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Donald Trump to Be Inducted into WWE Hall of Fame
February 25, 2013
Donald Trump is going to be recognized for his longstanding support and involvement with the WWE by being elected into its Hall of Fame.
WWE.com's Ryan Murphy reported on the news and shares that Trump will be inducted on April 6 at the Madison Square Garden with Bruno Sammartino, Mick Foley, Bob Backlund and Trish Stratus.
Trump's connection with the company started back in the heyday of Hulkamania. In 1988 and '89, His Trump Plaza, in Atlantic City, became the first venue to host back-to-back WrestleManias when the site hosted the fourth and fifth installments of the mega event.
However, Trump hasn't just been a wealthy bystander of the WWE—he's also been a participant.
It was at WrestleMania 23 when The Donald took on Vince McMahon in the "Battle of the Billionaires." For that contest Trump and McMahon bet their hair on the winner of a featured match. Trump's famous follicles were saved as he won the bet, but the performance further etched him into WWE lore.
His contributions, and aggravation of McMahon, don't stop there either. As Murphy reminds us, in 2009 Trump purchased Monday Night Raw. The week after purchasing the show, he broadcast it commercial-free while returning the cost of the ticket to all those in attendance.
Trump was then gracious enough to resell Raw to McMahon...for double what he paid for it.
Despite their WWE feuds, McMahon passed along this, via Murphy, on Trump's upcoming inclusion: "Donald is a global icon whose status brought an unmatched level of publicity and grandeur to WWE."
Trump will join the Hall of Fame as a celebrity where he will become a peer with the likes of Drew Carey, Pete Rose, Bob Uecker and Mike Tyson.
Like him, or hate him, The Donald makes people notice him, and in this way alone, he is a fitting addition into the WWE's Hall of Fame.