WWE And AEW Stars Featured In TNA Hall Of Fame Ceremony Inducting Rhino And Bob Ryder

Ahead of the 2024 Bound For Glory event, TNA Wrestling held its 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony on the pre-show, with company co-founder Bob Ryder and former TNA World Tag Team Champion Rhino (aka Rhyno) taking their respective places. Ryder's posthumous induction came first, courtesy of a speech from TNA original Eric Young.

Looking back on the history of TNA, Young noted that Ryder was amongst the discussion that initially sparked the concept of TNA in the wake of WCW's downfall in 2001. Furthermore, Young labeled Ryder as a "pioneer" of the professional wrestling space, especially in navigating how to use the internet and information websites in relation to it. Overall, Ryder was a man of many hats, but to Young, the most important was being a friend to him, and a number of his colleagues.

Along with Young's induction speech for Ryder came a tribute video package featuring current and former faces from the TNA Wrestling franchise. Notable faces include Frankie Kazarian, TNA and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Josh Matthews, Eddie Edwards, and America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm). Amidst the cross-promotional appearances were All Elite Wrestling's Jeff Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt as well as WWE's AJ Styles and producer Chris Parks (also known as former TNA Television Champion Abyss).

"The most valuable thing that Bob really brought to the table was his eye to detail," said Jarrett. "Bob never missed anything."

"Special human being, sweetheart of a guy," said Styles. "He'd give you the shirt off his back. It wasn't me that just thought this way. The whole roster loved this guy."

While looking ahead to his TNA Hall of Fame entry, Rhino previously circled the likes of Adam "Edge" Copeland, Christian Cage, TNA producer Tommy Dreamer and former TNA President Scott D'Amore as candidates for the role of his inductor. During the TNA Hall of Fame ceremony, Dreamer revealed himself as Rhino's official inductor. In doing so, Dreamer also chronicled the accomplishments and "ferocity" that Rhino brought to promotions such as ECW, WWE, and TNA.

Similarly to Bob Ryder, Rhino's induction came paired with a special tribute package narrated by the voices of several of his current and former TNA colleagues. Notable contributors include Eric Young, Abyss, Kurt Angle, Frankie Kazarian, former TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace, and Rhino's former WWE and TNA tag team partner Heath Slater.

Following Dreamer's opening speech, Rhino himself took the podium to accept his induction. While reflecting on his career, Rhino issued thank-yous to the likes of Jim Cornette, Paul Heyman, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Adam "Edge" Copeland, Christian Cage, and Heath Slater, the latter of whom Rhino specially commended for being a great human and father. Now visibly emotional, Rhino also recalled that Slater often sparked life into his brother as he battled cancer in 2017. And for that, Rhino considers Slater to not only be a friend, but also a brother.

Shortly after making his Hall of Fame speech, Rhino appeared in the 2024 Call Your Shot Gauntlet, now wearing his signature black singlet. Though he eventually lost the Gauntlet at the hands of Kazarian, Rhino managed to capture six eliminations in his outing.