This coming Saturday night, March 28th, it will be the induction ceremony for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015 from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA, just one night before WrestleMania 31.
It’s a busy class this year with nine new members being inducted including the first ever Warrior Award recipient which the WWE says will be given to those who have "exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior”.
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Here is the complete lineup for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
Savage is one of the most recognized and beloved superstars in WWE history with his flashy outfits and his intense promos which included his trademark “oh yeah!” catchphrase. He is a two-time WWF Champion including an epic feud with Hulk Hogan that lasted nearly a year which culminated with the Hulkster defeating him for the championship at WrestleMania V.
Before that, Savage had one of the greatest and most memorable matches in WWE history when he squared off against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III which is still considered the gold standard. After leaving the company in 1994, he went on to become a four-time WCW World Champion.
Savage is also well-known as a spokesman for Slim Jim using the phrase “Snap into a Slim Jim, oooohh yeah” which helped him become a household name. After retiring from the squared circle, he played the role of Bonesaw McGraw in the first “Spider-Man” movie starring Tobey Maguire.
Unfortunately, Savage passed away on May 20, 2011 at the age of 58 following a sudden heart attack. Hulk Hogan will induct him at the ceremony while Savage’s brother Lanny Poffo will accept the award on his behalf.
Kevin Nash
After several unsuccessful characters in WCW, Nash jumped to the WWF in 1993 and instantly made an impact as Shawn Michaels bodyguard Diesel. The seven-footer would go on to become the Intercontinental Champion and WWF Champion, winning each title once. Behind the scenes, he would be a part of the infamous group known as “The Kliq”, a tight friendship with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman (X-Pac) which some accused of having too much political power.
Nash played a huge part in the Monday Night War when he and Hall left the WWF and joined WCW, forming the nWo and pairing up with Hulk Hogan in one of the greatest hell factions in wrestling history and playing a huge part in the company’s success in competing with his former employer.
While there, he became a five-time WCW World Champion and a nine-time WCW Tag Team Champion. “Big Sexy” would also go on to work for TNA Wrestling before returning to the WWE for a few years.
It is widely believed that Shawn Michaels will be inducting him although Mick Foley joked on Twitter that he will be giving the speech.
Rikishi
Solofa Fatu Jr. is a part of the Anoa’i family which has a deep wrestling heritage that includes his brothers Tonga Kid and Umaga, his uncles Afa and Sika (The Wild Samoan) and his many cousins including Roman Reigns and The Rock. He is also the father of current WWE superstars Jimmy and Jey Uso.
Originally, he was one-half of the Samoan Swat Team in various promotions including WCW becoming joining the WWF where the team became known as the Headshrinkers. He is best known for his run during the Attitude Era as Rikishi where he was part of the team Too Cool along with Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay, a fan favorite team that would dance following their wins.
Rikishi is a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion and also won the Intercontinental Championship once. He will be inducted by his sons.
Tatsumi Fujinami
One of the greatest Japanese stars in wrestling history, Fujinami made his name primarily in New Japan Pro Wrestling where he competed for more than three decades. He is a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a five-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Fujinami is expected to be inducted by Ric Flair who he defeated in 1990 to become the very first person to hold both the IWGP and NWA World titles simultaneously.
Larry Zbyszko
Zybysko trained under legend Bruno Sammartino which became part of a storyline in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. He would eventually turn on his mentor and became a hated heel as he began calling himself the “The New Living Legend”. Their feud culminated in the “Showdown at Shea” at Shea Stadium in New York when Sammartino defeated Zbyszko in a steel cage match.
Later in his career, he would become a two-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion and also held the WCW and WWWF Tag Team Champions once each. He was also part of the WCW broadcast team for Nitro and Thunder during the mid-to-late 90s.
Alundra Blayze
Early in her career, Blayze -- also known as Medusa outside of the WWE -- became the AWA World Women’s Champion and became the first foreigner to sign with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.
One joining the WWF, she became a three time Women’s champion. During the Monday Night War, she infamously appeared on WCW Nitro and threw the WWF Women’s Championship into a trash can. The WWF would shelve that championship for three years before bringing it back and she was basically persona non grata there for the following two decades.
In 2001, she retired from wrestling and began competing in monster trucks which she still does. It is still unknown as to who will be inducting her at the ceremony.
The Bushwhackers
Luke Williams and Butch Miller teamed together 40 years, starting off as the New Zealand Kiwis before becoming The Sheepherders and eventually the Bushwhackers with the WWF.
During the 80’s, they were known for their violent style and bloody matches at The Sheepherders, having memorable feuds with The Fabulous Ones and The Fantastics. But that would change in 1989 when they signed with the WWF and became a fan favorite team with their comedic style which included them licking the faces of fans at ringside.
The duo did won tag team championships in the AWA, NWA and Stampede Wrestling during their long careers. There is still no word on who exactly will be inducting them but it wouldn’t be a surprise if that was done by WWE senior producer John Laurinaitis as he played the role of their flagbearer in the NWA.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
He will be this year’s celebrity inductee and has made multiple appearances with the company over the years. Triple H is a huge fan of the former bodybuilder and it would be no surprise if he handled his induction.
Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on Blog Talk Radio.