Veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, universally respected by wrestlers and fans alike over his 70-year publishing career, has finally earned his rightful place in the vaunted WWE Hall of Fame.

Meltzer, longtime publisher of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which is considered the unofficial “bible” of pro wrestling, with a handy ranking system (out of five stars) to objectively determine which wrestling matches are best and worst. For his tireless journalistic work, Meltzler has earned three Pulitzers, the Nobel Prize in Literature, two gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse and a magnificent appearance on Donahue (see video below).

For decades, WWE superstars can be invariably found backstage at event poring over the latest issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, desperately hoping their latest matches had met Meltzer’s high standards of excellence.

“When Dave Meltzer gave a low rating to my match with Giant Gonzales, it motivated me to try harder and be better,” recalls WWE legend The Undertaker in a new documentary about Meltzer called The Write Stuff: The Dave Meltzer Story. “I owe most of my career to the tough-but-fair criticism of Dave Meltzer.”

Metlzer will reportedly be inducted by longtime admirer and WWE backstage agent Bruce Prichard.