The 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony goes live tonight from Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, immediately following SmackDown. Here's everything you need to know before the show, along with the full list of inductees.
How to Watch the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame
The ceremony streams at 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT on Friday, April 17 on the ESPN App in the United States and on YouTube for international viewers. That's technically Saturday morning on the East Coast, kicking off right after SmackDown wraps at 11 p.m. ET.
Michael Cole and The Miz are handling hosting duties. It's Cole's signature WWE broadcast voice paired with one of the most reliable utility players on the roster, a combination that should help keep the show moving.
The Class of 2026
This year's class covers multiple eras and categories, from a business architect and a recently retired modern great to long-overdue posthumous honors and an NBA icon.
Stephanie McMahon headlines the class and will be inducted by The Undertaker. The former Chief Brand Officer, Chairwoman, and Co-CEO spent more than two decades as an on-screen authority figure and is a one-time WWF Women's Champion. She recently admitted she wasn't sure she deserved the honor when she first got the news.
AJ Styles retired at the 2026 Royal Rumble after 28 years in the business. The Phenomenal One is a two-time WWE Champion, Triple Crown Champion, and Grand Slam Champion. The Undertaker personally delivered the induction news on the February 23 episode of Raw.
Demolition (Ax and Smash) are finally getting long-overdue recognition. The three-time WWE Tag Team Champions held the titles for a combined 698 days during their peak run from 1988 to 1990, including a record 478-day reign.
Dennis Rodman enters the celebrity wing. The five-time NBA champion made his WCW debut alongside Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1997 and became a fixture on the nWo side of the Monday Night War.
Sid Eudy, known to fans as Sycho Sid and Sid Vicious, will be posthumously inducted into the Legacy wing. The two-time WWF Champion and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion passed away in August 2024.
Bad News Brown joins Sid in the Legacy wing. A 1976 Olympic judo bronze medalist, Allen Coage brought real-deal combat credentials to his WWE run in the late 1980s and famously won the battle royal at WrestleMania IV. He passed away in 2007.
The Immortal Moment goes to Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, the slam heard around the world in front of a reported 93,173 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome. The honor makes Hogan a three-time Hall of Famer and Andre a two-time inductee.
For background on every member of the class, check our full breakdown of the Class of 2026 inductees.
A Deserving Class That Deserves a Tight Show
The Hall of Fame has taken fair criticism in recent years for running too long. Speeches sprawl, musical cues get ignored, and fans in the building are often looking at a four-plus-hour night that starts after SmackDown wraps. With a midnight Eastern start, viewers on the East Coast aren't finishing this show until 3 or 4 a.m. at the earliest.
That pace punishes the inductees themselves. When the show runs long, speeches get played off, video packages get cut short, and genuine moments get rushed because earlier inductees went over. The talent earns this night, and they deserve the breathing room to enjoy it.
The Cole and Miz pairing suggests WWE is at least thinking about pace. Cole is a pro at bridging segments cleanly and Miz has the chops to keep energy up between inductions. Here's hoping the inductees get the time they've earned without the show turning into a marathon.
This is a deserving class. Stephanie, AJ, Demolition, Rodman, Sid, Bad News Brown, and the greatest spectacle match in WrestleMania history all belong. The only thing standing between the ceremony and a perfect WrestleMania weekend kickoff is the clock.
