Sgt. Slaughter Claims That WWE Hall Of Fame Inductees Are Voted On By Peers
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter recently spoke with Fox News and made an interesting statement on the Hall. Slaughter claimed that WWE Hall of Famers are voted in by their peers, and that he was unanimously voted in for his 2004 induction.
"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the number one thing that you're shooting for. You don't win titles, you earn titles, and to earn the right to be a Hall of Famer and voted in by your peers ? I was unanimously voted in," Slaughter said. "I was still wrestling, actually, and it was a great honor. I knew what it was like for me to think of what I wanted to say, who I wanted to thank. And as anything, there's time limits. Wrestlers can talk the chrome off a bumper, so you have to try to get it all into one 10-minute conversation ? your whole career, your whole life and who to thank. So it's a pretty big deal and I really enjoyed it. This year it's going to be at the Barclays Center, and I look forward to it because it's my favorite time of the week when I hear the stories and hear who they thank and how they got there."
It's possible Slaughter was just working the interview but the general belief has been that Vince McMahon makes the call on who goes into the Hall each year, perhaps with input and suggestions from other WWE higher-ups or people he trusts. The final decision on an inductee would still come down to Vince, as is still the case with the majority of WWE decisions.
WWE fans could be allowed to vote on Hall of Fame inductions in the future. WWE issued Fan Council surveys in 2016 and 2018 to fan interest on tiered pricing for the WWE Network, and one of the perks for a potential package was Hall of Fame voting. We do know that the company is getting closer to rolling out tiered pricing for the Network.
The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 6 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania 35 weekend. D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Billy Gunn, "Road Dogg" BG James, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman) will be the headliners and The Honky Tonk Man has also been confirmed.