3 legends who can be inducted into the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame
With the WWE Royal Rumble taking place on Saturday, February 1, the Road to WrestleMania 41 is right around the corner. One of the biggest nights of the year en route to The Grandest Stage of Them All is the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where superstars of the past, present, and future come together to celebrate those who have been an integral part of the company over the years.
From big names such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart, the Hall of Fame is truly a place where the best of the best reside.
With plenty of legends still not a part of the prestigious club, here's a take a look at three names who could become members of the Class of 2025:
#3. A Samoan legend could be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
A performer who many WWE fans are hoping to see take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame is The Samoan Bulldozer Umaga. Having had a few short stints in the company in the early 2000s, the Anoa'i family member found his feet in 2005 when he returned as Umaga.
From high-stakes matches against top stars like John Cena, Batista, and Triple H, Umaga was a perfect foil to many of the top babyfaces on both RAW and SmackDown. Sadly, the former Intercontinental Champion is no longer with us. He passed away in December 2009 at just 36 years of age.
One person who feels that Umaga is fully deserving of a spot in the Hall of Fame is his elder brother Sam Fatu (FKA The Tonga Kid). In November 2024, the 59-year-old stated in an interview with Monte & The Pharoah why he believed his brother should be inducted.
"He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He's special. There's some wrestlers that deserve action figures, and then, there's some that don't. In my brother's case, I think he had earned and worked his way to the top. And if he ever does get inducted in the Hall of Fame, I think they, at least, owe him that for the job that he did," he said.
#2. A multi-time WWE Women's Champion could receive her flowers
Similar to Umaga, another star who became a major WWE star in the mid-2000s was Mickie James. The Virginia native made her main roster debut in 2005, and she was immediately thrust into the main event scene of the women's division through a storyline with Trish Stratus.
After working with the Canadian, James would go on to establish herself as one of the mainstays of the company, winning the WWE Women's Championship five times and the Divas Title once.
After leaving the company in 2010, James returned in 2016, when she most notably formed a very strong on-screen alliance with Alexa Bliss with the desire to help the stars of the future.
During a recent interview on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Mickie's husband and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis was asked if his wife should be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame.
"I don't think that there's any question that she's going in. As far as when, I don't think there needs to be any rush, but at the same time, any time that it would happen would be the right time, at this point," he said. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]
#1. The Animal could walk alone in the Hall of Fame
Every year at the Hall of Fame there is one marquee inductee who closes the show. One performer who fans are desperate to see in that spot is Batista.
One of the biggest stars in WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era, The Animal carved out one of the greatest in-ring careers of all time in a relatively short period.
From capturing six world titles to main-eventing multiple WrestleManias and also winning the Men's Royal Rumble on two separate occasions (2005 and 2014), the Hollywood star has done it all in the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.
It seems as though, in recent years, both WWE and Batista have not been able to find the right moment for his induction. The Animal revealed the same while speaking to Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT last year.
"There was a good opportunity for me to go in a couple of years ago, and I agreed to do it. Hunter asked me to do it, and I said, ‘Yeah, of course!’ It was here in LA, and I thought it was perfect; it was storybook because I won my first title here in LA. We couldn’t figure it out because I was working on a film in South Africa. So logistically, we just couldn’t make it happen. But yeah, I’m still open to it. One day I would like to," he said. [H/T: ITR Wrestling]
After leaving the WWE as a full-time performer, Batista made a fantastic transition to the world of Hollywood. It will be interesting to see if he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
