Summary

Demolition, Ax (Bill Eadie) and Smash (Barry Darsow), is set to be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. The team signed a WWE Legends deal in early 2025 and attended last year's Hall of Fame ceremony.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, both men said they did not expect this outcome after being away from WWE for so long, and they described the Legends agreement as the turning point in their relationship with the company.

How Ax and Smash described the WWE relationship shift

Eadie said fan support over the years mattered in getting Demolition to this point, and he framed the Hall of Fame nod as a career-level peak. Darsow said the team debated signing a Legends contract before eventually moving forward, and he tied that decision to everything that followed, including their 2025 Hall of Fame invite and new merchandise.

Demolition is a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion team, and this induction places one of WWE's most decorated classic duos into the Hall.

Quotes

Quote from Bill Eadie

"It’s truly an honor. If it wasn’t for the fans, I really believe, the pressure over the years, we really never thought we would be inducted. I don’t think we would have been under a different administration. That’s changed, and our relationship with the company has changed drastically. It’s just an honor. It’s the main event. You want to be in the business, be in matches, and be in the main event. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame in WWE is the main event,"

Quote from Barry Darsow

"Bill and I had been away for so long and been (at conventions) signing autographs and been in front of the fans a lot. We didn’t know if we were going to sign a contract with them. We debated, ‘Do we really want to get into this?’ Finally, we decided, let’s sign a legends contract and see what happens. Once we signed that contract, they invited us to the Hall of Fame last year, and it was like everything changed. All of a sudden, we have action figures, and we met a lot of the guys last year in the back, and they treated us unbelievably. It’s such a huge machine, and to be part of that, it makes you feel good. CM Punk was unbelievable. What a gentleman. He was one of the first ones to come up and he talked to us for 10-15 minutes. Then Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker. It felt good to be part of that."

What Demolition’s Hall of Fame induction means for WWE

Demolition entering the 2026 class formally closes a long gap between the team and WWE, and it signals that this era of Hall of Fame decisions is still willing to bring historically important acts back into the fold.

It also shows how WWE can turn a Legends contract into broader visibility, from Hall of Fame weekend access to new collectibles, which helps reconnect older championship teams with current fans.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.