WWE 2025 Hall of Fame: Triple H speaks for over an hour, thanks Vince McMahon

April 19, 2025 John Kleinchester NEWS, Show Reports
Photo Courtesy: WWE

April 18, 2025
BleauLive Theater at the Fontainebleau – Las Vegas, NV

By: John Kleinchester

 

Red Carpet Show Notes:

  • The Red Carpet Show was more interesting than the Hall of Fame itself – getting to see wrestlers conduct unscripted interviews is refreshing and fun:
  • LA Knight had a funny moment with his date
  • X-Pac talked about calling Triple H “Paul” these days
  • Ludwig Kaiser and Tiffany Stratton appeared hand-in-hand, and Kaiser talked about how proud he was of Stratton.
  • WWE presented Triple H with a bronze statue of himself in his prime. His response was that they made his nose look bigger than it is in real life.
  • Bianca Belair and Montez Ford were interviewed, and Peter Rosenberg brought up a viral clip circulating where men were “thirsting” over Belair. Ford responded by saying, “Anyone can look at the menu, but I’m the only one who knows what it tastes like”. 
  • Logan Paul pretended that he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight and said his speech was written with ChatGPT. Byron Saxton played it off as a super awkward moment in a weird spot.
  • Paul Heyman said that Triple H “steered WWE out of corporate chaos brilliantly.”

 

 

 

Hosts: Michael Cole and Pat McAfee

 

First Inductee: Lex Luger

Inducted By: Diamond Dallas Page

In DDP’s induction speech, he talked about how Lex Luger had a rebirth after going through hell and coming out the other side. DDP talked about slamming Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid, the Lex Express, and Luger kicking off the Monday Night Wars. Page then talked about being there when Lex became a quadriplegic, and he helped the EMT put him in a gurney. 

Lex came out, stood up, and made it to the podium on his own, but then said he had taken a bump getting out of his Uber. They had planned a longer walk, but he was still standing. 

Lex thanked DDP and all his friends who loved him even when he was unlovable. Lex said that he never grew up watching wrestling, so he never understood the fans. But one time when he entered a Walmart with his Pastor, the love he received in that store made him finally get it. Lex then talked about how mind-boggling the athleticism of today’s superstars was.  

 

Legends Inductee: Kamala

A brief video was shown honoring Kamala, and his family was shown in the crowd.

 

Second Inductee: Michelle McCool

Inducted By: The Undertaker

The Undertaker was out to induct his wife and said he was in Vegas for a good time, not a long time, and tonight he was just “Mark” or “a mark.” Undertaker said that Michelle chased him for months and finally wore him down. Taker said that McCool was a pioneer before the women’s evolution had a name. He said that the most amazing thing about her was who she is when the cameras aren’t rolling, and that she’s the strongest person in their family. 

Michelle McCool talked about getting the call from WWE Headquarters in 2004 and letting it go to voicemail. She admitted she was scared to apply to the Divas Search at first, but she realized she is “enough.” McCool advised to “avoid the noise because your calling is bigger than their commentary.” She mentioned that at one point, she and Natalya were advised to pull their punches because they looked too good. Because they ignored it, they were rewarded with the first-ever Women’s tables match. She talked about having severe kidney and liver disease, and being in the hospital for sixteen days, and fighting back through hallucinations. She concluded by saying real power is how you treat people when there’s no spotlight at all.

Legends Inductee: Dory Funk, Sr.

A brief video was shown honoring Dory Funk, Sr., and his family was shown in the crowd.

 

Third Inductee: The Natural Disasters

Inducted By: Fred Ottman, Berkley Ottman, The Tenta Family

The Tenta Family spoke about Earthquake being a gentle giant who achieved his life’s dream. They said he worked hard but didn’t take himself too seriously and that gentleness required more strength. His daughter Emily mentioned that she has been inspired to step into the ring and follow in his footsteps. Fred “Typhoon” Ottman said he wished Tenta were there with them, and he was his best friend and brother from another mother. He talked about how great it was to be a team with Tenta and that they had so much in common. He dedicated this to “Quake” and said it was for him.

Immortal Moment Inductee: Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, Wrestlemania XIII

Inducted By: CM Punk

Punk said that he had two minutes to talk about these two and this iconic match, but he could talk about them for hours. He said that hyperbole was used too often in wrestling, but in this case, it’s deserved. He said this match is perfect. Punk shouted out Ken Shamrock for being a great referee in this match, and the fans in Chicago played their part as well. Punk said all he wanted to do was follow in the footsteps of legends, and it’s important to give Bret and Steve their flowers because they deserve it.

They revealed a bust of a split face, half Bret Hart and half Steve Austin. Bret spoke about being honored to be the first person to get three Hall of Fame rings. He continued talking about how he knew this was his greatest match the second it was over. He put over Steve Austin, saying there was always a lot of trust and respect between them. Austin said that he had talked about this match so much that it felt like overkill, but he said the match was basic and simple, which is why it worked. Austin also thanked Ken Shamrock and joked that he was so jacked that it made him and Bret look small. Austin also thanked Vince McMahon for being a part of the commentary team for the match, as well as Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. He then had Pat McAfee bring out some beer, and the three cheers’d. CM Punk did not partake in the beer.

Legends Inductee: Ivan Koloff

A brief video was shown honoring Ivan Koloff, and his family was shown in the crowd.

Fourth Inductee: Paul “Triple H” Levesque

Inducted By: Shawn Michaels

Michaels talked about how special it was to induct his best friend into the Hall of Fame. He called Levesque “the most powerful man in wrestling” today, but that’s not how he entered the business; he had to prove his worth. 

He referenced “falling in love with the boss’s daughter,” but that wasn’t why he got where he was. Shawn joked about Stephanie and his own wife, wondering about his and Paul’s relationship, and assured that the only time they had ever kissed was on live television. 

Shawn said that he likes to think he helped Levesque with how to do business in wrestling and to reach the level that they both knew he could achieve. Shawn thanked Paul for staying his friend despite all of his issues, even before he turned his life around. Shawn then turned his attention to NXT and how Hunter had built a place where passion and excitement could thrive all the time. He noted that this year, thirteen years later, the WrestleMania card is almost entirely made up of NXT alumni.

Michaels joked that he gets emails at 1 a.m. that start “Per Paul,” and he wondered who the hell Paul was. Shawn asked who emails at 1 a.m. and said he goes to bed at 9 p.m. He then surmised that Paul was getting back at him for everything that happened in the 90s. Shawn lauded Hunter for being able to work with everyone from Travis Scott to Roman Reigns. He said that people and talent feel more confident with Triple H at the helm because he can keep the integrity of the WWE.

Triple H spoke for over an hour, fighting back tears, and some of the highlights included:

  • Shouted out Lemmy and Motorhead for his theme song
  • Thanked Rich Hering, who had been with the company for 55 years, going back to the WWWF days
  • Thanked his parents, who were in attendance and celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary
  • Listed Arnold Schwarzenegger, Killer Kowalski, Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Harley Race, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Terry Taylor, and William Regal as people who helped him in his career.

  • Told road stories about the Kliq and being “in the bag” going into Denny’s and then having to go to the hospital and loving it, despite him not drinking or doing drugs himself and always being the designated driver. 
  • Getting knocked out by Scott Hall live on Monday Night Raw, and Hall telling him he has a glass jaw.
  • Shouted out Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna, calling her the anchor of Degeneration X.
  • Thanked Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista for lighting a fire under him and changing the business with Evolution.

  • Thanked Pat Patterson and all of the other creatives for allowing him to sit in production meetings and soak up all the information, which directly led to him opening the Performance Center and starting NXT. 
  • Shouted out Michael Hayes, and that he is this generation’s Pat Patterson
  • Mentioned Bruce Prichard and Ed Koskey, as well as all of the ring crew and production people
  • Talked about Paul Heyman and said he learned sometimes that you have to say “f*ck it” and make your own reality. He said that he had “consiglierie” inscribed inside Heyman’s Hall of Fame ring last year.
  • Thanked Linda and Shane McMahon and told Shane not to jump off anything big
  • Said his relationship with Vince was a complicated one, but he taught him everything he knows. Also noted him as a friend, mentor, and a father-in-law. He said he owed Vince so much, and he loved him.
  • The Undertaker was the most respected person in the business. 
  • Talked about his health scare, and he now sees it as a gift, and it’s the people around him that matter. Said it was a wake-up call on how to appreciate life. 
  • Thanked his family and each of his daughters, including his daughter who plays football on the boys’ team. 
  • Finally, thanked Nick Khan, calling him a human 8-ball who always has the answers. 

 

 

About John Kleinchester 227 Articles
John Kleinchester is a wrestling reporter from New Jersey, covering the sport since 2022. He is a graduate of Ithaca College and can be reached at [email protected].
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