Oh, and if WWE now suddenly wants to induct him into the HOF, I hope his family replies 'Go Fuck Yourselves."
I agree with the a big F U to the WWE, Vince, and HHH but if I were Jessie, I would have to accept it. It was all Vader wanted when he was given his 2 years time. Waltman talked about how Vader wanted to be in the HOF and Foley’s message also showed how important the WWE HOF was to him and how he and Foley didn’t understand why he wasn’t in the Hall. It’s a shame that an all time great heel personality and in-ring talent and a great draw in Vader never got his due.
Here’s Foley’s tribute to Vader he wrote as the foreword to Vader’s book:
“I had a unique problem in the spring of 1993 for which there was really only one solution. I had become a babyface - a good guy for Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW) - a few months earlier, and things were going fairly well with one exception; it was difficult for me to get sympathy from the fans. As a heel, a bad guy, I’d been portrayed as a guy who thrived on pain, maybe even liked it - which helped create a very interesting wrestling villain persona. It did not, however, make for a terribly sympathetic portrait as a good guy.
I requested a meeting with WCW booker Dusty Rhodes, and together we came up with a plan to combat the sympathy problem. Quite simply, I would wrestle Vader. Two matches, twenty stitches, a broken nose, and a memorable ambulance ride later, my sympathy problem was a thing of the past. Vader had cured it.
It was almost impossible not to feel a sense of sympathy for an opponent of Leon White during his career as Vader. To me, he was the most believable, most talented “monster” wrestler of his generation. No one was better at being the immovable object, that inpenetrable wall than Leon White. Eventually - if you worked hard enough, and if it was in the interest of doing business - the object would move and the wall would crumble in spectacular fashion. But if you were his opponent, he’d make damn sure that you were the very best irresistible force you could possibly be - or he’d eat you alive. The price you paid to be the best you could be against Vader was high - but the rewards for going places you didn’t know you could go, until he helped you get there, were even higher.
Every year fans wonder if Leon and White will finally be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and every year, most of those HOF slots are filled by wrestlers who didn’t draw a fraction of the money, or contribute to the wrestling business on nearly the level that Leon White/Vader did. I’m not belittling the importance of the WWE Hall of Fame. Indeed, being inducted was one of the personal highlights of my career. But the selection process is more than a little subjective in nature. In the event that he continues to be overlooked, let me put forth my criteria for which Leon White should not only be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but be considered one of the greatest, most influential wrestlers of his generation.
1) He drew more money, with a wider variety of opponents, for different promotions, on a global basis, than just about any of his contemporaries. Basically, until WWE tried to fix something that wasn’t broken, Vader was money everywhere he went.
2) He brought out the best in his opponents. Vader “paid it forward” by bringing out the very best in some of the greatest stars of his time, and of all time.
3) His matches stand the test of time. No matter what trends the business may go through, Vader’s believable brawling, combined with his impressive athleticism will never go out of style.
4) He was able to turn a 6’4, 300 pound maniac with a love for pain into a sympathetic underdog.
Who’s the man? Leon White was, and always will be.”
Rest in peace, my friend.”