Vader will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. First reported by Bleacher Report, Vader’s induction will take during the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony place on Friday, April 1, at American Airlines Center in Dallas as part of WrestleMania Week. Fans in the U.S. will be able to tune into the event exclusively on Peacock, and the WWE Network everywhere else. This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be slightly different, with both the Hall of Fame and Friday Night SmackDown taking place on the same night in the same arena, for only one price.
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WWE‘s bio for Vader begins with his time in Japan, where he had a controversial clash with WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki that left the fans in attendance stunned. Inoki’s loss sent the crowd into a riot at Tokyo’s Sumo Hall, which only helped to fuel the legend of the 450-pound Vader. Opponents had a hard time contending with the massive Vader and his bone-crushing Vadersault finishing move off the top rope.
After stints in Europe and Mexico, Vader moved to World Championship Wrestling in the early ’90s, becoming one of the biggest stars on the roster. With WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race in his corner, Vader battered WCW legends like Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack and captured three World Heavyweight Championships during his time with WCW.
In 1996, the powerhouse made his way to WWE, where he debuted in that year’s Royal Rumble Match. Immediately impactful, Vader teamed up with manager Jim Cornette and battled Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam that year. The Mastodon then linked up with Paul Bearer and locked horns with Undertaker, scoring a huge victory over The Deadman at Royal Rumble in 1997. Vader died of pneumonia on June 18, 2018.
Vader joins the Undertaker in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The Deadman was the first name announced for the event and will be inducted by Vince McMahon. During the Last Ride documentary, Undertaker spoke of his retirement, even though he did leave the door open for a potential return.
“I think it’s always in my head and in my heart, especially getting ready for WrestleMania here at AT&T Stadium it’s just like … man. But it’s just at a point where physically, I can’t perform at a level,” Undertaker explained. “I mean, I could go out and walk through something and I could get through a match. But I can’t give people what they expect at this point. When you see Undertaker, you pay money to see that guy wrestle. I can’t deliver physically on what people’s expectations are. … The passion is obviously still there. I think that will always be there. It’s just the physical side of it. … My time has come, my time has gone. This is the WWE and things happen, you never know. But I know that my time has passed and it’s time for these young guys to step up and take over and lead us to where we’re going.”
What do you think of Vader’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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