TV wrestling, injuries caught up with Austin and his last year as a full-time wrestler was 2004.

“I was in the wrestling business for 14, maybe 15 years, I really stopped counting. But the first seven years, as far as paying my dues and learning the game, really don’t count toward the Stone Cold part. I was really hot for only a few years. I draw a comparison with myself and Gale Sayers, the football player. He was a great running back for only a short time. But he was so incredible that he didn’t need a 14-year career. He is remembered for the few spectacular years that he did have.

“What drove me was the emotion. When I was hot, we were sold out seven days a week. I fed off the energy of having those people cheer for me. Vince McMahon loved to be hated, and the people loved me. … I didn’t want to quit wrestling. I didn’t walk away on my own. Injuries ended it for me.”

When his name is announced as the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame, for the first time as a wrestler, he will step to the microphone — and have no idea what he’ll say.

“I’ve been trying to come up with a speech. I’m so thrilled and excited about this. But going up there and talking about myself the real person, not Stone Cold Steve Austin the wrestler, is a whole different ball game. You wouldn’t think that Stone Cold, the character, would ever get emotional, but I am a pretty emotional person. … Wrestling was a large part of my life, and it’s hard to draw one straight line, or one train of thought, through it. So I’m going to make the best of it and just wing it.”

Stone Cold Hall of Fame Shirt

WWE Shop has advertised a new Steve Austin shirt for an upcoming release.

The shirt (pictured above) will list Steve Austin's bio and career accomplishments on the back.


FINAL THOUGHT

I wish I could be there to see the man that sparked my life long interest in the Professional Wrestling world, be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

WWE Hall of Fame Update

There has been an update on who's inducting who at this years WWE Hall of Fame.


INDECISIVE INDUCTIONS

There has been back and forth decisions as to who should induct who at this year's WWE Hall of Fame.

Most notably, the discussion over who will be inducting Stone Cold Steve Austin (pictured above).


CONFIRMATION CHRONICLE

The Houston Chronicle reported that Steve Austin will reportedly be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Vince McMahon and that the Von Erichs will be induced by Michael Hayes.

Then again, neither inductor has been confirmed by WWE.

To read the Houston Chronicle's coverage of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2009, click here.


FINAL THOUGHT

One of the most popular rivalries in the WWE is that of Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin, so Vince inducting Austin makes sense.

Ricky Steamboat in the Hall of Fame

Its official - Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat is being inducted into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame.

INDUCTING THE DRAGON

The most likely person to induct Ricky Steamboat right now is Ric Flair.

First Austin, now Steamboat? - What the Hell!

But, on this hand, Flair actually seems right to induct The Dragon, as The Nature Boy is one Ricky Steamboat's two biggest rivals.

The other big rival is Randy Savage - but we all know that Vince McMahon wants nothing to do with him.

The choice of Ric Flair as the inductor has already sparked a little controversy with wrestling fans.

When Steve Austin was told that he would be inducted, he wanted Ric Flair to be the one to induct him.

However, WWE (in particular, Vince McMahon) was against the move.

There also is the option to have his son, induct him into the hall.

FINAL THOUGHT

Steamboat was one of the best and technically sound wrestlers to watch in the ring - I couldn't take my eyes off any match that The Dragon was in.

McMahon Rejects Flair

It's official - Vince has said no


BACKGROUND STORY

Steve Austin wanted Ric Flair to induct him into the Hall of Fame. Ric Flair said that he was willing to do it. The fans wanted whatever Steve Austin wanted.

Unfortunately, though, it's not what Vince McMahon wants.

The Chairman of WWE has officially rejected a request from Steve Austin to allow Ric Flair to induct him at Wrestlemania 25.


RATTLESNAKE BITE

When Steve Austin first made the request, management was a bit hesitant to do it. There were some hard feelings towards Ric Flair for leaving the company. Plus, management didn't want to give him free exposure in case he decided to sign with TNA once his 1 year clause expired.

As somewhat of a consolation prize, Vince McMahon has invited Ric Flair to be at Wrestlemania 25 weekend.

Right now, the prime candidate to induct Steve Austin into the Hall of Fame is Vince McMahon himself.


FINAL THOUGHT

Given their history, Vince McMahon makes a better candidate to induct Steve Austin, rather than have Ric Flair, whom retired last year, re-enter the Hall of Fame arena and induct Austin.

Ric Flair Speaks on Stone Cold Induction

Ric Flair has publicly shared his thoughts about inducting Stone Cold Steve Austin


RATTLESNAKE CALLS, FLAIR ANSWERS

In a current issue of the Charleston Post Courier, Ric Flair commented on the idea of inducting Steve Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame.

QUOTE:

“I heard that too, and I didn’t know if it was true or not,” Flair said last week.
“That would be cool as hell. I would love to do it.”

FINAL THOUGHT

WOOO! I hope WWE allows Flair to induct Steve Austin. As I stated before, It would be weird to see Flair back in the Hall of Fame, after being inducted last year.

But hell, those 2 icons together would draw alot of fans -- and cash.

Jim Ross Blog (Hall of Fame, Reality TV etc)

Jim Ross has updated his blog speaking out about the video libraries WWE doesn't have access to, Hall of Fame inductions and WWE producing Reality TV.


ON WWE HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS

"Way too much is being made about who presents who in the WWE Hall of Fame. I think some fans are losing sight that the Hall of Fame is about those that are being inducted and not those that are presenting them. For example, this is Steve Austin's well earned and deserved night in Houston on April 4 and not the presenter's. This goes for any one who is presenting a Hall of Fame inductee. Good grief, does it really matter who does a 2 minute or so intro as long as it is the person the inductee wants to represent them? Let's stop the pain, as Michael Cole would say."

ON THE NON-WWE OWNED VIDEO LIBRARIES

"Some want to know why the WWE doesn't do DVD's from the Memphis or Mid South Wrestling territories. Simple reason is that the WWE doesn't own the libraries. The Memphis video library situation is a mess which is really too bad as they had some great weekly TV shows for years and years but unless someone cares enough about organizing this library it is likely fans will ever see that period of wrestling be shared with today's fans. Mid South is owned by Bill Watts' ex-wife and she has not demonstrated an interest in selling the library as best I know but I am not nor do I want to be involved in that negotiation which I assume is dormant at this time. "

To read the full interview, go to www.jrsbarbq.com.

Jim Ross Blog Update

Jim Ross has a new blog up, here are the highlights:



On the release of Sgt. Slaughter

"Sorry to hear of my old friend Sgt. Slaughter being released from the WWE as I did not know it until I arrived in Omaha on Tuesday. Sarge and I both worked for Bill Watts back in the 70's, Sarge under his real name of Bob Remus, and for economic reasons we used to split an $8 room, with two beds for you wise asses out there, at the lovely Belmont Motor Inn on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, La.

Sarge and I made many visits to the local Chinese Buffet, usually in the late afternoon, for the all one could eat extravaganza or a "pitch 'till you win" meal. Often times was our lunch AND dinner, or supper for my southern brethren. Sarge went on to become a huge star in wrestling and is one of the nicest individuals to ever work in the biz. I have yet to speak with Sarge but I will and I know he will eventually be fine.

Bob has been in tough spots before in this wacky profession and has always persevered. I am not making light of this matter whatsoever as I can relate to Sarge's dilemma."

On the release of Ron Simmons

"Ron Simmons, who became the first black World's Champion of a major wrestling company when he defeated Big Van Vader in August of 1992 in Baltimore, has also been released from the WWE. I did not know this one either until I walked into the Quest Center Tuesday in Omaha.

Ron might want to explore public and motivational speaking as he has a great story to tell and the pipes to tell it. Ironically that night in Baltimore, Ron defeated Leon (Vader) White in a battle of two division one college football stars of significant acclaim and it was a nose guard (Simmons from Florida State) versus a center (White from Colorado) in a match orchestrated by Bill Watts (former lineman at Oklahoma) who was in charge of WCW at that time."

On the new ECW Champion Jack Swagger

"My last talent recommendation to the WWE talent relations department is the new ECW Champion Jack Swagger. Swagger wrestled at Oklahoma, my gosh we can't say THAT on TV, and used to eat the occasional meal at the Ross home while a student at OU. Swagger, then known as Jake Hager, was roommates with current Chicago Bear Dusty Dvorchek and the two of them used to hang out at our home.

There is no reason Swagger shouldn't be a star if he continues to work hard and doesn't make any foolish or irresponsible mistakes. Educated 6'6"-270 pounders with natural balance, agility, a wrestling background and a bona fide mean streak aren't easy to find."

On Stone Cold in the WWE Hall of Fame:

"The announcement of my friend Stone Cold Steve Austin going into the WE Hall of Fame in Houston on Saturday night April 4 was a big hit in my world. Steve is the greatest star of all time in the wrestling biz if one considers revenue into the equation including tickets and pay per views sold along with merchandise sales.

Steve was a fierce competitor who was always his own worst critic and would not allow himself to be any thing but the best in his field. My hiring of Stone Cold certainly made my tenure as the head of talent relations in the WWE look good but, trust me, Steve Austin attained his success through hard work and being an amazing student of the game.

Steve did and still does identify amazingly well with wrestling fans, which helped him craft his Stone Cold persona so well. Ironically, Steve became a wrestling fan while watching wrestling from Houston which will be the same city that Steve will close the wrestling chapter of his life at WM25."

- You can check out the full blog entry here.

"Cowboy" Bill Watts called up for the Hall of Fame

As I reported earlier, Stone Cold Steve Austin will head this years class of 2009 WWE Hall of Fame inductees.

It's now being reported that promoter "Cowboy" Bill Watts (pictured above) has announced that he is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.


SADDLE UP

In an email sent to friends, Watts said

"Got a very surprising call yesterday...from the offices of the WWE...(which is Vince McMahon's pro-wrestling company)...the 'flagship of the industry'....world-wide...and the 'caller'... told me 'they' had chosen me to be 'inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame."

FINAL THOUGHT

They seem to be announcing these induction extremely early in the year. But seeing as Austin's induction was spoilt - I guess the WWE have no choice.

Stone Cold in the Hall of Fame Update #3

Word has gotten out that Steve Austin has chosen who he wants to induct him into the Hall of Fame.

Surprisingly, Its not Jim Ross.


THE NATURE BOY AND THE RATTLESNAKE

WWE assumed that Jim Ross would be the perfect person to induct Austin into the Hall of Fame, but Austin had other ideas.

Austin has been pushing heavily for Ric Flair to induct him instead.

Company officials are not pleased with Austin's request because they have a "you're either with us or against us" attitude. They see Flair as a "outsider" and "not on board" with them any more.

HALL OF FRAUD

A similar situation happened two years when Jerry "The King" Lawler wanted legendary Memphis announcer Lance Russell to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. Officials refused Lawler's request and opted to have William Shatner induct him into the Hall of Fame instead for press purposes.

FINAL THOUGHT

I hope they do decide to bring back Ric Flair. Then again, It would be strange to see him in the Hall of Fame arena, after only a year of he himself being inducted.