It was announced on the January 11, 2016 episode of "Raw" that Sting would be the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Sting ultimately reneged on having surgery; on March 22, 2016 he explained that he felt "completely normal" and had none of the side effects associated with cervical spinal stenosis. On April 2, during his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech, Sting announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He appeared at WrestleMania 32, alongside his fellow 2016 inductees, the following night.