Rick Rude in the Hall of Fame and Top WWE News from Week of March 11

With the WWE firmly on the road to WrestleMania 33, most of the big matches we will see at the event have been booked, and the rest of the card is starting to become clear.

As usual, there was just as much going on outside the ring as there was inside. Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories from the past week.

Rick Rude to be Inducted into Hall of Fame, Person to Induct Him Revealed

Ryan Dilbert of Bleacher Report first broke the outstanding news this week of Rick Rude's induction into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame.

The Ravishing One is someone who has been on most fans' wishlists of HOF inductees for many years thanks to his over-the-top personality and incredible wrestling ability.

His influence is still felt today through wrestlers like Tyler Breeze and Dolph Ziggler, and he is often ranked among the greatest intercontinental champions of all time.

One of the most famous moments of the Monday Night Wars came when Rude appeared during both the pre-taped Raw and live Nitro broadcasts on the same night.

Bobby Melok of WWE.com revealed Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat will be the one to induct Rude into the Hall of Fame.

"Outlaw" Ron Bass Dies

It's beginning to feel like we are mourning the passing of a legendary wrestler every week lately. Unfortunately, this trend continued this week when WWE.com announced the death of "Outlaw" Ron Bass.

Bass feuded with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake during his two-year stint with the WWE, but he had a prominent career in the NWA and territory scenes beforehand.

Between all the different promotions he worked for, Bass racked up 20 tag team championships and 16 singles titles. Throughout the years, he won gold alongside such legends as Black Bart, Roddy Piper, Barry Windham and One Man Gang. 

His name might not be the first one you think of when discussing wrestlers from the '70s and '80s, but he was a solid talent in the ring and on the mic. Rest in peace, Outlaw.

Edge and Christian Launching New Podcast

Fans have no idea if or when they can expect a second season of Edge and Christian's WWE Network show, but we will have a new podcast to get us by in the meantime.

The former world champions took to Twitter on March 10 to announce the new project, appropriately titled E&C's Pod of Awesomeness.

Edge and Christian have been known for their comedic abilities ever since they broke away from Gangrel and took on more fun-loving personalities.

They are both energetic and charismatic, so it's safe to assume their podcast will be as entertaining as everything else they do.

WWE Announces UK Championship Tour

According to WWE.com, many of the standouts from last year's United Kingdom Championship Tournament will take part in a new UK Championship tour in May.

Champion Tyler Bate will be joined by the likes of Trent Seven, Pete Dunne, Wolfgang and Sam Gradwell, as well as members of the cruiserweight division like The Brian Kendrick and Rich Swann.

We have yet to hear anything about a potential WWE UK weekly show, but seeing the company begin holding special events to feature the title is a good sign.

The UK tourney was widely considered one of the best things the WWE has done since launching its streaming service, thanks to its presentation and the quality of the matches.

There's no word on whether Bate or anyone else from the tournament will appear at WrestleMania, but there is a good chance we could see one or two competitors show up during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Another Fast-Food Franchise Gets WWE Fever

In a strange bit of cross-promotional marketing, fast food chain Arby's has posted the following video to its Twitter account. The clip is an obvious nod to Bray Wyatt.

This isn't the first time a fast-food company has associated itself with the WWE through social media. During this year's Royal Rumble, the official Wendy's Twitter account had a humorous exchange with Big E.

The New Day member also posted a photo in December of a special fanny pack he received from McDonald's, and another in January showing off a bottle of Special Sauce the company sent him.

The WWE has been plugging products from KFC in recent months by making commercials with Superstars like Enzo Amore, Big Cass, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz, but the stuff on social media appears to be those companies doing things outside of any kind of official deal.

Updated WrestleMania 33 Card

WrestleMania 33 is still weeks away on April 2, but management has already planned seven matches for the biggest pay-per-view of the year.

WWE has been teasing a bout between Big Show and Shaquille O'Neal for over a year, and the seeds were planted for The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns on Raw, but neither contest is official at this point. 

Here is a look at the updated card, according to WWE.com:

Participants	Stipulation
Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg	Universal Championship
Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton	WWE Championship
Alexa Bliss vs. Entire SmackDown Women's Division	SmackDown Women's Championship
Bayley vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks	Raw Women's Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens	United States Championship
The Club vs. Enzo and Cass vs. Sheamus and Cesaro	Raw Tag Team Championships
Participants TBD	Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal