WWE Raw Day 1 to feature a 'former WWE Champion'

As if there isn’t enough pro wrestling news swirling throughout the industry, WWE has something planned for WWE Raw Day 1. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful posted that the promotion is planning to bring in a “former WWE Champion” at the first edition of the show in 2024. That news kicked off a firestorm of speculation, leading to a big prediction that it’s time for Batista to end up in the WWE Hall of Fame. The former champion would be a great name to headline the 2024 HOF class.

That scoop from Fightful led to WWE Chief Content Officer, Triple H, to all but confirm something is coming to kick off 2024.

“Not going to confirm or deny the rumors of a former WWE Champion appearing at WWE Raw Day One…but I will say to stay tuned,” he posted to Twitter. “New Year’s Day, 8 pm ET on USA Network.”

So, who is it? That is the question everyone took to social media to find out. One thing the Fightful Select pointed out is that the company did not confirm whether this former champion is an active or a retired talent. The report also didn’t confirm if this returning champion was within the women’s division. That point further opens the possibilities of who could come back.

Wrestle Ops predicted that Batista could be the name to head to the 2024 kickoff show and this would be to announce his inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Putting Batista into the Hall of Fame makes too much sense. He is a six-time champion, holding the World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Champion twice. He is also a four-time tag team champion.

Batista also brings a level of star power to the role that few others can boast. Many consider him the best professional wrestler to turn into an actor, and his filmography is hard to refute. Of course, everyone knows his role as Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he also appeared in movies like Glass Onion, Dune, Spectre, and others. Announcing him for WWE Raw and the Hall of Fame is sure to pull in mainstream headlines to kick off the new year.

WWE is not going to let all the other promotions take all the headlines to kick off 2024. With that in mind, WWE Raw Day 1 is going to bring in a big-name former champion, and if that man is Batista, putting him into the Hall of Fame is the right move.