Current Stars, Future HOF-ers

[Torgo]

Simply put: WWE's roster is HUGE . There is so much talent wrestling in the E its astonishing. Some of this talent is bound to end up in the WWE HOF some day. But who? This thread aims to be a prediction machine, so that when they do end up in the HOF, I can say i saw that coming.

Theres a couple categories here: Guaranteed, Probable, Maybe, and Wild Card, which will be a huge guess. If it end up right, however, you all owe me money. Im leaving off those rumored for the HOF already, like the Rock.
Here are my guesses:

GUARANTEED:
1-The Undertaker: Duh.
2- John Cena: see Undertaker
3-Paul Heyman: arguably one of the, if not the greatest managers of all time.
PROBABLE:
1-Christian: Long, storied career with WWE, great matches both solo and with Edge, i think we'll see Christian in the HOF inducted by Edge.
2-The Miz: hes said he is a future HOF-er in his promos, and he had had a good career in WWE. Hes a multi time champion, triple crown champ, tag champ, we will see him in the HOF sometime.
3-BAROOOOCKKKK LLLLEEEESSSSNNNNEEERRR: The dude has done so much in the WWE since 2002. True he left for a while, but he won many belts in the time he was first there including being, i think, the youngest WWE champ in history. Plus he is the 1 in 21-1.
4-Daniel Bryan-Great storied career so far, and he's "probable" because I'm not 100% sure the fans will appreciate this (the vanilla midget hating ones)
5-Kane-another long career, has held almost all the titles, been in great moments, you know the works.
6-Rey Mysterio- Incredible career that has spanned almost 20 years. Fan favorite to boot.

MAYBE
1-The Wyatt Family/Bray Wyatt: I dunno, it shall be seen is they are worthy. Hes a master on the mic, but his ring work is only a bit above avarage for his size
2-The SHIELD: Definitely one of the best factions in history. 5 star matches and alll of the group has bright futures in WWE.

WILD CARD
1-Wade Barret: Yeah this is a wild card alright. However, he has lead one of the best heel factions in history (not the Corre), is a genius on the mic, and a long IC champ. We shall see.


Theres my predictions. Anyone i missed? Anyone you think should not be there? Discuss!

 

[slasher2808]

Guaranteed
1. Randy Orton - long career big part of the last 10+ years muti time world champ.
2 Kane - done almost everything in WWE always a professional kept a gimmick going for years and kept it "freash" by evolving itl.
3 Mark Henry - world champ world's strongest man long career in and out of the main event scene even late in his career.

PROBABLY
1. DDP - mostly for what he did for Jake the snake and Scott hall but he did have a great career in WCW.
2. Kofi Kingston - mult time I/C and U.S champ royal rumble spot for an entire high light reel.
3.William Regal - Solid WWE career toured the wrestling world to hone his skills and does great back stage work.

MAYBE
1.Rhyno - Again like DDP had a great career for ECW was the last "real" ECW champion and had a long WWE career
2.Golddust - grandson of a plumber! No really he has a gimmick that still work was great the attitude era still works hard in the ring and is a muti time champ.

WILDCARD
Chavo gurrero I just think the family name will get him in even if it in another 20 years he does have a long storied career in wrestling even if he never got/gets to the top.

I tried to go out side the box with these picks as the roster is huge now and has a massive back catalogue.

 

[MC_Live]

Of the superstars currently on the roster:

Guaranteed:
1) Taker- You said it. Duh.
2) Cena- Again, you said it.
3) Orton. 12 World Titles alone gets him in.
4) Batista. Triple H's buddy, and he's got like 6 World Titles of his own. He's done enough to warrant an induction.
5) Brock Lesnar. No way WWE is going to miss out on the gate this guy will draw by putting him in the HOF. He is one of the few who on his name alone will sell out the HOF.
6) Big Show. He's one of the best big men of all time. he's been around forever, and has won every title there is to win.
7) CM Punk. He deserves it, and one day, maybe not soon, but one day, he'll be back. Even if it is just to be inducted.
8) Kane. He's had a 15 year run just as Kane. Multiple World Titles. Tag titles, IC titles. The guy deserves it.
9) Mark Henry- He's almost 20 years in with the company. He went many years without Championships because the only title he needed was World's Strongest Man. But given his run with the WHC, I think he guaranteed his spot. Maybe not a headliner, but he certainly should be inducted.
10) Rey Mysterio. He's one of the most popular stars of all time, and possibly the greatest high flyer of all time. No way in hell does he not get inducted.
11) RVD- Come on man. The Whole F'n Show. Mr. Monday Night, Mr. PPV, and a former Mr. MiTB, WWE Champion, and ECW Champion. He's a lock.
12) Triple H. You all know why.
13) William Regal. I think he'll get his spot. He's one of the best ever. Again, maybe not a headline, but he'll be inducted.
14) Paul Heyman. His client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. His client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. His client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Oh, and his client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
15) JBL- The longest reigning WWE Champion in the SmackDown era. After a successful run with fellow HOFer Ron Simmons in the APA, JBL reinvented himself and became one of the best heels ever. He'll be in one day.
16) Goldust. He's one of the greatest characters of all time. He's Dusty's son, but he was able to break away from daddy's shadow and become a name all his own. His run right now has seen him in the best shape he's ever been. He should be in.

Probably:
1) Christian. i would put him in guaranteed, but we have seen time and time again the lack of respect WWE has for him. He deserves it, but there's a lot he hasn't been given he deserves.
2) Daniel Bryan. He's certainly on his way to a HOF career. It all depends on where he goes in the coming years. I think he's got it.
3) Sheamus. He's a Vince McMahon guy, and he's got a few World Titles under his belt. He hasn't reached HOF level yet, but there aren't many reasons I can think of that will stop him from doing so.

Maybe
1) Bray Wyatt. Great start, all the talent and charisma in the world. He's just got to keep it up, and the title runs and main events will come his way. As will the HOF.
2) Cesaro. Just Like Wyatt, he's hot right now. If he keeps his momentum going forward, he could really become a big name.
3) The Shield members. All three of them are gonna be big. And maybe, they'll all get individual inductions, and a possible group induction too.
4) Dolph Ziggler. If he has any sort of rebound, he could tack on a few future successes and possibly get an induction. But he certainly won't be a headliner.
5) Kofi Kingston. He's won like around 10 titles or so. He may need a career rebound to solidify his candidacy, but hey, Koko B. Ware is in.
6) The Miz. Up until the summer of 2011 he was on track. With the US, IC, WWE, Tag Team, and MiTB all under his name, he has a good argument many people will never be able to make. He also needs a rebound.
7) AJ Lee. We'll see where the rest of her career goes. She's the longest reigning Divas Champion of all time right now. Thats a good argument to have.
8) The Bella Twins. They were each Divas Champion. They're romantically linked to top stars, and they're the main focal point of Total Divas. They might get in, if not because WWE runs low on names to induct.
9) Natalya- She's a Hart and a former champion, and a big part of Total Divas. Again, she might get in.
10) Bad News Barrett. 4 IC Title runs. And if he goes where he should, we could see Englands' first WWE Champion. And as of right now, nobody from England is a Hall of Famer
11) Cody Rhodes- He's on his way. IC and Tag Titles. If he gets the right push, he's a WWE Champion in the waiting.

Wild Cards:
1) Damien Sandow. His recent mic work makes me believe WWE hasn't completely given up on him. I think he has a great run still in him.
2) The Usos. They're champs now. They may be in the picture for a while. Given their family ties, I wouldn't be surprised to see them go in.

 

[Headman]

Guaranteed
1. Cena - Top star of his generation.
2. The Undertaker - He'd have to go all Chris Benoit to be excluded.
3. Kane - Solid company man and multi time champion for nearly two decades.
4. Brock Lesnar - One of the highest profile stars in the history of the WWE.
5. Big Show. Well liked company man. A steady hand who can be used as a main eventer at any time.
6. Triple H - He's one of the top stars in history. Love him or hate him there is no denying the impact he's had on the business.


Probably
1. Goldust - I think his most recent run has put him back in the good graces with WWE. He's one of the most memorable characters in wrestling history.
2. Randy Orton - Few have more world titles under their belts.
3. Batista - Pretty sure being in Evolution is probably enough to get you in. lol Plus he's a multi time world champion and somewhat of a crossover star.


Maybe
1. Daniel Bryan - His popularity would have to continue for an extended period of time. His health at this point is crucial to his HOF candidacy.
2. CM Punk - He's still under contract so I guess he counts. This story needs another chapter before this can happen. I don't think Punk had the impact on the WWE to pull a Warrior or Bruno. Punk needs to make peace with the WWE if he's to be HOF bound.
3. JBL - Longest reigning WWE champion in smackdown history and nearly two decades with the company.
4. Mark Henry - Good hand. Long time with the company. Seems logical they'd reward him with a HOF nod.

Wildcards
1. Bray Wyatt - Good start. Let's see how far he goes with this.
2. Kofi Kingston - Ko Ko B. Ware is in there. Kofi is basically Ko Ko with a few titles under his belt.
3. The Shield. Lots of potential in that group but too early to put them in the maybe list.

 

[Hem]

I don't think that listing the whole active roster as some previous poster did is really a good idea. My top picks for the future hof are:

Guaranteed:

1) John Cena - he has been the face of the WWE for god knows how long now, the day he officially retires WWE will try to book him for the HOF, mark my words.

2) The Undertaker - This is the most obvious superstar because he is just such a huge legend but he has been a major part of most of the WM's which have occurred.

3) HHH - He is a major character who has helped shape the WWE to become what it is.

4) Randy Orton - He carried SD! for a long time and has had one of the best heel characters, also his legendary family is a plus point.

5) VKM - I mean without Vince, which one of the above mentioned superstars would be at the level they are today? NONE.
_________________________________________________________________

Probably:

1) Kane - I think the Big Red Machine is a must and I hope he goes in.

2) Batista - The reason I put him this list over the guaranteed list is because his absence over the past few years and a weakened return has actually hurt his career.

3) Mark Henry - I feel his work over the past few years especially has been marvelous, really a similar case to Kane.

4) Christian - I feel he is the smallest superstar in this list but his tag team with Edge and his run with the WHC championship is good enough.

5) CM Punk - Yes I listed Punk. Lets face it had Punk stayed a few more years he would have been in the guaranteed list.

6) Rey Mysterio - I feel he needs no explanation.
_________________________________________________________________

Wildcard

1) The Hardy Boyz/Jeff Hardy - If Jeff returns to the WWE and has a successful run than I think he is a lock as a singles guy but I think currently the Hardy Boyz should go in.

2) Kurt Angle - He's Kurt Angle for crying out loud, an Olympic gold medalist and a legendary figure in WWE.

 

[Meth Head]

PROBABLE:
2-The Miz: hes said he is a future HOF-er in his promos, and he had had a good career in WWE. Hes a multi time champion, triple crown champ, tag champ, we will see him in the HOF sometime.

...No. Just no.

--

GUARANTEED:
'Taker - If his match at 'Mania was truly his last, then I say induct him next year, because that would be beautifully poetic.
Cena - Quite possibly possesses the dullest and least exciting "main event" career of them all, but it is a main event career nonetheless. A no-brainer.
Kane
Triple H
Orton

PROBABLY:
Batista - I've always liked the guy.

MAYBE:
The McMahon Family

 

[chicagokmc]

I took a look at the list of all HOF'ers on Wikipedia to confirm what I already believed - the criteria for getting in the WWE HOF is extremely low. It's their HOF they have that right. Being a multiple time champion holder of any type and/or being a character seem to be the main things. I'll throw in a third one, time. As long as WWE maintains a hall of fame, and continue to make a big deal about a HOF ceremony, they'll always have to induct multiple people at a time meaning criteria will drop further. Final point, Koko B. Ware is in the HOF. His listed accomplishment, aside from being a memorable character, is that held several regional NWA championships (not even a WWE title although we all know Wikipedia could be wrong).

All that said,

Guaranteed - Taker, Kane, Henry, Cena, Orton, Big Show, HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Lesnar

Likely (again, unofficial criteria only being multiple titles) - Miz, Christian, Mysterio, Batista, Punk (moves to guaranteed if he returns), JBL, Heyman, AJ, Sheamus, Barrett, Kingston, Jericho, RVD

I'm probably leaving off a few people. I'm not including Wyatt, Shield or Cesaro only because it is early in their careers

 

[A+ Player]

I think some people on this thread are really over-rating the criteria for getting into the HOF. Sure, there are some notable exceptions, but these are largely through personal relationships held by performers with the WWE, or lack thereof.

Koko B Ware is in the HOF!!

I agree with most of the names listed but will throw out my own wildcard:

Santino - Been with the WWE since 2007, winning the IC championship on his debut. Has held down a consistent spot on the card, is a fan favourite and has operated successfully as a heel or face. He even won the first (and so far only) Miss Wrestlemania invitational Battle Royale. Furthermore, he's had a couple of stints where he has been elevated above comedy jobber status - nearly winning the Royal Rumble in 2011 and just missing out in the Elimination Chamber one year.

Do people think Santino qualifies for the HOF? Have the goalposts for HOF induction been widened in recent years?

 

[Meth Head]

Do people think Santino qualifies for the HOF? Have the goalposts for HOF induction been widened in recent years?

The man is a joke, and unlike Koko B. Ware there won't be any '80s-era nostalgia associated with him twenty years down the line, nor does he qualify for the "celebrity wing" of the HoF, wherein the goalpost for HoF induction is at its widest. Wanna induct Santino into the Hall of Fame? Go ahead and include his pals Rico and Vito while you're at it. The hall has been screaming for a "comedic jobber wing" for a while now anyway.

--

Now to expand on my "Maybe" for the McMahon Family in my earlier post...

The only thing really holding them back from inducting themselves is, well, the fact that "they'd be inducting themselves." I suppose there would be a fair number of people that would scoff at the idea of sports company bosses putting themselves in their own Hall of Fame...

But then again the WWE has never been your "typical" sports company. The McMahons (especially Vince) were more than just company bosses. Behind Steve Austin and The Rock their on-screen characters were arguably the most vital individuals of the Attitude Era. They were the original Authority. The perfect antagonists. They've done so much for the product beyond just their work from behind the scenes that I'd say they deserve a spot at the Hall of Fame - if not individually, then at least as a family.

 

[A+ Player]

The man is a joke, and unlike Koko B. Ware there won't be any '80s-era nostalgia associated with him twenty years down the line, nor does he qualify for the "celebrity wing" of the HoF, wherein the goalpost for HoF induction is at its widest. Wanna induct Santino into the Hall of Fame? Go ahead and include his pals Rico and Vito while you're at it. The hall has been screaming for a "comedic jobber wing" for a while now anyway.

Kayfabe Santino hasn't achieved as much as The Rock etc (although he is a 2-time IC champion and a 1 time US and tag team champion), but ultimately he's been a very successful performer for the company - and with the number of future endeavours, stars being repackaged etc that we see these days, a 7 year unbroken run (minus injuries) with the same character is not bad going. He might not win very often, but he is very much indicative of the sort of product that the WWE currently is.

In short, I don't think he should be any less HOF material because he doesn't challenge for the top titles, or that he's "joke" - but rather service to the company/leaving an impression with the fans.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Guaranteed:-

Undertaker - Without question he is going in as a headliner.

Kane - Same class as Taker, probably they would induct each other.

Chris Jericho - While not active at present he as more than done enough on the IC level alone, much less his world title runs.

Edge & Christian - Probably they would go in as a tag team as they are basically the first ever "regular" team where both guys have gone on to become World Champions eventually. That acheivement and the TLC stuff alone will probably see it happen.

Triple H - Assuming he still has a job after the conference call, he is going in multiple times.

Vince - Self explanatory, when he dies or retires, whichever comes first.

Cena - No brainer, he is going in and will probably be the only one who goes in while still main eventing regularly.

William Regal - At some point he will go in on the virtue of the talent he has helped bring in/on. Bryan, Cesaro, Bo and Bray... Regal will pobably not headline a group, but he'd without doubt be one of the televised speeches on a TV broadcast.

Goldust - For sheer longevity and tenacity Dustin deserves it... for taking such a difficult gimmick and rocking it for nearly 20 years is a massive acheivement.. Yep you read that right... Goldust debuted in 1995... that's 18 years of "The Bizzare One" that's before you look at the IC, Tag and US title runs and even his Dustin Rhodes career. When you first saw Goldust debut, if you'd have said he'd not only still be in that gimmick, but one of the top workers in the business in 2014... you'd have been called crazy.

DDP - He clearly has a good relationship with WWE and I am frankly stunned he is not in charge of their Wellness/Counselling programme. His ring career would merit it, even down to being the Cadillac driver at Mania 6... His story is a strong HOF worthy one and that he has done good for others cannot hurt.

Probables

Orton/Batista/Brock/Big Show - These guys have all had either long service, large title runs or acheivements that make them HOF worthy. Show perhaps is the only "lock" of them all but the other 3 would be 80-90% certainties within 5-6 years. However, Orton can still get 3 strikes and be fired, ruining it. Dave shouting off about being lied to could affect it and Brock could still suffer for his intransigence over appearances. All 3 COULD wait a long time for their inductions, Show on the other had has nothing but goodwill despite previous issues, he's a soldier for WWE and they will want to honor him when the time is up.

Mark Henry - In a category on his own for his long service, Olympic legacy and being a "liked guy". Henry is the kind of guy who they can add to the HOF and like a Duggan, Piper etc parlay it into a regular thing on TV for them.

Wade Barrett - Based on Razor Ramon, Barrett has already surpassed his WWE achievements with 4 IC reigns, Barrett has also beaten Cena and main evented in their NWO equivalent. Sure he's not going in for many years to come, but if he stays healthy and in good form, he is a good bet to go in at some point in the future in the same way a Mr. Perfect, a respected guy who doesn't seem to get in too much trouble and seems to be well liked.

JBL - There is a lot to say for him being inducted already but the one thing about Layfield the man is he seems the kind to not "need it". He knows his place in history and his accomplishments and he strikes me as the sort who might not enjoy the fuss. Sure his character would love it, but JBL the guy is quite removed. I'd be in two minds however as his rep isn't great from the bullying side and he also did the Nazi stuff in Germany... both could come back to bite WWE.

Michael Cole: It's gonna happen eventually and to be fair it probably should. He's gone from the annoying guy backstage who was slightly less annyoing than Pettingill through to being "Heidenreiched" through to being 1 and 0 at Wrestlemania and back to being a respected announcer. Jerry would induct him with no doubt a very powerful speech about what Cole did that night he died... for all the stick, Cole probably deserves it on that alone - it defined professionalism.

Could be's:-

You could say any of the current roster COULD go in, although some have more chance than others... an RVD for example has a good chance if he doesn't foul up again, someone like Santino, not really unless it's in 15 years time and they run out of people. The Uso's again, if they're still rocking it in 10 years time then as Rikishi is likely to go in this year, then it would be fitting for them to go in... Bryan could go in or something could happen to take it from him... generally for the HOF they look for

Longevity - Title wins/Draw - Memorable Moments - Politics

So the longer guys like Kofi, Miz, ADR, Rey and the like can stay on the roster, the more chance there is for them but many have fallen foul of the last one at some time... Some still don't like Miz from years back, ADR has talked of quitting, a black mark for him... Sheamus just got his ass handed to him by Hunico, things like that can impact whether or when you go into the HOF... guys like Waltman, Lex and the like are not in there despite being truly deserving... so Dolph is gonna have some problems right now with all the heat he's had... it'll take a long time to erase it, perhaps more time than he has on the roster.

 

[MCMG]

People are overestimating the Hall of Fame. If they are going to be inducting about 6 people a year from now to the end of time then there will be spots for many of the current roster.

Cena,The Rock, HHH, Taker, Brock, Jericho, Punk, Kane, RVD and Big Show go without saying. I'd say Christian, Henry, Bryan, Goldust JBL, Michael Cole, Del Rio and The Miz are good shouts to. I'd also add the likes of Swagger, Ziggler, Khali (all World Champs) and will get recognition.

Predicting the future is difficult but I can imagine every member of The Shield having awesome careers. Same with Wyatt and Cesaro. They are not there yet but, given time, they should reach Hall of Fame level. Maybe The Uso's too.

As a wildcard, I'll say Lillian Garcia. She has been in the company a long time and has done the introductions for some massive matches. While I personally don't think she is HoF worthy; it isn't completely comprehensible.