WWE has announced Vader as the second inductee into this year’s Hall of Fame over WrestleMania Weekend.
On April 1 as part of a double header with SmackDown, the late legend – real name Leon White – will be posthumously recognised for his contributes to the business and a fantastic career spanning three decades from 1985 until his retirement in 2012.
As first reported by Bleacher Report and confirmed by WWE, the former WCW and WWE star will be honoured on the same night as The Undertaker as part of an already stacked Hall of Fame Class.
Vader died in 2018 aged 63 after being hospitalised with pneumonia.
The 450-pound star’s reign of dominance first started in Japan, before he took his innovative offence – including the Vadersault – around Europe and Mexico.
WWE said: ‘This path of destruction brought the giant to World Championship Wrestling in the early ’90s where he would eventually become one of their biggest stars.
‘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 the company.
‘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.’
It’s not yet been revealed who will induct Vader into the Hall of Fame.
However, the event is already set to be huge with WWE chairman Vince McMahon himself inducting Undertaker in a rare out of character public appearance.
‘I love the guy,’ he said. ‘He’s an extraordinary human being, as well as one of the all-time greats.’
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