Quick note: I will be in St. Louis this weekend attending both the Royal Rumble and the X-Pac/Billy Gunn after-party. I'll be sending in live reports all day to WrestleZone.com, so make sure you visit the site regularly Sunday for all the latest. Thanks to X-Pac and Billy Gunn for allowing me to cover their after-party. Tickets and details can be found at MyWrestlingParty.com.
Now, what's bothering me this week…
#3. Hall of Fame Coverage
We recently posted a report here on WZ that indicated the Hall of Fame ceremony this year in Miami would not be aired live or on the same day as the actual event. There has been no official day/time given as to when it will air, if it airs at all.
While I've always preferred same day coverage of the special event, I will only be truly bothered if it doesn't air at all. There's no reason to assume it won't as last year they televised it two days after the fact. That's better for those actually attending the live events because it gives them a chance to travel back home in time to watch it.
WrestleMania weekend is huge for those that make the trip to its location. There's nearly a week's worth of events to experience, including the Hall of Fame, Axxess, the following night's Raw, and of course, WrestleMania. Since I'll be one of those in Miama this March, I'm happy. However, I think WWE should strive to do more for those NOT making the trip. Airing the Hall of Fame live a night before WrestleMania just seems to make more business sense. It's another way to hype the big event and make the overall weekend feel even more special for those at home.
Furthermore, I think it would be great to combine the Hall of Fame special each year with the WrestleMania preview show. In between honoring the inductees and their speeches, you could have interviews with the talent competing the next night, air video packages, and even further storylines at times with attacks and confrontations at the Hall of Fame. There would need to be a happy medium between the two elements, but I think it's a significant advantage you have by airing the HoF before WrestleMania, rather than after the event takes place.