A Hall of Famer is typically someone who was a top performer in a particular activity. This definition rings true for WWE as well in most cases as their Hall of Fame includes immortals of the wrestling world like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair to name a few.
However, WWE has diluted their own Hall of Fame to the point where you don't need to be exceptional to be entered. There are definitely people in the Hall of Fame that don't deserve it based on their accomplishments but that trend isn't ending anytime soon. Some upcoming candidates don't really deserve it.
10 Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett will end up a WWE Hall of Famer at some point down the line. Barrett won the inaugural season of NXT back when it was a game show-esque feel and not the developmental brand of the company. He ended up winning the Intercontinental Championship five different times in his career and the 2015 King of the Ring Tournament.
His return to the NXT commentary desk means he is in WWE's good graces. He shouldn't be a Hall of Famer because he never won a World Title during his career and even his accomplishments were kind of jokes.
9 Alberto Del Rio
The two sides aren't on good terms at the moment but that hasn't stopped WWE from getting a person into their Hall of Fame in the past. Del Rio has been a two-time WWE, World Heavyweight, and US Champion. He won the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches as well.
However, what's the signature moment for Del Rio that people remember? Losing to Edge at WrestleMania or Vince McMahon calling for Del Rio to cash in on CM Punk at the end of SummerSlam 2011? He has a 9-32-1 record as WWE Champion and never felt like a main-event caliber talent at any point in his career. Plus, his personal life issues make him questionable at best.
8 Titus O'Neil
Titus O'Neil has been a member of the WWE roster for over a decade and has been an exceptional employee with his charitable work and has shown the potential to take anything the creative writers give and do his best with it.
In terms of accomplishments, he only won the WWE Tag Team title with Darren Young and was the inaugural 24/7 Champion. That doesn't scream a Hall of Fame resume, but WWE likes to reward loyalty and longevity so he's a likely candidate. Always remember there are wrestlers with little-to-no accolades already in so the precedent is already in place.
7 Tamina
Tamina Snuka has been a part of WWE since debuting on May 24, 2010, episode of RAW. In the decade that she has been on WWE's main roster, her championships and accolades include a single 24/7 Championship reign and that's it.
She has only one year where she won more matches than she lost (2012). Tamina will be a future WWE Hall of Famer for a couple of reasons: 1) She is a second-generation wrestler with a lot of time with the company and 2) WWE doesn't have many women to enshrine. It might be the weakest case for a Hall of Famer in their history.
6 Bam Bam Bigelow
If you look at Bam Bam Bigelow's championships while with WWE, you will see one entry: Slammy Award for Best Head (1987). Does that constitute a Hall of Famer? No. WWE loves to go back to the well of wrestlers from the late 1980s and 1990s for their induction class and it's almost certain Bigelow will be posthumously inducted sooner rather than later (as it's been rumored).
He had won the ECW Title, ECW Television Title, WCW Hardcore Title, and the WCW World Tag Team Title twice, so with WWE owning those companies, they can easily have a good reason to induct him in their minds.
5 The Great Khali
If being good at professional wrestling makes someone a WWE Hall of Famer, The Great Khali would never get the call to join. He seems like the prototypical wrestler that Vince McMahon would love as Khali is a seven-foot behemoth that could make the Empire State Building look small. Khali is a former World Heavyweight Champion.
However, Khali was also incredibly clunky in the ring and when the likes of Triple H, Batista, and The Undertaker can't get a person over, there's not much there. He meddled around the mid-card for the remainder of his WWE run but outside of the Khali Kiss Cam and the one title, he didn't do much.
4 Lex Luger
Lex Luger arguably has one of the better cases on this list of why he should be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Luger was the second wrestler to become a Triple Crown Champion in WCW history. In WWF, Luger was supposed to be the second coming of Hulk Hogan and he ended up winning the 1994 Royal Rumble match in a tie with Bret Hart.
Luger's big crowning moment was winning a WWF Title match against Yokozuna at the 1993 Summerslam via count-out, meaning Yokozuna did not lose the championship. Luger celebrated like he won the lottery and it comes off as stupidity in retrospect. Luger had a few good moments, but that doesn't make a Hall of Famer.
3 John Tenta
John Tenta was known by a slew of names but two really come to mind: Avalanche and Earthquake. Tenta won the WWF Tag Team Championship once in his career as one-half of the Natural Disasters but that is the only championship he won while being a member of the WWF and WCW rosters.
He is remembered for being a part of the Dungeon of Doom and facing The Giant for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship once he left the group. Tenta was an incredible talent with his size and demeanor, but that doesn't make someone a Hall of Famer.
2 Michael Cole
Michael Cole has been a part of WWE since 1997 and his longevity should be applauded in a company that goes through announcers/backstage talent like a hungry person at a buffet. Many talents are chewed up and spit out by the WWE system and only survive a few years at most. Cole hasn't been entirely allowed to produce the best on the commentary booth due to restrictions but has shown glimpses of excellence like the UK Championship Tournament.
His constant pushing of buzzwords and nicknames feels forced and he hasn't been able to shine. What's an iconic call that Cole has made on commentary that is memorable? Cole will be inducted but hasn't had many memorable moments.
1 Santino Marella
There is definitely room for comedic wrestlers in the WWE Hall of Fame to showcase different aspects of professional wrestling. Santino Marella is a former United States Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and WWE Tag Team Champion in his career.
He also has some of the more memorable moments in the post-Attitude Era WWE with his debut of being picked out of the crowd and defeating Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship and of course winning the Miss Wrestlemania Battle Royal as Santina Marella in one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history. He was a nice piece in the WWE but not someone who should be inducted into any wrestling Hall of Fame.