Next WWE Hall Of Fame 2024 Inductee Announced

Joining Paul Heyman in the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class is...

by Andrew Pollard
Bull Nakano
WWE.com

With Paul Heyman having been announced as the inaugural member of the WWE Hall of Fame 2024 class, the first name confirmed to join the Wise Man is Bull Nakano.

This news was initially reported by ESPN, with WWE soon following up with their own story to lavish praise on a truly revolutionary talent. Nakano's stay with WWE was only a brief one, but her wider reach and influence cannot be understated - as reflected by this Hall of Fame induction.

Having worked a couple of dates for the then-World World Federation in 1986, Bull Nakano would return to the promotion in 1994, immediately targeting WWF Women's Champion Alundra Blayze. Bull would topple Blaze for that prize at All Japan Women's Big Egg Universe show in November '94, before losing the title back to Alundra on the Raw after WrestleMania XI. That would be Nakano's final match with the company.

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Bull Nakano
WWE

Away from WWE, Bull Nakano made a name for herself as a pivotal part of the legendary snug 'n' stiff All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, debuting at the age of just 15. During that time, Nakano put on some absolute wars against the likes of Aja Kong, Akira Hokuto, Shinobi Kandori, Mitsuko Nishiwaki, Devil Masami, Manami Toyota, and Kyoko Inoue. Bull would also have a stint with CMLL in Mexico before heading to Titan in '94.

Following her WWE departure, Nakano briefly returned to AJW, had a cup of coffee in WCW, then announced her retirement in early 1997 at just 29 years of age and became a professional golfer. Nakano has been occasionally involved in the wrestling world in the years since hanging up her boots, running her own Empress event in 2012, being a part of Rise Wrestling, and serving as a commissioner figure in Sukeban. She'd also come out of retirement on two occasions, as part of a gauntlet match for Kyoko Inoue's 25th Anniversary show in 2012 and later in a 30-second loss to Manami Toyota in 2017.

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As well as Paul Heyman and Bull Nakano now confirmed for this year's WWE Hall of Fame, there's also speculation that Haku could be another who'll be inducted this year.

 
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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.