The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is coming up in a few weeks and three recent inductees have been announced for the Celebrity and Legacy wings; Dennis Rodman, Sycho Sid, and Bad News Brown.
On a recent episode of “Busted Open“, Natalya discussed the importance of the HOF and the way she was the one who went to Vince McMahon to request that her dad, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, be inducted. Her dad went along with her to a HOF ceremony and she or he revealed that “he was hurt that he wasn’t within the Hall of Fame while he was alive.” He told her that he’d like to go in with Bret Hart. After his death, it became Natalya’s mission.
Two weeks after he died, Natalya waited outside McMahon’s office. “Paradoxically, no one was around. There’s often a lineup outside of Vince’s office.” When she knocked, McMahon told her to are available in and so they had a conversation. He thought Neidhart was already in. She explained that it was his one wish before he died and that it bothered him. McMahon immediately agreed and asked if she wanted it to be solo or with Hart. Since his favorite time in his whole profession was teaming with Hart, Natalya wanted them to go together.
She reflected on the night they got inducted when a person attacked Hart during his acceptance speech. “All Bret desired to do is give his love letter to my dad. He said, ‘I just intend to make your dad proud. I would like Jim to be so happy with us and happy with what we did.'”
Natalya reflects on the night of the HOF induction
Natalya recalled that he worked on the speech for months. When he read it to her to practice his speech, she timed it and the speech was 46 minutes long. She was fearful they’d get kicked off stage, but he was adamant that he read it in its entirety. Hart went into the speech planning to read all of it, even when it meant getting pulled off stage.
About 4 minutes into the speech is when the person attacked Hart. She held on to her uncle and “I ended up taking an armdrag over Bret. We got knocked all the way down to the bottom. All these wrestlers come swarming the ring.” They were all attempting to protect Hart while they were on the bottom. Hart needed to go to the hospital after. She told him she knew what happened sucked, but “that was in probably the most Jim Neidhart fashion ever. Chaos, craziness, mayhem. I feel like my dad was having a little bit laugh from heaven because ‘f*** it, we’re gonna exit big.”
In case you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “Busted Open” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.