It’s cool outside, leaves are changing color, NFL football is in full swing, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballots are due. Ahh, a great time of year.
Here’s the thing — my ballot is STILL a little repetitive, which means other voters out there STILL aren’t getting it right.
My criteria for an “IN” vote has always been pretty darn simple. Stingy? Yeah, kinda, but simple nonetheless.
To get into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, you need to have the numbers, right? That’s a given. I treat match quality for the WON Hall of Fame like the MLB Hall of Fame treats numbers. You have to have it. It gets you into the conversation.
From there, the first thing I look at is impact on the business. Did the wrestler leave something behind with major historical significance? If more voters considered this analysis point, someone like Charlotte Flair would be in the Hall of Fame. She should be and it’s a shame she isn’t.
Then, I look at drawing power and business. Did the candidate put the butts in seats? Did they move the needle from a ratings perspective? That kind of analysis.
Finally, it’s a gut check. Do they pass the eye test of a Hall of Famer? Admittedly, that’s a subjective approach, but so be it. Pro wrestling is subjective a lot of the time, so it makes perfect sense to use that judgement as a means to drill down to a decision.
Alright, here it goes — my 2026 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame ballot:
Archie “Mongolian Stomper” Gouldie
This was a 2023 IN vote, a 2024 IN vote, and a 2025 IN vote. Guess where we’re going this year? Here’s what I wrote:
2023: “I vote for this guy every single year. He’s a 14 time world champion in Stampede Wrestling and a big time for draw for that territory. Go watch the matches this guy had. He’s big time over. IN.”
2024: “And IN he stays. All of that still applies and he’ll continue getting my vote until I can vote for him no longer.”
2025: “Another year and another IN vote. What has to happen to change the narrative here? Banging my head against the wall isn’t working.”
2026: And the beating of the drum continues … someone argue against Archie being in. Please? Make me understand this slight.
Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat
A 2023, 2024, and 2025 YES. Here’s what I wrote:
2024: “You know that quick-paced tag team wrestling you love so much? Did you vote for The Young Bucks this year? These two helped birth that style. They have an indelible mark on the wrestling business and drew money too. IN.”
2025: “So, The Young Bucks are in, but Youngblood and Steamboat aren’t as a tag team? Make it make sense. The former doesn’t happen without the latter and as a Hall of Fame, this must be recognized.”
2026: Last month in AEW, The Young Bucks wrestled Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight in a tag team match on PPV. It had all the high-flying wildness that you’d expect from those four, but it had perfect babyface psychology too. The hot tag that was set reminded me of Youngblood and Steamboat. They’re influence on tag team wrestling remains today. This is a no-brainer — still.
Junkyard Dog
Another 2023, 2024, and 2025 YES vote. Here’s what I wrote:
2024: “We’re still doing this? Like Mongolian Stomper, Junkyard Dog gets my vote every year. He shouldn’t because he’s first ballot HOF talent, but alas, here we are. When you talk about the most over wrestlers in history, Junkyard Dog needs to be on the list. He had his demons and his career ended early because of them, but JYD always had the fans in the palm of his hand. People cared. IN.”
2025: “I just feel like this is an easy call that voters aren’t making. What’s missing? Longevity, I suppose and that’s a fair play. Stone Cold Steve Austin didn’t have a sizzling hot run for decades either, though.”
2026: Whyyyyyyyyyyy? Ok, go to YouTube and search “Junkyard Dog vs. The Freebirds.” Boom. That’s why this guy is a Hall of Famer.
June Byers
Byers was a first-time YES for me in 2024 and that was mainly do to an increased education. 2025? YES. 2026? Still yes.
2024: “Byers didn’t get a vote from me in 2023 and she should have. Thanks to the research of Jonathan Snowden, which you can read, it’s clear that Byers had the impact on wrestling AND the skill that delivers seats in the Hall. I took her skill for granted. The impact she made on the business was always there, but the skill part always had me doubting. Byers had the character and characters make stars. Characters draw money and characters earn Hall votes. IN.”
2025: “I still very much believe this analysis. Byers is mechanically sound and as said above, a character. Here’s more, though. She impacted the business in a positive way. When you talk about women’s wrestling, she’s in the first couple paragraphs.”
2026: Becky Lynch, Mercedes Mone, and Iyo Sky should all get in the Hall of Fame this year. There is a handful of top women pro wrestlers already in. They don’t get there without June Byers.
Kevin, Kerry, & David Von Erich
I’m surprised I have to make this case for a second year in a row. This is what I wrote in 2025.
2025: “It’s time. The Von Erich’s haven’t made my ballot until this year and it’s time to put them in. Like Byers, it took some added viewing and education to get there, but there is one constant when you watch these guys. An audience connection. These three set the table for everything in WCCW and just didn’t have matches that fans weren’t into. Promoters today would do some bad things to get their hands on babyfaces like this. IN.”
2026: All of the above remains true. They also did business. Huge business. Talk about putting asses in seats? Kevin, Kerry, and David could print money. Top tier audience connection, plus top tier business equals IN the Hall of Fame.
Becky Lynch
2023 IN. 2024 IN. 2025 IN. 2026. IN. Is any of this different now than in 2023, 2024, or 2025?
2023: “Becky Lynch had the hottest run a woman has had in the history of professional wrestling. From the summer of 2018 through her main event match at WrestleMania in 2019, Lynch was the most over star in WWE. She carried the company and that WrestleMania on her shoulders. The WWE audience being as invested in her as they were forced her match into the main event at WrestleMania 35 and was the first-ever all women’s main event in WrestleMania history. A no brainer here in terms of impact and business.” It isn’t. She needs to be in an it’s a no-brainer.”
2025: “It’s crazy that Lynch still needs votes. She added the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship to her resume and has had more than serviceable matches twice with Maxxine Dupri. C’mon, folks. This is an easy one.”
2026: Take a second and think about how much women’s wrestling we see on television right now. WWE, AEW, TNA, and elsewhere. Wherever. Women drive business as pro wrestling stars. In the modern era, Lynch was the was first to prove that point.
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall
These guys were IN votes from last year and 2024. Still IN.
2024: “As I mentioned last year, I debated whether or not they get a nod. They just have too much historical significance to be left out of the Hall of Fame. Simple as that. IN.”
2025: “Same rules apply.”
2026: If one of the pieces of criteria for entrance into the Hall of Fame is historical impact, then Nash and Hall have to be in. Slam dunk. They ushered in a massive shift in the way business is conducted in “the business.”
Randy Orton
This guy deserves to be in and did last year. Oh, and the year before and the year before that.
2024: “Grand slam champion, face of the company — kinda. Good matches. Long career. Orton was once called the prototypical pro wrestler and he’s kind of the prototypical Hall of Famer also. IN.”
2025: “This will ruffle some feathers, but Orton not in the Hall of Fame is like Randy Savage not being in the Hall of Fame. Savage was a tad under Hulk Hogan. Orton the same to John Cena. Top number twos, though. IN.”
2026: In re-reading my comments last year, I may been on Hall of Fame tilt. Randy Orton and Randy Savage may not be equals. Fine. They are damn close, though. Orton is trying to win a world title for the 15th time. He wrestled in the main event of WrestleMania this year. Adding to the resume.
Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks
Seriously? Mone IS a lock. Still. Stop the madness and get The Boss in. Here is what I wrote last year.
2025: “New to the ballot in 2025 and an absolute lock. Mone is a legendary pro wrestler at this point. She helped change and was at the forefront of the women’s wrestling narrative and then sustained herself as a top star outside of the biggest company in the world. Loads of world championships, a WrestleMania main eventer, and regular great matches against diverse opponents stylistically. Need I go on? IN.”
Samoa Joe
New to my ballot in 2026. Joe never wrestled in a WrestleMania main event and was never “the guy” on a major stage. He’s a unique case, though, when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Joe was the face of Ring of Honor in the early 2000s when that was the only promotion that truly provided an alternative to what WWE was feeding wrestling fans. Joe put that promotion on his back and ran with it. The matches were memorable and the style is what current-day AEW is built on. When I watched Joe early on, I couldn’t believe how big he was and how smooth he could move. He was special in that regard. Joe is a trailblazer. Also, go watch Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi in ROH. 2005. Thank me later.
Io Shirai/Iyo Sky
Another new addition to the ballot. When I think of Iyo Sky, I think of in-ring prowess. There isn’t anyone smoother than her. She’s helped establish women’s wrestling worldwide. In the ring, she’s worked across the globe and with top women’s talent. Other talents have their best matches with Sky. Super valuable, important to history, and a true babyface in an era when those were hard to find.
Larry Matysik
You know that popular GIF from Scrubs when Dr. Cox is slamming a door into his head? My sentiments exactly regarding Matysik.
2024: “Matysik remains on my list as he’s one of the greatest voices in the history of the business. He also was an influencer of the business at a high level. Announcing alone gets him in — the rest is icing on the cake. IN.”
2025: “I’ll say it again … “one of the greatest voices in the history of the business.” Get this done.”
2026: Door to head — THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
What did I get right? What did I get wrong? Let us know in the comments!
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