*By Request*
“I think it’s been a few years but I remember you writing an article about how many future WWE hall of famers were on the roster at the time. It might have been on this site or another one. I can’t remember. With all the roster turnover and changes, do you think it is time to do an updated version of that article for today’s roster?”
I had to go back and look, but yeah, I posted that column on this site back on October 7th, 2020. That was actually a follow up to a column I wrote back in 2017 when I worked for Fightful.
The premise of this apparent column “series” is simple. I take a look at the WWE roster and discuss whether or not they’re going to be WWE Hall Of Fame members one day, based entirely on my own opinion that is backed by statistics and historical patterns.
One very important thing to point out is that this isn’t me fantasy booking the futures of anybody. There are people who are brand new to the NXT roster that could go on to become ten-time World Champions in the future, but as of right this moment, they haven’t accomplished anything in their pro wrestling careers. That means I can’t say they’ll be in the Hall Of Fame.
Let’s get to adding some Hall Of Fame members, shall we?
The first thing we need to do is look at how many people are currently under some sort of WWE contract at the moment. That’s everyone that is an on-screen talent of any kind… wrestlers, managers, announcers, and so on.
Going through all the brands gives us a total of 240 names. That’s a lot, but if you’re new to this, you’ll see that the list of names gets dwindled down pretty quickly, so don’t worry. Strangely enough, when I did this column in October 2020, there were also 240 names I had to choose from.
The next task is to remove names of those who are already in the Hall Of Fame. Paul Heyman was inducted in 2024. Rey Mysterio was inducted in 2023. Booker T was inducted in 2013, and then again in 2019 with his brother, Stevie Ray, as Harlem Heat.
Technically, Nikki Bella was inducted in 2021, but that was as The Bella Twins with her sister. That means she would still be available for an induction as a singles competitor, so she remains in contention here.
Once we remove those three names, we’re down to 236 remaining.
Now is when the real fun begins, and we get to actually start choosing some future Hall Of Fame members. The easiest place to start is to look at the names that are absolute shoo-ins, and will receive zero arguments from anyone with even half a functioning brain. Even if you dislike these people and their work, you should be able to freely admit that they’ve done enough to become a Hall Of Fame member one day.
In previous editions of the column, I followed Wikipedia’s layout of the WWE roster, and I’ll be doing the same thing here. That means I’ll be going alphabetically through the Raw male roster, then the Raw female roster, then the Smackdown male roster, then the Smackdown female roster, then the NXT male roster, then the NXT female roster, then the Evolve male roster, then the Evolve female roster, then the PUP (Physically Unable To Perform) List, and finishing things with the entire broadcast team. Just remember that order when you see me listing names, and wondering why so-and-so was listed ahead of so-and-so.
Anyway, here are the shoo-ins…
– AJ Styles
– CM Punk
– Finn Balor
– Gunther
– Jey Uso
– Jimmy Uso
– Kofi Kingston
– Xavier Woods
– Asuka
– Bayley
– Becky Lynch
– Iyo Sky
– Liv Morgan
– Natalya
– Nikki Bella
– Rhea Ripley
– Cody Rhodes
– Drew McIntyre
– The Miz
– Randy Orton
– Roman Reigns
– Sami Zayn
– Alexa Bliss
– Charlotte Flair
– Nia Jax
– Brock Lesnar
– AJ Lee
– Bianca Belair
– Kevin Owens
– Naomi
– Seth Rollins
– Sheamus
– Michael Cole
– Big E
Total Number Of Future Hall Of Famers: 34
If there’s a name on that list that you might make an argument against, it’s probably Naomi. I think she absolutely deserves to go in, but I know that there are going to be her detractors who feel she has never been THE woman during her time with the company, and that she was always “overshadowed” by others. Even if Naomi wasn’t in pay-per-view main events and doing things like that, we’re still talking about someone who has won the Women’s World Title on three different occasions, as well as the Women’s Tag Team Titles twice, Women’s Money In The Bank once, and was even the inaugural FCW Divas Champion back in 2010 when Florida Championship Wrestling was WWE’s developmental spot before it was “relaunched” as NXT. She has done more than enough to make the Hall, and her career isn’t over yet.
The next step we need to take is look at the members of the WWE roster that may not necessarily be viewed as “shoo-ins,” but who have been chosen on one occasion to be at the top of the card, or at least the top of their division. If you look at the history of the WWE Championship alone, you have 63 years to digest. In that 63 year span, there have been a total of 55 recognized champions. Of those 55 recognized champions, the only ones who aren’t currently in the Hall Of Fame and that I didn’t already place on the first batch of future Hall Of Fame inductees are Sycho Sid, The Rock, Vince McMahon, Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Jinder Mahal, Daniel Bryan, and Bobby Lashley. That’s ten names, and three of them (Ambrose, Bryan, Lashley) are currently members of the AEW roster, and as long as that continues, you have to assume they aren’t going to be involved in the Hall Of Fame conversation, but all three are definitely deserving. We still don’t have a solid word on Chris Jericho’s future, but for the time being, he remains listed on the AEW roster, so he’s included in that group.
Vince McMahon is a very intriguing case. When he was with the company, we knew he wasn’t going to be inducted, simply because he put strict orders in place to not even have his name mentioned in the induction speeches of other people. If he simply retired and walked away from wrestling, he probably would’ve been inducted already if his family convinced him to go through with it. However, it’s WHY he left the company that makes things difficult. There’s going to be A TON of backlash if WWE puts Vince in, unless he gets cleared of any wrongdoing and gets inducted after that.
Sid Vicious and Bray Wyatt are both going in, and it’s a crying shame that their inductions will take place posthumously, whenever they take place.
The Rock is one of the biggest shoo-ins ever, and he’ll get inducted one day.
That leaves Alberto Del Rio and Jinder Mahal, each of whom presents their own unique issue against an induction. Del Rio isn’t exactly on the greatest of terms with the company, who have seemingly distanced themselves from him over the years after his legal issues and accusations. Mahal, on the other hand, went from complete jobber to WWE Champion seemingly overnight, and has infinitely less accomplishments in his career than anyone else in the history of the title.
Honestly, short of a scenario where WWE is put out of business and leaves AEW as the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet, I think we’ll find a way to get every single WWE Champion in the Hall Of Fame one day.
Jesus Christ, I’ve gone off-track more than I initially intended to. The entire point I was trying to make is that you have a pretty good case for the Hall Of Fame if WWE has ever chosen you to be their World Champion. With that said, let’s add some more names to the future Hall Of Famer list.
– Stephanie Vaquer
– Damian Priest
– Jade Cargill
– Nikki Cross
– Tiffany Stratton
Total Number Of Future Hall Of Famers: 39
Right off the bat, I know people are going to complain about the women included on that list. Jade and Tiffany are still at the very beginning of their WWE careers, for all intents and purposes, while Nikki isn’t always viewed as someone who has done a lot with the company.
Not only has Nikki won the Raw Women’s Title, but she is also a three-time Women’s Tag Team Champion, won the Women’s Money In The Bank, and I don’t know if this matters at all, but she is also an 11-time 24/7 Champion. Her situation is similar to what I mentioned earlier with Naomi. Even when Nikki is the owner of a championship title, she is never viewed as the top woman on whatever show she’s on. That’s fine. There are a bunch of people in the Hall Of Fame who never won any sort of World Title, and therefore, were never viewed as the top person in WWE… and yet, they still found a way to make it in.
Admittedly, it’s very early in the careers of Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and Stephanie Vaquer, but I think they’re on a clear path. Tiffany has been the NXT Women’s Champion once and went on to have one of the longest WWE Women’s Title reigns in the belt’s history. Jade won the Women’s Tag Team Titles twice before dethroning Tiffany and ending that aforementioned lengthy WWE Women’s Title reign. Stephanie arrived on the scene in WWE and all she has done since showing up is win, win, and then win some more, earning titles on three different occasions. I think they’re all pretty clearly positioned in the WWE hierarchy, and I don’t see that changing.
Next, we have a bit of a fun debate… what about the NXT Title? I’ve mentioned it already in this column, but how do you view the NXT Title on both the men’s and women’s side of things? They aren’t officially recognized as a “World Title,” but if WWE chooses you to for that role, it seems pretty clear that they see something in you. It’s not a guarantee, of course… people like Bo Dallas, Adrian Neville, and Indi Hartwell might be well-liked, but I don’t exactly see them getting Hall Of Fame inductions in the future.
If you combine NXT Title reigns with other achievements, though, there are some names that I can definitely see making it in one day.
– Bron Breakker
– Kairi Sane
– Lyra Valkyria
– Raquel Rodriguez
– Ilja Dragunov
– Johnny Gargano
– Shinsuke Nakamura
– Tommaso Ciampa
Total Number Of Future Hall Of Famers: 47
Yes, I’m aware that Ciampa is leaving, but as of the moment I type this sentence, he remains under WWE contract, so I’m including him here.
I’m also aware that it’s very early on in the tenures of Bron Breakker and Lyra Valkyria, but I don’t think it’s exactly a secret that they’ve been treated very well from the start. Bron is one of only eight men to hold the NXT Title more than once, and trails only Finn Balor for most overall days with the title. Throw in an NXT Tag Team Title reign and two Intercontinental Title reigns, and you can already picture Bron’s father and (especially) his uncle inducting him.
Lyra might not have the main roster positioning that Bron has, but she has also continued her path of success that she had in NXT. With an NXT Women’s Title, a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title, and a WWE Women’s Intercontinental Title reign over the last two years, she has already made a very good lane for herself.
There shouldn’t be any other complaints about anyone else on that list. I know some people aren’t a huge fan of Raquel Rodriguez, but on top of her NXT Women’s Title reign, she has a whopping six WWE Women’s Tag Team Title reigns, which is more than anyone has. It’s hard to argue against that.
My next category to look at is people who have seen great success outside of WWE, but not necessarily as much while employed with the company. It doesn’t happen all the time, but there are definitely people who have become WWE Hall Of Famers mostly based on their work from outside the company’s umbrella. Hell, there are WWE Hall Of Famers who never wrestled for the company at all. There aren’t many people on the current roster who fit this criteria, but I do have three of them…
– Alex Shelley
– Chris Sabin
– Jordynne Grace
Total Number Of Future Hall Of Famers: 50
The Motor City Machine Guns are in a slightly different category than Jordynne Grace, simply based on their one WWE Tag Team Title reign, while Jordynne has yet to win a title in WWE. Shelley and Sabin have won titles just about everywhere they’ve been, both as singles competitors and as a tag team. Ring Of Honor, New Japan, and TNA are among their biggest conquests, and combining that with their WWE Tag Team Title reign puts them in an exclusive group as the only tag team to reach the top of the tag ranks in all four of those promotions.
Even without any sort of title in WWE, Jordynne has been wildly successful everywhere else she’s been. She has won five total championships in TNA, including three reigns as the Knockouts Champion, and she trails only Gail Kim (who had seven reigns) for most overall days as the Knockouts Champion. She’s a lot bigger deal than some people are giving her credit for.
Our final category to look at is simply… everyone else. People that, for one reason or another, didn’t quite fit in with the other categories, but who are still deserving of being in the Hall Of Fame one day.
– Dominik Mysterio
– Erik
– Ivar
– LA Knight
– Logan Paul
– Pete Dunne
– Tyler Bate
– Angelo Dawkins
– Matt Cardona
– Montez Ford
– R-Truth
– Chelsea Green
– JD McDonagh
– Corey Graves
– Wade Barrett
– Lilian Garcia
– Pat McAfee
Total Number Of Future Hall Of Famers: 67
Again, I know Dom is still young and hopefully has a ton of time left in his career, but not only has the man already had five title reigns in his career, but he has a claim to being the biggest heel in all of wrestling for this current “era.” The amount of storylines and television time that have been dedicated to him at such an early age is insane.
The War Raiders aren’t always at the forefront of the WWE tag division, but they are one thing, and that is successful. They have been Tag Team Champions on the WWE main roster twice now, to go with one reign as the NXT Tag Team Champions, making them one of nine teams to win tag titles in both places. They also have two reigns as the IWGP Tag Team Champions and one reign as the RoH Tag Team Champions to go with it. Honestly, I think the Raiders would’ve had more success in WWE if it wasn’t for their bad luck with injuries. Both men have had neck surgery in the last few years, putting them out for extended periods of time, and Ivar has had multiple other injuries that put him on the shelf for a while.
If there’s one person that WWE fans around the world have been pleading for WWE to push to the moon, only to be disappointed time and time again over the last few years, it’s LA Knight. While he hasn’t won a World Title in WWE, he did reach the top of the mountain in Impact. It’s not like he has had zero success under the WWE umbrella, either. He’s a two-time United States Champion, and for whatever it’s worth, he was also the Million Dollar Champion in NXT. WWE has put people in the Hall Of Fame based on overall popularity without true championship success with the company in the past… someone like Koko B Ware comes to mind, and so does Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, so it’s not like this would be an unprecedented induction.
Did your buttholes pucker when you read Logan Paul’s name? Good. It should. While Logan’s lone championship victory is a United States Title win… albeit the longest United States Title reign in over a decade, and surprisingly, the third-longest in the title’s history since WCW was purchased in 2001… I can just about guarantee you that Paul Levesque and others have already started mapping out his Hall Of Fame induction. The man came to pro wrestling from the “outside celebrity” world, and has picked up on the sport insanely fast, becoming one of the most talented in-ring performers going today. WWE craves mainstream attention like you and I crave air and water. They know what kind of attention a Logan Paul Hall Of Fame induction would bring, and they’re salivating at the thought of it all.
Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are interesting cases. Would you rather be a big fish in a little pond, finding success in NXT UK and NXT, or would you rather be a little fish in a big pond, struggling to find relevance on the main roster? They were both integral parts in the early success of the NXT UK expansion, with both men holding the NXT UK Championship and putting on tremendous matches on a regular basis. There was even success in the O.G. NXT, with both men having an NXT Tag Team Title reign (Bate with Trent Seven, Dunne with Matt Riddle). They haven’t even come remotely close to finding success on the main roster, though. Neither of them had a televised victory in 2025, either as themselves or in their new Americano characters. I think their work in the NXT brands will be too much to ignore, though. They’re such an important part of WWE’s attempt to conquer the wrestling world outside of North America, and I think they’ll be rewarded for it.
The Street Profits are a pretty easy call. Three Tag Team Title reigns on the main roster to go with one Tag Team Title reign in NXT, and they’re easily one of the best and most exciting tag teams of the current generation.
Matt Cardona is someone who was already going to make the WWE Hall Of Fame one day, even before he returned to WWE. He has four total championship reigns in WWE (seven if you count his developmental territory days before he made his main roster debut), but what he doesn’t get enough credit for is changing the game when it comes to self-promotion. His “Z! True Long Island Story” video series on YouTube helped his popularity to explode at a time when WWE was barely using him. Wrestling fans weren’t used to seeing wrestlers with YouTube shows, podcasts, and so on at the time, so he stood out immediately. In the years that followed, that kind of thing was everywhere, and now, it seems like everyone has a podcast, whether they need one or not. Everything Cardona did on the independent scene after leaving WWE is the cake’s icing for his career.
How can anyone argue against R-Truth being a Hall Of Famer? In WWE alone, the man has won a title on 60 different occasions! Who else can say that?!? Okay, okay… 54 of them are 24/7 Title reigns, but that still leaves six title reigns. There are a lot of people in the WWE Hall Of Fame right now that haven’t won that many titles in WWE. Truth is arguably the best “comedy wrestler” in the history of the sport. He’s going in for sure.
Chelsea Green is someone in a somewhat similar spot as R-Truth. She doesn’t have all the 24/7 Title reigns, but she is one of the better “comedy wrestler” women that we’ve ever seen. No matter what WWE needs her to do, she excels at it. Two Women’s United States Title reigns and one Women’s Tag Team Title reign look great for her. Hell, you could say that the Women’s United States Title was created for her because the company wanted to reward her for the great work she was doing at the time. She’s also one-half (with Ethan Page) of the current AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions, and also has one Impact Knockouts Title reign and one Knockouts Tag Team Title reign in her past. It would be difficult to keep someone like her out of the Hall.
JD McDonagh has been able to overcome a severe case of Lego Head to become a two-time Tag Team Champion in WWE, as well as a one-time NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He has been an important part of The Judgment Day for over two years now, helping them to become a dominant force in WWE. Sounds like a Hall Of Fame member to me.
Corey Graves has been working his ass off as a member of WWE’s commentary team for almost a full decade now. He has been on Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and pay-per-views as a color commentator, and recently, he has done phenomenal work as the play-by-play guy for AAA shows. He has received high praise for his work, both from fans as well as from WWE management, and I think an honor like this is fitting.
In the ring, Wade Barrett (or Woi Bar-ruh, as I have affectionately called him through the years) is a five-time Intercontinental Champion, which has him tied for the fourth most reigns in that title’s long and storied history. He also won the first season of NXT, which led to the legendary debut of The Nexus, which sure seemed like it was going to alter the company for years to come. Wade even won the King Of The Ring in 2015. His second career as a color commentator is going well, but he’s a Hall Of Famer even if he never did a day of commentary.
When it comes to WWE Ring Announcers, Howard Finkel is probably the first name most people would think of. A close second, though, would probably be Lilian Garcia, who has spent multiple decades working for the company. Some of the greatest ring announcements of this century have been done by Lilian, and she doesn’t get the credit I think she deserves for her work.
Pat McAfee is someone that I put in the same category as Logan Paul. He hasn’t done a lot with the company just yet, but what he has done is help bridge the world of pro wrestling with the outside world. You can’t ignore the connections that WWE and ESPN have now, largely due to Pat’s work with both entities. Pat’s work on commentary, as well as the handful of matches he has worked over the last few years, only help to solidify his status as a future Hall Of Fame member. Again, WWE is probably salivating over the thought of his induction speech, as well as the media attention that McAfee would bring in for a Hall Of Fame induction.
Well, there you have it. I have my final list at 67 names, but there is almost certainly going to be more than that, once some of these younger wrestlers advance in their careers, win more titles, main event more pay-per-views, and draw more money.
Am I missing anyone? Do you strongly disagree with someone that I included? As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), or on Bluesky (@aaronhyden.bsky.social), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, let’s switch it over to my Weekly Power Rankings, before I close things out with the list of songs I was listening to when I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura: Two old friends, respected rivals, and future Hall Of Famers collide for the last time. They’ve had some really good matches against each other in the past, but it could be argued that this was the best of the bunch. Personally, I have it just behind their match at New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 back in 2016, but the fact that a nearly 49-year-old Styles and nearly 46-year-old Nakamura were able to deliver such a high quality bout here made me smile from ear to ear.
CM Punk vs Finn Balor: Deep down, I knew Finn wasn’t going to win the World Heavyweight Title here, but somewhere in my brain, I couldn’t help but picture the reaction that the crowd in Belfast, Northern Ireland would’ve had if he did win it in front of them. That would’ve been a blast. Even though he wasn’t successful here, I really think it’s time for Finn to be pushed as more of a serious threat as a singles competitor.
Claudio Castagnoli vs Roderick Strong: When I see these guys in the ring, I can’t help but think about the “golden era” in Ring Of Honor history, when every single show was seemingly must-watch. Super fun times, and I’m always glad to be reminded of how great these guys are.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs Katsuyori Shibata: Shibata was never going to have a chance of winning a match against Hangman, but boy, he sure took the fight to Mr. Page here. Hangman, to his credit, took the fight right back to Shibata. A nice, hard-hitting affair between two fantastic in-ring performers.
Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky vs Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez: With each match that I see Rhea and Iyo work together, I want to see them stick together as best buddies for longer and longer. Of course, this is pro wrestling, so it’s only a matter of time before one of them turns on the other, but I’m still enjoying their run together.
Carmelo Hayes vs Ilja Dragunov: Not only was this yet another super entertaining match in a long string of them for the United States Title, but it was yet another super entertaining match in a long string of them between these two men. They seem to bring out the best in one another, and as a fan, I appreciate the hell out of that.
Randy Orton vs Damian Priest vs Sami Zayn vs Trick Williams: Fun stuff with the four men competing for a shot at the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It’s amazing what will happen when you simply dangle a carrot in front of a wrestler.
Swerve Strickland vs Kevin Knight: Knight continues to prove that he can hang with the wrestlers that are at the very top of the card in AEW. Will we see him have a huge 2026? It sure seems like it.
Eli Knight vs Sean Legacy: With the nature of NXT, there are always going to be wrestlers getting called up to the main roster, while other wrestlers arrive to take their place. There were a lot of recent “graduates” leaving NXT, but it’s people like Eli Knight and Sean Legacy that seem to be primed and ready to fill the empty spots. I really dug this match, coming off as a showcase for both men.
Rey Mysterio, Penta & Dragon Lee vs Bronson Reed, Logan Paul & Austin Theory: Are you Mexican? Do you have zero familial ties to Penta in real life? If you answered “yes” to both questions, you’re going to be paired with Penta on WWE television. On the flip side… are you Mexican? Do you have zero familial ties to Rey Fenix in real life? If you answered “yes” to both questions, you’re going to be paired with Rey Fenix on WWE television. It’s so weird that they continue to be kept away from each other.
“All Ego” Ethan Page vs Elio Lefleur: This is a continuation of my earlier point, with another new name showing up in NXT and making a splash. Even though he ultimately fell short, Elio Lefleur looks like he’s going to be someone to keep both eyes on this year.
Becky Lynch vs Maxxine Dupri: These two have built up an impressive amount of in-ring chemistry together. Every single time they face each other, it ends up being a good match. Unfortunately, this match will mainly be remembered for the finish, which leads us to…
Natalya: …the new heel, Natalya. It sure made Maxxine look dumb. Through the years, Natalya has been paired with approximately 1,819 women on WWE television. Of those 1,819 women, Natalya has turned heel on 1,819 of them. Why would anyone be her friend at this point? You have nobody to blame but yourself for this one, Maxxine.
Sol Ruca & Zaria vs Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair vs Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid: All six women had plenty of chances to shine here, and I appreciate when matches are laid out that way. A fast-paced match with tons of action. Easy to enjoy.
Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga: The tag division on Smackdown has been so deep, and yet, we’ve seen programming absolutely dominated recently by the tag champs, the Wyatt Sicks, and Solo Sikoa’s MFT group. You know… the two least interesting teams on the show’s roster. Congratulations to Solo and Tama for becoming the new champions, but can we go back to getting some of the better and more exciting teams in a bigger spotlight?
This Week’s Playlist: “Guardian” by Poppy… “If You Know You Know” by Wiz Khalifa & Juicy J… “Discarded” by Diamond Construct… “I Don’t Give A…” Lil Jon, The East Side Boyz, Krayzie Bone & Mystikal… “Give Up The Ghost” by Immature & Bizzy Bone… “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Kem… “Love Calls” by Kem… “No Hands” by Waka Flocka Flame, Wale & Roscoe Dash… “What Would U Do?” by Tha Dogg Pound… “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston… “Your Glass House” by Atmosphere… “The Dream Shatterer” by Big Pun… “My World” by Big Pun… “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz… “Because Of Love” by Janet Jackson… “Again” by Janet Jackson… “Any Time, Any Place” by Janet Jackson… “Ice In My OJ” by Hayley Williams… “Love Me Different” by Hayley Williams… “All Night Days” by Rob Thomas… “Goodbye, Sunshine” by Coheed and Cambria… “Corner My Confidence” by Coheed and Cambria… “Someone Who Can” by Coheed and Cambria… “Ribbon In The Sky” by Intro… “Love Light In Flight” by Stevie Wonder
