Stevie Ray Remembers Getting Call For WWE Hall Of Fame, Recalls Day Of Induction

Former WCW star Stevie Ray was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 alongside his brother and tag team partner Booker T, together known as Harlem Heat. Appearing on "Wrestling Then and Now," Ray shared his memories of the entire process, from first getting the call to the day of the Hall of Fame ceremony.

"I was having a very bad day that day," Ray said regarding the day he received the news. The former WCW World Television Champion admitted he was fairly rude to the WWE staff member who called and he immediately felt bad about it. As for the day of the actual induction, it was filled with "a bunch of f***ing bulls***," according to the man himself.

Ray shared that the company was doing things differently that year compared to previous ceremonies by having things take place in the ring, and the rehearsal to show them where to stand and walk to get down to the ring was very tedious. The 64-year-old former wrestler also confirmed that the company had asked to see his speech ahead of time.

"I said, 'I don't read speeches. Speeches are in my head. I wrote it myself,'" Ray continued. "Everything was in my head. I didn't want to sound like I'm reading. I never liked speeches where people sound like they're reading, or it's written down word-for-word to make a point." Though Ray never wound up sharing his speech with the company ahead of time, everything went off without a hitch, and Harlem Heat was successfully inducted ahead of WWE WrestleMania 35.