Major Name Rumored To Headline WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2026

One of the biggest names in history is rumored to be the headliner for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026, even before he has wrestled his final match.
WWE will induct its annual Hall of Fame class in Las Vegas this coming April ahead of WrestleMania 42, with one name already announced quite early. It was revealed in September that Stephanie McMahon would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, becoming the first McMahon to receive the honor.
However, a new report from Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer indicates McMahon won't be the top name for this year's class. Instead, that honor may belong to John Cena.
Alvarez reported that the "belief" is that Cena will end up being the headliner for the 2026 Hall of Fame class. This would, of course, come on the heels of Cena's retirement this December, when he will wrestle his final match at the Dec. 13 Saturday Night's Main Event show in Washington, D.C. He will face the winner of "The Last Time Is Now" Tournament.
Left standing in the tournament are Solo Sikoa, Gunther, Jey Uso, Sheamus, LA Knight, Carmelo Hayes, Finn Balor, Penta, and Rusev.
Cena's Road to the Hall of Fame
Should Cena, 48, go into the WWE Hall of Fame next year, he will go down as the biggest headliner since at least The Undertaker back in 2022.

2025 has been a unique year for the WWE Intercontinental Champion, kicking off with a dramatic heel turn at WWE Elimination Chamber that would lead to him becoming a 17-time world champion at WrestleMania 41.
He would feud with ghosts of his past throughout the summer, eventually suddenly turning babyface once again two nights before his SummerSlam street fight main event against Cody Rhodes. Cena would drop the Undisputed WWE Championship back to Rhodes in that match.
Since then, Cena has been enjoying his farewell tour, putting in strong efforts with the likes of AJ Styles, Logan Paul, among others. He won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time last Monday, defeating Dominik Mysterio for the title. He will now defend that on Mysterio's home turf in San Diego at Survivor Series later this month.
This will be Cena's second-to-last match, and he had his final Raw match on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
WWE Chief Content Office Paul "Triple H" Levesque was last year's WWE Hall of Fame headliner.
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Jon Alba is an Emmy Award and SPJ Award-winning journalist who has broken some of pro wrestling's biggest stories. In addition to writing for The Takedown on SI, he is the host of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, and a host and contributor for Sportsnet New York. Additionally, he has been on beats for teams across MLB, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS during more than a decade in the sports media sphere. Jon is a graduate of Quinnipiac University with a B.A. degree in Journalism.
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