10 Early Wrestling Predictions For 2017
4. We Will Welcome...
...Daniel Bryan, Mitsuharu Misawa, Sid, The Great Muta, The British Bulldog, Christian and The Dudley Boyz into the WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE are fast running out of first ballot Hall of Famers. The company is praying that The Rock will wrestle more in the future, ruling him out. Triple H will wrestle until his body gives out, and his reduced schedule means it might even be years before that happens. People were writing The Undertaker off years ago - the same mistake won't be repeated here, crutches or no.
That essentially just leaves Bryan and Goldberg, but the latter may yet be persuaded to prolong his second Stamford stint. CM Punk may reappear in WWE - wrestling is like that - but 2017 is much too soon.
Elsewhere, WWE's acknowledgement of the Japanese scene this year has been an unexpected - but welcome - development. The reverence shown towards the IWGP Heavyweight title, in reference to AJ Styles and Finn Balor, is a promotional tactic - but so too is the Hall of Fame. Misawa, the greatest Japanese wrestler ever, is surely the first logical option for WWE to expand this trend into the Hall. He died, but not on their watch, so it won't hurt his cause.
The more marketable Muta - of whom they own some awesome footage - is a shoe-in. Sid is an overdue omission. The British Bulldog was a major component of the WWF's stronghold over their most lucrative overseas market. Expect him to occupy the token deceased wrestler slot. Vince McMahon will be in his cold, cold grave before he recognises Christian as a first-balloter, but he's worthy of and overdue a place.
The Dudley Boyz have already burned through their nostalgia-fuelled comeback - the Hall is now WWE's last chance of monetising their legacy.