The members of D-Generation X were the first names announced for WWE’s Hall of Fame class of 2019, and the latest might be their polar opposite. If your Honk-a-Meter is going off, don’t worry: The Honky Tonk Man, pro wrestling Elvis Presley and the self-proclaimed “greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time,” is the newest name announced as “first reported by” CBS Sports.
BREAKING: As first reported by @CBSSports, @OfficialHTM is the next inductee into the @WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019! #WWEHOF https://t.co/1b7V1uLqLL
— WWE (@WWE) February 26, 2019
The Honky Tonk Man — he never had a normal name, he’s just “The Honky Tonk Man,” identified as cool, cocky, and bad by his entrance theme — is probably best known for his record-breaking 454 days as Intercontinental Champion, a record which still stands to this day. Most of that reign was spent avoiding real opponents and bailing on the ones that actually threatened him, which set a new standard for heel secondary champions in WWE. That run famously ended at SummerSlam 1988, when the Ultimate Warrior beat him so quickly we could almost fit the entire match into a GIF.
Honky’s also known for his run as one half of “Rhythm and Blues” (Rhythm, presumably) alongside Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine, and for various utilitarian roles like color commentator on Raw, manager for the pre-Crisis Billy Gunn persona ‘Rockabilly,’ and a very short run opposite Johnny B. Badd in WCW.
He’ll almost certainly be inducted by his cousin, fellow Hall of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for Santino.
