When Bob Backlund is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, he will have one of his biggest fans cementing his legacy. “Extra” host Maria Menounos announced while guest-hosting Live with Kelly & Michael that she will induct the former WWE Champion on Saturday, April 6, inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden.
A lifelong WWE fan who competed on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania XXVIII, Menounos idolized Backlund while growing up and met him through partner Keven Undergaro, who as Head Writer of MTV’s Singled Out, cast Backlund to guest star alongside Jenny McCarthy and Chris Hardwick. Menounos then worked with Backlund on the comedy feature, In the Land of Merry Misfits, and the two have been close ever since. Backlund was present at Menounos Miss Massachusetts USA competition and ran alongside her at the Nike Celebrity Road Race.
Menounos, a lifelong WWE fan, “It is an honor to induct my good friend Bob Backlund into the WWE Hall of Fame,” said Maria Menounos. “Watching him carry the title for a since unmatched five years and then stage such an incredible comeback with a reinvented persona puts him in a class all his own. Add in his incredible work ethic and high moral caliber, and you have everything that defines the word champion. And astonishingly, he can still wrestle with guys a third his age! He’s my hero and my friend. I can’t wait for the ceremony on April 6.”
“I am truly humbled to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame,” Backlund explained. “Maria has been a friend for years and I can’t think of someone I would rather have induct me at Madison Square Garden.”
As one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions of all time, Backlund inspired millions of fans around the world and it is only fitting that one of those fans inducts him into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been confirmed to induct Bruno Sammartino, and Terry Funk will induct Mick Foley into this year’s Hall of Fame. For a list of other rumored inductors, click the following link.
