Teddy Long joins 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class

Continuing the WrestleMania season tradition of announcing Hall of Fame inductees before Raw on Mondays, WWE added Teddy Long to the 2017 Hall of Fame class this week.

WWE chose Fox Sports to break the news, with an article also appearing on their own website. Long joins Kurt Angle and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express as the already announced members of this year’s class.

“Well, I was really surprised, you know? I had thought about being inducted into the Hall of Fame and I thought ‘well, if they’re going to do that, I’m pretty sure my time will come one day.’ And that’s what did happen,” Long told Fox Sports. “I was real excited, it’s such an honor to be a part of something like this. To go into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame…man, it’s just great. It don’t get no better than that.”

Long is best known to modern fans for his time as an on-screen character in the 2000s, where he served as SmackDown’s general manager for several years. He got his start in the 80s as a member of the ring crew for Jim Crockett Promotions before transitioning to a career as a referee and manager on television.