WWE News: Hall Of Fame Speech By Rikishi Upsets Former WWE Star

Last night at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in San Jose, former WWE superstar Rikishi was inducted as part of the Class of 2015. The induction speech was given by Rikishi’s two sons, Jey and Jimmy Uso, and during his speech, Rikishi thanked many of the people in his career that helped him achieve the honor of the WWE Hall of Fame. However, there was one (or two) people that Rikishi noticeably left out of his speech: his former tag-team partners Scotty 2 Hotty and Brian Christopher (Grandmaster Sexay).

Rikishi spent a good majority of his speech talking about his Samoan history, mentioning by name many of his family members that paved the way for him in the wrestling business and continue to carry the Samoan torch into the 21st century. Rikishi mentioned the “High Chief” Peter Maivia, The Tonga Kid, The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna, The Rock, Umaga, his two sons, and many others.

Following the speech, fans on social media almost immediately exploded with negative comments on Rikishi’s speech, conveying their disappointment and shock with Rikishi not mentioning Scotty 2 Hotty or Brian Christopher. As part of the group Too Cool in the early 2000s, Rikishi was taken to super-stardom doing dance routines with the team. Prior to his involvement with the group, Rikishi had struggled to find relevance in the wrestling industry. He wrestled throughout the 1990s as Fatu, but Rikishi never achieved anything close to the amount of attention and stardom he achieved while teaming with Scotty and Christopher.

It appears that fans weren’t the only people who noticed the lack of acknowledgement by Rikishi of his former teammates. Scotty 2 Hotty took to Twitter to voice his displeasure.

It’s hard to deny that Scotty has a point when it comes to being snubbed by Rikishi during the Hall of Fame speech. When Rikishi re-entered the WWE in November 1999, he was coming off a frustrating time in his career. He had last wrestled in the WWE as The Sultan in early 1997, a failed gimmick that wasn’t exactly Hall of Fame worthy. Almost three years later, his new gimmick of Rikishi became a sensation. In the early 2000s, the site of Rikishi dancing in the center of the ring with Too Cool was a weekly occurrence on RAW and SmackDown. The fans always went wild for the group’s signature dance, as well as Rikishi’s finishing maneuver, the stink face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFqdWoJMpQ

Rikishi has yet to publicly comment on the statements made by Scotty 2 Hotty. Former teammate Brian Christopher has also not commented on the speech.

[Image via YouTube]