It’s been nearly three years since the wrestling world stopped turning. The sudden, tragic passing of Windham Rotunda - known to the millions of "fireflies" around the world simply as Bray Wyatt - in August 2023 remains one of the most painful chapters in modern WWE history.

He was 36 years old. He was a father, a husband, a brother, and a son. But to the industry, he was something even rarer: a true original.

As we look at the landscape of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2026, scanning the list of legends and mid-carders who are waiting for their ring, there is one name that stands out not just for the accolades, but for the sheer artistic void his absence has left. Usually, we debate candidates based on longevity or work rate. With Bray, the conversation is different. We are talking about a creative genius who fundamentally changed what a wrestling character could be.

If the Hall of Fame is about honouring those who left an indelible mark on the business, then leaving the lantern off for another year simply isn't an option.

The Cult of Personality

To understand why Bray belongs in the Hall, you have to look beyond the win-loss record. You have to look at the feeling he created.

When the Wyatt Family first arrived on the main roster, emerging from the backwoods of NXT, it felt like the show had been hijacked. In an era of polished, reality-based superstars wearing trunks and kick-pads, Bray was an anomaly. He was a southern gothic nightmare come to life. He wore Hawaiian shirts and fedoras; he spoke in riddles; he sat in a rocking chair.

He wasn't playing a wrestler. He was playing a cult leader, and for a solid three years, the audience were his willing disciples. The visual of an entire arena fading to black, illuminated only by thousands of mobile phone torches swaying to his entrance theme, remains one of the most striking images of the 2010s. That wasn't just a "pop." That was a connection.

He possessed a microphone skill set that rivalled the best talkers in history - Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Dusty Rhodes. He could talk you into the building, but more importantly, he could talk you into believing that the stakes were spiritual rather than just athletic.

The Reinvention Risk

The true mark of a Hall of Famer, however, is evolution. And this is where Rotunda solidified his legacy.

By 2019, the "Eater of Worlds" character had run its course. In a business that encourages sticking to what works, Rotunda took a sledgehammer to his own creation. He returned not as the bayou cultist, but as a split-personality children's TV presenter hosting the "Firefly Fun House."

It was bizarre. It was uncomfortable. It was genius.

The introduction of "The Fiend" wasn't just a new gimmick; it was a horror movie monster injected into a sports entertainment programme. It polarised fans, sure. The red lighting and the invincibility booking were divisive. But you couldn't look away. He became the top merchandise seller in the company, moving masks and t-shirts at a rate that rivalled John Cena and Roman Reigns.

And let’s be honest, the "Firefly Fun House Match" against John Cena at WrestleMania 36 wasn't a wrestling match. It was a deconstruction of John Cena’s career and the wrestling industry itself, told through a surrealist lens. Only Bray Wyatt could have pitched that, and only Bray Wyatt could have pulled it off.

Commercial Immortality

We often judge Hall of Fame credentials by titles - and Bray had them. He was a WWE Champion, a two-time Universal Champion, and a Tag Team Champion. But a more modern metric of a Superstar's impact is their penetration into the wider pop culture and licensing ecosystem. Did they matter outside the ropes?

Bray Wyatt was a marketing powerhouse. His characters were so visually distinct that they transcended the weekly television product.

You can even see the evidence of his enduring popularity in the iGaming sector. Long after his passing, his likeness continues to be a major draw. He is a central figure in officially licensed slots titles like WWE: Clash of the Wilds, WWE: Legends Link & Win, and WWE Bonus Rumble: Gold Blitz. Numbers around these slots at the sister sites UK players have been visiting recently suggest that these games are as popular now as they were when they first launched a couple of years ago. 

It’s a telling detail. In the online casino world, developers don't waste valuable grid space on characters that players don't care about. They want "sure things." They want icons. The fact that Bray’s avatars - both the Cult Leader and The Fiend - sit alongside the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker in these casino games is proof of his status. He isn't just a wrestler to the corporate side of WWE; he is an intellectual property juggernaut.

When you look at his career, it mirrored the mechanics of those high-stakes games. Every time he reinvented himself, he was effectively pushing his chips all-in. He gambled that the audience would follow him down the rabbit hole of a possessed doll named Lilly or a masked demon. Most wrestlers play it safe. Bray played the odds, and more often than not, he hit the jackpot.

The Unfinished Symphony

The tragedy of his induction, whenever it happens, will be the reminder of what we missed.

When he returned in 2022 at Extreme Rules, the "White Rabbit" viral marketing campaign was perhaps the most engaging interactive storyline WWE has ever produced. The subsequent "Uncle Howdy" storyline, involving his real-life brother Bo Dallas, was just finding its feet when real life intervened.

He was reportedly preparing for a WrestleMania match against Bobby Lashley. He had decades of creativity left in the tank. We were robbed of his transition into the "elder statesman" role, the manager role, or the creative writer role he would have inevitably filled in his 50s.

The Verdict

So, does he belong in the Hall of Fame?

The question feels redundant. The WWE Hall of Fame is a collection of the people who made the show unmissable. For a decade, Windham Rotunda was the most fascinating thing on television.

He bridged the gap between the Attitude Era’s character work and the modern era’s athletic work. He gave us the Wyatt Family. He gave us The Fiend. He gave us "The Whole World in His Hands."

There is a sombre tradition in wrestling of honouring the fallen. We saw it with Eddie Guerrero. We saw it with Paul Bearer. Inducting Bray Wyatt in 2026 isn't just about mourning him; it’s about acknowledging that he changed the texture of the canvas.

He shouldn't just be in the Hall of Fame. He should be the headliner. He should be the face on the poster. And while he won't be there to give the speech, the fireflies will be there to light the arena for him one last time.

Well, the WWE Hall of Fame season began way sooner than normal!

Last Saturday, during the ESPN WWE debut at Wrestlapalooza, the Undertaker surprised Stephanie McMahon at ringside with the announcement that she is the first inductee for the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Class.

The daughter of former WWE owner Vince McMahon, Stephanie, became an on-screen character in 1999 and would align with her then kayfabe husband (and eventual real-life husband), Triple H, by the end of the year.  Over the next 20 years, McMahon would have a significant on-again, off-again role in the WWE, mainly as an authority figure, and often as one of the top heels in the business.  She would also occasionally wrestle and had significant feuds with Trish Stratus, Brie Bella, and Ronda Rousey.

Behind the scenes, she was a top executive in both creative and marketing, and though she has a diminished role now, she has become a beloved figure amongst the WWE fanbase.

She was ranked on her notinhalloffame WWE list, but we will wait to remove her for now.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Stephanie McMahon for her impending honor.

The WWE Hall of Fame has reactivated its legacy wing for the Class of 2025, and Kamala, Ivan Koloff, and Dory Funk Sr will be inducted.

This is the first time the Legacy Wing has been used since 2021, and it has been criticized in the past as many of the inductee's families were not aware of the induction until it was announced publicly.  It is not known now if this is the case for these three.

Born James Harris in Mississippi, Harris first began wrestling in 1978 but adopted the Kamala gimmick in 1982 under the advice of Jerry Jarrett and Jerry Lawler.  It was a money maker, with Harris taking the gimmick across the country through multiple territories, including the WWE, where over three runs in 1984, 1986-87 & 1992-93, he had multiple main event runs and challenged for the WWF World Heavyweight Title.  He passed away in 2020.

From Quebec, Oreal Perras debuted in 1963 and first gained success as the Irishman Red McNulty, but it was not until he became “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff that he achieved stardom.  Koloff joined the WWWF in 1969, and in 1971, he shocked the wrestling world when he pinned Bruno Sammartino to win the World Heavyweight Title.  It was a brief run, as Pedro Morales dethroned him three weeks later, but throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Koloff worked in the WWWF/WWF and was often at the top of the card.  He also succeeded in the NWA throughout the 1980s, leading the Russian faction while winning Tag Team gold.  He passed away in 2017.

Dory Funk Sr. is best known as the father of Terry and Dory Funk Jr., who both became NWA World Heavyweight Champions, but the family's patriarch ran a successful territory in North Texas for decades.  This is also a posthumous induction, as he passed away in 1973.

While we are happy for these selections, Kamala and Koloff could have easily been done when they were both alive.

We will be revising our Notinhalloffame WWE list after Wrestlemania.

Following their TKO brethren, the UFC Hall Of Fame, the WWE Hall of Fame has announced the first ever match to be inducted to into their institution. 

From Wrestlemania 13, the Submission Match between Bret “Hit Man” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will become the first match deemed worthy by the WWE Hall to be inducted.

Refereed by the debuting Ken Shamrock, Austin and Hart had been feuding since the 1996 Survivor Series, with Austin costing Hart the Royal Rumble and later the WWF World Heavyweight Championship when he interfered in the Hit Man’s Steel Cage Title defense against Psycho Sid.  At Wrestlemania 13, Hart defeated Austin when he passed out from Hart’s sharpshooter, and refused to quit.  Following the match, the victorious Hart continued to attack his bloodied opponent, until he was pulled off by Shamrock.  The end result was the most successful double-turn in pro wrestling history, and vaulted Austin to permanent main event status.

This match will join Triple H, Lex Luger, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) and Michelle McCool for the Class of 2025.

The WWE Hall of Fame has rectified one of their biggest omissions as Lex Luger will be part of the 2025 Class.

It was announced by WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, who visited Luger while he was working on his mobility with Diamond Dallas Page.  Rhodes surprised Luger with the news, much to his delight.

After his professional football career ended, Luger was trained for wrestling by Hiro Matsuda, and he would shortly join Championship Wrestling from Florida where he wrestled for nearly two years before joining Jim Crockett Promotions and adding “The Total Package” to his already colorful name.  Luger joined the Four Horsemen, and would win the United States Championship, by beating Nikita Koloff, though he would lose it to Dusty Rhodes due to a mistake by his own manager, J.J. Dillon.  This led to an eventual face turn for Luger, who formed a tag team with Barry Windham, and they won the World Tag Team Titles, only for Windham to turn on him.

Luger spent most of 1988 chasing Ric Flair for the World Title, but was unable to unseat the Nature Boy, though he beat Windham for his second United States Title.  He turned heel again, but that was brief as his close friend Sting was injured, and he subbed in for him in multiple World Title shots against Flair.  Luger dropped the U.S. Title in late 1989 to Stan Hansen, though won it back two months later.

In 1991, Luger finally became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Windham for the vacant strap following Ric Flair’s departure from the company.  It was the beginning of a lackluster title run, as Luger never beat Flair for the belt, and the roster was depleted.  Rarely defensing the title, he lost it Sting in 1992, and finally he was WWE bound.

Luger was originally slated to compete for Vince McMahon’s World Bodybuilding Federation, though that was a way to have him appear on TV without breaking his no compete clause.  He finally made his in-ring debut in 1993 as “The Narcissist”, a vain heel character, but on July 4 of that year, he body slammed Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid, catapulting him into an All-American baby face.

Luger was unable to unseat Yokozuna in title shots at Summer Slam ’93 and Wrestlemania X, and he would slide down the card, eventually settling in a tag team with The British Bulldog.  His contract expired, and after appearing at Summer Slam 1995, he appeared at the debut of WCW’s inaugural Monday Night Nitro.

Luger remained with WCW until it folded and was purchased by the WWE.  His lengthy second run in WCW was fruitful, generating many main events, titles and copious high-profile matches.  Following the death of WCW, Luger would work on the independent scene, but tragedy best the “Total Package.”

In his personal life, Luger suffered a drug addiction, which was passed on to his then girlfriend, Liz Hulette who passed away from a drug overdose.  In 2007, he served a nerve impingement in his next that led him to paralysis, which he has dealt with since.

While Luger’s run in WCW far surpassed his time in the WWE, his overall body of work is worthy of this induction.  He will be removed from our notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame following the revamp of the list after this year’s Wrestlemania.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Lex Luger for his impending WWE Hall of Fame induction

The WWE Hall of Fame has announced two new members into their Hall of Fame, which are former WWE Tag Team Champions, The Natural Disasters.

Comprised of Earthquake (John Tenta) and Typhoon (Fred Ottman), the pair first teamed in the summer of 1991 following a heel turn by Typhoon.  Managed by Jimmy Hart, they chased the Legion of Doom for the Tag Titles but were double-crossed by Hart, who “gave their title shots” to Money Inc (Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Shyster) at a house show in Denver.  Money Inc won the titles, and the Disasters would challenge them for the Tag Titles throughout the winter and spring of 1992, finally winning them in July, though they would drop them back to Money Inc three months later.  The team would disband in early 1993.

Both Tenta had significant singles runs, and both would later compete for WCW.  Earthquake, who was the larger and more successful of the two, had an earlier main event run in the WWE against Hulk Hogan, and would main event in WCW as Avalanche as a member of the Three Faces of Fear and the Dungeon of Doom.

Both Earthquake and Typhoon were ranked (individually) on our notinhalloffame.com WWE list for WWE Hall of Fame contention.  They will be removed, as well as the others who were chosen in 2025 following Wrestlemania.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate The Natural Disasters for their impending induction.

On today’s episode of Get Up on ESPN, the Undertaker and his wife and fellow former wrestler Michelle McCool were on hand to promote WWE’s new show, LFG.  WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque surprised the pair on satellite to inform McCool that she would be a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

McCool participated in the 2004 Divas Search, and though she did not win, she was signed by the company.  After showing improvement, McCool became the inaugural Divas Champion, winning that in the 2008 Great American Bash, and a year later, won the Women’s Champion.   Later, in 2010, she merged both titles, becoming the first and only WWE United Divas Champion.

A four-time Champion in all, McCoo;s’ most notable run came from 2009 to 2011, when she was one half of LayCool, with Layla El.  McCool retired in 2011, though has made sporadic appearances since.

We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Michelle McCool for her impending honor.

Hall of Fame season is not just here for Baseball, Basketball and Football, as “Wrestlemania Season” also equates to WWE Hall of Fame season.   Before the Royal Rumble, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was surprised at a town hall by Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Nick Khan with an announcement that he was going into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Levesque, who is currently the Chief Content Officer for WWE, had an outstanding in-ring career, winning 14 World Titles, and headlining multiple Premium Live Events.  He was already inducted as a member of D-Generation X, with Shawn Michaels, Billy Gunn, the Road Dogg and Chyna. 

Ironically, Triple H, who generally decided who enters the Hall, had stated before that he didn’t want to go in, as it looked like he was the person who was doing it.  This necessitated this manner, but nobody can dispute that he is worthy of a WWE Hall of Fame induction as a solo competitor, and creative mastermind of the current era.

As Triple H was already inducted as part of DX, he was already omitted from the Notinhalloffame list of those to consider for the WWE Hall Of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate Triple H for this well-deserved induction. 

We had heard that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was playing a part in the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Class.  With the names that had been announced thus far (Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, The U.S. Express and Thunderbolt Patterson, we had not seen any direct evidence to think that was the case.  This ends today with the announcement that his grandmother, Lia Maivia, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

The wife of WWE Hall of Famer Peter Maivia, Lia took over the Polynesian Pro Wrestling promotion following Peter’s death in 1982.  This made her one of the early female wrestling promoters/owners, and for a brief time, she was very successful. 

In 1985, Maivia promoted what was then the biggest card in Hawaiian history, “A Hot Summer Night,” which drew five figures.  The second version did not do well, leading to the promotion's downfall.

Following the end of Polynesian Pro Wrestling, she moved to Florida to be with her family.  She passed away in 2008 at the age of 77.

This marks the first time a husband and wife have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Lia Maivia's estate at this time.

It was rumoured that a fifth name was being considered for the WWE Hall of Fame, and this morning it was announced that it is Thunderbolt Patterson.

Born Claude Patterson in Iowa, he made his wrestling debut in 1964 and would work throughout various American promotions and won significant titles in the 1970s, including the Florida Heavyweight Title by defeating Bruiser Brody and the United States Title, with a shock win over the legendary Sheik.  He also was Ole Anderson’s tag team partner in 1984, where they held the National Tag Team Titles.

Patterson was not the smoothest in-ring worker, but he had charisma up the gills.  He leaned into the shuck-and-jive promo style that would influence Dusty Rhodes.  Patterson could draw people in and was very popular in many territories, but he was often unpopular with the powers that be behind the scenes.

Patterson always stood up for himself, and did so at a time when many white bosses (and peers) thought that she should stay quiet and be happy that he had a job.  He fought for the rights of the workers, not just the black ones, but all.  This led to Patterson often losing work, despite his proven ability to draw crowds.

Patterson is 82 but not in the best of health, so it is unknown whether he will attend the ceremony.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Thunderbolt Patterson for this impending honor.

It is very much a new era for the WWE Hall of Fame.  In the past, it was described that former owner and chairman Vince McMahon had made the calls as to who would be in the Hall.  With him out of the picture, Jean “Triple H” Levesque” has taken over that duty, and with alleged input from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, we are seeing a cohesive list of names emerge. This past week, Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano and the U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) were named to the Hall, and now we have a huge name, albeit not specifically a wrestling one, but a legend nevertheless: 

Muhammad Ali.

Known as “The Greatest,” the former multi-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion fought Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in a Mixed Martial Arts exhibition in Japan, which was shown on closed circuit television in the United States.  Initially, the fight was believed by Ali to be worked, but Inoki was adamant that was real.  The result was that Ali’s camp added more stipulations that rendered the fight little more than Inoki kicking Ali’s legs while he was on his back.  Ali was legitimately hurt by Inoki, but the spectacle was not well-received and considered boring.  Nevertheless, this Ali-Inoki fight was a precursor to modern MMA and, in hindsight, a huge moment for professional wrestling.

Ali made other appearances in wrestling, the most famous being as the special guest referee at the inaugural Wrestlemania. At one point, Ali got into the ring and cleared the ring of the heels (Roddy Piper, Bob Orton, and Paul Orndorff). He also was a special ambassador for the Inoki-promoted Collision in Korea, which had a packed (though forced) house over two days in North Korea.

We are thrilled about this induction, which makes the Celebrity Wing infinitely more credible.

Two days after the WWE announced that Paul Heyman would be entering the WWE Hall of Fame, the second entrant, former WWE Women’s Champion Bull Nakano, has been announced.

Nakano began wrestling in her native Japan at the age of 15 and was a natural.  She would shortly join Dump Matsumoto and begin a reign of terror throughout All-Japan Women’s Wrestling.  Adopting a gigantic hairstyle and adding girth, Nakano was a beast of the division, and by 1990, became the face of the company and their top singles champion for over two years.  After she lost the title to Aja Kong, she was phased out, and she departed for CMLL in Mexico, where she became their first Women’s Champion.  A year later, she was signed by the WWE to work with their champion, Alundra Blayze.

Nakano came into the WWE and unsuccessfully challenged Blayze at Summer Slam 1994.  She would beat Blayze for the belt at the Tokyo Egg Dome and held it until she lost the title back to Blayze the bight after Wrestlemania XI.  That would be her last night in the WWE.  Nakano would later compete in WCW, again wrestling Blayze (who had reverted back to her Madusa moniker).  Nakano retired shortly after, hanging up the tights in 1997, and she went on to enjoy a career in ladies' golf.

The WWE roster has never had a greater contingent of Japanese female wrestling talent with Asuka, Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane under contract.  We imagine that this combination will be the co-presenters for this induction.

Nakano was ranked #75 on our Notinhalloffame list of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame. Notably, we will work to revise that list following Wrestlemania, and Nakano will be one of the names removed.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Bull Nakano for her impending honor.

Wrestelamania season also means WWE Hall of Fame Season, and we now know the name of the first person for the 2024 Class.  Fittingly, as it is in Philadelphia, it is the “Wise Man,” Paul Heyman.

Heyman began his wrestling career as a photographer, and transitioned into a manager, first gaining national attention in the AWA, and then WCW, where his apex was the heel faction, The Dangerous Alliance.  After he was fired from WCW, he would join ECW, which he would later own.  Heyman transformed the company into Extreme Championship Wrestling, a hardcore promotion that was massively influential and changed the face of the industry.  As impactful as it was, ECW was not profitable, and went under in 2001, and Heyman joined the WWE.

He began as an announcer and later an advocate for various wrestlers, most notably Brock Lesnar.  Heyman would become the onscreen General Manager of Smackdown and later the revamped ECW.  During this time, Heyman was helping with the booking and writing and was influential behind the scenes, where he used his vast knowledge to make the product edgier.  Sadly, Heyman was again let go, when ECW underperformed, and it would be years before he was saw again.

Heyman returned to the WWE in 2012, but this time, it was just as an on-screen talent.  Back again with Lesnar, Heyman would also align with CM Punk, uniting the two greatest talkers in the business.  He would since join Roman Reigns in forming the Bloodline in 2020, a faction that still is in existence today.

Heyman was ranked #9 on our Notinhalloffame list of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame. Notably, we will work to revise that list following Wrestlemania, and Heyman will be one of the names removed.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Paul Heyman for his impending honor.