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January 2024
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Express Hall of Fame: Evolution1/10/2024 A lot of things changed for the WWE in the year 2002 including its name and Vince McMahon declared the end of the "Era of Attitude" and the start to a new era the era of "Ruthless Aggression." Upon his return to WWE the former WCW World Champion Ric Flair had lost his confidence and wasn't the same he had been years before he wasn't feeling like Ric Flair anymore. Nobody could've expected everything to change when he aligned with Triple H in late 2002 on an episode of Raw. For the remainder of the year Flair was aligned with Triple H.
In early 2003, Triple H and Ric Flair were joined by the returning Randy Orton who would become the third member of the faction. It wasn't until the fall of 2003, that Evolution would truly reach its full strength when Batista officially joined the group following his return after being off with a triceps injury. As history has been told since while Batista was on the shelf Vince McMahon wanted Mark Jindrak to replace the future "Animal" in the faction, but Triple H thought it was a bad idea and well the rest is history. Though the road might've been a little bit clearer by the time Batista went off on his own and Randy had some growing pains to deal with, WWE in the late 2000's into the 2010's would've been a lot different without Evolution. It is with great pleasure that I welcome Evolution into the Wrestling Express Hall of Fame Class of 2024!!
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Express Hall of Fame: New World Order1/14/2022 May 1996, an unexpected turn of events was about to unfold when during a match between Steve Doll and The Mauler a familiar face would appear from the audience. The former Razor Ramon was on Monday Nitro and nobody knew what the heck was going on. One promo would change the wrestling world forever and it started with "You want a war" Razor Ramon and the WWF was invading WCW. Two weeks later the former WWF Champion "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel would appear on Nitro joining his friend to terrorize World Championship Wrestling. For the first time in nearly a decade WCW was mounting some positive momentum.
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall as they would become known would terrorize WCW week after week leaving fans wondering what will these invaders do next week. At Great American Bash the challenge was made Nash, Hall and a mystery partner against the best WCW had to offer the following month at Bash at the Beach. The next PPV event had arrived and we still hadn't a clue who the third man might be then the match came and still no indication of a third man until Hulk Hogan appeared on stage seemingly joining the fight to help the good guys. Nash & Hall would back away from the ring and from the corner Hogan would turn around and change history once again dropping the leg drop heard round the world on Randy Savage. For the first in over a decade Hulk Hogan had joined the side of evil and a bad guy alongside the invaders Hall and Nash. There is no question that everyone knows the history of the New World Order from here and I don't need to retell the story again. Prior to the arrival though of the NWO the business for WCW had been turning around and heading in the right direction thank in part to Savage and Flair. However, the arrival of the New World Order didn't change WCW it stabilized WCW. It is rare when a moment not only becomes one of the greatest for a company, but one that is one of the most talk about moments in the history of this great sport. Hogan, Hall and Nash wouldn't just become superstars they would become legends because of that night in Daytona Beach, FL at Bash at the Beach. After twenty years the slogan still reigns truer then ever the New World Order is For Life! Please welcome into the Wrestling Express Hall of Fame Class of 2022..... Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan the New World Order of Wrestling.
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Express Hall of Fame: D-Generation X1/31/2021 In September 1995, the wrestling world changed forever when World Championship Wrestling debuted there new show Monday Nitro. At first it was business as usual until the arrival of the New World Order in May 1996 that is when the tide turned toward WCW. Vince needed something to shift gears and turn the tide back to his promotion and that came in the Summer of 1997 when Shawn Michaels and Triple H formed an alliance. On the August 11, 1997, edition of Raw we saw the formation of D-Generation X with Triple H and Chyna interfering in Shawn's match with Mankind and the return of Rick Rude. To retrace the history of DX word for word would be unnecessary drowning as after August 11 the rest would become history. Shawn and Triple H would help lay the foundation of one of the greatest factions in Wrestling history.
Following Wrestlemania 14, Shawn Michaels retired from the ring due his back injury which lead to a leadership change in DX. Triple H took control and needed to fill in the empty spot or spots within the faction this lead to Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and the returning X-Pac (formerly 1-2-3 Kid) joining the faction. It was this point that D-Generation X would not only cement their legacy within the main event level, but in wrestling. From feuding with the Nation of Domination, Vince McMahon, Steve Austin, Undertaker, and each other nothing stopped D-Generation X from making themselves a legacy in wrestling and one of the reasons many fans look back at the Attitude Era so fondly. I proudly will welcome Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, Rick Rude, New Age Outlaws, and X-Pac into the Wrestling Express Hall of Fame Class of 2021. |