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The 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony
We start off with a video package that talks about what it means to be a Hall of Famer while showing previously inducted wrestling legends and some of their greatest moments. The video then shifts to those who will be inducted tonight.
Jackie Redmond and Corey Graves are at the podium and excited to kick things off. They talk about some of the big names in the house. They show Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is sitting next to Stephanie McMahon (wearing an ECW hat). They show CM Punk, the Usos, Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle, and Rey Mysterio. But now…it’s time for tonight’s 2024 Hall of Fame legends. When mentioning Paul Heyman, an ECW chant broke out.
Paul Heyman will be the first person to be inducted tonight. They go to a video package for him.
Inducting Paul Heyman - Roman Reigns
“WWE Hall of Fame…acknowledge me!” Roman will admit, this is an impossible spot to be in. He’s supposed to cut a promo about the best promo in the business. This is bull(bleep). He almost said “no,” but he loves his wise man. So…what does he say? The only way to do it is to share his perspective of the wise man. The wise man has said that every week is an audition to come back next week. If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. Whatever happens, as long as their children are happy - they are blessed men.
The wisest piece of advice, though, was at 5 AM in a rental car while Roman was (bleep)faced. He told Paul that if he was on Paul’s side, there was nothing he couldn’t do. Paul laughed and said that Roman didn’t need him or anyone. He just had to believe in himself. The moment you start doing that, you’ll need for nothing. The world will be in the palm of your hand. Paul always says the words you need to hear no matter who he is talking to. He’s the greatest communicator of all-time.
Plain and simple, the Tribal Chief never happens without Paul Heyman. Without Paul, you won’t see the Tribal Chief. He’s a mensch.
Acknowledge him in inducting the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame…Paul Heyman!
Paul Heyman
The ECW theme plays. Paul comes out to an ECW chant and hugs Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, and Bubba Ray Dudley. He gets to the podium and hugs Roman Reigns. The crowd chants for Paul. “You deserve it!” He takes a few moments to take it in.
“You’re damn (bleep)ing right I deserve it.” Huge fucking pop (Peacock can’t bleep me)! ECW chant, of course.
Paul didn’t prepare anything tonight - he wanted to feel the room. He asked Rob Van Dam for advice leading up to this (they show RVD). He said, “Rob, I’m just a Jew boy from the Bronx. How do I do this?” Paul basically said that Paul was high, so he asked his son, who is sitting next to Paul’s daughter and CM Punk. The crowd chants for CM Punk. His son, Jacob, was also too high. “The rest of the stash is in the car.”
Paul is the beneficiary of mass praise for doing with his life exactly what he wanted to do with his life. He gets to work with the men and women in this beautiful performance art known as PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. He is the first pick, the first person announced, the first headliner of a class picked by Paul Levesque. The crowd chants for Triple H. They cut to Triple H and he’s smirking. Only one person can drive the car out of chaos. The leadership that was sorely needed has been bestowed upon Paul Levesque. Big time cheers from the crowd. Heyman acknowledges that Levesque asked him to not talk about him, but Paul is a rule breaker. For the rest of his life, Paul Heyman will be a “Paul Levesque Guy” and they shake hands. A Paul Levesque chant breaks out.
Paul Heyman calls attention to Stephanie being in attendance. If his daughter grows up to be half the woman that Stephanie is, that means he will have raised a great lady. He talks about Stephanie’s ECW hat. It’s time to admit that Stephanie married the wrong Paul. An ECW chant breaks out.
To his children - “this is what I want you to do with your lives.” Not the money. Not the television. “Oh, by the way, if anyone messes with you - you are two seats down from Haku.” It’s not about the money. It’s about being worthy of admiration and respect. It’s about failing over and over until you succeed. It’s about being excited to wake up because the world isn’t fucking (Peacock missed that one) ready for you. Do that and one day they will be at a podium, too, hearing the love for the body of work they put together with their passion. Despite how great of an orator he is, he’ll never find the words to express how much he loves them.
Paul wishes his mom was there to see this. He wishes his father was there to see this. He is choked up, but gets back to it by asking where Cody Rhodes is. He looks at him and says that he wishes Dusty Rhodes was there tonight and bows to him. Cody thanks him.
“That covers all the mushy (bleep), right?”
It’s time to talk about ECW! Paul opens up a beat up cardboard box. Inside is his leather jacket, which he puts on. Can’t forget the headset, wireless phone (which he thinks he broke over the head of Sting in a (bleeped) up company called WCW), and hat!
There comes a time in the life of every man where he has to accept a reality. In 1993, this industry sucked. We had plumbers, garbage men, and clowns, but what happened to professional wrestling? He would run around Madison Square Garden as a kid and think how he’d show them the way. He was told to shut up over and over. No one would listen. Fine…we’ll find someplace that would listen. A place that would bring hip hop, heavy metal, and sexy women into wrestling. The tribe of extreme needed to be created. It couldn’t happen in any place but Phila-(bleeping)-delphia!
Where did Steve Austin drink his first beer? The ECW Arena. Where did Eric Bischoff get the idea for Cruiserweights? The ECW Arena. Where did The Dudleys put people through a table? Where did Rob Van Dam light up…a lot of things? The ECW Arena.
ECW was revolutionary, but to those of you who say that the concept of extreme died…he disagrees. ECW is still alive today in the matches, concepts, and passion of the fans. If you think the spirit of ECW died, you can suck his (bleeping) (bleep). Paul jokes that CM Punk told his son just now that Paul just got canceled. Paul said that he can’t get canceled. If he does, he’ll come back bigger and badder.
They tried to cancel him back in the day, but he kept coming back. He talks about all the times companies tried to cancel him, but he kept coming back and kept doing bigger things all the way up to what he’s doing now with Roman Reigns.
The message tonight is simple - they can’t cancel you. Only you can cancel you. Only you can stop yourself from living out your dreams. He’s been canceled 100 times. He’s come back 101 times. He’ll continue to do it. He has the honor and privilege of working with the Samoan Dynasty and the future of this business - like Bron Breakker, Rhea Ripley, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, and Jade Cargill. He sees in them what he saw in Steve Austin, The Undertaker, CM Punk, and Charlotte Flair.
He signs off with his famous “Ladies and Gentlemen…” while shouting out Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns. He’s blown up, has to pee, has taken too long, and assures you of this - this isn’t a lifetime achievement award. He’s just getting started, bitches. There’s more disruption of this industry pumping through his heart. They’re going to disrupt it all over again. That’s not a prediction…that’s a spoiler.
The ECW theme hits again as Paul Heyman exits. He gives his jacket and cap to his children.
More on Page 2!
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