7 months ago
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WWE
It was a pretty massive surprise to WWE Hall of Fame viewers when Paul Heyman, unquestionably the headliner of the 2024 class, was the first member to be officially inducted. Perhaps it would have been less surprising, however, if they had known that the final induction would turn into one last angle between The Rock and Cody Rhodes prior to their main event tag team match at WrestleMania 40 Night 1 the following day.
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The Hall of Fame induction of Ofelia "Lia" Maivia, matriarch of the Anoa'i family, began with a video package voiced by Ana Tuisila, who portrayed her in the NBC show "Young Rock." The package ran down Maivia's numerous accomplishments after taking over Polynesian Pro Wrestling from her late husband, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, and becoming one of the first female promoters in the wrestling industry, including the 1985 Honolulu supercard A Hot Summer Night. Imagery and narration associating Maivia with WWE's Bloodline stable was the first sign that some aspects of the induction would be in character; The Rock entering to his full "Final Boss" music was another.
In his speech, while discussing his grandmother's work as a promoter, The Rock mentioned several major stars of the 1980s who appeared on Maivia's shows, eventually landing with sudden gravity on the name Dusty Rhodes. The Rock then proceeded to directly address Dusty's son, Cody Rhodes, who was in the audience and stood up in response. The Rock cut a brief promo on Cody, telling him that what happens between them at WrestleMania isn't business, but personal. He then proceeded to plug WrestleMania one last time before sending the Philadelphia audience home for the evening.
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The Rock and his cousin, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, meet Cody and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in tag team action in Saturday night's main event; Cody challenges for Reigns' title on Sunday. Reigns had been featured earlier in the evening, inducting his "Wise Man," Heyman.
