WWE is shaking up its Hall of Fame gameand theyve taken a page right out of the UFC playbook to do it.
The company recently introduced its brand-new Immortal Moment category, which kicks off with the iconic Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart match from WrestleMania 13. While fans were hyped over WWE honoring this brutal classicwhere Austin passed out in a blood-soaked Sharpshooterthe real story might be who inspired the move.
Enter Ant Evans, the mastermind behind UFCs Hall of Fame Fight Wing. After WWEs announcement, Evans took to social media to tip his hat to the companyand confirm they straight-up borrowed the concept.
I love that WWE will be inducting matches/moments into their WWE Hall of Fame, riffing off the Fight Wing I created for the UFC Hall of Fame, Evans posted to X. He even admitted the influence goes both ways: Its appropriate that the WWE Hall borrows from the UFC Hall, as I used WWEs institution as a major reference point when shaping the UFC HoF.
Evans explained that his original intent for the UFC Fight Wing was to honor epic battles like Bonnar vs. Griffin, even if the fighters themselves didnt have GOAT-worthy careers. He named stars like Diego Sanchez and Alexander Gustafsson as exampleslegends in moments, if not by titles alone.
He went on to say WWEs version will likely take a different approach. The WWE version of those fighters would be, say, Marty Jannetty or Steve Lombardi. But WWEs version of the Fight Wing, I suspect, will feature a whos who of WWE history.
Still, hes thrilled about it. Hopefully, when younger/new WWE fans hear about an Immortal Moment, theyll head to YouTube or wherever, and that match will thrill someone new all over again. He finished his message with a powerful line: Were all flies. Everything we do in life will eventually be forgotten. Hall of Fames are a way of slowing that process down to a crawl.
Whether you credit WWE for finally spotlighting legendary matchesor credit Evans for doing it firstthis move could lead to some unforgettable entries in years to come.
Do you think WWE should start inducting more matches from the Attitude Era next? Or should they shine a light on underappreciated classics too? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know which match you think should go in next.
