Online Exclusive: WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremony Celebrates “Stone Cold”

The induction ceremony for the annual 2009 WWE Hall of Fame took place April 5 at the Toyota Center in Houston, celebrating lifetime achievements of WWE personalities, including the main event: the induction of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. With a production design by Jason Robinson, and lighting and video programmed by Demfis Fyssicopulos, the first hour of the show was taped for a future DVD release, and the second half broadcast live on USA Networks.

Robinson’s rig consisted of an assortment of Martin MAC 2000 Profiles, as well as Vari-Lite VL500T for set treatment. “Aerials and eye candy was handled by MAC IIIs and 35 MAC 700 hanging on a curved truss DS,” says Fyssicopulos of the setup for both filming and live broadcast. Keylight was via Vari-Lite VL1000Ts and ETC Source Four PAR, with PAR64s and MAC 2000 Wash units for audience lighting and one-cell 1kW far cyc units on the ground as fill to the lower level VIP audience primarily comprising the honorees and their families.

Media for the event was created by WWE, and content came from Green Hippo Hippotizer V3 HDs, fed to a header above the stage made up of an array of Element Labs Versa Tubes. Its main function was to display inductees’ names and WWE branding. Upstaging provided equipment, as well as some of the crewmembers.

WWE Hall of FameCeremony Equipment

2 MA Lighting grandMA
3 MA Lighting NSPs
2 Green Hippo Hippotizer V3 HD
Element Labs Versa Tubes
28 Martin Professional MAC III
32 Martin Professional MAC 2000 Profile
48 Martin Professional MAC 2000 Wash
35 Martin Professional MAC 700 Wash
38 Vari-Lite VL500T
11 Vari-Lite VL1000T
3 Vari-Lite VL1000A
60 ETC Source Four PAR
48 VNSP PAR64
48 NSP PAR64
48 MFL PAR64
30 One-Cell 1kW Far Cyc