Kane usually doesn't wear a tuxedo. But, then again, the Big Red Monster doesn't often induct people into the WWE Hall of Fame--particularly baseball players like the sport's all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.  

"People ask, 'Is this the year that Pete is going to get back at you?' " Kane said, standing at the podium in his formal wear at the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

The fans chuckled, remembering how Rose stepped into the ring in Boston at WrestleMania XIV, mocking the local fans--and the Boston Red Sox' history of misfortunes--until Kane marched down the aisle and victimized him with a Tombstone Piledriver. At WrestleMania XV, Rose disguised himself as the Famous San Diego Chicken and attempted to attack the 7-footer. Kane's response was to yank off his assailant's costume head and Tombstone him again. Finally, at WrestleMania XVI. Rose snuck up on Kane with a baseball bat, Kane delivered another Tombstone to the 17-time National League All-Star, which set him up for a Stinkface from Rikishi.

Kane continued his speech: "I say, Don't bet on it." The WWE Superstar turned toward Rose, who sat comfortably on the dais. "And Peter, I mean that--don't bet on it."

The spectators burst into laughter, taking note of the allusion to Rose's purported propensity for gambling. Despite his record-breaking feats, it was the admitted wagers on baseball which banished 'Charlie Hustle' from the sport's Hall of Fame. But since Rose was now a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, he was vulnerable to the taunts unique to the sports-entertainment sub-culture.

"Pete, it's great to be sitting here with you tonight," said legendary announcer Mean Gene Okerlund. "We've got a card game going on a little later on."

Backstage, WWE's current breed of Superstars were more reverential "Look at this man," Shawn Michaels shouted in Rose's direction in the greenroom prior to the ceremony. "Maybe the greatest baseball player who ever lived, and he did it without steroids. And Major League Baseball is attacking this man, when they should be honoring him."

Rose smiled gratefully, "Make sure you mention that he's the one who said that," he said.

Eight years after he signed the agreement that banned him from baseball, Rose attended his first WrestleMania.

"What I remember about it was the camaraderie backstage between the Superstars, how they cared about each other, and how they cared if someone was injured," he said. "And the big thing I noticed was how much they respect and love the fans. That's the way I played the game of baseball. I wish more sports would treat their fans the way WWE Superstars do. I think the good ol' boys of NASCAR have the right attitude. And so does WWE. That's why I was so happy to be there."

In the years that followed, he became friendly with a number of WWE Superstars and grew to admire their devotion to their craft. "If nothing else, you have to give these guys credit for all the traveling they do," he said. "This town tonight, that town tomorrow night, another town the next night--and they always rise up and put on a great show."

Despite his commitment to baseball, Rose has long understood, and appreciated, the mat wars. He spent part of his youth cheering for Native American star Don Eagle at Cincinnati Gardens, and once enjoyed a social encounter with Ed Farhat, the original Sheik.

"A friend of mine was real good friends with him," Rose said of the Sheik, one of the ring's most notorious villains who later trained Rob Van Dam. "And when the Sheik came to Cincinnati, I wanted to meet him. I always thought he was from Lebanon or Syria. He wore the head-dress, and seemed to be lost in another world. But I'll be a son of a bug. He spoke English, he was from Detroit, and he was actually a real bright guy."

After establishing a relationship with WWE, Rose was invited to sit at the "Gorilla Position," the spot named for late WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon just inside the dressing-room curtain. "I saw the Superstars returning backstage after their matches," Rose said. "If they were hurt or bleeding, the other guys came right over to them to make sure everything was okay. Despite what happens in the ring, there's really a respect they have for each other. And I'd hear them ask, 'How was my match? Was it alright?' They were always conscientious about their job."

How does this cohesion compare to that of baseball players? "I think there are teams with that kind of feeling today," Rose said. "The only thing that's different from when I played in baseball is the money. There are teams that have camaraderie, and those are the teams that usually win."

Perhaps this is why Rose has been able to circulate through the WWE dressing room with such ease. "I like 'em all," he said, when questioned about his favorite Superstars. 

"Big Show's a nice guy. Steve Austin's a nice guy. Now, Kane - - well that's another story. I looked at him before the Hall of Fame ceremony, and he didn't have his mask, his head was shaved, his eye was kind of funny-looking. I thought, 'I'll be a son of bug. This is what he looks like. He really is an ugly man!' ."

Yet Rose grudgingly concedes that even his arch-nemesis plays an important role in a successful unit. "These are guys who care about the sport, they care about each other, and they care about the fans," Rose said, "And they have a great leader. If there's a better PR or marketing guy than Vince McMahon in this country, I don't know who he is.

It's like I told Jesse (former Minnesota governor and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jesse 'The Body' Ventura:). If you were smart, you'd run for President, and have Vince as your campaign manager."

The reaction to Rose's participation in a Vince McMahon spectacle was decidedly mixed. Some supported the baseball great for using his fame--and distinct sense of humor--to endorse an entertaining product. Others were less complimentary.

"That's fine," he said of his detractors. "There were people who didn't think I could hit. And I had more than 4,200 hits. You're not gonna make everybody happy. We came to New York to have the best WrestleMania we've ever had. We did--and I was part of it. That's all that matters to me."  «·»

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