As part of the incredible WWE WrestleMania 38 weekend, the legendary Vader will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with the Class of 2022 on Friday 1st April in Dallas.
The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Friday, April 1 as part of the week leading into WrestleMania 38, when the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in history kicks off across Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 live at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Vader joins the illustrious Class of 2022, with global icon The Undertaker previously announced for this year’s induction.
Hailing from The Rocky Mountains, the intense 450-pound Vader first made a splash in the rings of Japan, where he destroyed WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki in a wildly controversial match. The Japanese fans were so distraught over seeing their hero dismantled by the gigantic Vader that a riot broke out in Tokyo's Sumo Hall.
The Mastodon continued to assert his dominance in Japan and eventually stomped his way through competitors all over Europe and Mexico. 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.
WWE Fans can join in on all the build-up to the most stupendous two-night WrestleMania in WWE history, including the induction of Vader and the Class of 2022 to the WWE Hall of Fame, all live and exclusively on WWE Network.