WWE Hall of Fame reveals now happens closer than ever to WrestleMania, featuring increasingly smaller classes. The 2023 inductees, led by active talent Rey Mysterio, only had five people.
Now, for the second consecutive year, an active member of the WWE roster, although not a wrestler, will headline the class.
The Associated Press reported that Paul Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, which WWE later confirmed. The ceremony will take place on Friday, Apr. 5 after SmackDown.
It’s a momentous tribute to an individual who has profoundly shaped the professional wrestling realm for over three decades. It famously began with his transformation of Extreme Championship Wrestling, providing an alternative during the Monday Night Wars era and elevating it to a powerhouse within the professional wrestling landscape.
In 2001 once ECW caved to financial problems, Heyman joined WWE, initially serving as a color commentator and undertaking various behind-the-scenes roles for several years. During this period, he prominently managed Brock Lesnar, standing alongside him for the majority of Lesnar’s WWE career. Heyman also managed other notable WWE talents, such as CM Punk and Rob Van Dam, through his multiple stints with the company.
Certainly, Heyman is best recognized today for managing the Bloodline stable, which includes Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso, and temporarily, the Rock. The former Paul E. Dangerously has been associated with the group throughout Reigns’ ongoing record-setting championship run and a figure in one of WWE’s most prominent storylines of the last five years.
The question now becomes about the additional inductees joining Heyman in the class. Given his strong ties to Philadelphia and WrestleMania 40 taking place in the City of Brotherly Love, there might be another ECW figure involved. With just weeks remaining until WWE’s premier event of the year, we can expect to learn the answer soon.
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