Bill Eadie has suggested that Demolition’s WWE Hall of Fame induction would never have happened under the previous leadership with Vince McMahon in charge of the company, crediting a change in administration and sustained fan pressure for finally making it a reality after 36 years of waiting.
Speaking on the Busted Open Podcast alongside Barry Darsow and hosts Dave LaGreca and Bully Ray, Eadie was measured but clear in his assessment of why the recognition took so long to arrive and what changed to make it possible.
“I think that, and Barry and I have both talked about it, if it wasn’t for the fans, I really believe the pressure over the years, and a lot of our peers mentioned it, we really never thought we would be inducted,” Eadie said. “And I don’t think we would have been under a different administration. But that’s changed and our relationship with the company has changed drastically.”
Darsow added that the path back to WWE began with a decision the two had to discuss carefully before committing to it. “We debated, do we want to really get into this or what we’re going to do?” Darsow said. “So finally we decided, well, let’s sign the Legends contract and see what happens.” That contract came last year and was followed by an invitation to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, where Darsow said they were treated exceptionally well. He specifically mentioned CM Punk, Steve Austin, and the Undertaker among the people who welcomed them warmly.
Demolition is among the most accomplished tag teams in WWE history despite the long wait for formal recognition. Their first World Tag Team Championship reign lasted 478 days, and across three reigns, the team spent 698 total days as champions, both records for those titles, which were retired in 2010. The lawsuit Eadie filed against WWE over the rights to the Demolition gimmick, which was settled out of court in 1997, was widely believed to have complicated any potential relationship with the company under the previous regime.
Demolition will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the ceremony on Friday, April 17, during WrestleMania 42 weekend at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
