10 Early Predictions For The 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame Class
Insolent, incredible and influential inductees.
There is no criteria whatsoever for WWE Hall of Fame inclusion.
It doesn't matter if a performer rarely drew. Koko B. Ware didn't. Koko himself is shorthand for the farce of it all; a cartoonish midcard performer in the WWF, his eight-year stint with the Federation yielded zero titles and only slightly more memorable moments. His not inconsiderable Memphis stint barely made it through even WWE's filtered historical lens.
All that matters is the side of the bed on which Vince McMahon wakes up, prone to misjudgment after two hours of sleep. There are rules however for exclusion - rules that, again, reinforce the farce of it all.
The Steiner Brothers got over everywhere in the 1990s, throughout which they wrestled countless barnstormers as bruising as they were innovative. Scott Steiner won't join the Class of 2019 because he called Triple H a "c*nt" in 2016 and refuses to do so unless he is paid. And people say he doesn't know maths. The whole thing is a bit depressing, given the stock some fans hold in the institution. It does not, or at least should not, validate the career of any wrestler. Steiner was 141.66% more of a talent and a draw than The Godfather. That is calculable.
It's fair to expect Scott not to make the New York club in New York next year.
It's (un)fair to expect...
10. LEGACY WING: Kenta Kobashi
Looking at it cynically - and there are few other ways of receiving the Hall of Fame, given that Kid Rock is in it and Mitsuharu Misawa is not - the Legacy Wing is WWE's attempt to legitimise the Hall without alienating prospective Network viewers, the vast majority of whom would not sit through four hours of speeches delivered on behalf of objectively legendary figures they may not have heard of.
It is in this cynical spirit that we predict the induction of Kenta Kobashi, especially given that the recent partnership struck with Pro Wrestling NOAH will, you imagine, lend WWE access to the company's video library. A tributary nod to its former Ace may act as reciprocation for any potential talent "borrowing".
Kobashi was an outstanding performer - to many, the very best ever to lace a pair of boots. A career babyface, Kobashi was pure fire, a maelstrom of skill, passion and intensity so engaging that he was able to get over for decades through several, agonising high-profile losses, each one fuelling his fanbase to get behind him all the more.
When he was finally awarded Ace status in NOAH, his transition from challenger to Champion was seamless. He rewarded belief with a mythical two-year GHC Heavyweight Championship reign, standing alone as the last puro practitioner - for now - to pull in gigantic Dome-sized audiences multiple times throughout one calendar year.