-The last I saw of the RNR Express was in cherry pickers fighting The Broken Hardys, which shows how much they get it. Now we get a solid “Rock N Roll” chant. Ricky starts as he poke a little fun at Jim Cornette and says hell hasn’t frozen over with them and Jim being here. Ricky does say this SOB is sold out, and Robert says fans are hanging from the rafters. He continues by saying that the day after he got the Hall of Fame call, he found out he had 2 grandkids on the way. Ricky says since he is a Rock N Roller he has 7 children and 7 grandchildren which Robert says they all look like him. Tremendous! Robert talks about how they are still active in the business and Ricky says their rate has gone up now. They are honored to be in the Hall of Fame because they come from wrestling families. They have watched the business change over the last 40 years and how it is turned into this large, global empire. Ricky says he always stood up for the boys because unless you are one of them you don’t know the sacrifices they have made. They show some of the boos and the crowd just hate Roman Reigns. The booing even for The RNR Express to stop their speech. Ricky thanks Jimmy Hart, Bill Dundee, and Jim Ross for all they did. They packed up to go to Charlotte and it was liking going to see The Wizard as they got to be touched by Dusty Rhodes. They thank Dusty for everything he did for them.
-Lawler out to tease Rude as being next and the crowd goes crazy. Great video package as they touch on Rude putting other guys women on his tights. They cover the Cheryl Roberts angle and Jericho loves what Rude did. Cena says Rude was the guy who could steal your girl and then kick your ass. That about sum its up actually.
-Out to induct Rick Rude is WWE Hall of Famer, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. He talks about being up here 8 years ago when he received his Hall of Fame ring (that he wears every day). They broke the mold when they created Ravishing Rick Rude. He goes through the history of Rude and how he started to train in 1982. He talks about how Rick won the IC, US, and World Championship. He talks about how Rude was a heel that wanted all the heat. He was a true heel in every sense of the word, and he was entice the fans for fun. He talks about Rude doing wrist curls with 80 pound bells and how he embarrassed two 300 lb weight lifters with how strong he was. The first thing he also noticed by Rude was the strength in is hands and how he could control anyone in the ring. He puts over the worker Rude was and how committed he was to every small detail. He brings up Rude being an enforcer for DX and being part of The Heenan Family. He talks about psychology and mentions Flair and Roberts being masters. He tells a story of the psychology that Rude had in the ring. He tells a funny story of Rude doing sit-ups while hanging upside down from a cage during a match they had just as a inside joke to Steamboat. He wouldn’t call Rick, stiff in the ring but he was a bit snug. He brings out Rick’s family: his son, wife, and daughter.
-Oh man, his son (Rick Rood) is a beast and I wonder if ever made it a go in the business. He is trying to think of what his father would say and then cuts into a classic Rude promo as he calls the fans “central Florida sweat-hogs.” Tremendous! The show The Miz marking out and the fans give him a standing ovation. He isn’t here to talk about Rick Rude, but is here to talk about Richard Irwin Rood. He was one of 6 children raised in a single parent home with his father. He worked as a bouncer and took 6th in The International Arm Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas. His father did great work in the business because he loved what he was doing. He remembers his father constantly pushing to make a difference in the business and he worked so hard so that his kids wouldn’t have to. He speaks about how his mother is the strongest woman he knows and mentions his sister is about to graduate from college (the crowd really likes the sister). On behalf of the entire family they thank the WWE for the career his father had and for placing him the greatest wrestlers of all time. Wonderful speech!
-Next up is Beth Phoenix, Again, great video package that puts over all that Beth accomplished. Multiple time champion, 2nd Woman in The Rumble, part of Glamerella (which was a great pairing). Charlotte says she forged a path for the women today.
-Nattie is out to induct Beth Phoenix and before I can make a joke about her talking about her cats, Lawler mentions this taking away from her posting Instagram pictures of her cats. On that note she does plug her cats Instagram account and it draws a “Two Paws” chant. She calls Beth Phoenix her best friend as she starts to tear up. She says it is destiny and that is started with Mark Henry. The first thing he ever said to Nattie was that she reminded him of Beth Phoenix. She had no idea who she was, but soon realized they could pass as sisters. Nattie brings up how Beth introduced herself on Myspace (which Nattie says people may need to look up). Beth said she wanted to be a wrestler because of Bret Hart and Owen Hart. That gets a crazy awesome response from the crowd. The first time they met, Beth showed up wearing the same outfit. They bonded and did all they could to impress Arn Aderson and Fit Finlay. They deemed themselves Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah. They wanted to kick ass when they grew up instead of being models. She talks about the Tag Tables match they had with LayCool and how Beth wanted to put the spotlight on Nattie. She talks about the road trips and making up stories to gas attendants, and that Beth became part of her family. Beth is not only an ass kicker, but is a mother of two, has a master’s degree, is a classically trained pianist, and can bench press 220 pounds. She is a 4 time WWE Woman’s Champion and Nattie is still jealous that Beth got to kiss The Great Khali. Nattie chokes up again as she says Beth was a gift from her uncle Owen, and because of her she believes in faith. Awesome speech from Nattie!
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