WWE's WrestleMania season is underway. As has become tradition, ahead of this year's showpiece event at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on April 7th, WWE will honour their legends of the past at their annual Hall of Fame Ceremony during WrestleMania weekend. Today it was announced that the headline act being inducted for 2019 will be D-Generation X.
BREAKING: As first reported by @espn, D-Generation X are the first inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019. https://t.co/rIPCM14ewY
— WWE (@WWE) February 18, 2019
As one of the cornerstone acts of the 'Attitude Era', DX were a hugely popular and successful faction that played an important role in helping WWE re-establish itself as the number one wrestling promotion ahead of WCW during the infamous Monday Night Wars of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Originally formed in 1997 as a trio comprised of Shawn Michaels, Triple H & Chyna, DX went through a number of line-up changes in the following years. After Michaels went down with a serious back in injury in 1998, which put his wrestling career on hold for the next four years, Triple H took the reigns and re-branded the group alongside Chyna, X-Pac, Road-Dogg & 'Badass' Billy Gunn. These were the defining years for the faction that inspired a generation of minors around the world to crotch-chop the X-sign and tell people to 'Suck It.'
After going their separate ways in early 2001, the group was reprised five years later when Michaels and Triple H reunited. The duo have returned to WWE TV sporadically over the years for a number of reunion shows. WWE's official announcement confirmed that the induction will include Shawn Michaels, Triple H, X-Pac, Road-Dogg, Billy Gunn and perhaps most significantly, Chyna.
Joanie Laurer AKA Chyna sadly passed away in 2016. She left WWE in acrimonious circumstances in 2001 and in the following years her personal issues were well documented. In the time shortly before her death, she had made a number of public pleas for her WWE career to be recognized with a Hall of Fame induction. Despite a large swell of support from fans and the likes of WWE legend Mick Foley, her request seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, with WWE seemingly reluctant to re-engage with her due to the controversies she was involved in after leaving the company.
This announcement has been warmly received by the wrestling world, particularly for Chyna, who will now finally be recognized for having had one of the most significant careers of any female in WWE history. It also places Shawn Michaels as just the second-ever two-time Hall of Fame inductee, alongside Ric Flair.
We did it!!! They are letting Chyna in!! She's in!! #LetChynaIn #TheyAreLettingChynaIn #WWEHOF #WWE #Chyna https://t.co/eG8WRPGmeV
— Chyna (@ChynaJoanLaurer) February 18, 2019
Congratulations to D-Generation X on becoming the first inductees of the 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame. #WWE #HOF #HHH #Michaels #RoadDogg #BillyGunn #XPac #Chyna https://t.co/DMD6lUHBjY
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) February 18, 2019
CHYNA EXCEPTIONAL LADY CONGRATULATION TO YOU GOD BLESS YOU
— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) February 18, 2019
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