Kane: This Recurring WWE Celeb Would've Been A Hall Of Famer If He Chose Wrestling
From its inaugural class in 1993, the WWE Hall of Fame has welcomed in more than a dozen members into their "celebrity wing." These celebrity members have come from the sports and music worlds, being individuals who made significant contribution to WWE and transcending the business into their profession fields. WWE Hall of Famer Kane joined "Off The Ropes" and noted how he feels that a current member of the "celebrity wing" could have entered the Hall of Fame for in-ring work.
"If Pete Rose hadn't been a Hall of Fame baseball player, he would've been a Hall of Fame professional wrestler as well. The guy just had the personality, he was very self-deprecating, he didn't care, he didn't have an ego, he just wanted to put on a good show," Kane said laudably. "Celebrities are hit or miss, you work with some that are great, some not so great, he was one of the very best, he'd just do anything they asked and it was all about putting on a good show and ultimately that's what we do. So, I have mad respect for him and his showmanship behind the scene."
"Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose made his first WWE appearance at WrestleMania 14 in Boston, Massachusetts as a special guest ring announcer, using his time to insult the local Boston crowd and their Red Sox MLB team that Rose defeated as part of the Cincinnati Reds and their "Big Red Machine" lineup in the 1975 World Series. This prompted the arrival of WWE's "Big Red Machine" Kane, who dropped Rose with a Tombstone.
Rose appeared in the next two WrestleManias (15 and 2000) attempting to get revenge on Kane but got wound up flat on his back each time. Rose made a surprise appearance in the promotional commercial for the 2002 No Mercy PLE, encountering Kane once again on Halloween night. Rose was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004, becoming their first celebrity inductee. Rose made his final WWE appearance in March 2010 as the guest host of "WWE Raw."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Off The Ropes" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.