Class of 2007 inducted into World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame

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This article was published 01/04/2007 (6761 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DETROIT (CP) – The founding father of hardcore, a pioneering tag team and a slew of former pro wrestling champions were honoured by World Wrestling Entertainment Saturday night with their induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Some 5,000 fans packed the Fox Theater for the glitzy ceremony on the eve of the WWE’s annual extravaganza – Wrestlemania 23 – at nearby Ford Field. The Class of 2007 included Dusty Rhodes, Nick Bockwinkel, Mr. Fuji, The Wild Samoans, Jerry (The King) Lawler and Jim Ross. Curt Hennig and the Original Sheik were posthumously inducted.

With most of the WWE roster seated in the first few rows and two gladiator-like statues flanking a large video screen on the stage, inductees were honoured by their peers for their blood, sweat and tears – literally – and for paving the way for the pro wrestling superstars of today. Gimmicks were dropped on this night, good guys sat a few seats down from bad guys and the inductees worked the crowd into a frenzy once again.

Rhodes was the last inductee of the three-hour plus ceremony and generated a pair of standing ovations. The big Texan, working his common man image, gave credit to those who bought tickets to see him perform every night.

“Every car I’ve owned, every house I’ve owned, every school my kids went to was paid for by fans of professional wrestling,” Rhodes said.

The American Dream made his in-ring debut in’68 and won a number of championships throughout his career. He enjoyed his greatest success in the National Wrestling Alliance in the’80’s, when he wore the heavyweight belt on three occasions and feuded with fellow legends Ric (Nature Boy) Flair and Harley Race. Rhodes also served as a broadcaster and has been a key figure behind the scenes for years.

Another big pop came during the induction of the Original Sheik – the late Ed Farhat – who ran a local promotion and would often sell out Detroit’s Cobo Hall during his long feud with Bobo Brazil. The blood usually flowed in the Sheik’s matches as he used whatever foreign objects he could get his hands on – a steel spike, a No. 2 pencil or a fireball – as he helped pioneer the hardcore style that became popular in the mid-1990’s.

The Sheik was inducted by Sabu and Rob Van Dam – his nephew and wrestling school student, respectively – who both gave their mentor credit for being an original in the business. Van Dam recalled how when he started out, his peers on the independent circuit knew they were in for a good match because they were wrestling one of the Sheik’s students.

“They looked at us with honour, with respect and with fear,” Van Dam said.

The Sheik also had several memorable matches in Japan and Canada over a career that spanned nearly 50 years. He was undefeated at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens for 127 matches until he finally lost to the legendary Andre the Giant in’74. The Sheik wrestled his last match in’98 and died in 2003 at age 78.

“I’d like to share some of his stories with you but if I did that, he’d bite my nose off,” Van Dam said with a laugh.

Bockwinkel found his greatest success in the American Wrestling Association. He won the tag belts in’72 with Ray (The Crippler) Stevens and stunned the wrestling world three years later by ending Verne Gagne’s seven-year run as AWA world champion. Bockwinkel generated tremendous heat with his arrogant shtick, often proclaiming that he was ‘the smartest wrestler alive.’

Bockwinkel also took part in two historic unification matches. As AWA champ he fought then-WWE champ Bob Backlund to a double-countout in’79, and took on then-NWA champ Flair in’86 in the final AWA match at Winnipeg Arena, site of many of the association’s classic battles.

Bockwinkel held the AWA strap on six occasions, and dropped the gold for the final time to Hennig in’87.

The man known as “Mr. Perfect” also rose to fame in the AWA before adopting the gimmick after entering the WWE. Some memorable promos were aired showing him excelling at various sports, including hitting a home run, bowling a perfect game and hitting basketball shots from mid-court. Hennig left the WWE in 2002 and died suddenly less than a year later at age 44.

Fuji was a devious rulebreaker, known for throwing salt in his opponent’s eyes, but is perhaps best known for his managerial work in the WWE’s’80’s glory days. Usually clad in a tuxedo, top hat and armed with a cane that he often used as a weapon, Fuji managed stars like (The Magnificent) Don Muraco, Demolition and Yokozuna.

The Wild Samoans got their start in the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling promotion before moving to WWE in’79. Afa and Sika’s impact on the business has been profound, thanks in large part to their Wild Samoan training centre. Some of their more notable students include Yokozuna, Rikishi, Tonga Kid, Billy Kidman and Batista. Between in-ring action, managerial services and their graduates, the Wild Samoans have won or produced winners of over 50 championships.

Lawler and Ross have handled TV broadcast duties for WWE’s weekly Monday Night Raw for years. Lawler still gets in the squared circle on occasion and is considered royalty in his hometown of Memphis, where he was a huge star in the’70’s and 80’s. Lawler also garnered some mainstream attention a few decades back thanks to a contrived rivalry with Andy Kaufman, even slapping the entertainer during an infamous appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Ross is considered one of the best announcers in pro wrestling history. The fans greeted him with a ‘Thank You J.R.’ chant shortly after he stepped to the microphone.

“My soul is smiling an eternal smile,” Ross said. “Dreams can come true. Mine just did.”