10 Unbelievable Omissions From The WWE Hall Of Fame

4. Vader

Sid Vicious WCW
WWE.com

With a short fuse and love of physicality, Big Van Vader was the early '90s version of Brock Lesnar. Vader held the WCW Championship three times during that period, headlining every domestic PPV in the WCW calendar of 1993, clocking up an impressive 377 days with the gold.

Even after moving away from the World Title, Vader went on to have a lengthy run as US Champion after defeating Jim Duggan at Starrcade '94. What's more, that outing was one of the better matches of 'Hacksaw's' 'career. With victories over Sting, Ricky Steamboat and Cactus Jack under his belt, Vader eventually made the switch to the WWF, debuting in the 1996 Royal Rumble.

After initially been pencilled in to win the WWF Title from Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series, HBK's political wranglings put a spanner in the works after their main event at SummerSlam, curtailing Vader's career thereafter. Nevertheless, Vader challenged for the vacant WWF Championship at IYH 13, before slowly fading into the background.

While his career under Vince McMahon may not have gone quite as planned, Vader made a sizeable impact on wrestling during his in-ring tenure. From squashing Antonion Inoki in his NJPW debut and to fighting on with his eye hanging out against Stan Hansen, Vader's career is legendary - and more than deserving of HOF induction.

Contributor
Contributor

Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack. @MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!