The night before WrestleMania is considered to be special for various reasons. Not only is the anticipation of the biggest event of the year is at its peak, but it is also that time of the year when the company celebrates the life and accomplishments of a handful of legends in the business.Every year, WWE inducts a selected few into the WWE Hall of Fame – a tradition which began after the demise of Andre the Giant. The WWE’s section of the Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the most prestigious honors to be bestowed on the legends in the business, as well as popular personalities who’ve appeared on camera in the WWE. Every year, WWE selects one marquee name to headline the event, and the next year will be no different.In this article, we give you five names who might be inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2015. These are merely our predictions, but there is a good chance that more than one performer mentioned below is inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.
#5 Kevin Nash
Very few people in the industry have made a huge splash outside of the ring more than Kevin Nash. Whether we talk about his role as the Super Shredder or his antics outside the ring as a part of the Kliq, Nash is one person that brings back memories whenever he makes an appearance. Although unfortunately his career was hampered by injuries, he was one of the marquee names in the WCW, and was a part of the NWO faction that helped WCW beat the WWE in ratings for a year and half, to take command of the Monday Night War.
Nash was also a WWE champion back in the 90s, and his run was seen as the transitional phase from the Hogans and Warriors to the Bret Harts and Shawn Michaels. Nash’s run as the WWE champion lasted for almost a year, during which the WWE gates and revenues took a considerable hit.
Nonetheless, Nash helped in revolutionizing the professional wrestling business with the New World Order, and he is tipped to go into the Hall of Fame next year. Furthermore, there are talks about the entire New World Order being inducted into the Hall of Fame, much like The Four Horsemen.
#4 Davey Boy Smith
When you count down some of the greatest wrestling moments to have happened in the United Kingdom, the number one spot will arguably go to Davey Smith, when he defeated Bret Hart to capture the WWE Intercontinental championship. Davey Smith is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers to have emerged from the United Kingdom, and is still revered by the UK fans to this day.
With the events surrounding Davey’s unfortunate demise, the WWE initially tried to distance itself from him, but after a decade since his passing, it is about time that he takes his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE could even ask Harry Smith to induct his father into the Hall of Fame, which would make a lot of sense.
With WWE trying to launch the WWE Network in the United Kingdom next year, this will also give them the opportunity to not only launch the Network with a big announcement, but also draw large number of subscriptions by highlighting his career with an exclusive program about the life and career of Davey Boy Smith.
#3 Owen Hart
There is perhaps no greater tragedy to have occurred in a WWE ring than the untimely death of Owen Hart. During the 1999 Over The Edge PPV in the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Owen Hart, then portraying the character of The Blue Blazer, was being lowered down from the rafters for his match against The Godfather. While he was being lowered, the harness snapped, resulting in a free fall from nearly 70 feet down to the mat. Owen went sternum first on the top turnbuckle and collapsed in the ring. After the medics tried to resuscitate Owen in the ring, they rushed him to a nearby medical facility, where he was pronounced dead.
Jim Ross’s quivering voice while announcing the death of Owen Hart on – air will always remain as one of the most surreal moments in WWE history. The next night on RAW was dedicated to the memories of Owen, as all the superstars shed tears, bidding their fallen friend a final farewell. Since then, a long legal battle ensued between Martha, Owen’s widow and the WWE, and the lawsuit was finally settled couple of years ago.
Like Randy Savage, every year, Owen Hart’s name is thrown into contention for getting into the Hall of Fame. With WWE looking to bury the hatchet with former superstars, there is a good possibility that Owen Hart may get inducted into the Hall of Fame next year, with Bret and possibly, Owen’s good friend Mark Henry inducting him into the WWE Hall of Fame.
#2 Macho Man Randy Savage
It’s been more than two decades since the rift between Vince McMahon and Randy Savage, leading to a war of words between the two. Although no one knows for sure what caused the unpleasantness between the two, Savage never returned to the WWE. Sadly, Savage passed away couple of years ago, and Vince wrote a moving piece about Randy Savage and what he meant to the professional wrestling industry. Vince took the opportunity to bid goodbye to his former friend and employee, and that was the last we heard about Savage from the chairman of the WWE.
Ever since the unfortunate incident happened, the WWE fans and the superstars alike have been lobbying for the WWE to induct Randy Savage into the Hall of Fame. Recently, Vince brought up the topic and said Savage would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for sure, but he didn’t specify ‘when’. Although Randy’s brother, Lanny Poffo said that Randy wouldn’t have wanted to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, anything other than a posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame wouldn’t do justice to Randy’s WWE career.
Some of the superstars have already started lobbying for Randy Savage going into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015, and he will be the most likely candidate to headline next year’s class of Hall of Fame, especially after The Ultimate Warrior headlined the class earlier this year.
#1 The Rock
The biggest name that could very well headline next year’s Hall of Fame class is none other than the people’s champion, The Rock! There are rumors of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being inducted into the Hall of Fame to bring more eyeballs to the ceremony, and with The Rock possibly facing Triple H at WrestleMania next year, it makes all the sense in the world for the WWE to milk his name as much as possible. Also, it is possible that next year could very well be the final year inside a WWE ring for The Rock as a competitor.
With Triple H out of the picture and Dwayne Johnson focusing on his Hollywood career, there aren’t many superstars left who can feud with The Rock. Also, it makes sense for The Rock to bring down the curtains on his professional wrestling career while he is still a big draw, and that might very well happen next year.
There are rumors floating around about Steve Austin possibly inducting The Rock into the WWE Hall of Fame, and in doing so, give the fans one last WrestleMania moment the next night. However, it has to be seen if that is indeed the case, and we’ll have to wait for a few more months to see if the rumors turn out to be true.
