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Starting from 1993, WWE started honoring its Superstars who had become a legendary name in the business and had contributed immensely to WWE becoming such a huge success. The first WWE Superstar to be inducted was Andre the Giant, who was inducted posthumously. Since then, there have been a total of 204 inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame, as of 2019.
Being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame is surely a proud moment for these Superstars and legends. The entire grand ceremony and speeches make it a memorable event, where the entire WWE family comes together to celebrate the legacy of these Superstars. But there have been a few Superstars who have turned down this offer.
In this article, let's take a look at two Superstars who rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and three others who later accepted, after first rejecting. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts on the same.
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#3 Rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and later accepted: Bruno Sammartino
A legendary name in sports, Bruno Sammartino is best known for holding the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for a record 4040 days across two reigns. But he was a huge critique of the entire "sports entertainment" side that Vince McMahon had taken WWE into.
WWE wanted to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame before WrestleMania 29 in New Jersey, but the legend initially declined. Dave Meltzer mentioned the following-
HHH reached out to Bruno Sammartino recently in regard to the Hall of Fame in 2013, but Sammartino turned down the invitation. My impression is that neither side wanted it out, but Sammartino did make a point of saying HHH was a gentleman about the approach and very nice about it, but it just wasn't something he was looking at doing.... They had a nice talk and HHH asked if he could consider it and he'll call back in a week. Sammartino said that he didn't want to lead anyone on because he wasn't interested. HHH called back and gave him a pitch, but Sammartino turned him down, saying he's at the stage of life where he doesn't want to do anything that he will have regrets about doing, and if he accepted, he would have regrets. He explained to HHH his reasons.
But later, Bruno Sammartino agreed to get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2013 after Triple H convinced him and addressed his issues about the state of wrestling. The WWE Hall of Famer had the following to say during an interview with WWE.com -
Triple H contacted me and started telling me all the things that had changed and everything that was going on with WWE. I started watching it after talking to him and when I saw it, I was very, very impressed.
Bruno Sammartino died on April 18, 2018, after multiple organ failure at the age of 82.
#2 Rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: Scott Steiner
The Big Poppa Pump, Scott Steiner has been very vocal in his criticism of WWE and the ones in power. The former two-time WWF Tag Team Champion was offered a legends contract by WWE (which presumably includes WWE Hall of Fame induction), but he turned it down. He had the following to say during an interview with WhatCulture.
“WWE offered me a legends deal. My lawyer looked at it, and it’s basically illegal. It’s not worth the paper that it’s written on. So f–k them."
Scott Steiner then went on to deliver some harsh words and expletives to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, criticizing them badly.
In a recent interview, when asked about a potential WWE Hall of Fame induction, Scott Steiner went all out and questioned the existence of the WWE Hall of Fame, stating that it is just in Vince McMahon's mind.
“First off, where in the f*ck is the Hall Of Fame? How can you be in the Hall Of Fame if it doesn’t exist? It exists in Vince’s mind. Do I give a f*ck if I rent space in Vince’s mind? F*ck no, I don’t give a f*ck what he thinks. So I don’t care if I’m in the Hall Of Fame because it’s a f*cking joke because it don’t exist."
With the kind of comments that he has given publicly, it is highly unlikely that WWE would ever reach back to him for an offer to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
#2 Rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and later accepted: Batista
Batista was all set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE is yet to conduct the ceremony, with their being concerns over whether they will be able to hold it this year or not.
But Batista was previously offered induction into the Hall of Fame by WWE, which he refused. During an interview, Batista stated that he did not accept the offer at that time because he felt that he still had one last run left in him.
"I haven't accepted a nomination into the WWE Hall of Fame, because I just don't feel like my career is over. I still feel like I have plenty to offer, but now it's a scheduling issue and it's also a creative issue. You never say never, but I'd love to go back." (h/t WrestlingInc)
The six-time World Champion made his return to WWE Programming in early 2019 and started a feud with his Evolution teammate, Triple H. The two had a match at WrestleMania 35 which the Game won. Later, Batista announced that it would be his last match and that he was retiring from the world of professional wrestling.
Outside of WWE, Batista has started a successful career in Hollywood, being part of several huge movies, including his role as "Drax the Destroyer" in Marvel Cinematic Universe.
#1 Rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame: Sabu
Sabu is known by WWE fans for his hardcore wrestling style, who used to go to unimaginable heights and pain to entertain the crowd. The former ECW World Heavyweight Champion was part of WWE from 2006 to 2007, Sabu had some amazing feuds and matches against the likes of John Cena, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and others.
It is not clear whether he was offered a Hall of Fame induction by WWE, but Sabu has made it clear that he would turn it down. During an interview with WrestleTalk, Sabu called it the "fakest Hall of Fame I ever heard of", describing it just as a money maker.
"It's just a money maker for WWE, it's not to honor wrestlers. It's to make a pay day for the company. Baseball Hall of Fame, they put the best in, they don't put someone who sang the national anthem, or someone who did one appearance. It's the fakest Hall of Fame I ever heard of."
After spending time on the independent circuit, Sabu made his return to IMPACT Wrestling in 2019.
#1 Rejected being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and later accepted: Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior is one of the most popular yet controversial Superstars in WWE history. There are several famous stories of the war between him and WWE's biggest babyface at that time, Hulk Hogan for supremacy.
After being fired for threatening Vince McMahon to not appear at SummerSlam 1991 unless he gets more money, things were obviously not good between him and the WWE Chairman. In 2010, WWE released a DVD on him, titled - The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. They also contacted him to headline WWE's Hall of Fame Class of 2010, but the Ultimate Warrior declined.
“I did decline induction. Yes, I declined. I did not ‘back out’ of anything. There was never anything to ‘back out’ of. I never agreed to appear at the Hall of Fame, to begin with."
The Ultimate Warrior was not happy with that DVD, calling it defamatory, negative, and inaccurate portrayal of his career and character.
“Vince called me on December 23rd and left a voicemail saying, among other things, ‘Let’s get you in the Hall of Fame where you belong.’ After the holidays I returned his call, left a voicemail telling him to call me again when he found time. When we finally connected, I told him I would rather meet with him in person than talk over the phone. He said that would be great. He said he would find time on his calendar and call me back to set it up. When he called back a couple of weeks later he didn’t even mention finding a time scheduled to meet, and throughout the remainder of the conversation, he further decided not to find one. So, given only the option to say either yes or no, my answer was quick and clear, I declined Vince’s invitation to headline [2010’s] HOF event."
Finally, The Ultimate Warrior accepted the offer and headlined the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014. Unfortunately, he passed away a few days later due to a heart attack.
