It's not exactly a traditional idea, but one could argue it's an incredible one. Paul Heyman has already made a pitch that the ECW audience be inducted into the 2022 Hall of Fame Class for WWE.
In a tweet he posted on Mother's Day, it's fitting that the mother of all audiences be considered as a personality worthy of a Hall of Fame induction. No audience was more involved, and none more instrumental in getting characters and storylines over. If any audience should get consideration, it's the ECW audience.
Heyman tweeted the following:
“I hereby nominate …
The #ECW audience!
If there was ever a worthy #HallOfFame induction …
INDUCT or WE RIOT!”
Interestingly, he posted a GIF of a video where the crowd was rejecting John Cena in a WWE version of the ECW reinvention. This match took place at ECW One Night Stand 2006. That crowd was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to audience reactions. They were part of every show, interacted with the wrestlers and helped bring a little Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion to prominence during the Monday Night Wars. While the wrestling was crazy, fans would flood other shows in other promotions and chant "E-C-W!" until Vince McMahon couldn't help but take notice and bring their performers on his show.
Why Not?
At this point, the WWE Hall of Fame includes so many different types of wrestlers, groups and personalities, inducting an entire promotion's audience is not that strange an idea. Bully Ray responded to the idea and commented, "Co-sign. ps...did someone say riot?"
If it ever happens, all we can add is that Straw Hat Guy should be the one to give the acceptance speech. He was the face of that ECW audience and fans who know about the importance of ECW to wrestling during the 90s would immediately recognize him.