If you take a quick gander at the complete WWE main roster, including both Raw and SmackDown Superstars, you can pretty much tell which Superstars need a lot of work in order to one day be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame.
With that said, there are also a select number of Superstars from those same rosters, who are a near lock for the HOF, even if they ended their respective careers today.
The Hall of Fame is a very prestigious place, hallowed grounds if you will. In order to be mentioned as someone who may one day have a place in that elite fraternity, one would need to be a step above the normal wrestlers. You would need to be someone who exhibits everything that is right with this amazing industry.
In some cases, wins and losses play very minimal importance when considering someone for a possible nod. There are some legends, who had a career that was defined by the type of performer they were and how well they represented the sport in its entirety.
Some Hall of Famers made their name by putting others over, it's the art of being a good carpenter, just as Stan Hansen mentioned in his induction speech at the 2016 Hall of Fame Ceremony. After scouring over the current list of active WWE Superstars, I have narrowed my list down to 10 potential future candidates for the WWE Hall of Fame.
These living legends have done enough in their career to justify that they should be a solid lock for a future HOF class, even if they never competed in another match.
#10 Goldberg
You can remove the recent domination he had over Brock Lesnar, and Goldberg would still be worthy of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Goldberg started turning heads immediately upon arrival in professional wrestling.
Of course, his most notoriously known achievement was the 173-0 undefeated streak in WCW, but even beyond the streak, fans were heavily behind Bill Goldberg.
While in WCW, Goldberg won the United States title twice and was a tag team champion and the WCW World Heavyweight Champion once each. Goldberg would become the 5th person to ever win a WCW Triple Crown. In the WWE, Goldberg won the World Heavyweight Championship once while with the company. There have been rumors of the Myth being in running for the 2017 Hall of Famer class, and if everything goes according to plan, that may very well happen.
#9 Goldust
He's the Bizarre One, indeed. But, don't let the odd style and heavy face paint fool you, Goldust is a living legend, pure and simple. Making his professional debut in 1988, Goldust has worked all over the planet, under the monikers Goldust, Dustin Runnels, Dustin Rhodes, Se7en, Lord Goldie and so on.
No matter the company, nor the storyline, he's always been a solid, consistent performer.
A few of his many accomplishments include multiple WCW titles, tag team titles and United States titles. In the WWE, he's won the Intercontinental Championship three times, tag titles three times and the hardcore championship an impressive nine times.
#8 Mark Henry
Mark Henry will likely go down as one of the all-time most underrated superstars of any era. For the most part, Henry has been a quiet monster, letting his actions in the ring be his voice. As many have heard, his tagline has always been "the world’s strongest man."
That's not just a gimmick; that's reality. In the early 1990's, while an Olympic competitor, many publications declared Henry the world's strongest man, due to the records he broke in power and weightlifting. Flex Magazine called Mark the second strongest human being ever to live.
Some of his in-ring accolades include being one-time European Champion, one-time World Heavyweight Champion, one-time ECW Champion and in 2012, Henry was named number 9 on the PWI 500.
#7 Triple H
Triple H is having a stellar executive career, which is almost as decorated as his in-ring career. Now as a corporate suit, Triple H has helped with the formation of NXT, as well as signed some of wrestling’s most sought after free agents, such as Shinsuke Nakamura.
While a full-time in-ring competitor, Triple H would go on to become one of the greatest Superstars of all-time, compiling a laundry list of championships, which include some 25 titles in all; resulting in Trips becoming the seventh WWE Triple Crown winner, as well as the second WWE Grand Slam winner.
A Triple Crown is awarded to a person who wins three different titles with one company. A Grand Slam is achieved by winning four different titles with one company. In 2001, Triple H was named number 1 of the PWI 500.
It's obvious that Triple H is still capable of competing, as witnessed when he won the 2016 Royal Rumble match. However, it does appear that he's devoting most of his efforts towards building the future of the company.
#6 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar is by far the greatest combat athlete of all-time, winning championships in not only professional wrestling but UFC as well.
Since his comeback, Brock has been a consistent top draw, while working a limited number of dates. Lesnar made headlines recently, after losing a shocking one-sided squash match to Goldberg. Despite losing in such embarrassing fashion, Lesnar is set to make a statement at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
Lesnar’s biggest career win came at Wrestlemania 30 when he conquered The Undertakers streak.
Brock is a four-time WWE Champion, winner of the 2003 Royal Rumble match and 2002 King of the Ring. As far as what's in store for the Beast Incarnate in 2017, only he and Paul Heyman know. But, it would appear the first order of business is to put Goldberg on the shelf and make him pay for what happened at Survivor Series.
#5 Kane
Kane is undoubtedly one of the few remaining active living legends. Even in the later years of his career, Kane continues to prove he's still capable of competing at the highest level.
Since making his debut some 24 years ago, in 1992, Kane has been a constant source of quality performances, as well as being someone that the younger talent can learn from. Some of the many accomplishments Kane has to his credit include a WWE Championship and a World Heavyweight Championship as well.
Kane has also won the Intercontinental Championship twice, the Hardcore Championship and a combined 12 runs as a tag team champion.
Another interesting fact worth mentioning is that Kane has appeared in a grand total of 19 Royal Rumble matches, which happens to be the record for most appearances in a Rumble by any Superstar in history.
#4 Chris Jericho
Jericho, like Kane, is one of the few active living legends. Y2J got his start back in 1990, first gaining popularity with Lance Storm, as they tagged together in the duo known as The Thrillseekers. Jericho eventually found success as a singles competitor, which is where his career truly exploded.
Chris Jericho has performed all over the globe, capturing titles everywhere his feet landed. However, the majority of Jericho's success would come with the WCW and the WWE, where he would collectively win a multitude of championships, including the ninth WWE Triple Crown and the fourth WWE Grand Slam.
In 2009, Jericho finished number 2 in the PWI 500. Jericho continues to entertain millions of wrestling fans on a weekly basis, as he is now involved in the angle with WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens.
#3 The Big Show
The Big Show is someone who has defied odds his entire life. Living with the rare disease known as Acromegaly, which is the same disorder Andre The Giant had, Show was not expected to live beyond his twenties. Now at 44 years young, The Big Show is healthier than ever and appears to be living a long, full life, despite early prognosis.
The Big Show met Hulk Hogan in the mid-1990's, who then referred him to Eric Bischoff, which is ultimately how he got his start. Early on in his career, with WCW, he was simply known as The Giant. During his early years, the storyline booked The Giant as the son of the late Andre The Giant, an idea that was eventually scrapped.
The Giant had a tremendous career with WCW, despite having minimal training.
After making his way to the WWE in 1999, he was renamed The Big Show. Now a proven veteran and someone the younger Superstars look up to, Big Show has accomplished all he's ever desired, and then some.
Throughout his career, he's won the WCW World Title two times, the WCW tag team titles three times, WWE tag team titles eight times, the United States title once, the Hardcore title three times, the ECW World Title once, and the WWE Championship 2 times, as well as the 2015 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
#2 John Cena
He is loved by many, many love to hate him, but all certainly have to respect what he's accomplished throughout his 17-year career. John Cena is the Hulk Hogan of our generation. Cena is by far the most accomplished Superstar of our era and is certainly considered amongst the greatest of all-time.
The 15-time champ is now eyeballing that elusive 16th title reign, which will put him in the same sentence with The Nature Boy Ric Flair.
John Cena has won any and every Championship any Superstar could ever dream of, but his greatest achievements have come outside of the ring when he's with the young fans. Cena is now the number one most requested wish, by children in the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Since granting his first wish, Cena has now eclipsed over 500 wishes granted, which is more than anyone. It's not something that is contractually required of Cena; it's something he does because it's simply the right thing to do, and that is what makes him a true future Hall of Famer.
#1 The Undertaker
He is the most important sports entertainer in all of professional wrestling. Many say he's the greatest of all-time, some say he's the greatest mind in the history of the business. Regardless what you say of The Undertaker, he's undoubtedly headed to the WWE Hall of Fame.
We often hear stories of how The Undertaker is constantly teaching and encouraging up and coming talent, giving them valuable knowledge, which cannot be found in any book, or any training class. He's been in the business now for nearly three decades and still pulls off the occasional legendary performance.
His title wins are too many to mention, considering how long he's been in the industry. However, in the WWE alone, he's won the WWE Championship four times, the World Heavyweight Championship three times, he's been a six-time tag team champion and even held the Hardcore title once.
One of his greatest feats was the Wrestlemania streak, which ended at the hands of Brock Lesnar, but prior to Lesnar’s victory at Wrestlemania 30, Taker had defeated 21 Wrestlemania opponents in a row.
There are many reasons why The Undertaker is a Hall of Fame lock. But, the most important, has been the way he has maintained his mysterious and distinct persona that has made him such a great Superstar that we have come to know as The Undertaker.
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