For 27 years, The Undertaker was synonymous with WrestleMania.
Friday night, on the eve of WWE’s most prestigious event, The Phenom took his place in sports-entertainment history as the headline inductee of the 2022 Hall of Fame class.
The Deadman may have been the most iconic and recognizable star in this year’s crop of Superstars, but he was far from the only one.
Who joined The American Badass in pro wrestling immortality, and what were some of the highlights from this year’s ceremony?
The Undertaker
- “Tonight is my favorite night of the year,” McMahon said.
- “There is no one more deserving than the man we are about to induct tonight.”
- McMahon read a laundry list of Superstars from various eras that Undertaker shared the ring with over 30 years.
- “In those days, we didn’t deal with permits,” McMahon said while recalling a shoot at Penn Station for Shotgun Saturday Night.
- “WCW never bothered to call The Undertaker because they knew he would never answer,” McMahon spoke of the inductee’s loyalty.
- “This man is the most revered Superstar in WWE history.”
- “I love you,” a live mic picked up Undertaker telling McMahon as they embraced in the center of the ring.
- “For the last 30 years, my identity has been ‘Undertaker.’ The Phenom, The Deadman, the American Badass, and the taker of souls. Tonight, I’m gonna take you behind the curtain and meet the man behind the black hat, Mark Calaway.”
- “I wanted to show you the same respect you’ve shown me for so many years.”
- “My first thank you is to you,” the inductee spoke to the fans. “You were the motivation I needed many nights.”
- “Whether I was in the ring or outside, my actions matter.”
- “We’ve been friends for over 30 years. We’ve drunk gallons of Jack Daniels and fought each other over hats, watches and anything you can imagine, but I always knew you had my back,” he spoke of The Godfather.
- “Who puts cucumbers in a man’s drink? An evil man, that’s who,” he said, speaking of the late, great Paul Bearer and the ribs his longtime manager used to play on him.
- “The toes you step on on the way to the top are connected to the asses you’re gonna have to kiss on the way back down.” Sage advice from The Deadman’s dad.
- “Triple H, when my confidence was at its lowest, your words reminded me of who I was.”
- “There was a Punjabi Prison match that damn near killed all of us.”
- “You never got me to do the Takerooni.”
- “Now that The Undertaker has entered the WWE Hall of Fame, you can rest assured that I will rest…in…peace.”
- “Never say never,” The Phenom said as he exited the ring wearing his trademark hat and leather jacket.