WWE issued the following press release today.
Trump to Enter WWE Hall of Fame
STAMFORD, Conn., February 25, 2013 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that Donald J. Trump will be a celebrity inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at Madison Square Garden. Mr. Trump has been a part of WWE’s most popular events and storylines dating back to WrestleMania® IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989 when he hosted the pop-culture extravaganzas in Atlantic City. In 2009, Mr. Trump “purchased” WWE and then “resold” WWE back to Mr. McMahon a week later for double the price. In his most famous WWE storyline, Mr. Trump challenged Mr. McMahon to a “Battle of the Billionaires” match at WrestleMania XXIII, resulting in an all-time record for pay-per-view buys and Mr. McMahon’s head being shaved at the hands of “The Donald.”
“It was literally the thrill of a lifetime performing in front of 80,000 enthusiastic fans during the ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ match at WrestleMania XXIII,” said Donald Trump, Chairman and President, The Trump Organization. “I’ve always enjoyed and respected WWE’s brand of entertainment and look forward to the ceremony in my hometown at Madison Square Garden.”
“Donald is a global icon whose status brought an unmatched level of publicity and grandeur to WWE,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO.
Mr. Trump is the pre-eminent developer of quality real estate both in the United States and abroad, and has made the Trump brand synonymous with excellence. His portfolio includes dozens of award-winning skyscrapers, hotels, golf courses and clubs. He is an accomplished and best-selling author of over a dozen books including one of the best-selling business books of all time, The Art of the Deal. Mr. Trump is also the star and co-producer of the NBC hit series, The Apprentice, which premieres its 13th season on Sunday, March 3.
Mr. Trump is the latest celebrity inductee entering the WWE Hall of Fame, joining Drew Carey, Pete Rose, Bob Uecker, Mike Tyson and William “Refrigerator” Perry. Other members of the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Class include Bruno Sammartino, Mick Foley, Bob Backlund and Trish Stratus™.
Tickets for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are currently available through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees. For more information on Mr. Trump, please visit www.Trump.com.
Click here to view a special WWE video on Donald J. Trump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7y8XMS9aMs
About WWE:
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.