The Honky Tonk Man to Be Inducted into WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2019

The Honky Tonk Man was announced Tuesday as the second inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2019. 

He will be honored along with D-Generation X on April 6 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the night before WrestleMania 35.

In an interview with Brian Campbell of CBS Sports, The Honky Tonk Man explained what it means to him to be a Hall of Famer:

"WWE is the place to be. For me, it's the only place I have ever wanted to be. It's the place that if I'm ready to finish up, that's where I want to be. It's home for me because I have so many fond memories of everything that has been accomplished by WWE and from what I've accomplished myself. It wasn't me alone, it was a huge team effort.

"That is what's amazing and what is so great about being part of the WWE. The door is open to you and it's up to you if you want to walk through it. I look back on everything and for some unknown reason, everything has a meaning. The timing, everything about this year in the 2019 Hall of Fame, everything was lining up perfectly. I never dreamed it was going to happen and would tell people that it's something I don't think about every day of my life. But to be able to be part of this, it's hard to explain."

The Honky Tonk Man is the self-proclaimed greatest intercontinental champion of all time, but his boisterous boast comes with plenty of substance to back it up. With a reign of 454 days from June 1987 until August 1988, he still stands as the longest-reigning IC titleholder in WWE history.

After making a name for himself primarily in the southern territories throughout the 1970s and 1980s as Wayne Ferris, he joined WWE in 1986. It was there that he enjoyed his greatest success.

The Honky Tonk Man's character was essentially that of an Elvis impersonator, and it wasn't long before fans turned on him and helped him become one of the best villains of his era.

Linking up with Hall of Fame manager Jimmy Hart helped in that regard, as did his musical performances and penchant for laying out foes with his guitar, which is something that has been replicated by many others over the years, including Jeff Jarrett and Elias.

The Honky Tonk Man is also remembered by many for his "Cool, Cocky, Bad," theme song, as well as his Shake, Rattle and Roll finisher.

In what is perhaps the greatest testament to his ability as a heel, his most remembered match is his loss to The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1988, which saw him drop the IC title in just 31 seconds.

Shortly after that, he formed The Rhythm and Blues tag team with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and then had a brief stint in WCW before coming back to WWE in 1997 as a commentator and manager.

The Honky Tonk Man has made sporadic appearances on WWE programming over the past several years, but none will be as impactful as when he takes the stage on April 6 and is awarded his rightful place among the company's all-time greats.

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