Each year, on the night before current WWE superstars set out to create memorable and electric WrestleMania moments, the men and women who came before them are honored and remembered for their impact, not only on WWE, but on professional wrestling as a whole. The 2022 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which has become a staple of WrestleMania weekend over the years, will be held Friday, April 1, and see some of wrestling’s most accomplished superstars join the ranks of André the Giant, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, and dozens of other iconic wrestlers.
Below is a quick breakdown of this year’s inductees, their accomplishments, and everything else you need to know before the ceremony takes place Friday night on the WWE Network on Peacock.
The Undertaker
The “Dead Man” will add one more achievement to his list of the accolades when The Undertaker is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame just one day before the two-night WrestleMania 38. Announced as the headliner of 2022 ceremony by The New York Post in February 2022, “Taker” is definitely the biggest WWE superstar to be inducted into the hall of great wrestling personalities in recent memory and brings with him a legacy with which few can compete.
The four-time WWE Champion, three-time World Heavyweight Champion, 2007 Royal Rumble winner, and owner of the most impressive winning streak in the history of WrestleMania will certainly have plenty of stories to tell from his 33-year career in the squared circle. What’s even more exciting about The Undertaker’s induction is that the man behind the wrestler (Mark Calaway) has long been protective of his character and rarely shares stories about his past.
Vader
It’s time, it’s time, it’s Vader time! At long last, the high-flying big-man who dominated promotions like WWF, WCW, AWA, NJPW, AJPW, and Pro Wrestling Noah between the 1980s and 2000s, is finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022. Billed at 6’5” and weighing over 400 pounds, "The Man They Call Vader," real name Leon White, was one of the most iconic wrestlers of the 1990s with his combination of powerhouse moves like the “Vader Bomb” and aerial maneuvers like his iconic diving moonsault and intimidating in-ring presence.
The news of Vader’s induction was first revealed by Bleacher Report in March 2022, a little less than four years after the former WCW Champion billed as being from the Rocky Mountains passed away at the age of 63. Vader last appeared on WWE TV at the 2016 Hall of Fame ceremony, where he inducted his longtime opponent, Stan Hansen.
Queen Sharmell
Sharmell Huffman, better known as her in-ring name, Queen Sharmell, will join her husband, two-time Hall of Famer Booker T when she is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April 2022. Her induction was first announced during a March 2022 interview the former WWE superstar gave with Complex, where she discussed the various stages of her career, one that saw her go from being Miss Black America to one of the most consistently entertaining faces in WWE.
Prior to being known as Queen Sharmell, a moniker she took on after Booker T won the 2006 King of the Ring tournament and let the success go to his head, Huffman worked for WCW as a Nitro Girl as well as a valet for other wrestlers. She would later join WWE as an in-ring performer, but an injury put those plans on ice. She began to serve as Booker T’s manager in 2005, and the rest is history.
Shad Gaspard (Warrior Award)
In addition to inducting various former superstars and celebrities into the WWE Hall of Fame each year, the company also honors those who made an impact outside of the ring with the Warrior Award. Since being introduced in 2015, the Warrior Award (which in itself pays respect to the late Ultimate Warrior) has been given to Connor “The Crusher” Michalek, Joan Lunden, Titus O’Neil, and several others, and this year’s award will be given to Shad Gaspard, the former WWE superstar who went missing and was later found dead after saving his son from drowning on a California beach in May 2020. Immediately following his news of his passing, wrestling legends like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Triple H, Ric Flair, and others paid their respects to the wrestler, the man, and his heroic actions.
The news of Gaspard being the 2022 Warrior Award recipient was announced by Fox Sports in March 2022, less than two years after the former member of Cryme Tyme sacrificed his own life for his son. Accepting the award on Gaspard’s behalf will be his wife, Siliana Gaspard, and his young son. It is hard to think of someone more deserving of the award this year.
The Steiner Brothers
In March 2022, The Ringer announced that Rick and Scott Steiner, a.k.a. The Steiner Brothers, would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a tag team, which is fitting, considering the pair broke new ground as a duo in various wrestling promotions around the world, and opened the door to other collegiate-style wrestlers in the years that would follow. For parts of the past 34 years, the Steiner Brothers accumulated titles, end-of-the-year awards, and other accolades in promotions like WWF, WCW, NJPW, and others around the world, thanks to their revolutionary approach to tag-team wrestling and over-the-top personalities.
The Steiner Brothers’ induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is a long time coming, but also one of those inclusions that seemed like it would never happen, considering that Scott Steiner was reportedly banned from attending the 2015 ceremony, per WhatCulture. But, with Rick Steiner’s son, former NXT Champion Bron Breakker, taking the wrestling world by storm and joining the WWE main roster in March 2022, it appears that is all water under the bridge.
If you want to watch each of these superstars be inducted as part of the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame, you can do so when the ceremony airs live following the conclusion of SmackDown on Friday, April 1. But, do note, you will need a Peacock Premium subscription to take in the event and the rest of WrestleMania weekend.
