The Vegas Clock is Ticking

We are exactly 22 days away from WrestleMania 41. The flights to Vegas are booked. The ridiculous hotel prices have been swallowed. The Allegiant Stadium turf is getting ready to be trampled. We are staring down the barrel of John Cena's actual farewell, Cody Rhodes defending the big belt, and whatever madness CM Punk is cooking up. But before we get to the in-ring chaos, we have to talk about the most unpredictable, politically charged night of the wrestling calendar.

I am talking, of course, about the WWE Hall of Fame.

The 2026 class is already leaking out, and the rumored names are exactly the kind of chaotic mix we expect from this company. We're hearing whispers about Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, and finally—mercifully—Demolition. But the loudest conversations this week aren't even about the people going in. They are about the people who should have been in a decade ago.

The Master and Ruler of the World

Let's talk about Sid Vicious.

If you grew up watching wrestling in the 1990s, Sid was a terrifying, towering force of nature. He looked like an action figure that came to life just to scream at you. He was Psycho Sid. He was Sid Justice. He was the guy who main evented WrestleMania VIII against Hulk Hogan and WrestleMania 13 against The Undertaker.

He won the WWF Championship twice. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice. He was the guy who casually played softball in the summer while the rest of the boys were breaking their backs on the road driving from Scranton to Poughkeepsie.

So why the hell isn't he in the Hall of Fame?

"Everything about Sid Vicious' resume says he should have been in the Hall of Fame long ago."

JBL dropped that reality check this week, and he is completely right. You don't headline multiple WrestleManias and get treated like a footnote in the history books unless someone in Stamford is holding a grudge.

Jim Ross Spills the Beans

Leave it to Good Ol' JR to say the quiet part out loud. Jim Ross noted this week that Sid's delay in getting that Hall of Fame ring was partly due to politics.

That is the most obvious, poorly kept secret in wrestling history. The WWE Hall of Fame has never been a real, merit-based institution. It is not Cooperstown. It is not Canton. It is a TV show built entirely on the whims, grudges, and forgiveness of the people running the boardroom. For years, it was Vince McMahon's sandbox. If you made him mad in 1996, you were eating dirt until 2014.

Sid had a reputation. He was notoriously difficult at times. He walked to the beat of his own drum, which usually meant leaving the wrestling bubble to play in a slow-pitch softball tournament in completely random towns. He infamously told Scott Hall and Kevin Nash that he had half the brain that they did on live television. He wasn't exactly a corporate company man.

But who cares? The man drew money. He legitimately scared children in the front row. When he powerbombed Shawn Michaels to win the WWF title at Survivor Series 1996, Madison Square Garden erupted like he was the second coming of Christ. The fans loved him because he was an absolute monster.

Keeping him out for this long because of backstage politics is a joke. It diminishes the credibility of the entire institution when guys who drew a fraction of the money Sid did are standing at a podium thanking their families.

The Rumored 2026 Class

If we look at the people actually rumored to be going in this year, it highlights the weird nature of WWE's legacy building. Stephanie McMahon getting inducted is fascinating on a deeply corporate level. Think about the last few years of her career. She stepped away, came back as Co-CEO during the darkest PR crisis in the history of the company, steadied the ship, and then walked away again when her father forced his way back in.

She has essentially been the exiled princess of wrestling for the better part of two years. Putting her in the Hall of Fame right now feels like a massive olive branch from the Endeavor and TKO group. It is a way of officially recognizing her contributions while keeping the door firmly closed on the old regime.

Then you have AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One. When he debuted at the Royal Rumble back in 2016, nobody knew how he would be treated. We all assumed he would get buried in the mid-card, jobbing out to Baron Corbin on an episode of SmackDown. Instead, he became a two-time WWE Champion. He carried the company through a very weird transitional period. He is one of the rare guys who was undeniable. Even the most stubborn executives had to admit that he was simply better than everyone else on the roster.

Demolition getting in is another example of a long-standing grudge finally thawing out. For years, the concussion lawsuit stuff kept them completely exiled from WWE programming. Ax and Smash were the defining tag team of my childhood. They looked like Mad Max villains who actually knew how to wrestle.

The Commentary Pivot

While we are on the subject of Jim Ross dropping opinions, JR also brought up another fascinating hypothetical this week. He mentioned John Cena.

Cena's farewell is looming large over Vegas. It is the end of an era. The man who carried the company on his back through the PG era, through the brutal fan backlash, and into Hollywood is finally hanging up the jorts. But JR thinks Cena shouldn't stray too far from the product.

"John Cena has a way with words and I am curious how he might do in commentary."

I have to admit, I hate this idea.

Look, Cena is one of the greatest talkers in the history of the business. When he wants to completely eviscerate someone on the microphone, he can do it better than almost anyone. Just ask Roman Reigns about their promo battles back in 2017. Cena chewed him up and spit him out. But commentary is a completely different beast.

We don't need John Cena sitting at the desk for three hours on Monday Night Raw, trying to get over mid-card storylines while wearing a suit. He is too big for that. He is a movie star. The magic of Cena right now is that he is an attraction. When his music hits, it feels special.

The Trap of the Headset

Wrestling history is littered with massive stars who tried to transition to the broadcast booth and looked completely lost. It requires a bizarre mix of traffic-cop skills, encyclopedic knowledge, and the ability to act incredibly surprised when a guy you just saw at catering runs down the ramp.

Could Cena do it? Probably. The guy is a maniacal workaholic who learned to play the piano and speak Mandarin just because he felt like it. If he decided he wanted to be the next Michael Cole, he would probably study tape until his eyes bled.

But why would we want that? Let Cena have his massive send-off at WrestleMania. Let him hit the Attitude Adjustment one last time. Let him soak in the cheers from the same fans who used to scream that he sucked.

Then, let him ride off into the Hollywood sunset.

We need to stop trying to force every wrestling legend into a lifelong backstage job. It is okay for things to end. Not everyone needs to become a producer, a manager, or a color commentator. Sometimes, the best way to preserve a legacy is simply to walk away while people still want more.

The Reality of the Business

As we barrel toward April 19, the reality of the wrestling business is obvious. We are closing chapters on guys like Cena, while desperately trying to rectify the mistakes made with guys like Sid Vicious.

The Hall of Fame should be a celebration of the chaotic, beautiful mess that is professional wrestling. If Stephanie, AJ, and Demolition are actually the core of this class, it is going to be a phenomenal night. But the overriding theme here is politics. It is always politics.

It kept Sid Vicious out. It kept Demolition out. It dictates who gets the spotlight and who gets erased from the video packages. We can pretend the Hall of Fame is a legitimate sporting honor, but we all know it is a corporate TV segment.

I just hope that when Sid finally gets his moment, he doesn't hold back. I hope he walks out to that podium, looks the entire WWE executive board in the eyes, and reminds them exactly who the master and ruler of the world really is.

And if John Cena is sitting at the commentary desk while it happens? Well, I guess JR will finally get his answer.