Credit: WWE.com

After weeks of rumors and speculation, wrestling legend Scott Hall was officially announced on Monday’s episode of Raw as the latest inductee into the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame.

The WWE Universe Twitter account sent out the news:

WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts tweeted out his thoughts on the announcement:

The ceremony will take place the night before WrestleMania XXX on Saturday, April 5, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The event will be aired in its entirety on the WWE Network.

Hall’s induction in the WWE Hall of Fame is long overdue. He began his career during the mid-1980s in the AWA and NWA/WCW where he sharpened his teeth and gained a reputation as one of the next top superstars in the sport.

It wasn’t until Hall found his way to the WWE, though, that he was dubbed Razor Ramon and his career as a mainstream star took off. As a four-time intercontinental champion, Hall was one of the most recognizable talents in the business and participated in some of the greatest matches of all time, including the ladder match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 10.

As great as Hall was in the WWE, the biggest success of his career came when he returned to WCW and was a founding member of the New World Order with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan. The faction helped lead the company against the WWE during the Monday Night War, but it was the backstage politics propagated by the group that ruined the nWo’s run and killed WCW.

While Hall’s return to the WWE in 2002 did not have the same effect as his first run with the nWo, the impact Hall had on the wrestling industry during his time around the main event makes him worthy of his place in the Hall of Fame.

Hall suffered through addiction in the latter years of his career and during his life away from the ring, as seen during an intimate ESPN special featuring Hall’s sobering story, and the fact that he has even made it this far in life to walk on stage and accept the award is a victory in itself.

Joining Hall in this year’s Hall of Fame class is fellow recovering addict Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Both men spent time under the tutelage of Diamond Dallas Page, and the two have made strides in their fights against their addictions.

It is amazing to think that both Hall and Roberts will not only enter the WWE Hall of Fame in the same class but are also helping each other stay on the right path. It is a true testament to the work the two men are doing with DDP.

Besides Hall and Roberts, the 2014 Hall of Fame class already includes The Ultimate Warrior, Paul Bearer, Lita, Mr. T and Carlos Colon.

Now that Hall is confirmed, the hope from every wrestling fan is that we get a classic version of The Bad Guy during his induction speech. As great as it will be to see Hall throw his toothpick at us once again, what he says about his triumphs and struggles in the business and in life should be incredible.

Add in the intrigue of who will eventually induct him—DDP or Hulk Hogan would be a possibility—and the enthusiasm surrounding this year’s class has fans genuinely excited about the ceremony.

This stacked class is living up to the hype surrounding WrestleMania XXX.

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