Jack Swagger Released and Top WWE News from Week of March 18

With not long to go before WrestleMania 33 on April 2, WWE is ramping up all of its big storylines. As usual, there was just as much going on outside the ring as there was inside over the past seven days. Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories from the past week.

Kurt Angle's Hall of Fame Inductor Revealed

According to Bobby Melok of WWE.com, John Cena has been chosen to induct Kurt Angle into the WWE Hall of Fame at this year's ceremony.

The choice comes as no surprise, as Angle was Cena's first opponent inside a WWE ring, on an episode of SmackDown almost 15 years ago.

Angle will headline the 2017 HOF class, which also includes Rick Rude, Beth Phoenix, The Rock 'n Roll Express, Teddy Long and Diamond Dallas Page.

It will be interesting to see whether WWE ever chooses to have Angle back for one more match. The roster is filled with Superstars he has never faced before along with some rivals from his WWE and TNA days, so there are numerous potential storylines for him.

The Rock Joining Saturday Night Live 5-Timers Club

The Rock has accomplished almost everything one could hope for in the entertainment industry, but he still has a few things to do before he becomes ruler of the world.

He will check another item off his bucket list when he hosts the season finale of Saturday Night Live May 20. The Rock took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone:

SNL always acknowledges when a host is returning for a fifth time. Justin Timberlake was inducted into the Five-Timers Club by several former cast members, but Scarlett Johansson only received a jacket and a modified Subway jingle for her introduction, so you never know what the show will do.

With everything going on in the news these days, it wouldn't be surprising to see the return of his popular Rock Obama character.

Jack Swagger Officially Released From WWE

After Jack Swagger recently made headlines for revealing he had requested his release from WWE on Chael Sonnen's Beyond the Fight podcast, WWE.com announced his wish had been granted on March 13.

Swagger was a hard worker who put everything into the gimmicks he was given, but he had more ups and down in his career than anyone else in recent memory.

His last brush with success was during his Real Americans tag team with Cesaro, but the duo disbanded at WrestleMania 30.

As a former world champion with good technical ability, Swagger will have no trouble finding work in TNA, Ring of Honor, Japan or any number of other indy promotions. 

2017 Warrior Award Recipient Announced

Arash Markazi of ESPN.com first reported Eric LeGrand would be the third recipient of the Warrior Award. Dana Warrior will present the accolade at this year's Hall of Fame ceremony.

LeGrand was a standout football player at Rutgers University before he was paralyzed by a spinal cord injury during a game in 2010.

In the years since the incident, LeGrand has become a motivational speaker, sports analyst and started the charity Team LeGrand.

He will be the third person to receive the honor after Connor Michalek and Joan Lunden in 2015 and 2016 respectively. It is named in honor of The Ultimate Warrior, who inspired its creation during his own Hall of Fame induction in 2014.

Injured NXT Star Makes His Return at Live Event

According to WWE.com, Hideo Itami made his highly anticipated return at an NXT live event in Orlando on March 11.

Itami has been out since October with a neck injury, and he spent a year on the shelf with a shoulder injury before that, so his WWE career hasn't gotten off to a great start.

The roadblocks have forced him to watch other wrestlers come into NXT and be called up to the main roster while he waits for his body to heal.

Itami had a prolific career in Japan before coming to WWE, so he is a proven commodity. If he can stay healthy, he could be on Raw or SmackDown by the end of the year.

Updated WrestleMania 33 Card

A few more matches were confirmed for WrestleMania 33 this week, bringing the total to 11 bouts. Here is a look at the updated card, according to WWE.com:

Participants	Stipulation
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar	Universal Championship
Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton	WWE Championship
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns	Singles Match
Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens	United States Championship
Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles	Singles Match
Alexa Bliss vs. SmackDown Women's Roster	SmackDown Women's Match
Bayley vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks	Raw Women's Championship
The Club vs. Enzo and Cass vs. Cesaro and Sheamus	Raw Tag Team Championships
John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse	Mixed Tag Team Match
Neville vs. Austin Aries	Cruiserweight Championship
Participants TBD	Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal