# WWE Hall of Fame (2016)

WWE Hall of Fame (2016) was the event which featured the introduction of the 17th class to the WWE Hall of Fame. The event was produced by WWE on April 2, 2016, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The event took place the same weekend as WrestleMania 32. The event aired live on the WWE Network, and was hosted by Jerry Lawler. A condensed one-hour version of the ceremony aired the following Thursday on USA Network, after SmackDown.

## Event

Due to the launch of the WWE Network shortly before WrestleMania XXX, this event featured the third ever "Red Carpet" event as a one-hour pre-show prior to the start of the event. The pre-show was hosted by Michael Cole and Maria Menounos.
The Godfather was inducted by his long-term friend whom he often traveled the road with, the members of The Acolytes Protection Agency, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Ron Simmons.
Stan Hansen was inducted by his overseas partner and rival Vader.
Jacqueline was inducted by The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley).
In 2016, WWE introduced a new category for the Hall of Fame called the "Legacy" wing. Inductees under this new category feature wrestlers from the early years of professional wrestling, primarily during the early part of the 20th century. All inductees in 2016 are inducted posthumously and were recognized with a video package at the ceremony. Those inducted in the 2016 legacy category were Mildred Burke, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Pat O'Connor, Lou Thesz and "Sailor" Art Thomas.
The Fabulous Freebirds were the group inductee into the Hall of Fame. Representing them were Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy (represented by his son, Ray Gordy), Buddy Roberts (represented by his son Buddy Roberts Jr.), Jimmy Garvin. The Freebirds were inducted by The New Day members Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods. Following their induction Hayes sang their song Badstreet U.S.A.
Big Boss Man was inducted by Slick. Due to his death in 2004, his induction was accepted by his wife Angela and his daughters Lacy and Megan.
Snoop Dogg was inducted by John Cena. Snoop Dogg spoke about what it was like growing up a fan of professional wrestling, and gave what an honor it is to see his cousin Sasha Banks now wrestling for WWE.
Following The Ultimate Warrior's death in April 2014, WWE introduced the Warrior Award, in 2015, for those who have "exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior." Joan Lunden became the second recipient of The Warrior Award. The Ultimate Warrior's wife Dana inducted Lunden and spoke of her recent return to the public eye and openly discussing her breast cancer diagnosis in addition to becoming a spokeswoman for Susan G. Komen.
Sting was the final inductee and was inducted by Ric Flair. Flair went on to ramble much throughout his speech, focusing on himself rather than talk about Sting. Sting spoke about what a long journey it was to come to WWE, and how proud he was to finally be in WWE. Sting then announced that he wanted to retire in WWE and used the opportunity to officially announce his retirement. Despite this, Sting later debuted in rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in late 2020, coming out of retirement, and competed in his first match in over five years at AEW's Revolution pay-per-view on March 7, 2021.

## Inductees
### Individual

* Class headliners appear in boldface
| Ring name (Birth Name) | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
| Sting (Steve Borden) | Ric Flair | Six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Two-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion Two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Two-time WCW United States Champion Three-time WCW World Tag Team Champion |
| The Godfather (Charles Wright) | The Acolytes Protection Agency (John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Ron Simmons) | One-time WWF Intercontinental Champion One-time WWF Tag Team Champion |
| Big Boss Man (Ray Traylor Jr.) | Slick | Posthumous inductee: represented by his widow Angela and his daughters Lacy and Megan Four-time WWF Hardcore Champion One-time WWF Tag Team Champion |
| Jacqueline (Jacqueline Moore) | The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) | Two-time WWF Women's Champion and the first African American WWF Women's Champion One-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion (the only woman to win the title in WWE) The first African American woman to be inducted One-time UWF Women's World Champion 14-time USWA Women's Champion |
| Stan Hansen (John Hansen II) | Vader | One-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion One-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion |

### Group

| Image | Group | Inducted by | WWE recognized accolades |
| | The Fabulous Freebirds | The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) | Six-time WCCW World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Two-time WCW World Tag Team Champions Two-time WCW United States Tag Team Champions One-time WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Credited for creating the "Freebird Rule" |
| Michael Hayes (Michael Seitz) – One-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion. Terry Gordy – Posthumous inductee: represented by his son Ray Gordy. One time NWA Americas Heavyweight Champion, one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion. Two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion and seven-time World Tag Team Champion in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Buddy Roberts (Dale Hey) – Posthumous inductee: represented by his son Buddy Roberts Jr. One-time NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion, one-time WCCW Television Champion. Jimmy Garvin (James Williams) – Four-time NWA American Heavyweight Champion, one-time AWA World Tag Team Champion ||||

### Celebrity

| Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Occupation | Inducted by | Appearances |
| | Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus Jr.) | Rapper | John Cena | Master of Ceremonies for the Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjill match at WrestleMania XXIV and accompanied Sasha Banks to the ring for her match at WrestleMania 32. Raw guest host in 2009 and guest star in 2015 |

### Warrior Award

| Image | Recipient (Birth name) | Presented By | Notes |
| | Joan Lunden (Joan Blunden) | Dana Warrior | Long-time former co-host of Good Morning America. Returned to the public eye in recent years for openly discussing her breast cancer diagnosis. Spokeswoman for Susan G. Komen for the Cure |

### Legacy

| Ring name (Birth name) | WWE recognized accolades |
| Mildred Burke | One-time and first NWA World Women's Champion for almost twenty years from 1930 to 1950 Two-time Women's World Champion |
| Frank Gotch | One-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Three-time American Heavyweight Champion |
| George Hackenschmidt (Georg Hackenschmidt) | One-time European Greco-Roman Heavyweight Champion and first ever World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion |
| Ed "Strangler" Lewis (Robert Friedrich) | Four-time World Heavyweight Champion One-time holder of the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship One-time NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion |
| Pat O'Connor | One-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Three-time NWA Central States United States Heavyweight Champion One-time (and inaugural) AWA World Heavyweight Champion One-time AWA World Tag Team Champion |
| Lou Thesz (Aloysius Thesz) | One-time holder of the Boston version of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship Two-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion |
| "Sailor" Art Thomas | Billed by WWE as "one of sports-entertainment's first African-American stars", a frequent challenger for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |