WEBVTT

00:00:10.509 --> 00:00:17.210
Looking back on all they gave Cures of sacrifice

00:00:17.210 --> 00:00:47.859
and pain and welcome to a very special edition

00:00:47.859 --> 00:00:54.579
of finishers and factions now this time we're

00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:57.520
not breaking down an episode of Monday Night

00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:02.439
Raw or NXT or Friday Night Smackdown or even

00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.719
a PLE I'm here to talk to you about this year's

00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:13.909
class of Hall of Fame inductees now It's a huge

00:01:13.909 --> 00:01:16.709
class. There are some massive names from the

00:01:16.709 --> 00:01:21.829
industry and Yeah, this class. Let me tell you

00:01:21.829 --> 00:01:27.310
it's absolutely stacked legends pioneers fan

00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:31.989
favorites and for the first time ever a Match

00:01:31.989 --> 00:01:35.909
is being inducted. Yeah, you heard that right

00:01:35.909 --> 00:01:39.909
so Whether you're an old -school Attitude era

00:01:39.909 --> 00:01:43.790
die -hard a ruthless aggression Devotee or a

00:01:43.790 --> 00:01:47.209
fan of today's modern product this class has

00:01:47.209 --> 00:01:50.629
something for everyone So let's not waste another

00:01:50.629 --> 00:01:54.709
minute grab a seat grab a drink Let's take a

00:01:54.709 --> 00:01:58.689
walk down memory lane So the first inductee we're

00:01:58.689 --> 00:02:01.629
gonna take a take a look at here We're gonna

00:02:01.629 --> 00:02:04.409
kick things off with the headliner none other

00:02:04.409 --> 00:02:09.449
than the game himself Paul Triple H Levesque.

00:02:09.849 --> 00:02:13.129
Now, we know that Triple H is no stranger to

00:02:13.129 --> 00:02:15.530
the Hall of Fame spotlight. I mean, he's already

00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:19.150
been inducted once before back in 2019 as part

00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:24.569
of the legendary D -Generation X. But this time,

00:02:24.729 --> 00:02:27.830
it's all about his solo legacy. And honestly,

00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:30.770
how do you even begin to sum up a career like

00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:36.550
this? 14 World Championships. two -time Royal

00:02:36.550 --> 00:02:40.370
Rumble winner, King of the Ring, founding member

00:02:40.370 --> 00:02:45.250
of Evolution, and that's just in Ring. Behind

00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:49.210
the scenes, he reshaped the future of the company,

00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:53.930
building NXT from a developmental territory into

00:02:53.930 --> 00:02:57.650
arguably the hottest wrestling brand in the world

00:02:57.650 --> 00:03:04.550
during the mid 2010s. But let's talk moments.

00:03:05.020 --> 00:03:07.919
One that stands out for a lot of fans is his

00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:13.099
absolutely brutal street fight with Cactus Jack

00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:17.919
at the 2000 Royal Rumble. That match didn't just

00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:22.919
elevate Triple H, it proved he could go toe to

00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:29.259
toe in a violent, emotional match and still own

00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:34.479
the moment. Then there's his trilogy of WrestleMania

00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:38.319
bouts with The Undertaker particularly that Hell

00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:42.479
in a Cell match at WrestleMania 28 with Shawn

00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:46.039
Michaels as the guest ref and that match felt

00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:52.400
like the end of an era and Maybe it was Now I'm

00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:54.840
sat here talking about this and I'm getting frigging

00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:58.719
goosebumps. Just talking about this shit. So

00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:03.360
damn And you can't forget the entrances this

00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:06.659
man has had. I mean, come on. Who else could

00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:10.419
make a Terminator -themed entrance at WrestleMania

00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:18.120
31 feel cool? That thing was cool as balls. His

00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.540
induction was announced during a live WWE town

00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.639
hall. Now, this was a complete shock to him,

00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:29.110
and the look on his face said it all. After decades

00:04:29.110 --> 00:04:33.730
of building this business from inside the ropes

00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:37.430
and behind the curtain, he's finally getting

00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:43.629
that recognition that that man deserves and absolutely

00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:47.810
deserves every last moment in that spotlight.

00:04:49.009 --> 00:04:52.050
The next inductee we're going to be taking a

00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:57.670
look at here is Michelle McCall. She's not just

00:04:57.670 --> 00:05:01.629
The Undertaker's wife, she's so much more than

00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:05.110
that. Michelle broke through at a time when women

00:05:05.110 --> 00:05:08.750
in WWE weren't exactly getting five -star matches

00:05:08.750 --> 00:05:13.310
and 20 -minute segments like they do today. But

00:05:13.310 --> 00:05:17.250
she still made an impact, big time. She became

00:05:17.250 --> 00:05:21.329
the first ever Divas champion and went on to

00:05:21.329 --> 00:05:25.100
win the Women's Championship twice. But it was

00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:28.720
a work with Layla, as Lay cool, that really helped

00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.939
set the stage for what was to come in the women's

00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:35.399
division. When you're when we think of the women's

00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:37.680
division, we think about Becky Lynch, we think

00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:42.000
about Bailey's and Paige as the four horsewomen

00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:46.579
that bought the that bought the women's division

00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:52.509
into what it is today. But. Lay Cool were cocky

00:05:52.509 --> 00:05:56.149
and clever and incredibly entertaining. I mean,

00:05:56.629 --> 00:05:59.689
you can compare them to like Mean Girls meets

00:05:59.689 --> 00:06:02.529
top tier wrestling. That's sort of the crossover

00:06:02.529 --> 00:06:06.449
we're looking at here. They even held the women's,

00:06:06.509 --> 00:06:09.370
they even co -held the women's championship,

00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:14.329
which sparked all kinds of controversy and storyline

00:06:14.329 --> 00:06:20.889
chaos. One of Michelle's standout in -ring moments

00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:26.610
was the 2010 Tables match at TLC where Lake Hall

00:06:26.610 --> 00:06:31.310
took on Beth Phoenix and Natalya. It was rare

00:06:31.310 --> 00:06:35.529
back then to see women in that kind of physical

00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:39.300
weapon -filled match. Michelle Moore than held

00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:42.860
her own. She also had a surprise return at the

00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:49.019
2022 Women's Royal Rumble and crushed it. She

00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:53.500
came out of the crowd in uggs and took names,

00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:57.399
hit her faith breaker finisher on Sonia Deville

00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:00.899
and reminded everybody that she could still go.

00:07:01.660 --> 00:07:06.180
Now... The announcement for Michelle McCall going

00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:10.000
into the Hall of Fame this year was made by Triple

00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:16.199
H surprising her live on ESPN's Get Up with her

00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:19.639
Hall of Fame announcement and her emotional reaction

00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:24.319
which made it all the more special. Moving on

00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:28.189
from there we're going to take a look at The

00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:31.290
guy that looked like a real -life action figure

00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:36.569
Lex Luger otherwise known as the total package

00:07:36.569 --> 00:07:42.410
Luger was a star in both WCW and WWE known for

00:07:42.410 --> 00:07:47.990
his phenomenal physique his intensity and a surprisingly

00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:51.230
emotional connection with the fans in the early

00:07:51.230 --> 00:07:55.449
90s and if you remember one moment if you don't

00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:59.220
Go back and look at it. It's probably July 4th,

00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.600
1993. The body slam challenge aboard the USS

00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:09.759
Intrepid. Yokozuna had just been crowned WWF

00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:14.139
champion and was challenging anyone to slam him.

00:08:14.699 --> 00:08:17.720
Now, for those of you that don't know who Yokozuna

00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:23.689
is... He was a sumo wrestling superstar who took

00:08:23.689 --> 00:08:33.509
the WWF by absolute storm. Now, he was undeniably

00:08:33.509 --> 00:08:39.610
big. This guy was huge. And to be able to body

00:08:39.610 --> 00:08:43.710
slam Yokozuna is an incredible feat in of itself.

00:08:44.429 --> 00:08:50.700
Now, everyone else who tried this failed and

00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:55.039
Lex did this in style he arrived by helicopter

00:08:55.039 --> 00:09:00.600
steps into the ring and slams the 500 pound champ

00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:10.240
now America went nuts and thus the leg Lex Express

00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:16.000
was born He never captured the WWF Championship

00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.019
which still feels like a what -if moment in wrestling

00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:25.620
history But in WCW he had his moments of glory

00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:29.320
including his surprise win over Hulk Hogan on

00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:34.320
an episode of Monday Nitro in 1997 and the crowd

00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:40.000
absolutely Blew the roof off the building This

00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.299
induction is a long time coming for a guy who

00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:47.980
gave so much to this business physically emotionally

00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:53.159
professionally now for anybody that has seen

00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:57.000
the Induction announcements this induction was

00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:01.039
broken by Cody none other than our current WWE

00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:06.519
champion Cody Rhodes Who went down to another

00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:11.889
Hall of Famers? yoga studio DDP Diamond Dallas

00:10:11.889 --> 00:10:15.429
Page who's been doing a lot of work behind the

00:10:15.429 --> 00:10:19.889
scenes with ex -athletes and ex -professional

00:10:19.889 --> 00:10:22.750
wrestlers to help them get past some of their

00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:26.629
physical limitations and Lex Luger unfortunately

00:10:26.629 --> 00:10:30.269
has been suffering with a real struggle walking

00:10:30.269 --> 00:10:35.789
and thanks to DDP he is making phenomenal progress

00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:41.029
and honestly I can't wait to see Lex Luger walk

00:10:41.029 --> 00:10:47.009
out on stage in Las Vegas to accept the Hall

00:10:47.009 --> 00:10:50.409
of Fame induction. Now, next, we're going to

00:10:50.409 --> 00:10:56.509
take a look at a absolutely legendary tag team

00:10:56.509 --> 00:11:04.070
wrestlers from a bygone age. Now, these are,

00:11:04.070 --> 00:11:08.110
of course, the natural disasters. big men with

00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:14.750
a big impact. Now the natural disasters were

00:11:14.750 --> 00:11:18.950
made up of earthquake and typhoon. Now these

00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:25.009
guys were huge. We're talking two massive powerhouses

00:11:25.009 --> 00:11:29.750
who were surprisingly agile for their size. Earthquake,

00:11:29.929 --> 00:11:34.879
real name John Tenter had a legitimate sumo background

00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:42.039
and Typhoon aka Fred Otteman had charisma and

00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:46.940
power in spades. Their biggest moment came in

00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:52.159
1992 when they finally won the WWF Tag Team titles

00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:58.149
from Money Inc. Fans loved seeing these two steamroll

00:11:58.149 --> 00:12:00.909
the competition and they took on all the top

00:12:00.909 --> 00:12:04.990
teams of the era. The Legion of Doom, the Bushwhackers,

00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:10.669
the Nasty Boys. But Earthquake, even as a solo

00:12:10.669 --> 00:12:15.509
act, left his mark. I happen to remember seeing

00:12:15.509 --> 00:12:19.629
a clip of when he crushed Hulk Hogan on the Brother

00:12:19.629 --> 00:12:24.330
Love Show with multiple earthquake splashes.

00:12:25.409 --> 00:12:30.669
Kids had to have been traumatized by this. That

00:12:30.669 --> 00:12:34.889
was a huge feud back then between Hulk Hogan

00:12:34.889 --> 00:12:41.230
and earthquake. Absolute madness. And as a team...

00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:44.639
They may not get as much love today, but they

00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:48.059
bought old school tag team energy and it's awesome

00:12:48.059 --> 00:12:53.580
to see them finally honored. So next we come

00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:58.379
to a piece of history for more than one reason.

00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:02.539
Because this is the first time in WWE Hall of

00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:07.899
Fame history, an individual match has been inducted

00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:12.539
and Maybe they I feel like they picked the right

00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:15.200
one and it's not just because I'm a Stone Cold

00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:20.000
fan But this was Brett the Hitman Hart versus

00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:27.080
Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 this

00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:33.799
was a match that was no DQ submission only and

00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:38.750
quite arguably the greatest double turn of all

00:13:38.750 --> 00:13:46.730
time. Now, Bret Hart came in the baby face, Austin

00:13:46.730 --> 00:13:51.870
came in as the heel and by the end, Bret was

00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:57.269
booed out of the building and Austin, face full

00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:03.269
of blood, unconscious in the sharpshooter, was

00:14:03.269 --> 00:14:09.440
a made man. That visual of him passing out rather

00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:14.440
than tapping out is simply iconic and has been

00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:19.179
used replayed again and again in video packages

00:14:19.179 --> 00:14:25.360
for decades and will continue to be used for

00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:30.279
decades to come. This match wasn't just a turning

00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:34.179
point for Austin's career, but it was the match

00:14:34.179 --> 00:14:39.320
that defined what storytelling in pro wrestling

00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:45.379
could be. Emotionally charged, violent and perfectly

00:14:45.379 --> 00:14:50.179
paced. It is about time it got recognized as

00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:54.259
the classic that it is. And honestly, if you

00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:59.519
can find it, watch it. Beginning to end, I'm

00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:04.259
pretty sure it is used to this day. in performance

00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:11.100
centers or in gyms around the world for wrestling

00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:17.559
as a paragon of what wrestling storytelling should

00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:22.600
be. And the final inductees this year go into

00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:26.620
what's known as the Legacy Wing and these are

00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:31.580
legends to be remembered. The Legacy Wing honours

00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.799
those who paved the way and this year the spotlight

00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:40.759
shines on three major names. First off we come

00:15:40.759 --> 00:15:46.580
to Kamala, known as the Ugandan Giant. Kamala

00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:50.940
was one of the most unique characters ever With

00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:55.740
his painted face slapping his belly and no shoes

00:15:55.740 --> 00:16:01.279
But behind the character was a man known as James

00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:05.980
Harris a soft -spoken guy who bought that terrifying

00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:10.700
presence to life he wrestled everyone from Hulk

00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:17.370
Hogan to the Undertaker and You remembered Kamala,

00:16:17.570 --> 00:16:22.570
and that's what it's all about. Next, we've got

00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:28.950
Dory Funk Senior. Now, we talk a lot about what

00:16:28.950 --> 00:16:33.289
happens in the ring. What we don't talk about

00:16:33.289 --> 00:16:37.090
is what happens behind the scenes. And I'm not

00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:40.610
talking backstage promos. I'm not talking about

00:16:40.610 --> 00:16:46.730
any of that. Before anything happens in the ring,

00:16:47.750 --> 00:16:52.049
people like Dory Funk Sr have to be involved.

00:16:52.649 --> 00:16:59.190
He is a legendary promoter and trainer. He ran

00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:03.169
the western state sports promotion and helped

00:17:03.169 --> 00:17:07.430
develop the foundation of modern wrestling. His

00:17:07.430 --> 00:17:12.819
sons Dory Jr and Terry became Hall of Famers

00:17:12.819 --> 00:17:17.920
but it all started with him. No other way to

00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:23.500
describe this man than a true patriarch of wrestling.

00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:31.599
And finally on the legacy end we have Ivan Koloff

00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:39.220
the man who shocked the world in 1971 by ending

00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:47.160
Bruno Sanmartino's legendary seven -year WWF

00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:53.819
Championship reign. Just imagine that. Bruno

00:17:53.819 --> 00:18:02.039
was untouchable for seven years. And then Ivan

00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:09.849
Koloff comes in and ends it all. the crowd was

00:18:09.849 --> 00:18:17.589
silent and that's the power of a moment and Koloff

00:18:17.589 --> 00:18:24.269
owned that moment and that's it we're not going

00:18:24.269 --> 00:18:27.410
into tremendous amounts of detail because if

00:18:27.410 --> 00:18:30.589
you sit and watch the Hall of Fame induction

00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:34.769
ceremony where these people are getting the recognition

00:18:34.769 --> 00:18:38.680
they so dearly deserve then you'll learn way

00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:41.799
more than you ever do listening to this podcast.

00:18:42.220 --> 00:18:45.099
As much as I try to be as informative as I can,

00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:48.480
I could have sat here and probably spoken for

00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:56.140
an hour at the least on each and every one of

00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:59.700
these superstars that are being inducted this

00:18:59.700 --> 00:19:06.890
year. And the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 It is

00:19:06.890 --> 00:19:13.150
a lineup that spans generations, styles and eras.

00:19:13.410 --> 00:19:17.769
From the game and Michelle McCall to tag team

00:19:17.769 --> 00:19:23.250
titans and timeless storytellers. This class

00:19:23.250 --> 00:19:29.930
reminds us why we love pro wrestling. The ceremony

00:19:29.930 --> 00:19:35.400
takes place on Friday, April 18th. in Las Vegas

00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:40.079
right after Smackdown and just before WrestleMania

00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:47.480
41. All I can say is emotions will run high.

00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:53.220
Expect tears and laughs and probably a few surprises.

00:19:54.559 --> 00:19:59.930
It's going to be an unforgettable ceremony. And

00:19:59.930 --> 00:20:02.829
thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed

00:20:02.829 --> 00:20:07.690
this breakdown, do me a favor. We're on Twitter.

00:20:08.730 --> 00:20:16.730
Finn and fan at Finn and fan. We are. Yeah, go

00:20:16.730 --> 00:20:21.130
back and listen to our back catalog. We are over

00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:25.789
50 episodes deep now on what has happened since

00:20:25.789 --> 00:20:33.859
WWE hit. Netflix like a sledgehammer and do me

00:20:33.859 --> 00:20:37.819
another favor share it with your friends share

00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:41.160
it with everybody that loves wrestling talk to

00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:44.759
them about it because that's all we're here to

00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.819
do we're here to share our love our passion for

00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:53.819
this industry and we would love to have a few

00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:59.049
more of you guys come in let us know what it's

00:20:59.049 --> 00:21:05.390
all about but until next time I'm Adam this was

00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:09.410
finishes and factions does the Hall of Fame ceremony

00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:14.289
stay safe stay strong stay legendary