William Shatner to Be Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame

WWE announced on Tuesday that the latest inductee into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame [...]

By Connor Casey

WWE announced on Tuesday that the latest inductee into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame will be none other than Star Trek star William Shatner. The original Captain Kirk popped up on WWE programming a few times, including his famous 1995 appearance where he flipped Jerry "The King" Lawler and his turn as the celebrity guest general manager for Monday Night Raw in 2010.

"It's very much the same, the approbation, the joy," Shatner told USA TODAY as the induction was announced. "The enthusiasm the wrestling audience shows toward its favorite people is not dissimilar to the enthusiasm 'Star Trek' fans show."

Previous celebrity inductions include Pete Rose, William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Bob Uecker, Drew Carey, Mike Tyson, Mr. T, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Snoop Dogg.

This year's induction ceremony will take place inside the WWE ThunderDome on April 6 and will induct both the Class of 2020 and 2021 after last year's ceremony was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The list of inductees includes The New World Order (Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman), JBL, The British Bulldog, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, The Bella Twins, Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Kane, The Great Khali and Rob Van Dam.

Batista (Dave Batista) was supposed to be inducted as well, but he had to pull out of the ceremony due to scheduling conflicts.

"To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year," Batista explained on Twitter. "By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I'll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible."

The Hall of Fame ceremony will be followed days later by the two-night WrestleMania 37 event. Check out the full card for the event below:

Night One

  • WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre
  • SmackDown Women's Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair
  • Raw Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. AJ Styles & Omos
  • Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon (Steel Cage Match)
  • Bad Bunny vs. The Miz
  • Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Night Two

  • WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan
  • Raw Women's Championship: Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Intercontinental Championship: Big E vs. Apollo Crews
  • United States Championship: Riddle vs. Sheamus
  • Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
  • The Fiend vs. Randy Orton
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