Vader will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2022. First reported by Bleacher Report, Vader's induction will happen during the WWE Hall of Fame event 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 a little 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.
WWE's bio for Vader begins with his time in Japan, where he had a questionable clash with WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki that left the fans in attendance shocked. Inoki's loss sent out the crowd into a riot at Tokyo's Sumo Hall, which just helped to fuel the legend of the 450-pound Vader. Opponents had a tough time contending with the huge Vader and his bone-crushing Vadersault completing 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 greatest stars on the roster. With WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race in his corner, Vader damaged WCW legends like Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack and held three World Heavyweight Championships throughout his time with WCW.
In 1996, the powerhouse made his way to WWE, where he debuted in that year's Royal Rumble Match. Instantly impactful, Vader partnered with supervisor Jim Cornette and fought 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 given name revealed for the event and will be inducted by Vince McMahon. During the Last Ride documentary, Undertaker mentioned his retirement, although he did leave the door open for a prospective return.
" I believe it's always in my head and in my heart, specifically getting ready for WrestleMania here at AT&T Stadium it's just like man. However it's just at a point where physically, I can't carry out at a level," Undertaker explained. "I suggest, I might head out and walk through something and I might survive a match. However I can't provide individuals what they anticipate at this moment.
When you see Undertaker, you pay money to see that person battle. I can't provide physically on what individuals's expectations are. The enthusiasm is clearly still there. I think that will constantly be there. It's simply the physical side of it. My time has actually come, my time has gone. This is the WWE and things take place, you never ever know. But I understand 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.".
