WWE awards prestigious honor to longtime employee
STAMFORD — World Wrestling Entertainment inducted a veritable who’s who of wrestling history at its annual Hall of Fame ceremony Tuesday night.
Kane, who went from being the masked brother of “The Undertaker” to a political career as mayor of Knox County, Tenn., was among those honored. So was Rob Van Dam, the only man to simultaneously hold the WWE title and the Extreme Championship Wrestling title, the Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki, who have parlayed their popularity in WWE into a reality TV empire, and Davey Boy Smith, known as the British Bulldog, a legendary performer from the 1980s and 1990s.
But it was not just be an opportunity to hear old stories and relive some of wrestling’s greatest moments. It was also be a chance to honor community service and the behind the scenes work that makes Stamford-based WWE the global behemoth that it is.
That’s where The Warrior Award comes in.
Named in memory of the late wrestler “The Ultimate Warrior,” the award is presented each year at the Hall of Fame ceremony to “an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.”
For 2021, the award went to Rich Hering, whose tenure with the company goes back more than half a century. He is the company’s senior vice president of government relations and risk management and said that being given the award was “totally unexpected.”
“It does have a very special meaning because of who it is named for and what it stands for,” Hering told Hearst Connecticut
Media. “I was totally taken aback and surprised by it. Over the years, if you look at who else has received it, they have been very, very deserving people who have done so much in their community and for service organizations. It holds a special place to me because of The Ultimate Warrior, who I knew so well. To me personally, this is a very special honor.”
He said he didn’t look at the award as something he was getting as an individual, but rather being part of a collaborative effort on behalf of the hundreds of employees of WWE who “day in and day out give that 100 percent to help and create our televised events, our live events.” He said they were the ones who were the warriors who make WWE a “global phenomenon.”
The friendship Hering had with the Warrior, which has continued to this day with Warrior’s widow Dana and their two daughters, is meaningful to him.
“The girls call me Uncle Rich,” Hering said. “They have ever since (the Ultimate Warrior passed away in 2014). When he passed, I actually flew down and stayed with them and made the arrangements for his funeral. I think that’s why this award, more than anything I’ve ever received, is so special.”
In his position at WWE, Hering has a lot of responsibilities, which range from overseeing the company’s medical and security departments to handling all risk management issues and vending contracts. He said he works with literally every department in the company and said he was like the “catch as catch can” type of person.
“If you need to get something done, ask me,” Hering said.
In a statement issued by the company, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said everyone at WWE was proud to present him with the honor.
“Rich has dedicated more than half a century to WWE and the WWE Universe, and has truly seen and done it all,” McMahon said. “From ensuring the health and safety of WWE Superstars and employees; presiding over the wedding of Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth; and being an ‘uncle’ to Dana Warrior and her children, Mattie and Indy, there is no one more deserving of this accolade.”
When Hering joined what was then known as the WWWF, for World Wide Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon Sr. was in charge and the champion was the legendary Bruno Sammartino and other Hall of Fame names like Gorilla Monsoon, Big Cat Ernie Ladd and Andre the Giant were still competing. WWWF was a regional promotion at the time with a dozen employees, light years from where it is now.
When he first came aboard in 1970, it was as a consultant. At the time he had been working for the New York State Athletic Commission, which oversaw boxing and wrestling matches that took place in the state.
Hering’s work as a consultant continued for 29 years until he officially became an employee in 1999 when WWE became a publicly traded company.
“I still love coming to work,” Hering said. “A lot of people have jobs that they consider to be mundane and are repeating what they do every day. What I enjoy most about working for WWE is how diverse it is every day you come to work. No day is the same. There’s new challenges. There’s new opportunities. Every day is a new day for us and that’s so refreshing.”
Tuesday’s ceremony was streamed in the United States on Peacock and internationally on The WWE Network and it is a major part of Wrestlemania week.
Wrestlemania, a twonight event on Saturday and Sunday, will stream on Peacock from Tampa Bay. This will be the first time WWE has held live shows in front of an audience in over a year.
kborsuk@greenwichtime.com