Sean Waltman Explains Why Vader Had Not Received WWE Hall of Fame Offer

With the tragic death of former WWE superstar Leon White, otherwise known as Vader, this week, there has been many taking note of WWE’s failure to induct Vader into their Hall of Fame while he was still living.

Vader wasn’t one to be shy about the issue. While alive, he was actively campaigning to be inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame over the last couple years due to his deteriorating health. He would often use the hashtag “#HOFItsTime.”

According to former WWE star Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Vader’s campaigning for a Hall of Fame induction may have actually hurt his chances. Waltman explained his thoughts on the matter during an appearance on The Tomorrow Show.

“Sometimes when you push too hard and you’re out there and you’re begging for it too much, it works against you,” Waltman explained. “And that sucks in that case.”

Though he didn’t receive an induction himself, Vader did attend the Hall of Fame during his lifetime. Notably, he appeared on stage for the induction of Stan Hansen in 2016. Vader was a logical choice given their infamous matches as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling, especially one match in particular where Vader’s eye popped out of its socket during a IWGP championship bout at the Tokyo Dome.

Sadly, with his death, Vader becomes probably the most notable name to not be inducted during his lifetime since Randy Savage. Savage was almost immediately inducted following his death in 2011, so it’s probably a very good bet that you will see Vader inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. Unfortunately, that induction probably should have occurred much earlier when the big man could have been around to enjoy it.