Even though it’s still several months away, the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame class has been in the news more than usual for this time of year, especially since it was revealed Stephanie McMahon would be the first inductee back in September. Normally, McMahon would seemingly be a lock for the lone headliner for a WWE Hall of Fame class, but it appears she may have to share the honors, or even step aside somewhat, for an even bigger name.

On Tuesday morning’s “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Bryan Alvarez revealed that, while it remains unconfirmed, chatter backstage at last night’s “WWE Raw” suggested a long-time WWE star was being considered for the 2026 Hall of Fame class. And it’s someone that, as Alvarez himself noted, will come as no surprise to fans.

“As of Monday night, the belief is the headliner would be John Cena,” Alvarez said. “I guess that’s probably not a surprise. Maybe it won’t be, but that was certainly the discussion on Monday night, that John Cena was probably headlining the 2026 Hall of Fame. Stephanie McMahon has already been announced, so John Cena [and] Stephanie would be, probably, the two biggest names, if that’s what ends up happening. But that would likely be WrestleMania weekend of 2026. So it’s coming at some point.”

A John Cena Hall of Fame induction was always a matter of “when” as opposed to “if,” given not only Cena’s success as a top star within the WWE over the last twenty years, but the continuation of his good relationship with the promotion. The timing would work out really well for him to headline the 2026 class, however, given that Cena is currently working his final set of wrestling shows before retiring on the December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription