WWE Accused Of Waiting For Certain Wrestlers To Die Before Hall Of Fame Induction

The WWE Hall of Fame takes place every year on WrestleMania weekend. Originally known as the WWF Hall of Fame, the honor was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously inducted as the sole inductee that year. The ceremony went on an eight-year hiatus following the 1996 event, but fans missed the event. WWE relaunched the Hall of Fame in 2004 and since 2014, the entire ceremonies have aired on the WWE Network/Peacock. Despite the prestige and extravaganza, WWE alum Dangerous Danny Davis appears to have an issue with WWE’s annual tradition.

Dangerous Danny Davis worked for WWF from 1981 to 1995. For years, Davis competed under the ring name Mr. X and also worked as a referee. On the “Cheap Heat Productions” podcast, Danny Davis expressed his disdain for WWE’s Hall Of Fame ceremony.

“They won’t, or don’t want to, spend a lot of money to bring myself in, a couple of my family members, put me up, and all that stuff. They wait until you pass on and then they’ll put you in posthumously and it won’t cost them.”

Danny Davis opined that WWE approves long-awaited Hall of Fame inductions only when the inductee has passed away, as it benefits them financially.

“That’s a harsh thing to say, but you look at who’s being inducted and you see that there are a lot of people that aren’t with us no more that are being inducted, and they’re trying to make it seem like, ‘We missed them, we should have done it before.’ I know the truth and you know the truth. It’s cost-effectiveness, and that’s all this business is about now, is money.” 

Danny Davis further revealed why other referees from his generation have not been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame yet. Apparently, WWE does not induct referees into the Hall of Fame because of their reluctance to pay royalties to the former officials.

“One way or the other, they could put me in as a referee, they could put me in with The Hart Foundation, they could put me in as Dangerous Danny Davis, so there are options. Look at Earl Hebner, look at Dave Hebner, who just left us last year. I don’t get it, I don’t get it.” 

WWE also has a Legacy Wing of their Hall of Fame, legends of the past who might not have even worked for Vince McMahon’s company. A majority of those names are also no longer with us, but their inclusion could be considered a special exception to this allegation.

WWE’s recent posthumous inductees include Paul Bearer (2014), Randy Savage (2015), Big Boss Man (2016), Rick Rude (2017), Chyna (2019), Jim Neidhart (2019), The British Bulldog (2020), and Vader (2022). We will have to see who WWE inducts next after their passing, but there is a list of deserving legends who are no longer with us that certainly deserve the honor.

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