Top 100 Negotiations!

WWE usually announces its headliner or headliners on the RAW before tickets go on sale for the ceremony. That will either be the first or second RAW of January. So while it looks like we might have 2 and a half weeks, that time is filled with Christmas and New Years functions. So maybe it's best to do it in bulk this time? Either way though I'm sure we'll have a good conversation about our picks.


Do you want to go first or should I?

Agreed. I think the writing is on the wall for Koloff now. He very nearly went in last time and now he's doing dvd interviews for them. It might also be a sneaky way for HHH to get Bruno Sammartino back to induct him. He is as close to a lock as you can get.




I'll go ahead and predict the celebrity inductee and say...

Muhammad Ali

Or at least that's who they will try to induct pending his health. Not only was he the special referee during the main event at WrestleMania 1, fought against Inoki and Monsoon, but he also appeared for Mid-South wrestling. They devoted a chapter in their Mid-South dvd recently to highlight that fact. Cyndi Lauper and Mr T would also be appropriate given it's the 30th Mania. In fact I'd say Lauper might be the backup plan. Kaufman recently got some news but I just think Ali will be too tempting. They could perhaps get Laila Ali to accept on his behalf and maybe get Hulk Hogan to do the induction. This would fill one third of their USA ceremony special.

I would certainly agree that Jake is high on the radar this time. I could even see him entering the Royal Rumble and then being announced as an inductee the next night on RAW. But I do wonder if he'd be the co-headliner or if they'd keep him off the USA show like Backlund. I suppose it depends on how stacked the class is but it would be a shame for him not to get 2nd billing.



Speaking of the headliner...

The Ultimate Warrior

Again, I think the writing is on the wall here. Vince and him have practically made up with even a tweet welcoming him back to the family earlier this year. Plus they've just scheduled a 3 disc dvd on the Ultimate Warrior to be released in April. If nothing else, the Hall of Fame is a marketing tool and that pretty much says it all. I don't think he'd take second billing to anyone though so as I said with Jake, it'll be interesting to see who they get for the co-headliner.

I would agree with the R&R Express if it weren't for the Fabulous Freebirds. I mean Terry Gordy was even UWF champion and their images are plastered all over the Mid-South dvd set. They've been the Susan Lucci of the HoF ceremonies and with the passing of Buddy Jack Roberts a year ago, there might be an urge to get Hayes and even Jimmy Garvin in before another drops off. Plus the sooner they induct Hayes, the easier it'll be to fire him when he screws up again. Though I suppose they might punish Hayes for being a drunk by not inducting him or maybe they want to wait until WrestleMania 32 in Dallas. Another problem for the Freebirds might be that their theme music (Badstreet USA) is in court for royalties. So this one is tricky.

I'd also think they'd fill in for the faction side of things. I know there was all this talk about DX but with HHH and HBK playing heels on television right now, I don't think it's the right time. Much like how they didn't want to induct Paul Heyman while he was still on screen heel.

He'd also fill the super heavyweight spot. They are falling behind on that one and the line is starting to build. Another thing going for a Kamala induction is that he lives in Mississippi and thus the travel wouldn't be as bad. I was actually going to pick Kamala after narrowing it down between several Jim's. The other three being...

Jim Neidhart - They could induct him as a tie in to Total Divas with Natalya.

Jim Johnston - They have a dvd coming out in March about the music of WWE.

Hillbilly Jim - With the launch of the WWE Network comes Legends House which they've recently renamed House of Fame. Out of the 8 guys on it, he's the only one not in their Hall of Fame. It might be something they look to rectify.




I'm going to add a few more predictions.


Paul Bearer - Ever since his death there have been reports saying he's a lock for next year. We'll see if that holds true. His wish while he was alive was to go in the same year as the Undertaker. But if he's not inducted this year, I could see unwarranted backlash for it.

Lou Thesz - I think now that Bruno Sammartino has been inducted, HHH is going to want to add more credibility by inducting another old school legend. Plus with the unification of the World and WWE championship, they have name dropped him a couple of times on television. This could be an attempt to familiarize the audience with him.

Of course with those two, the number of posthumous inductions jumps a bit. If you don't count 2009 when they inducted 5 dead Von Erichs in one segment, then the highest number of posthumous inductions was in 2008 with High Chief Peter Maivia, Eddie Graham, and Gordon Solie. So could we get Lou Thesz, Paul Bearer, and the Fabulous Freebirds this time?





My final predictions...

The Ultimate Warrior
Jake "the Snake" Roberts
Lou Thesz
The Fabulous Freebirds
"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff
Paul Bearer
"The Ugandan Giant" Kamala
Muhammad Ali



It reminds me of the 2010 class where they wanted...

The Ultimate Warrior
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Gorgeous George
Antonio Inoki
"Mad Dog" Maurice Vachon
Stu Hart
Wendi Richter
Bob Uecker