By Jason Powell
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The following his live coverage of the WWE Hall of Fame Red Carpet Arrival event that is airing live on WWE Network. We will have full coverage of the actual ceremony in a separate post at the top of the hour. Refresh the page for the latest updates.
-Byron Saxton and Maria Meneounos were the hosts of the show.
-Renee Young interviewed Ric Flair on the Hall of Fame floor and asked about Charlotte working her first WrestleMania match. Flair got choked up (shocker!) and then said there’s nothing left on his bucket list.
-Menounos introduced new WWE broadcast team member Cathy Kelley, whom she worked with on the AfterBuzz show. She interviewed The Miz and Maryse.
-Renee Young interviewed Sasha Banks, who said she had mixed emotions, but she’s ready for WrestleMania. She said she, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch have come a long way since NXT.
-Jerry Lawler, his fiancee Lauren, and her son Peyton joined Saxton and Maria. Lawler said he always says it’s his favorite night of the year and it really is. Lawler said they have surprises and there’s a “legacy video that is going to knock it out of the park.”
-Bruno Sammartino was interviewed by Renee Young. He spoke about Stan Hansen leaving him with a broken neck.
-Dolph Ziggler joined the hosts on their podium. He said he is looking forward to seeing Michael Hayes be inducted. He said he and Hayes are “constantly yelling at each other for the greater good of the television show.” Ziggler spoke about how Hayes is up to something backstage and will be trying to stand out.
-Dana Warrior and her daughters were interviewed. Dana spoke about how Joan Lunden embodies what the award is about. Cathy Kelley spoke briefly to one of the daughters, and then put the mic in front of Dana and motioned with her hand to get her to speak. Odd. Dana spoke about how her daughters will become wonderful women.
-Ryback spoke was interviewed on the floor. He said he and Kalisto are going to start out WrestleMania right and he’s bringing home the title.
-Randy Orton and his wife joined the hosts on the stage. He was asked about his recovery and return. Orton said “maybe tomorrow” and the hosts played up the possibility of him returning at WrestleMania. Orton is also looking forward to Hayes being inducted.
-Road Dogg was interviewed by Renee, and he spoke about Hayes being inducted. Dogg joked that seeing what Hayes is wearing is the only reason he attended. He then spoke about some of the other inductees before once again saying that “Michael’s outfit is what drew the crowd, I think.”
-Lita and Corey Graves were interviewed by Kelley. Graves is looking forward to hearing Stan Hansen, and said The Freebirds will steal the show. Lita said you don’t need to hype the Freebirds more “because they do that themselves.”
-The Usos and Naomi joined the hosts on the podium. One of the brothers admitted that he was “scared to death” when they inducted their father Rikishi last year. They all danced briefly.
-Sgt. Slaughter was interviewed by Kelley. He looked a lot like Walter White from Breaking Bad with his bald head and hat.
-Sheamus joined Saxton and Menounos and she asked if he is emulating someone else with his look of having full braids in his beard. He said he emulates no one. Sheamus was distracted by the crowd going “hooooooo.” Of course, that meant Jim Duggan arrived. Sheamus spoke about how he’s looking forward to seeing Stan Hansen inducted, and said he tries to incorporate a lot of the things he did into his own matches. Sheamus spoke about how his first match in developmental was against Saxton.
-Sami Zayn was interviewed and Young asked how he was feeling following his match with Shinsuke Nakamura. He said he felt pretty good. He said it’s rare that he’s amped about a match the following day. He said the response from the audience and online has been incredible. Zayn spoke about working his first WrestleMania. He said it hasn’t hit him fully, but it will be an OMG moment when he sees the people.
-Zack Ryder and Emma were interviewed on the floor and they spoke about riding a rollercoaster. Kelley asked Emma about working her first WrestleMania. Emma said it’s actually her second, but she’ll be able to take it all in.
-Big Show was interviewed on the podium. He said was asked about the battle royal and then cracked that it would be amazing if the won anything twice in a row. Show also spoke about Sting being inducted and how he got to experience WrestleMania last year and now he’s being inducted.
-Renee interviewed Kalisto and his wife Abby, who was also wearing a mask. She said she had it custom made for herself.
-Kelley had a problem with her cue coming out of a commercial. She interviewed the Dudley Boyz. Sheboygan, Wisconsin got some love. Well, sorta. Bubba said it doesn’t matter if they are working at WrestleMania or in Sheboygan, they have the same approach.
-Shades wearing Dean Ambrose was interviewed by Young. She pointed out his shoes. He told her to ask how much his dress shoes cost, then told her he wasn’t even wearing dress shoes. WrestleMania will be a hazardous and painful day at the office. Ambrose said Lesnar disrespected him and win, lose, or draw he must be taught a lesson. He said it’s about urban warfare. Ambrose said he may not look this good on Monday, “so let’s just celebrate it tonight.”
-A video package recapped the Dusty Rhodes statue being unveiled at Axxess.
-Steve Austin was interviewed on the podium. He spoke about how Dusty Rhodes meant a lot to everybody. Austin said he doesn’t have a lot of heroes, but Dusty is one of them. Austin also spoke about making road trips with Jacqueline. He said it’s been a longtime coming for Stan Hansen. He also spoke about “paying my hard earned money” as a college student to watch the Freebirds back in the day.
-Booker T and Sharmell were interviewed by Kelley on the floor. Booker said his five year-old son asked if he would get to fight at WrestleMania. Booker said if his son wants to get into wrestling then he will support him all the way.
-Renee interviewed Nikki and Brie Bella. Nikki was wearing a neckbrace and she said she’s making strides every day. Brie spoke about how she wants to enjoy every second of WrestleMania.
-Roman Reigns and his wife were interviewed on the podium about his WrestleMania match. He said he just feels fortunate and his rested and ready. Roman said it’s nice to spend several days in one city and spoke about how great Dallas has been to him thus far. Reigns spoke about how “top notch” Hayes will be.
-All of the hosts closed the red carpet show from the podium. Byron just couldn’t let the show end without saying, “Hey” and then dancing. Ugh.
Powell’s POV: Byron’s dancing and Kelley’s flubs aside, this was a much better show than last year. They kept things moving and none of the interviewees overstayed their welcome. In fact, it left me wishing they had given more time to Austin and Lawler among others, but I’ll take this approach over the alternative. Join me on the main page for live coverage of the actual WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony.
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