2019 WWE Hall of Fame Predictions

[Yaz]

This was inspired by KB's recent article, go check it out, he actually fantasy booked a little.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-you-should-be-in-the-hall-of-fame/

Anyway, let's predict who we think will go in this year. Same general idea as KB's article.

Headliner
Upper Midcarder
Midcarder
Tag Team
Woman
Manager/Personality
Celebrity

Headliner - The Undertaker
WWE did just send out a WWE Network related email calling Taker a 2019 HOF Inductee, so this might happen. Ignoring that there are few guys still around who have the status of Taker who aren't in. I mostly want him in because it would likely signal the end of his in ring career, which is desperately needed. He has a very good resume, though it may not be as decorated as other former and future headliners, but that is due to Undertaker being absolutely larger than life and not needing titles to be interesting. He is arguably the biggest character in pro wrestling history and at age 53(54 by the time Mania takes place) its time to hang up the boots and take his rightful place.
Second choice would be Batista.

Upper Midcard - Psycho Sid
I know Sid was a main eventer for most of his career, but he was never really the guy in terms of programming. Shawn and Hogan both overshadowed him in their feuds, so I think it is safe to say he isn't headliner material. I loved Sid, and not just because he was the unintentionally the most entertaining promo man of all time. You have a man who was a 4x World Champion across WWE and WCW. He main evented Starrcade and Wrestlemania. He shit himself in the ring once. Plus you will be giving him a live mic for about ten minutes, which may be the most entertaining part of Wrestlemania weekend.
Second choice here would be Christian.

Midcarder - Bam Bam Bigelow
This will also serve as the token dead guy inductee. Mania is in New York this year and Bam Bam was from right next door in New Jersey. He was a solid worker and deceptively agile for a man his size. He technically main evented WrestleMania 11. He was also an ECW stalwart that managed to have successful career after he left ECW, going on to win the Hardcore Title and was a 2x Tag Champ with DDP and Chris Kanyon in The Jersey Triad. The fact that he chose to sit out his Time Warner contract instead of going to WWE when they took over WCW may hurt his chances, but he would be a fine name as a midcard inductee with ties to the area.
Second choice here would be William Regal.

Tag Team - The New Age Outlaws
Might as well have the 493rd DX reunion take place WrestleMania weekend. They were one of the most popular acts of their time and held plenty of gold. They had a great combo, as Billy had solid in ring skills and Dogg was very charismatic. They were so popular that people forget they were heels for a solid chunk of their run. They were a perfect fit for the AE and one of the most memorable and successful tag teams of all time.
Second choice here would be Demolition.

Woman - Molly Holly
Molly had range. She played a variety of characters in her WWE career while being a solid in ring hand. Plus she is very well loved by a lot of the current roster. She is also squeaky clean in her personal life, and you know how much WWE cares about that since it seems like Hell is going to freeze over a few days before Chyna gets in, so you might as well get one of the more memorable Attitude/Ruthless Aggression era women in.
Second choice would be Victoria.

Manager/Personality - Jim Cornette
WWE has softened their stance toward Cornette in recent years so I say its time. The only reason I can see them not putting him in is if they are saving him for a southern based Mania, which would make sense. He held various roles with WWE in the 90s and is regarded as one of the best managers and wrestling minds of all time.
Second choice would be Paul Heyman.

Celebrity - Cyndi Lauper
I feel like any celebrity who had a tiny connection to WWE and was as famous as Lauper would already be in. So how someone who played a large role in WrestleMania and in Wendi Richter winning the Women's Title isn't in is beyond me.
Second choice would be David Arquette.

[Y 2 Jake]

I think with both the Bulldogs dead we can now expect to see them as the tag/posthumous inductees.

I don't think The Undertaker is finished yet, so maybe not this year. I'd go for Batista as headliner.

[Jack-Hammer]

Headliner - The Undertaker
WWE did just send out a WWE Network related email calling Taker a 2019 HOF Inductee, so this might happen. Ignoring that there are few guys still around who have the status of Taker who aren't in. I mostly want him in because it would likely signal the end of his in ring career, which is desperately needed. He has a very good resume, though it may not be as decorated as other former and future headliners, but that is due to Undertaker being absolutely larger than life and not needing titles to be interesting. He is arguably the biggest character in pro wrestling history and at age 53(54 by the time Mania takes place) its time to hang up the boots and take his rightful place.
Second choice would be Batista.

Works for me. Personally, I think Taker should call it a career as he's starting to get to the point where it just seems like he's an old guy who can't cut the muster anymore desperately trying to hold on. If Batista was the headliner, it'd work for me as it'd mean there'd probably be no more Batista matches as I've no desire to see him in a match that rehashes one of his old feuds, such as the reported plan to have a bout with Triple H at WrestleMania this year before Trips tore his pectoral muscle at Crown Jewel.


Upper Midcard - Psycho Sid
I know Sid was a main eventer for most of his career, but he was never really the guy in terms of programming. Shawn and Hogan both overshadowed him in their feuds, so I think it is safe to say he isn't headliner material. I loved Sid, and not just because he was the unintentionally the most entertaining promo man of all time. You have a man who was a 4x World Champion across WWE and WCW. He main evented Starrcade and Wrestlemania. He shit himself in the ring once. Plus you will be giving him a live mic for about ten minutes, which may be the most entertaining part of Wrestlemania weekend.
Second choice here would be Christian.

Again, no issue here. Sid had one of the greatest looks in the history of the business. Many years back, when the first X-Men movie was announced, I thought to myself that I'd LOVE if Psycho Sid wound up cast as Sabretooth. He has the size, the look, the intimidation factor and his overall personality, just a big, mean, crazy bastard with no scruples, would've just clicked in my opinion. Of course, they turned the Tooth into a mostly silent thug in the first film but that's neither here nor there. Christian as a second choice, or even a first really, works for me as well. Personally, I always thought he was the better between himself and Edge and he might've been an overall bigger deal had Vince not been creeped out by his face. Yeah, I know but it's Vince Logic so what can you do? :shrug:


Midcarder - Bam Bam Bigelow
This will also serve as the token dead guy inductee. Mania is in New York this year and Bam Bam was from right next door in New Jersey. He was a solid worker and deceptively agile for a man his size. He technically main evented WrestleMania 11. He was also an ECW stalwart that managed to have successful career after he left ECW, going on to win the Hardcore Title and was a 2x Tag Champ with DDP and Chris Kanyon in The Jersey Triad. The fact that he chose to sit out his Time Warner contract instead of going to WWE when they took over WCW may hurt his chances, but he would be a fine name as a midcard inductee with ties to the area.
Second choice here would be William Regal.

I was never a huge fan of the guy, but he was extremely memorable. He was the first man of his size that I can recall ever seeing do a cartwheel. He was never really a force in WWE, but he was elsewhere such as Memphis, Dallas, ECW and Japan. I'd love to see Regal inducted sometime, I'd be happy if it was this year. I think it'd be cool if they sort of put him on the spot, maybe secretly flew his family in for a taping of NXT, he comes out and delivers a brief message on a match next week, Triple H's music hits and he comes down the ramp and puts Regal on the spot with a surprise induction, the first one ever done, in which he gets in the ring, puts Regal over as a wrestler and especially as a teacher, talks about how he's been his right hand man in NXT since he took over, how he's responsible for finding much of the talent that's come through NXT, etc., brings out Regal's wife and kids and asks him then if he'd do WWE the honor of being part of the HOF class of 2019. You know that Full Sail would come unglued and would chant so hard that you'd think it was a crowd of 10,000.


Tag Team - The New Age Outlaws
Might as well have the 493rd DX reunion take place WrestleMania weekend. They were one of the most popular acts of their time and held plenty of gold. They had a great combo, as Billy had solid in ring skills and Dogg was very charismatic. They were so popular that people forget they were heels for a solid chunk of their run. They were a perfect fit for the AE and one of the most memorable and successful tag teams of all time.
Second choice here would be Demolition.

Both teams are deserving, but I doubt it'll happen for either of them anytime soon. For one thing, if I'm not mistaken, Billy Gunn is working for AEW and while I don't think AEW would have a problem with Gunn being inducted or taking part in the ceremony, I just don't see Vince going that road while Gunn's working for someone who Vince would consider to be a rival. As for Demolition, I don't know if they'd be interested or even if Vince would make the offer considering they were part of the 50+ member class action suit that was dismissed last year. I do remember an interview they gave, while the suit was still pending, that they might be interested for $100,000 each; they might've been joking or they might not have. In any case, I don't think either team is likely. The British Bulldogs & the Hart Foundation are certainly viable, but the problem there lies with the extremely bitter widows of the former. The Hart Foundation would be the easier route as Nattie would have no problem accepting on behalf of her late father and I'm sure Bret would be willing to be a double inductee, even though he comes off like another crochety, bitter old bastard these days. The Midnight Express would also be a good choice, in my view.


Woman - Molly Holly
Molly had range. She played a variety of characters in her WWE career while being a solid in ring hand. Plus she is very well loved by a lot of the current roster. She is also squeaky clean in her personal life, and you know how much WWE cares about that since it seems like Hell is going to freeze over a few days before Chyna gets in, so you might as well get one of the more memorable Attitude/Ruthless Aggression era women in.
Second choice would be Victoria.

Yeah, I could see this happening. Molly's made a few appearances the last couple of t years; she inducted Ivory into the HOF last year and she was in the women's Royal Rumble match and the battle royal at Evolution.


Manager/Personality - Jim Cornette
WWE has softened their stance toward Cornette in recent years so I say its time. The only reason I can see them not putting him in is if they are saving him for a southern based Mania, which would make sense. He held various roles with WWE in the 90s and is regarded as one of the best managers and wrestling minds of all time.
Second choice would be Paul Heyman.

Both sides have sort of softened on each other in recent years. I could see it happening this year as I don't really see WWE doing a southern WrestleMania outside of Texas, Louisiana or Florida and Cornette's was a big deal in Tennessee and the Mid-Atlantic territory. I don't see WWE inducting Heyman while he's still as active as he is with Brock Lesnar, though I certainly wouldn't be against it. Another possibility might be Skandor Akbar as he was well known as a manager in Mid-South, WCCW and WCW .


Celebrity - Cyndi Lauper
I feel like any celebrity who had a tiny connection to WWE and was as famous as Lauper would already be in. So how someone who played a large role in WrestleMania and in Wendi Richter winning the Women's Title isn't in is beyond me.
Second choice would be David Arquette.

Cyndi Lauper is one of the few celebrites that wouldn't bother me being inducted as she actually did something that was memorable during a memorable time and was worthwhile. As for David Arquette, I think he might wind up getting booed out of the building as his claim to wrestling fame is winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, one of the single most reviled happenings in all of wrestling history. True, it was memorable but he's also in the throws of a mid-life crisis right now competing on the indie scene in death matches. I'd induct Cyndi Lauper and then close the celebrity wing after that.

[jmt225]

I think the headliner this year will be the nWo. They'll save The Rock for Miami next year, and Taker will probably go in the year after that when he finally retires for good lol.

I love your Sid suggestion and really hope he gets in. It'd be a shame if they wait until he's dead like they did Vader.

Speaking of Vader, he definitely gets in this year. So he'll be their one dead guy that they induct every year. Too bad it's years overdue, the assholes.

For celebrity I'd like to see David Arquette get in and I believe there's a chance that he will, if not this year then next.

Molly Holly is a good guess for the women and I'll go with that too.

Demolition will be my guess for Tag Team.

And I'll say Heyman for manager/non-wrestler personality.

[mrluck_07]

Good list, Yaz! There were reports that Bigelow is a lock for this yr. He was supposed to get inducted last yr but WWE changed their mind. As for the British Bulldogs, that would be great but WWE seems to have a thing about not inducting multiple deceased people in the same class. For the Women's spot, I'd love to see Leilani Kai get a nod.

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Michelle McCool has a chance for the women. Maybe Layla too if you want to induct them together.

[Y 2 Jake]

I'm not sure she's sentient, but it could be interesting if Brock Lesnar inducted Sable. Might be nice to hear him speak from the heart.