Michael Cole came on stage and welcomed everyone to the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame and asked everyone to remain respectful when the Hall of Famers are speaking and not to “catcall” at any point when they are on stage. Cole said that fans should hold their applause until the end of the speeches. No sooner had he said that, CM Punk stood up with a big “APPLAUSE” sign that had the audience laughing and clapping hard. A video packaged then aired on all Hall of Famers, before Cole passed it over to Jerry Lawler to host the event, who noted that the Hall of Fame class is awesome and that he can’t wait to get going.

MICK FOLEY (Inducted By Terry Funk)

Terry Funk came to the stage and said that he loves Mick Foley like an ugly brother and said that he remembers wrestling in a snowstorm in Japan with Mick in an arena with 300 people that could hold 5,000. Funk talked about Foley’s WWE Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker and thinking that Foley was dead when he went through the cell and that The Undertaker made sure to tell Terry that Foley wasn’t that night, as Terry was carried out and Mick finished the match as banged up as anyone will ever be. Mick Foley came out to a huge ovation and then poked fun at Hacksaw Jim Duggan saying that they’re not the same men. Foley said that it did hurt when The Undertaker threw him off the cell and that he’s been talking about that moment for a good 15 years now. Foley said that this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class is probably the best of all-time, however his title reigns don’t compare to the likes of Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund.

Foley said that it is great to be back inside Madison Square Garden and still remembers like it was yesterday the time he hitchhiked to go see the Snuka/Muraco cage match, as he felt something special would happen that night and it did as Snuka dove off the top of the cage and said that after seeing Snuka doing that, he knew what he wanted to do with his life. Foley said that he has had great moments in his career and a lot of them were with Triple H and then asked for his trainer Domenic DeNucci to stand. Foley told a story of DeNucci trying to show him what wrestling was and that DeNucci only charged him $25 a lesson and said that he loves DeNucci and thanks him for the great memories. Foley said that he would like to thank Shane Douglas who helped him so much when starting out and then thanked Jim Ross for his storytelling and said that Jim Ross did wonders for his career in the way he called that Hell in a Cell match, saying that Mick was smiling after going through the cell, but in actuality, Mick was wondering who owned the shoes in the ring and says that he was in a right state after the cell bump. Foley then talked about The Undertaker and said that he’s never heard anyone say a bad word about him and that The Undertaker helped to put him on the map and said that he can’t wait for tomorrow night for Punk and Taker and said that when the time is right, The Undertaker will be on this stage sharing his own memories.

Foley said that he has invited Santa Claus to tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame, but he can’t see him here tonight and said that looking back, he’s going to have to deal with knowing in his career that he’s never beat Chris Jericho and would still like to drop the elbow on him and pin him. Jericho got up from his seat, jumped onto the stage and laid down, while CM Punk acted as the referee. Foley hit the elbow, while Punk made the 3 count and then said “I Did It”. Foley then talked about all his recent matches towards the end of his career and said that he wants to thank Ric Flair for dragging one last great match out of him and wants to thank Dusty Rhodes for hiring him all the way back in 1991. Foley said that while he has very fond moments, tonight is probably the best one in his wrestling career. Just as Mick was leaving, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus arrived, giving Mick a red flannel Santa Jacket and hat. Foley got on the mic and said “Merry Christmas”, before turning back stating “Oh…and Have a Nice Day!”

TRISH STRATUS (Inducted By Stephanie McMahon)

Stephanie McMahon came out and said that when Trish Stratus recently asked her to do the inducting honors, she was overwhelmed, because at one time, Trish nearly ripped Stephanie’s family apart. Stephanie said that Trish is an icon for today’s WWE Divas and thanked her for the memories, saying that it was some of the best memories that she had of being on-screen and said that Trish has a great way of making people feel her emotions and draw people and said that Trish helped to reshape and change the Divas division by headlining WWE RAW against Lita. Stephanie praised Trish’s post-WWE career and says that Trish lives life on her own terms and might not be done in the ring, but still inspires women wrestler’s to follow their dreams and said that Trish is now the youngest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Trish came out and said that Stephanie is one of the most inspirational women that she has ever known and thanked Stephanie for accepting the honor to induct her into the WWE Hall of Fame and still can’t believe she’s saying that. Trish thanked a lot of people and then said that she also wants to thank a few more, looking at the crowd and saying that the fans are the most important people in her world as she grew up infront of them and that they saw some good moments and some bad moments, including a match she stated was called the worst-ever on the internet. Trish said that everytime she stepped inside the WWE ring, she was trying to prove a point and prove that she deserved to be in there and thanked the fans for accepting her and supporting her. Trish then said that a few men opened the doors for her in the WWE and praised Carl DeMarco, who was the former WWE President in Canada, noting that DeMarco wisened her up on the business and the sacrificies that she would be making and noted that when she left the WWE, the two worked together and opened a lot of eyes to the world of sports-entertainment. Trish then thanked Ron Hutchinson and said that he helped to train herself, Edge and Christian and was happy that he was here and then praised Jim Ross and Dave Finlay for their work in helping the talent and the women at that time and then said that she wants to thank her “bestie” Lita and loved the matches they had and the good memories they can share, as well as the other Divas during that period.

Trish then thanked the McMahon family and joked about Vince being focused on something else on her body instead of her eyes and said that she learned so much about the wrestling business from being with WWE. Trish thanked her family and then her Mom and noted that one of the reasons she decided to retire so early was that her Mom was diagnosed with cancer, however her Mom is a fighter and is now cancer free. Trish then thanked her husband, who was booed and noted that the two were high-school sweethearts, which was booed and said that she wanted to thank him for being there when she was working the WWE schedule. Trish then announced that she had a special anouncement and that she is pregnant and is expecting a child in September.

BOOKER T (Inducted By Stevie Ray)

Stevie Ray came out and the crowd chanted Harlem Heat. Stevie thanked them and said that he’s here tonight to induct Booker or Junior, as he’s the youngest in the family. Stevie said that their father passed away when Booker was only 11 months old, so that might explain why himself and Booker were attached and why Booker looks up to him and probably why Booker messed with guys Stevie’s age when they were younger, as they knew Stevie would be waiting around the corner if they touched Booker. Stevie then talked about their Mom passing, Booker going to jail and when he got out, he hit the gym hard, met Ivan Putski and started training and then found his calling in life. Stevie said that Booker has overcome a lot in his life and is a role model and then introduced Booker.

Booker came out and thanked the crowd and said that he feels like the fans are his family and shared some stories including the night he heard about Mick Foley’s ear when in Germany and said that he wants to thank some of those from the WCW days such as Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes and said that when Harlem Heat got going, they were missing someone and that person was Sherri Martel and said that Sherri helped to make them legitimate. Booker talked about how he won the WCW World TV Championship and said that he stated out as nobody in that company and rose to the top being a 5-Time WCW Champion. Booker then talked about deciding to jump to the WWE and said that he remembers Linda McMahon telling him that they finally got him on board and thanked The Boogeyman and Goldust for helping him bring out his comedy side and to help him grow and learn as a performer. Booker then thanked The Undertaker, Jim Ross and Michael Cole and said that just like in WCW, he went from the bottom of the WWE to the top and even was the greatest King of all-time at one point in his career. The fans called for a spinaroonie and Booker told them to wait, saying that he’s not finished yet. Booker then thanked his wife Sharmell and closed off with “Can You Dig That Sucka” before hitting a spinaroonie.

BOB BACKLUND (Inducted By Maria Menounos)

Maria Menounos came out and said that to induct anyone into the WWE Hall of Fame is a special occasion and praised the wrestlers for putting their bodies on the line each and every night to entertain the fans. Maria said that she loved Backlund growing up and became friends with him on the set of her first movie and said that there is no better friend to have than Bob Backlund. Maria noted that when she was on Dancing with the Stars and competed at WrestleMania, Backlund gave her some advice and those words helped her along the way. Maria commented on Bob refusing to turn heel, only to come back years later as a top heel for a different audience that were watching wrestling at the time.

Backlund came out and thanked Maria and says that he’s known her for a long time, she’s a lady and he has great respect for her. Backlund said that being inducted is an honor, especially looking at who he is going in with this year and talks about meeting Bruno in 1977 and that Bruno paved the way for a lot of people in professional wrestling and commented on Bruno working hard, similar to John Cena. Backlund talked about getting into amateur wrestling in the fifth grade and losing every match he had, getting mad at himself and the coaches wanting him to quit, however he showed them. Backlund said that he worked hard and is fitter than anyone else in the building and spoke about Arnold Skaaland who managed him. Backlund asked his brother to come on stage and apply a side headlock on him. During this, Vince McMahon snuck on the stage and told Bob that he was done, however Bob played it off and then said that Triple H should sign a young athelte named Andrew Cuomo. Triple H then got on stage, as Bob kept going and going, while Vince came back out. The lights were then turned off and music played, however Backlund continued going on.

DONALD TRUMP (Inducted By Vince McMahon)

Vince McMahon came out and said that he wanted to thank the fans and said that Donald Trump was an instituion and hosted back-to-back WrestleManias and attended shows and then featured a clip on the screen. Vince then joked that besides himself, Trump would be a great President. Vince then asked the crowd if he instead should be President. Vince compared himself and Trump and talked about the WrestleMania 23 match saying that Donald cheated.

Trump came out and noted that the crowd, who booed him, was a tough one. Trump said that himself and Vince have a great relationship and talked about the Battle of the Billionaires match and said that they need to re-do it again and challenged Vince to fight him next year, which Vince said he’d be happy to do. Trump then pointed out his family and said that tonight was a major honor and said that this is up there with his best sellers and the star on the Walk of Fame. Trump said that he wanted to thank his family, the McMahon family and the fans, even those that don’t like him.

BRUNO SAMMARTINO (Inducted By Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Arnold Schwarzenegger came out and thanked Vince McMahon and Triple H for inviting him here to induct his friend Bruno Sammartino and talked about Bruno’s reign as Champion and that he sold out the building that everyone is in so many times, including tonight. Arnold said that he wanted to make a movie on Bruno’s life, however Bruno told him that he wanted an actor to play him instead. Arnold talked about his first meeting with Bruno and then introduced the former WWWF Champion, who came out to a HUGE ovation.

Bruno was really overwhelmed at the reaction and said that he’s ready to run to the ring, but he’s an old man today. The crowd chanted “One More Match”, which Bruno smiled about. Bruno thanked Arnold for being here to induct him and said that they became friends in the 60’s and 70’s and have remained friends ever since. Bruno said that to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame is so special to him as he headlined Madison Square Garden more than anyone in the history of the venue and was thankful for what this venue did for him and while there may be bigger and more attractive venues around the world, everyone knows where Madison Square Garden is and how iconic it is and that the venue made him a headliner anywhere he went. Bruno talked about growing up and how his mother had to make a 24-hour journey to find them food and almost died after being shot, but done what she had to do to feed her family. Bruno said that if the war went on a few more months, he wouldn’t have been here today, as he was sick with Rheumatic fever and doctors warned his mother that he wouldn’t survive. Bruno said that his mother had already lost 2 children and wasn’t giving up on him.

Bruno talked about coming to the United States in the 50’s, working out, seeing himself grow and becoming strong. Bruno said that his body took a beating over the years, as in his day, they used boxing rings and you pay a greater price in those ring, however he was happy when it came for him to retire, as he spent so many years away, was hurting bad and didn’t take the likes of aspirin or painkillers. Bruno noted that he reached a point where his body could take no more and was happy to be home suffering. Bruno praised the doctors who helped him and saved his life as he went through several major surgeries and said because then he’s an old guy, but still trains 6 days a week. Bruno said that he was lucky that the fans took to him back in the day and that the Madison Square Garden promoters loved him and that everywhere he went, he did well because of the Garden. Bruno said that for Arnold and the WWE to allow him to headline the Garden one more time, he’s forever grateful for and thanked everyone and the fans from the bottom of his heart. Everyone stood up to applaud Bruno to close out all inductions.

They then brought out all the WWE Hall of Fame members with their inductors, while Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino shook hands and hugged. Bob Backlund jumped down from the stage and went through the crowd going nuts.