#WWE announced today that #EricBischoff will be the one to induct #DiamondDallasPage into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 33 weekend.

Below is their full announcement:

WWE announced the following:

JBL & Ron Simmons to induct Teddy Long into the WWE Hall of Fame

JBL and Ron Simmons will have the privilege of inducting their longtime friend and frequent travel companion, Teddy Long, into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“It’s an incredible honor,” JBL told WWE.com. “I’ve always thought that inducting someone into the WWE Hall of Fame is one of the greatest privileges you can get because it’s the honor of a lifetime for the person going in.”

JBL and Simmons’ close relationship with Long makes it all the more special. The brawlers known as The APA traveled the roads with Long and 2016 inductee, The Godfather.

“We rode thousands and thousands of miles together for years – me, Ron, Teddy and Godfather in one car,” JBL explained. “It’s real special. Ron’s in the Hall of Fame, Godfather’s in the Hall of Fame, and now Teddy is, too.

“I’m the only one left,” he joked.

Their friendship aside, JBL believes Long is one of the worthiest recipients of sports-entertainment’s ultimate honor.

“Teddy Long is a groundbreaker,” the former World Champion said. “He worked his way up from the ring crew to become the manager of one of the greatest tag teams of all time in Doom. He was a referee and became one of the most colorful general managers ever. Teddy Long has done it all. If there’s anybody deserving of going into the WWE Hall of Fame, it’s him.”

How do JBL & Ron Simmons plan to honor their friend as he takes his rightful place in sports-entertainment history? Find out during the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, airing live on WWE Network Friday, March 31, 2017 at 8 ET/5 PT!

In salute of #InternationalWomensDay I thought it was time to talk about a 2017 WWE Hall of Fame inductee, but more specifically, my wife, Beth Copeland, aka The Glamazon, aka The Glamamom, aka Beth Pheonix(that’s a lot of handles).

Now obviously I’m biased, and extremely proud of Beth, but after she expressed doubt as to whether she should go into the HOF so quickly, I looked at her resume. I stepped out of the husband shoes and looked at her question and came to the conclusion, that, hell yeah she should be. Who cares what year it happens, if you have a HOF resume, you deserve to go in plain and simple. There’s no time eligibility as with pro sports, so who cares when it happens, as long as it does. It’s not a race between people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that’s mine, and since I’m a hall of famer myself, my opinion is more important(I kid, I kid, kind of).

Let’s roll through the credentials:
-first women’s ladder match in history vs Katie Lee Burchill
-first women’s Table match in history with Natalya vs Laycool
-first women’s I Quit match vs Melina
-second woman to ever enter the Royal Rumble(and eliminate The Great Khali)
-3 time WWE Women’s Champion
-1 time Divas Champion
-third most female ppv appearances with 38, one behind Trish Stratus and Natalya at 39

There’s a reason she was put in those positions. She was damn good at her job. I always felt(even before we were an item) that Beth was a wrestler. Plain and simple, she could wrestle. In a time when female physical strength was not in vogue, she still stuck to her guns(get it?). In the days of diva searches(no offense diva search contestants) Beth was a throwback. She joined her high school wrestling team. The first woman to do so at her school and broke down barriers, all with the goal of making it to the WWE after seeing Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at Wrestlemania 10. She was, and is, a true fan of the industry which sadly can be a rarity within the industry. She left a good, safe job to hop in her Geo Prism and drive to Louisville, KY to try and get into OVW(at that time WWE’s farm system).

After being told for years by the higher ups in WWE talent relations that she wasn’t what they were looking for(which was the next Trish Stratus) and waitressing in Perkins to make ends meet, she continued showing up. Finally she was hired, eventually made it to Monday Night Raw, and in her first match, broke her jaw(and finished the match). Not deterred she came back with an idea and a different attitude and The Glamazon was born.

She could play the straight woman to Santino. She was the woman who the company could depend on for years on pay per view. She was one of the women to keep the flame alive for women’s wrestling in an era where it was put on the back burner, and let’s face it, given little attention by the WWE. I think the current renaissance of the division happened in part because of women like Beth, Nattie, Laycool, Mickie James, Candice etc. Those were some leanly written years for the women’s division but they kept the torch lit for women like Charlotte, Bayley, Becky, Nia and Sasha to show what badasses they are today.

The truest testament of your skill is what your peers think, especially in the WWE locker room. That’s a tough audience to win over, and Beth had the respect of everyone for being a worker. So this year that’s honored. And that’s great. But more important than all of that is the woman she is. Strong, idenpendent, smart, continuing her education and recently receiving her masters in forensic psychology and now about to embark on getting a degree in clinical mental health. All while being a mother to our two little girls, Lyric and Ruby and setting a sparkling example of what a woman can be if she believes in herself. In spite of today’s political climate. So, yeah, I’m pretty proud of her.

Who cares about the WWE Hall of Fame, if there was a Hall of Fame for life, Beth would be in first ballot.

 click here to read

Bass had been hospitalized after suffering a burst appendix but reportedly waited a week before seeking medical attention as he was not aware of the bust, (PWInsider).

RIP Ron Bass

Kocianski had a successful amateur wrestling career in high school, before being trained by the All Knighters. After her debut in May 2001, she wrestled for numerous independent promotions, and was the inaugural GLORY Champion. She also appeared at the inaugural Shimmer Women Athletes shows. In 2004, she began working for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and signed a developmental contract with WWE in October 2005. She debuted on WWE’s Raw brand in May 2006, but suffered a legitimate broken jaw the following month. As a result, she had numerous surgeries and returned to OVW for further training. While there, she won the OVW Women’s Championship twice, although her second reign is not officially recognized by OVW.
(Source: Wikipedia)

BREAKING: As first reported by @RollingStone, @RealDDP will be inducted into the #WWEHOF Class of 2017! https://t.co/76Kxz8PcBr pic.twitter.com/qcG47uhnJe

— WWE (@WWE) February 20, 2017

DDP first broke into the wrestling business in 1988, as a manager in the American Wrestling Association,^[2] where he worked for nine months before signing with WCW in 1991. There, he continued as a manager until late 1991, when he became a wrestler.
Diamond Dallas Page will join Kurt Angle, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and Teddy Long in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

PWInsider is reporting “The Russian Bear” died after a battling liver cancer. He was famously known for defeating #BrunoSammartino at Madison Square Garden after Bruno held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for nearly eight years.

It is really sad & unfortunate, this is the third death within a span of 2 days from the field of pro wrestling. Earlier we were disheartened to hear that WWE star George ‘The Animal ‘ Steele passes away at 79 and Former ECW And WWE Star Nicole Bass Passes Away.
May their souls Rest In Peace and God give strength to their families.

An excerpt from ibtimes.co.uk article about the topic

When the former superstar’s children were asked by All Wrestling as to why the WWE never really went with their father as the “top guy,” daughter Ariel answered Piper “didn’t care for accolades. He felt like he had nothing to prove”.

“My father never needed help getting over, and that is the basic function of a title. I love Uncle Ric (Flair), but if he’s a 15 time champion, that also means he lost the title 15 times. Dad never needed it, he was already over,” Piper’s son Colt added.

When asked about Piper ability to draw heat, Ariel said “nobody could draw heat like him”.

“Everything now in WWE is so scripted, guys don’t really have the chance to develop characters and get the fans as angry as they used to when Roddy was in his prime. Nobody can sell you like you. Nobody could play Roddy Piper better than Roddy Piper. He knew how to draw the hatred out of a crowd,” Colt added.

Roddy did win many other titles but was never a world heavyweight champ which is kinda sad but considering the fact the before passing away Roddy had achieved everything it looks nothing.

Roddy passed away at the age of 61.

I've never seen an individual adapt and succeed in this industry so naturally. Proud to welcome @RealKurtAngle into the #WWEHOF. pic.twitter.com/7ERnuVvC4M

— Triple H (@TripleH) January 16, 2017

It’s true, it’s true! Kurt Angle will be taking his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 just two days before WrestleMania 33, as first reported by ESPN.com

Here is an official video from WWE recognising Kurt Angle’s accomplishments in the company

“Kurt Angle’s accomplishments both in the Olympics and WWE were extraordinary,” said WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul Levesque. “He was one of the most gifted athletes to ever enter the ring, and we are honored to welcome him into the WWE Hall of Fame.”

In 1998, Angle made the jump from amateur to professional wrestling by signing with WWE. One year later, the gold medal grappler made his debut at Survivor Series 1999, picking up the first win of an undefeated streak that saw Angle capture the European and Intercontinental Championships. His unbelievable rookie campaign culminated at WWE No Mercy in October 2000, where he defeated The Rock to capture his first WWE Championship.

Now with the Royal Rumble knocking at the door, it can also be speculated that Kurt might enter the Rumble 2017.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson announced this sad news on Twitter

Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away. Alofa atu i le aiga atoa. #RIPSuperfly

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2017