WWE News: Lord Alfred Hayes headlines the legacy wing inductees for the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class
What's the story?
On Thursday afternoon, Mike Johnson from PWInsider revealed a list of nine wrestling personalities who will be part of the legacy wing of the 2018 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. The list is headlined by the late Lord Alfred Hayes who was best known as a WWF commentator during the 1980's and 1990's.
In case you didn't know...
The legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame was established in 2016, as a way to honor those who made tremendous contributions during the very early days of professional wrestling's history.
Some of the members of the legacy wing from the past two years include Lou Thesz, Haystacks Calhoun, and Frank Gotch.
The heart of the matter
In addition to Hayes, the following people were also named as being inducted into the legacy wing: Stan Stasiak, Dara Singh, Cora Combs, El Santo, Jim Londos, Rufus R. Jones, Sputnik Monroe, Boris 'The Great' Malenko.
Stasiak was a former WWWF Champion, who was the father of former WCW and WWE Superstar Shawn Stasiak. Singh was best known for defeating Lou Thesz for the world championship in 1968 and was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in 1996.
Combs began wrestling professionally in 1945 and was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007. El Santo began wrestling professionally in 1934 and is regarded as one of the most prominent luchadors with Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras.
Londos is a Greek wrestler who began wrestling in 1917 and reached the height of his career in the 1930's and 1940's, where he wrestled in Greece in front of an estimated crowd of 100,000.
Jones was a decorated champion in the Central States and Mid-Atlantic territories of the NWA during the 1970's and 1980's.
Monroe got his start in professional wrestling in 1945 and is best known for headlining a card that held an attendance record until the Monday Night Wars era.
Malenko was a part of Big Time Wrestling and Championship Wrestling from Florida during the 1960's and 1970's and was the father of Dean Malenko.
What's next?
The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will air live from New Orleans on the WWE Network Friday evening. The one-hour Red Carpet Special will begin at 6 PM Eastern, with the Hall of Fame ceremony to follow.
Author's take
I compare the legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame to the Veteran's Committee for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. It's a great way to honor the early pioneers of the sport, and there are some great names included in this year's group.