WWE continues to add to a big group of folks who will be inducted into their Hall of Fame at a Ceremony streaming on Peacock next Tuesday (April 6).
The latest edition is to their celebrity “wing”. William Shatner is of course best known as Star Trek’s original Captain, James T. Kirk. But he’s also TJ Hooker, a recording artist, a sci-fi author, and one of the best things to happen to the guest host era of Raw.
That shows why Shatner is on pretty much everyone’s list of best celebrity/wrestling crossovers. He commits to the gimmick and isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself in the process.
Shatner also has a running storyline with Jerry Lawler that started with his first WWE appearance in 1995 when he was a guest on “The King’s Court”. That led to Lawler getting flipped, and Road Dogg taking a stiff right hand from Bill when he returned to corner Bret Hart against Jeff Jarrett a week later. The Captain and The King made peace, though, and Shatner inducted Lawler into the WWE hall in 2007.
WWE’s announcement, first reported by USA Today, lists Shatner as a member of the 2020 Class... so they could conceivably have another celebrity on tap for this year’s double induction.
The 90 year old(!)’s induction comes as he has a slew of projects to promote, including a new movie with Jean Smart called Senior Moment, an album in the works, and an upcoming podcast about space and technology.
Shatner joins names like William “Refrigerator” Perry, Bob Eucker, Drew Carey, Mike Tyson, Mr. T, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Donald Trump & Arnold Schwarzenegger in the WWE Hall of Fame celebrity category. He’ll be honored next week along with The nWo, John Bradshaw Layfield, The British Bulldog, Jushin “Thunder” Liger, The Bella Twins, Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, The Great Khali, Kane, and Rob Van Dam.