Move Over, Andre the Giant: Dennis Rodman to Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

Pro basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman will soon be able to add another Hall of Fame enshrinement to his résumé as the all-time rebounding great will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Rodman, who never wrestled for the promotion or appeared in any capacity with the WWE, will be enshrined during the annual WrestleMania event on April 18-19 in Las Vegas. The 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will be held the night before, and Rodman will be part of the Celebrity Wing.

The WWE Hall of Fame honors wrestlers—those who performed for the promotion and those who didn’t—as well as pro wrestling personalities. Rodman could qualify for either, as the five-time NBA champion did have a brief spell in the squared circle during his playing days in the NBA.

He was a part-timer in the infamous New World Order in WCW (World Championship Wrestling), which is better known as the nWo. Rodman aligned with Hulk Hogan for a 1997 tag team match but lost to Lex Luger and The Giant at WCW Uncensored. However, Rodman’s most noteworthy foray in the ring would come in his next match and against one of his rivals in the NBA.

After Rodman and the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Finals in June 1998 over Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz, the two power forwards would face off again—this time in the ring. Rodman teamed with Hogan, while Malone—himself a lifelong wrestling fan—teamed with Diamond Dallas Page. They had a tag match at WCW Bash at the Beach in July, and just as he did on the hardwood, Rodman emerged on top. He and Hogan, with help from a fellow nWo member, defeated Malone and Page, with Hogan securing the pin on Page.

Rodman would have one final match in WCW: He lost a singles match to Randy “Macho Man” Savage at Road Wild 1999. However, his wrestling itch was still present, and he made a couple of cameos in other wrestling promotions after his NBA career came to an end. One came in 2000 in Australia, where he was defeated by former nWo member Curt Hennig, and another came in 2008 when he participated in Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, hosted by his longtime friend.

Rodman’s final known wrestling appearance came with a current rival promotion of WWE—All Elite Wrestling (AEW)—in 2023, when he accompanied The Acclaimed tag team to the ring in its match at an All Out pay-per-view event.

So with four official wrestling matches under his belt, Rodman is joining the likes of Hogan, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Andre the Giant, and Bruno Sammartino in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Other athletes that are a part of the Celebrity Wing of the hall include MLB hit king Pete Rose, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson. Each of them appeared in WWE in some capacity, with Rose serving as a guest ring announcer, Perry taking part in a battle royal, and both Ali and Tyson serving as special guest referees/enforcers.

Non-athletes in the WWE Hall of Fame Celebrity Wing include Donald Trump, Snoop Dogg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Rodman is the latest member to be announced for the Class of 2026. Others include Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, and the Demolition tag team. There is no physical, brick-and-mortar WWE Hall of Fame, so while wrestling fans can reminisce and celebrate those in the Hall of Fame, they can’t actually visit any place that houses busts, plaques, artifacts, memorabilia, or more.

This enshrinement for Rodman will come 15 years after he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Rodman wasn’t a first-ballot selection, nor a second or third. For that induction, he had to wait a while. After his final NBA game in the 1999-2000 season, Rodman was first eligible in 2006 but had to wait five more years before receiving the nod, despite a uniquely impressive career.

Nicknamed “The Worm,” Rodman is, statistically, the greatest rebounder in NBA history. He won a record seven straight rebounding titles, despite standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 210 pounds. For reference, Rodman—who played in a much more physical era of the NBA—is roughly the same size as Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Duncan Robinson.

Rodman was also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, tying him for the most awards among non-centers. He made seven All-Defensive teams during his career, was a two-time All-NBA selection, and made a pair of All-Star Teams. He was also a pair of two dynastic teams, winning a pair of titles with the Bad Boys Pistons and being a part of the second three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. In 2021, Rodman was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history as he made the league’s 75^th Anniversary Team.

The person who will induct Rodman during his WWE Hall of Fame enshrinement has not been announced. While many, and certainly the WWE, would love to see Rodman’s former Bulls teammate, Michael Jordan, on stage inducting The Worm, chances are that won’t occur. However, his rival on the court and in the ring, Malone, could be an option.