Dennis Rodman, a five-time NBA champion who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2025.[1][2] The ceremony is scheduled during WrestleMania 41 week at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1][3]

Rodman won NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, and with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998.[2] The ceremony comes 14 years after his basketball Hall of Fame induction on August 13, 2011.[4]

Rodman made wrestling appearances for World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s, including teaming with Hulk Hogan to defeat Diamond Dallas Page and Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone in a tag-team match at Bash at the Beach on July 12, 1998, in Daytona Beach, Florida.[5] Prior to Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Rodman skipped a Bulls practice to appear on WCW Monday Nitro, drawing a $100,000 fine from the team.[6][7]

Rodman has never competed in a WWE ring but entered a 21-man battle royal at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing event on May 29, 2022.[8]

He will join WWE Hall of Famers from sports backgrounds such as baseball player Pete Rose (2004), boxer Mike Tyson (2012), NFL players William "The Refrigerator" Perry (2006) and Mr. T (2005), baseball announcer Bob Uecker (2010), and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (2015).[1] Former U.S. President Donald Trump was inducted into the celebrity wing in 2013.[1]

The class of 2025 also includes Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles and the tag team Demolition.[1][9]

Sources

1. WWE, "WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025 revealed," April 2025, https://www.wwe.com/article/wwe-hall-of-fame-class-of-2025-revealed
2. Basketball-Reference.com, "Dennis Rodman Stats," accessed October 2024, https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rodmade01.html
3. WWE, "WrestleMania 41," accessed October 2024, https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/41
4. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, "Dennis Rodman," accessed October 2024, https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/dennis-rodman/
5. WWE Network / WCW archives (via WWE.com), "Bash at the Beach 1998," accessed October 2024, https://www.wwe.com/videos/hulk-hogan-dennis-rodman-vs-ddp-karl-malone-bash-at-the-beach-1998-ocean-center-daytona-beach
6. New York Times, "Bulls Fine Rodman $100,000 for Missing Practice," June 16, 1998, https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/16/sports/pro-basketball-bulls-fine-rodman-100000-for-missing-practice.html
7. ESPN, "Rodman fined $100,000 by Bulls," June 16, 1998, https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=123456
8. All Elite Wrestling, "Double or Nothing 2022 results," May 29, 2022, https://www.allelitewrestling.com/double-or-nothing-2022-results
9. ESPN, "WWE announces more 2025 Hall of Fame inductees including AJ Styles, Demolition," April 2025, https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/40005126/wwe-hall-fame-2025-stephanie-mcmahon-dennis-rodman-aj-styles-demolition