5 best candidates for 2018 WWE Hall of Fame
Based on both merit and timing, who are the five best candidates to be a part of the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class of inductees
On Saturday, March 31, 2017 one of the most star-studded classes in the history of the WWE Hall of Fame will be inducted. Headlined by Kurt Angle and featuring the likes of Rick Rude, Diamond Dallas Page, Beth Phoenix and several others, it’s one of the strongest classes of all time, I’d say. It also happens to feature an unintentional theme of people who are long overdue to receive the honor.
Because there is no voting committee to ultimately decide on who enters the WWE Hall of Fame (or even who the candidates are), the decisions are sometimes curious. Because of that, bad blood gets in the way, some people are mysteriously left out for too long of a while, and wrestling fans are essentially done a disservice by not getting some of the greatest in the history of the industry inducted.
With WrestleMania 34 and thus the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony heading to New Orleans, LA one year from now, though, perhaps the company can continue to correct some of their errors by omission. With that in mind, here are the five best candidates to enter the WWE Hall of Fame as members of the 2018 class.
5. Vader
IT’S TIME, IT’S TIME! A former center for the Los Angeles Rams, The Man They Call Vader could’ve had a long football career had it not been for a career-ending leg injury. However, wrestling fans around the world were ultimately better for it. Because as Vader made his way to the squared circle, he became an absolute legend of the industry. What’s more, he established himself as one of the truly unique talents to ever step foot in the ring.
Wrestling all over Japan and in both WCW and WWF, Vader is one of the most accomplished and well recognized figures in wrestling history. Part of that is simply because of the red leather mask and his size. However, it’s also because he was a singular talent in terms of his athleticism and ability. It was one thing to see a towering force the size of Vader. It was an entirely different thing to see him then pull off the Vadersault and go airborne. The things he was capable of looked (and still do), plainly, impossible.
Most recently, Vader had a match in 2016 (he debuted in 1987) against Will Ospreay in the United Kingdom after a feud budded on Twitter. His legacy at this point is undeniable and unavoidable. Countless big men since have tried to give off the monstrous and awe-striking persona that he did, but they’ve all paled in comparison to Vader. Thus, his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame has been a long time coming.