Maria Menounos Issues Statement on Negative Reaction from Hall of Fame Crowd

Maria Menounos issued the following letter regarding the negative crowd reaction she got while introducing Bob Backlund at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, as well as her full speech:

Dear fellow WWE fans and members of the wrestling press,

As you know, I had the honor of inducting my friend, Bob Backlund, into the WWE Hall of Fame. The fans were a little rough as another inductee and friend, Donald Trump, would likewise experience. It's understandable as we are not pro wrestlers and the honesty of the WWE fans is what makes it fun. However, I did the speech mainly to tell the world all the amazing things about Bob and I fear some of those things were not heard.

Below is my speech. I'm hoping you'll print it for a good friend, a great champion and one of the most incredible human beings I know.

Thanks and God Bless,
Maria Menounos

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To induct anyone into the WWE Hall of Fame puts you in the company of the greatest artists, athletes and performers in the entire world. I CHALLENGE ANYONE who disagrees to show me another kind of entertainer who can recite monologues, in character, without the use of teleprompters and before world audiences, performing improv drama and comedy while flying through the air and taking bumps, 300 nights a year.

But for me tonight is even more special for I am not just inducting anyone into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm inducting someone who encapsulates the word champion. Someone whom I'm a great fan of...Someone whom is my friend.

Growing up Greek and not speaking English, wrestling was one of the few things on TV I'd watch and be able to understand. I was five when Bob Backlund lost his title to the Sheik. I was fourteen when “Mr. Backlund” returned. I was eighteen when I met Bob in person and I remember being in awe. It was on the set of my first movie and Bob was literally the most positive and striking force I have ever encountered. He was funny when we needed laughter – the man has an incredible and underrated sense of comedic timing - strong when we needed support and sensitive when we needed a friend.

While Working on Bob's congressional campaign, a story came up about the Iron Shiek and his Persian Clubs. the Iron Shiek apparently had an exercise where he would swing these heavy wooden “Persian Clubs”behind his back. He had toured the nation's gyms with the clubs and, apparently, no other strong man in the country could perform the exercise, nor could anyone on the WWF roster – except Bob, who did it....on his FIRST TRY. When I asked Bob how, he told me 'when you believe you can do something...you can.' The very next day, bob said he was going to perform an exercise of his own-the harvard step test in front of city hall on his election day. Twenty years earlier bob set a personal record doing the step test for two straight hours. The goal was to match that. we all thought he was crazy as he was well into his 50's by that time. Bob was not able to match that record. He made a new one. It wasn't 3 hours. It wasn't four hours. He did his harvard step test for 8 hours straight!!! Once again reminding us all, if you believe you can do something, you can.

Speaking of Hollywood, one of the first days I was hosting the Today Show, John Cena and Vince McMahon happened to be guests. Of course, I'm huge fans of theirs, too, but I couldn't help but threaten John that Bob would one day come back to put him in the chicken wing! They both had great things to say about Bob but I'm sure they thought I was a little nuts, as people have thought Bob was a little nuts. But along with everything else Bob taught me, its okay to be a little nuts.

I'm sure people thought Bob was more than a little nuts, when after an unprecedented 5 year run with the title, he refused to turn heel. He believed it would let down his fans which included many troubled youth who had looked up to him and in those days, it would have. In so doing he surrendered millions of dollars from the new age of rock and wrestling as well as the career he loved most.

Not only did Bob Backlund hold the title for almost 6 consecutive years – he did something perhaps even greater when he came back a decade later. He completely reinvented himself and his character. When you think of performers who've been able to successfully reinvent their characters, even in Hollywood, few names come to mind. Bob not only created an entire new persona he also went on to become wrestling's number one heel and regained his title in one of the most successful comebacks in sports entertainment history.

But most people know that. Like the greatest champions Bob Backlund carries himself with humility – which is why many of the facts I'm about to reveal are not known.

In a Pennsylvania match against Hulk Hogan, whom he pinned on several occasions, Bob Backlund picked Hulk up over his head with one arm.

It's a feat Hulk, and his own late father, often reflected on in astonishment.

Bob Backlund has only been to the doctor twice since 1973

Bob Backlund has never done a drug. As he says and I quote “I wouldn't know what to do with them.”

Bob Backlund, within a three month span, won the NCAA wrestling championship and the National college football championship. He is perhaps the only man in history to hold that distinction.

In that championship football game, Bob Backlund recorded 22 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. To give perspective, a team averages about 65 plays in an entire game.

Bob Backlund was a top shoot fighter if not THE top shoot fighter in the world of professional wrestling.

Bob Backlund intentionally NEVER squashed his opponents as he believed it would harm their future earnings.

Bob Backlund is in better condition than 99% of men...a third his age.

Bob Backlund has a diverse portfolio of stocks and real estate and has NEVER IN HIS LIFE PAID A DIME OF INTEREST!

Bob Backlund has a beautiful wife and daughter

And at the end of the day, Bob Backlund justs want to help others in need

Bob Backlund is simply one of, if not, THE greatest personal success stories for wrestlers, fans and people in general.

I know it wasn't always easy in your career, Bob. But, in the face of shortcomings and disappointments, you never gave up or succumbed like so many of us understandably would. Instead, you continued working out, educating yourself and, always, helping others and donating your time to charity. Through it all you kept your faith and your resolve and here you are on the greatest stage being honored by your greatest peers. I'm excited for tonight, your book being published and all the amazing things you remain to accomplish in your journey. And, I believe there's one more WWE run in that journey for you Bob, because 'When u believe you can do something, you can.'

Some know you as Bob Backlund. Others as Mr. Backlund. I just know you as my champion, my hero and my friend. Thank you to the WWE Universe for allowing me to welcome to the stage, Mr. Bob Backlund!

News for Tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

- The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place tonight from a sold out Madison Square Garden in New York City. The ceremony begins at 8pm and we will have full coverage here on the site as it happens.

Here is the full list of inductees for tonight:

* Bruno Sammartino, inducted by Arnold Schwarzenneger

* Mick Foley, inducted by Terry Funk

* Trish Stratus, inducted by Stephanie McMahon

* Booker T, inducted by Stevie Ray

* Bob Backlund, inducted by Maria Menounos

* Donald Trump, inducted by Vince McMahon

It’s worth noting that WWE is advertising John Cena for tonight’s ceremony, the only star besides the Hall of Famers.

Big News on Next Week's WWE Hall of Fame Special

The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame one-hour special will air next Tuesday, April 9th at 10PM ET on the USA Network.

Bruno Sammartino, Trish Stratus and Donald Trump will be the only inductions televised according to Dave Meltzer. Below is the updated 2013 Hall of Fame class and their inductors.

* Bruno Sammartino, inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger

* Trish Stratus, inducted by Stephanie McMahon

* Donald Trump (TBA)

* Mick Foley, inducted by Terry Funk

* Bob Backlund, inducted by Maria Menounos

* Booker T, expected to be inducted by Stevie Ray

Original Plans for 2013 WWE HOF Headliner, Touts at WrestleMania 29

- WWE will be asking fans to Tout videos from their WrestleMania 29 parties on April 7th. The plan is to air some of those Touts on the pay-per-view.
- Chyna may have been telling the truth when she said she recently spoke to Vince McMahon about a possible Hall of Fame induction. DX may be inducted as a group at WrestleMania 30. The original plan was to headline this year’s Hall of Fame with DX if they couldn’t get a deal worked out with Bruno Sammartino.
Regarding inductors for this year’s class, Maria Menounos will be inducting Bob Backlund, Terry Funk will induct Mick Foley and Arnold Schwarzenegger will induct Bruno. It’s expected Lita will induct Trish Stratus and Stevie Ray will induct his brother Booker T.

Superstar Billy Graham Comments on The Rock Not Mentioning WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio, hosted by Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca (Busted Open Radio airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 94 and XM 208), where he addressed such topics as his strained relationship with WWE and Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino agreeing to enter the WWE Hall of Fame after having slamming the company's product for years, and even WWE Champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson not mentioning WWE during his appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last week. Highlights from the interview are as follows: 

On his health: "I’m feeling very good thanks to modern medicine and the advances in medicine. I was in the hospital here for double pneumonia, pneumonia in each lung, and then I was admitted for the flu and then the flu turned into double pneumonia and the lungs got infected, then I got some fluid around the heart and they call that congestive heart failure. So I had four things going at the same time. They were very serious issues and thank god for modern medicine and antibiotics that rid the infection in my system. I was in dire straits. I spent five days at the world famous Mayo Hospital here in Phoenix where I had my liver transplant, they're one of the worlds greatest hospitals, as I’m sure you know, along with John Hopkins in Baltimore. Long story short, I’m doing excellent. I’m in the gym training every day and I’m very happy about that. 

"I was down for about thirty days after they released me from the shock to my system and of being so dehydrated and I was actually near death when they admitted me. I didn’t know this, but they had taken my wife aside and said, 'you know, your husband may not come out of this thing.' Which freaked her out, naturally. But thanks to modern medicine and the doctors being some of the world’s greatest physicians here at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. They jumped right on everything and got all the IVs, three different types of antibiotics going at the same time and I pulled through. 

"I think I have also good genes to help me survive and I’m very thankful and I’m really excited about being at Wrestlecon and everything; the weekend and then a few days before the weekend, actually coming in on the 3rd and doing some things. Visiting some local indie shows and stuff like that. I’m really excited about this trip. I think it’s going to be a great chance to meet a lot of new fans. This will be my last east coast run because travelling is just getting too hard for me; I’m out here in the desert, 3000 miles away and I’m kind of worn out from all the trips back east. 

On making his last east coast appearance: "The east coast fans, New York fans all the way up from Boston and Philly, there’s no fans like these folks, there’s no question about it. They really put their heart and their soul into the matches, they did anyway, but they’re really fantastic fans and I’m really looking forward to having a good time with the fans and being really fan friendly, which I’ve always actually been, and really excited about the event the overall event. It’s so nice to have an option for the fans to go to other the events that WWE is putting on, to have another option to go to, so its great for the fans as well. 

On the WWE Hall of Fame: "Well, I sold my HOF ring. I sold it on eBay because I was really having some liver problems from my liver transplant. The medication just skyrocketed for some reason and since the WWE or any other wrestling organization, you cant put all the heat on WWE, but pro wrestling, even territorial days never had health insurance for the performers. So you’re on your own as far as that goes. I had to get this expensive anti rejection medication for my liver, so I just put my ring up on eBay. 

"I got over $10,000 for the ring from a fan in England and that really helped me tremendously through this bad period of having to take extra amounts of anti liver rejection medication and everything. So that’s where the ring went. I would choose life any day over a ring on a finger, if you know what I mean as opposed to just hanging onto the ring. I would definitely choose to use the ring to help me live and continue my pursuit of happiness as opposed to simply wearing a ring on a finger and dying and being buried with the ring on my finger. 

"I enjoyed the HOF and at the time I was unaware of and I really wasn’t paying attention to people like Pete Rose, who had been inducted, and with all of his income tax and betting on baseball and all of these things that he had done illegally, and I think he served about 5 months in federal penitentiary for income tax evasion and had to pay a $500,000 fine, but to induct somebody like that, even in the celebrity wing, which I’m fully aware of has nothing to do with the wrestlers, I really think that was a bad call. And my real problem these days are of course inducting Abdullah the Butcher where every match he has to cut himself or cut his opponent and he’s just obsessed with it and for a company that has a no blood policy to induct an Abdullah the Butcher, especially ahead of a Randy Macho Man Savage, is really deplorable. Maybe they’re saving Randy for next year or the year after because they’re running out of people to induct." 

On Bruno Sammartino and the WWE Hall of Fame: "I don’t know if that’s the point or not because the point that I see and I put it in my new DVD Face to Face that’s going to be released at Wrestlecon in that whole weekend, that he has been so bitter against Vince for so many years and has hated anything to do with the WWE and the programming of the WWE that he has been so bitter against any connection with them for almost 30 years. For almost 30 years he’s been very outspoken against the WWE and to all of a sudden embrace the WWE and the programming that he now says is very family friendly and has changed, its just a very odd situation for me to accept the sincerity of his so called 'receiving only $5,000 to be inducted into the HOF.' 

"I must be honest with you guys; I do have inside knowledge that I’ve revealed in my Face-to-Face DVD that he’s received a huge amount of money to go in. He was calling a personal friend of mine telling him that he was actually having trouble, now currently, deceiving his fans about only receiving $5,000 for going into the HOF when in fact he’s receiving a small fortune to go in. It’s very sad to have Bruno Sanmartino of all people who have always been honored and respected and held in such high esteem be so deceptive to his loyal fans. It’s really, I think, a major tragedy that all of a sudden he’s embraced [WWE]. 

"It’s just so bizarre for a man who had so much bitter hatred for Vince and the WWE to all of a sudden have a love affair with them. I’ve written and talked about that exclusively in my DVD Face to Face and gave some real insight into that. It just saddens me because I respected Bruno tremendously and I don’t blame him for taking what he has taken now at all but the sad part about it is he has to lie to his fans currently about his payoff to go into the WWE HOF. It’s really tragic. A man with such honor and dignity and respect to have to have done this. With that aside, the man himself I really respect Bruno to the ultimate. 

"It’s like Moses parting the Red Sea water it’s a tremendous turnaround. From having the uttermost hatred for Vince and the WWE to totally embracing them and just this admiration that he has now publicly for the WWE is bizarre. I don’t blame him at all for taking a huge payoff at all, congratulations on that, but I don’t understand between you guys, and you are very intelligent gentlemen, why wrestling out of all other sports, if Kobe Bryant got a bonus of like $10 million it would make the news. If LeBron James got $100 million, those types of things make the news. 

"I don’t know why wrestling has always been so secretive, especially now that its been revealed that all of our matches are predetermined and everything in that nature is wide open to the fans, there’s no mystery anymore, why we still have to be secretive. I suggested in the beginning when Triple H was calling Bruno Sanmartino personally trying to get him to go into the HOF, I suggested to Bruno through our mutual friend to just say, 'well, look Vince, if you want me in your HOF give me $2 or $3 million, make it worth my time and Ill go in.’ Its strictly a money and business thing. That’s chump change to Vince McMahon. 

"I don’t know the exact amount but it is huge money. From his confidence that he’s put in our mutual friend it is an absolutely enormous amount of money and I told my friend, 'why didn’t you just tell Bruno from day 1?' He says, 'Bruno says 'Triple H is really a nice guy, he's been calling me every week, twice a week trying to get me into the HOF and I just don’t want to go in.' This is going on and on and I told my friend, 'well why doesn’t Bruno step up and say give me a couple million to get me in and why doesn’t Vince step up to the plate and say 'well I want you in so bad, here, you’re worth two or three or four million to go in, lets get this thing done.' The fans would be happy. I would be happy to know that. I'd be happy for Bruno and his family and all of that, but to keep everything so secretive and to put the heat on Bruno, forcing Bruno to tell his fans that he’s only getting five grand is like a slap in the face to all of us. 

On his relationship with Vince McMahon: Horrible right now. We’ve had a love hate relationship for years and I don’t know if its because I’ve been so independent but I’ve never come close to revealing the bitter hatred to Vince and the WWE. I mean, Bruno Sanmartino hates Vince McMahon with the uttermost hatred. I mean, he hates him like the venom of an Arizona rattlesnake coming out of Vince’s mouth every time he utters a word he hates him so much. My relationship is severed forever with Vince. I can’t even remember what happened. We’ve had so many back and forth’s going on. 

What happened after Bob Backlund won the title: That was the biggest mistake in the history of our business. I really believe it was the biggest mistake. I was ready to be a huge babyface. All we had to do was have Ivan Koloff, my tag team partner, turn on me. I was a natural babyface but he said he had a handshake deal with Backlund and he’s a man of his word, this is Vince Sr. talking, and despite the fact that Bob Backlund being a very nice young man who’s had to live with this 'howdy doody' tag on him, my god, to be a champion and be tagged as a howdy doody character is really sad to have to live with that. 

That was a huge mistake for me to pass the baton back over to Backlund but I did as I was also instructed to. That was set up a full year before it actually went down. Vince Sr. brought me down to Ft. Lauderdale, his home, and along with Eddie Graham, he was still alive when I was wrestling in the Florida territory, to make this agreement that I would take the title from Bruno on April 30th 1977 and then give it to Bob Backlund on, I believe, February 20th of '78, almost a year later, and this was all agreed upon a full year ahead of when it actually happened. The thing with Sr was, he was always a man of his word and he felt that he had to keep his word even though it was a struggle, we had to support all the under card, all the matches. Once I gave that belt back over to Backlund, if he would have been left on his own to draw, it would have been horrible attendance records. We had to support that card underneath that kid with Andre the Giant, with Dusty and I, and all kinds of huge support to draw and make that thing work. 

Why he never had a great feud with Backlund: He never had a real feud with anyone, never had a hot thing going on with anyone because he was not hot. He was not over. He was force fed down the fans throat and he didn’t have it. He didn’t have the charisma. On our return match in the Garden, when I gave the belt to Backlund, when I laid down for Backlund, on the return match you go back and look in the photo archives and remember when Backlund was wearing those long boxing robes in the beginning with a towel around his neck, that was his ring attire, and on the return match in Madison Square Garden, and 

"I have all my tie dye on and ready to go, we're in the hallway with Vince Sr. and we're waiting for Backlund to walk out before we head for the ring, Backlund walks out of the locker room with this full length boxing robe on and the towel around his neck, and the boxing robe was all the way down to his shoelaces and of course, it is wrapped over and around the belt. Vince McMahon Sr says, 'Bobby, where is the belt? My god, the belt, where's the belt?' Because everything was about the belt. And he says, 'Vince, I have it underneath my robe.' And Vince says, 'But Bobby, the fans want to see the belt. My god its the belt.' Vince was having a breakdown backstage. And so Backlund’s answer to Vince Sr about wearing the black robe and covering up the belt, hiding the belt, was, 'but Vince, I like my robe.' That is a child like response. 

On The Rock not mentioning WWE on The Tonight Show: "You're kidding?! Well there you go. Completely falling apart at the seams. The Rock's heart is not in the ring, it’s in the movies. We know where his heart is and I don’t blame him. I don’t blame the man for wanting to continue his movie career, but to most even mention WrestleMania on a program like that and to have the belt shows you the devaluation of the whole product. The whole product is suffering. The depth of the talent pool is so shallow it’s just pathetic. And who believes for one minute that; who's the Undertaker working with? [CM Punk} My buddy Punk; who on gods green earth believes the Undertaker's going to lose to CM Punk?" 

On his influence in pro wrestling: "I'm very aware of that and it's a compliment. I remember the fans back then would tell me, 'do you know that Jesse Ventura's taking your stuff, trying to look just like you?' The fans at one point were very jealous about things like that. I said that’s ok because it’s a compliment to be that type of an influence on people that they want to be like you and look like you. It’s a great compliment to have that much influence on people. So I’ve never been jealous or have had a grudge against Jesse and the Hulkster. I’ve always thought it was a great compliment to me that they wanted to follow my persona and be influenced by my charismatic presence just like I was influenced by Muhammad Ali, he was my inspiration. 

"I’ve always thought it was a great thing. I didn’t think it was so unusual because I was so different. I knew I was an entertainer and I always, to myself, knew that I was an entertainer in the ring as opposed to a more precision technician wrestler type like a Harley Race or even a Bob Backlund. My ambition was to entertain people. I saw pro wrestling from day one as entertainment and that’s what I sought after. I was very happy and proud to have influenced two of the best entertainers ever in professional wrestling, Ventura and the Hulkster.

WWE Announces Another Hall of Famer for 2013

WWE announced on tonight's RAW that SmackDown General Manager Booker T will be joining the 2013 Hall of Fame class in just a few weeks from New York City. 

Booker will be inducted with Bruno Sammartino, Trish Stratus, Mick Foley, Bob Backlund and Donald Trump this year.

Bob Backlund Visits WWE HQ

Triple H shared a photo of Bob Backlund's visit to WWE Headquarters on Twitter, with the caption, "Never know when a legend will walk into your office......today, Bob Backlund. #HOF2013"