WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2022 Roundup

Written by James Holder • Published 2nd April 2022
WWE Hall Of Fame logo over roster WWE Hall of Famer

Here’s what went down at the WWE Hall of Fame, the night that the Superstars for today, pay tribute to the Superstars of yesterday.

The first inductee into the Class of 2022 were The Steiner Brothers, who were inducted by Rick Steiner’s son and NXT star Bron Breakker.

Getting the proceedings underway, Breakker joked that handing his uncle Scott a live microphone was the biggest risk of his career. With the two legends taking their place in the ring, Scott was first to speak, thanking the fans and the wrestlers they competed against during their career. This included a glorious anecdote involving Macho Man Randy Savage and some cows.

Rick Steiner joked that he hadn’t been left any time to speak, before thanking his family. But finally he paid tribute to his brother stood beside him, who he said had taken him to heights he could never imagine.

The Steiner’s were followed by Booker T who inducted his wife Sharmell. After a rousing speech from Booker in tribute to his wife, Sharmell arrived complete with trademark royal wave. The Queen thanked all of the stars she worked with through her lengthy career, even the Boogeyman and his worms!

In return she also heaped praise on her husband, commenting that it was easy to be a Queen when he performed so perfectly as a King.

Next up was the Warrior Award which was posthumously presented to Shad Gaspard. Gaspard tragically passed away in May 2020, after being among a group of swimmers caught in a rip current. It was later revealed that Gaspard had instructed lifeguards to save his son first instead of coming to help him.

Gaspard’s wife and son were initially joined in the ring by JTG, who was the late star’s tag team partner in WWE. In a little heart-warming moment, JTG performed the handshake he used to do in the ring with Shad, with his son.

The touching speech that followed, simply proved that Shad Gaspard was a hero.

The penultimate inductee into the Class of 2022 was Vader, who was inducted by his wife and his son. The video package beforehand showed Vader at his devastating best. In the clip, Mick Foley quipped that Vader’s moves looked so devastating because they really were!

In the ring, Vader’s son toasted his Dad’s accomplishment’s both in the ring and as a father outside of it. Closing with one question, what time is it? It’s time, it’s time, it’s Vader time!

Of course the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was headlined by none other than The Undertaker. The Deadman was inducted by the WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon.

‘The Boss’ proceeded to pay tribute to the man who had performed in his company for three decades. He described what he had meant to the industry and what he had meant to him personally. He noted that, WCW never came knocking for The Undertaker because they knew he would never leave.

He also hailed the legend for his unwavering love and dedication to the wrestling business, via some memories of him delivering a Tombstone Piledriver to Triple H on an escalator at a train station.

By the time Undertaker made to the ring, everyone in the building was standing. The microphones picked up Taker telling McMahon he loved him before the crowd gave an ovation which lasted give minutes, leaving The Phenom emotional and speechless.

Eventually he began his speech by thanking the fans and promising to give them a glimpse of the man behind The Undertaker.

He recalled the moment when he knew that he had to become a professional wrestler at the urging of his brother, before shouting out Shane and Stephanie McMahon, as well as The Godfather and the rest of the BSK. The star also gave an emotional thank you to both Brian Adams and Paul Bearer. A man apparently known for putting cucumbers in people’s drinks.

Taker then turned his attention to Kane and the “greatest wrestling story ever told.” He joked that Kane now insists on being called Mr Mayor, before poking fun at him for stealing his moves.

Continuing on, the veteran thanked all of the great names who came before him, as well as the people who created his outfits and the doctor’s who repaired him time after time. This led him to to hail Shawn Michaels and Triple H for their respective matches at WrestleMania.

In closing, a visibly emotional Undertaker paid tribute to his family, including his parents and his children. Before moving on to Vince McMahon, who he described as a “father figure.” He even joked that McMahon can’t love him as much as he says he does because of the matches that he kept putting him in.

As he left he donned his signature long black coat and hat one more time, as fans chanted for one more match, to which he cryptically replied “Never say never” before leaving the ring.

“You can rest assured now that I am in the WWE Hall of Fame, I will, Rest In Peace.”