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Legendary wrestler Vader will be joining Undertaker in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022, first reported by Bleacher Report. WWE confirmed the report that the Mastodon will indeed be inducted posthumously this year.
Billed from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Vader began his career in the AWA, improving his skills before tussling it up with Japanese greats like Antonio Inoki overseas. Their first bout together caused a legit riot as Inoki’s fans overtook Sumo Hall, which caused New Japan Pro Wrestling to be banned from the arena for almost two years.
While in Japan, Vader made wrestling history as the first non-Japanese performer to hold the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship–a title he would hold two more times.
Vader would eventually make his way back to the states in the early ’90s in WCW where he would become one of their biggest stars. With the legendary Harley Race at his side, Vader powered through top stars like Sting, Ric Flair, and Cactus Jack and captured three WCW World Heavyweight Championships during his time with the company.
During the 1996 Royal Rumble, Vader made his WWE debut coming in at number 13 and making three eliminations. During his time with the company, Vader teamed up with manager Jim Cornette and soon found himself taking on Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship at Summerslam that year. He would stay with WWE for two more years before heading back to Japan.
Outside of the ring, Vader, real name Leon White, did voiceover work for the anime Fist of the Northstar as Goliath and appeared in popular ’90s programs Boy Meets World and Baywatch.
In April 2016, inducted his former AWA opponent Stan Hansen into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.
White went in for heart surgery in 2018 followed by another to treat an arrhythmia. He passed away on June 18, 2018, after a month-long hospitalization for pneumonia. He was 63 years old. Vader left an impression on professional wrestling that is still felt today and is considered an inspiration from many stars today, namely WWE’s own Otis.
The event will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else. Below, you can check out an episode of GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies, where Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring discuss Vader’s appearances on the sitcom Boy Meets World.
