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nWo to British Bulldog - List of 2020 WWE Hall of Fame inductees

nWo to British Bulldog - Here is the list of 2020 WWE Hall of Fame inductees which also features Batista, the Bell Twins and Justin Thunder Liger.

By Raja
The Bella Twins (image courtesy WWE.com)

Bengaluru, December 18: WWE Hall of Fame is helmed as the most prestigious club in the world of sports entertainment. Years of hard works and career achievements by certain individuals are honored in the presence of the who's who of this industry. A ceremony takes place every year during WrestleMania weekend that witnesses a galore of stars.

2020 was an exceptional year, of course where every genre of sport and entertainment had to be on halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE did pull off a tremendous job by continuing weekly TV and PPV programming. But the Hall of Fame had to be postponed which was later canceled. There's no update either on whether this year's edition will be happening or not.

However, WWE did announce a star-studded lineup in the form of the inductees for the WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2020. Check out those names alongside their career accolades:

Jushin “Thunder” Liger

Jushin “Thunder” Liger

Helmed as a high-flying athlete who has the experience to perform all over the world, Liger was announced to take his rightful spot at WWE Hall of Fame, this year. Initially, he made fame in Japan in the 80s with his innovative offensive moves. His dazzling red-and-white bodysuit and a striking mask also appeared to be quite captivating for the audience. He is often credited to be the inventor of the Shooting Star Press move.

After spending a decade in Japan, Liger finally stepped into the United States in 1991 to be a part of the WCW promotion. His rivalry with Brian Pillman over the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship is considered to be a staple in the sports entertainment that upped the presume of the now known Cruiserweight Championship.

Throughout the 90s, he appeared for WCW while delivering some notable bouts against the likes of Rey Mysterio or Dean Malenko. Not to mention, he was dealing with a brain tumor at that time. Meanwhile, he already cemented his legacy in Japan by becoming an 11-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

He made his WWE debut at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn in 2015 competing against Tyler Breeze in an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Earlier in January, Liger announced his retirement which makes him one of the very few professional wrestlers who has the experience of five different decades.

The British Bulldog

The British Bulldog

As revealed on After The Bellas Podcast hosted by Corey Graves, "The British Bulldog" - Davey Boy Smith was announced as a 2020 WWE Hall of Fame inductee. Smith trained with The Dynamite Kid in the UK to get initial identity before moving to the US as the duo started performing under The British Bulldogs name.

Making a WWE debut in 1984, they became one of the most popular teams while feuding with The Hart Foundation. At WrestleMania 2, the Bulldogs, with heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne in their corner, defeated The Dream Team to capture the World Tag Team Championship for the first time.

By the end of the 90s, the duo left the WWE for a few months before Smith returned under the British Bulldog name to pursue a singles career which is highlighted by two big wins. He was the last man standing in the ring in a 1991 Battle Royal in London's Royal Albert Hall. A year later, he defeated Bret "Hit Man" Hart to win the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1992 in front of more than 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, in a match that is often regarded as the match of the century.

The successful stint continued for Smith as he became the first-ever WWE European Champion, Hardcore Champion, and the World Tag Team Championship again, with Owen Hart. He passed away in 2002 leaving an undeniable impact on the professional wrestling world.

JBL

JBL

A Richie-rich Texan started his road to the WWE Hall of Fame in the year 1995 by appearing in WWE and garnering attention with his pendant lariat so devastating that it would eventually be known as the Clothesline from Hell. Sooner, he would go on to join Ron Simmons to form The Acolytes where the duo served as the enforcers for The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness.

The Ministry was disbanded but Simmons and Bradshaw stuck together to open The Acolytes Protection Agency aka APA, who would rent out their services as bodyguards to any of the superstars who could load them up with cash. Playing pokers, cigars in their mouth, and receiving bribes became part of their gimmick via which they eventually racked three world Tag Team Championship reigns.

After The APA shtick ended, John Bradshaw Layfield appeared on the scene boasting his success from the stock market on the WWE Universe. Wearing a white cowboy hat and suit, along with a limousine with bull horns attached to the hood, his appearance was quite unique. The tycoon would go on to become the WWE Champion by defeating Eddie Guerrero at The Great American Bash 2004 in a Texas Bull Rope Match. JBL held onto that belt until WrestleMania the following year, becoming the-then longest-reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.

JBL also won the Intercontinental and United States Championships, becoming one of the very few WWE Triple Crown winners. After hanging up his boots in 2009, JBL would go on to have separate stints as a WWE commentator and NXT General Manager. His charity work with at-risk kids and communities as a Global Ambassador with brands like Beyond Rugby Bermuda and Beyond Sport is widely regarded. For his career in WWE and beyond, JBL took his spot as a Hall of Famer, this year.

The Bella Twins

The Bella Twins

As first revealed by Alexa Bliss during "A Moment of Bliss" on Friday Night SmackDown in February, The Bella Twins was announced as 2020 Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductees, at a comparatively young age. The journey of Brand Bellas began with Brie Bella's debut in 2008 where she picked up a series of wins over opponents which was unexpected for a newbie like her having minimum experience in wrestling.

A few weeks later, the ruse game was clarified in the form of a little "Twin Magic," where Brie's twin Nikki Bella would hide under the ring. This would eventually go on to become the key to their success in WWE. Brie captured the Divas championship gold, defeating Eve Torres in April 2011. Just a year later, Nikki won the belt by defeating fellow WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix, a reign that lasted just six days.

Nikki would recapture the belt at Survivor Series 2014, dethroning AJ Lee to commence a reign that would last for 300 days, the longest in Divas Championship history. Throughout their career, they had some memorable feuds with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Stephanie McMahon, Paige, Natalya, Ronda Rousey, and more. The Bellas also brought the trend of reality TV series through Total Divas, which only grew over time.

nWo

nWo

The nWo - New World Order is often regarded as perhaps the most controversial faction in the wrestling business. With their 2020 Hall of Fame induction confirmation news by ESPN, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman - X-Pac became two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductees.

WCW was out to take over WWE's spot at the top of the business when the nWo was born to signify the chaos ongoing. After Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash's warning of a change, they took on WCW flagbearers Sting, Lex Luger & "Macho Man" Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach 1996 in a huge six-man tag team battle. The third member of their team appeared to be Hollywood Hulk Hogan who crushed Savage with his trademark leg drop and embraced The Outsiders.

For the first time, the fan-favorite Hogan turned heel promising the fans to show something new that they've never seen. The crowd literally rioted over the turn of incidents as The New World Order embraced this natural heat to become the premier force in WCW, with X-Pac becoming their mouthpiece.

After WCW was shut down by Vince McMahon, the most nefarious heel faction eventually appeared in WWE in 2001. This led to some of the Attitude Era's biggest stars under one roof with The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin being the biggest stars in WWE. WrestleMania X8 hosted two huge battles, one featuring Austin against Hall, and the other one where Hogan competed against The Great One, a match that is considered as the most electrifying match of the decade.

Batista

Batista

The six-time World Champion and a bonafide Hollywood star, Batista was named as the first ballot WWE Hall of Fame 2020 Class of inductee, news broken by People Magazine. Growing up in the streets of Washington DC, Batista Dave Bautista wanted to change his rugged lifestyle by becoming a wrestler. Thanks to the training by WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan, he earned his way into WWE.

Debuting in 2002 as the muscle for Reverend D-Von, Batista soon caught the eye of Triple H and Ric Flair as he would eventually go on to become a part of The Evolution faction, also featuring Randy Orton. He tasted the first championship of his life by winning the World Tag Team Titles with Flair.

Jealousy would break out between Triple H and Batista as the latter would go on to win the 2005 Royal Rumble Match and then defeat his mentor in the main event of WrestleMania 21 to win his World Heavyweight Championship. For the next five years, The Animal would go on to rule the WWE roster with his brute force.

He left the WWE in 2010 but came back in 2014 to win the Royal Rumble and go on to feature in another main event match on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Coming up short against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, he would re-form Evolution sans Flair to put over The Shield faction, in a big way.

Batista went to leave a mark in Hollywood, thereafter by bringing Drax the Destroyer to life in the hit Marvel movie "Guardians of the Galaxy," and the film's sequel, as well as the worldwide hit "Avengers" movies. He played one of the villains in "Spectre," the 2015 installment of the James Bond series alongside appearances in "Blade Runner 2049" and "Stuber."

But the pro-wrestler inside him wanted a proper farewell leading yet another return to WWE in 2019. He vowed to end Triple H's career as the super-heel persona who got his wish at WrestleMania 35 in the form of a No Holds Barred Match against his mentor. After coming up short, the legendary wrestler officially announced to hang up the boots before WWE honored him with a place at the Hall of Fame club for his crossover success inside the squared circle as well as in Hollywood.

Story first published: Friday, December 18, 2020, 14:01 [IST]
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