Sting Is The First Inductee Into The WWE Hall of Fame’s Class Of 2016
It was announced on WWE.com today that Sting will be the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016. This year’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 2 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday, January 15 at 10:00 a.m. ET with a presale on Wednesday. Here’s the info on Ticketmaster.
“We are truly honored to have Sting take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame,” said WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, Paul Levesque (Triple H). “His contributions to our industry are unprecedented, and we look forward to celebrating his incredible career with fans all over the world.”
Sting has been wrestling for approximately 30 years and is a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and four-time TNA Champion . He’s one of the most popular and recognizable wrestlers of all time and will now be forever immortalized as he enters the WWE Hall of Fame.
Sting commented on the news of his induction with this tweet:
Well it's official – I have accepted the invitation to be inducted into the WWE HOF! HONORED!!!!
— Sting (@Sting) January 11, 2016
Mark’s reaction: Congratulations Sting! He’s been an icon in the wrestling business for a long time and rightfully deserves his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s nice to see the WWE Hall of Fame inducting names like Sting that have made a big impact on the business as a whole, rather than a big impact on WWE. They’ve done this before when inducting people like Verne Gagne or the Von Erich Family and it’s right that they do so. Doing this helps add more credibility to the WWE’s Hall of Fame as a place that recognizes exceptional achievement throughout all of professional wrestling’s illustrious history, rather than just their company specifically. I’ve got my own problems with the WWE’s Hall of Fame and arguments can be made about its credibility, but inducting someone like Sting who achieved all of his success outside of the WWE surely helps move their Hall of Fame in the right direction.
Now the question remains, who will be the one to induct “The Man Called Sting”? There’s a possibility that it could be Lex Luger as the two were very close and at one point owned gyms together. However, I see Ric Flair inducting Sting as the more likely scenario. The two of them had a very lengthy feud and competed against each other on the first and last editions of Nitro.
Who do you want to see induct Sting into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2? What are some of your fondest memories of Sting? Leave any of your thoughts in the comment section below.
Image above is courtesy of WWE.com.