Big Van Vader deserves the Hall too.

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Big Van Vader, 6" 3 , 420\450 pounds. One of the best big men to ever step inside the squared circle. His shining moments and accolades are mostly in his time spent with WCW. Like Sting. Sting has been recently announced as a hall member and he deserves it with his great career he has carved in professional wrestling. Why not Vader too then ?

Had an excellent powerbomb finisher, a moonsault off the top rope and vicious strikes. Vader has wrestled around the world and has made some big waves while doing so. He's defeated Sting for the WCW Heavyweight Championship clean with a powerbomb. He was involved in Ron Simmons historic title win. Vader was also the most entertaining wrestler ever to watch vs a no name Jobber, he just demolished them with real shots and powerbombs. Vader has won the WCW belt on a few occasions and kicked out of Hulk Hogans leg drop.

He also power bombed Cactus Jack on the concrete floor. He's had a great career and deserves the hall of fame.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Vader will get in eventually. Just about everybody does.

But personally, not a fan of him. I never saw Vader as anything special. He moved well for a big guy, but even as JUST a big guy, I could never see him as being a money talent. Give me Yokozuna over this guy any day.

 

[Prince Vee]

Its funny that you made the post look like Vader deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame for the excessive use of Powerbombs on enumerous stars and for the reason he Kicked out of Hogan's Leg Drop!

Although coming to the real topic, like said, he will get it eventually. There are even more deserving stars than him waiting in the long queue to be the part of the WWE Hall of Fame. So he'll get it eventually.

 

[OYDK]

There were rumors that he'd be going in as early as this year. But yeah, as has been mentioned, Vader will go in eventually. He's at the ceremony every year and unlike Sting, he did spend some time in the WWF main event.

He'll probably be the next "big man" to get inducted. I think people forget how popular and recognizable Vader was as a character in the 90s. I remember watching shows where he'd appear and EVERYBODY (even the non-wrestling fans) knew who he was. I was a big fan of his as well, he played the character great.

 

[ShinChan]

Along with Kane & Abyss, Vader is my favorite big man to ever wrestle. I have enjoyed his matches and his gimmick a lot. His moveset was very good too. So I would be happy to see him going in WWE Hall of Fame!

Give me Yokozuna over this guy any day.

Unlike you, I would take Vader over Yokozuna any day!

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

IMHO Vader WAS the best big man to ever grace a ring, bar none. The intensity, the moveset (specially on Japan), the agility, the stiffness, everything about him was great.

Sadly except for some periods on early WCW, he was mostly misused on the states. But his feud with Sting was awesome (if you have wwe network, watch table for 3 with sting and vader...they talk about it).

Over Japan, the guy was gold, you can pretty much search for any of his matches on AJPW...most of them are great. vs STAN HANSEN, vs KENTA KOBASHI are two of my fav feuds of Vader on AJPW.

 

[J.J.]

Vader absolutely deserves to be in the hall of fame. He wasn't just an amazing athlete, he was a spectacle; a unique blend of a throwback monster and yet a pre-attitude era "character" that just clicked. He was one of the few guys who had somewhat marginal success outside the wrestling world with his Boy Meets World run.

His promos by no means were great, but they didn't need to be because he was, in my mind anyway, Brock Lesnar before Brock Lesnar was around. Vader didn't need to talk because everyone knew he could just shoot rip your arm off and feed it to you if he thought he might enjoy it.

I hope Vader gets inducted soon. He deserves it, and by all accounts is a wonderful person outside of the ring too. I've read numerous interviews where Vader is described as a teddy bear and just one of the nicest people on the planet.

 

[Messiah]

You do realize the Hall of Fame is not something somebody deserves?... It requires no credentials to get in, all they need to be is on good terms with WWE and they'll get in eventually.. It has no credibility. I bet majority of people who accept the Hall of Fame only do it for the paycheck... Vader probably doesn't give 2 shits about the Hall of Fame, unless he's hurting for money.

 

[TheLittleOne]

Vader was the best big man in the history of professional wrestling.. for those of you too young to remember, or only recall his mostly sad 96-98 wwe run... watch 91 92 Vader from wcw on the wwe network.. he was such a good worker, everything from strikes, bumps, promos, guy was legit scary, and VADER vs RON SIMMONS.. VADER vs STING, VADER vs CACTUS JACK heck even VADER on BOY MEETS WORLD!!!..

Leon White, aka the big teddy bear, also had a legendary run in japan, when vader was in the ring with the steiner bros, vader would let scotty & rick toss him around in high neck impact suplexes 20 years prior to Brock owning suplex city..

i would love to see VADER get the nod same year as STINGER since to me, they were each others yin & yang.. imo. i know most say sting & flair but i loved vader , besides 91 luger, i think VADER was wcw's best heel.. especially for 92 93.. again flair was too cool to be TOP heel imo... VADER scared me as a kid, and he always hit hard, he wore padded gloves, and often used open palm strikes, but damn were they stiff..

so yea, any1 with wwe network, go back any 91-93 VADER should be very fun to watch..

 

[TDFG]

Big Van Vader was great, I remember watching him back in WCW when I first started watching wrestling, he used to come out with Harley Race with the Smoke Helmet that Antonio Inoki gave him, he also saved Sycho Sid's life.

Vader deserved at least one run with the WWE title.

 

[Makaveli31]

I never saw Vader as anything special.

Wow, so you saw alot of 450 pound guys doing moonsaults and splashes from the top turnbuckle? How about a guy whose EVERY move was devastating. He was big man who could work great matches with guys like Sting and Flair and make it believable. He was awesome and absolutely devastating in his days in Japan and WCW.

I could never see him as being a money talent. Give me Yokozuna over this guy any day.

Really? How about multiple main events with Sting, Flair and Hogan in WCW? This guy was absolutely money. A big, powerful, guy who could work with anyone! He would've been great in WWF if Vince hadn't cut his balls off. He was a shell in the WWF but like I said in WCW and Japan he was the Mastodon!

please, fat Yokozuna couldn't do half the stuff Vader did and wouldn't hold a candle to Vader

 

[Messiah]

Wow, so you saw alot of 450 pound guys doing moonsaults and splashes from the top turnbuckle? How about a guy whose EVERY move was devastating. He was big man who could work great matches with guys like Sting and Flair and make it believable. He was awesome and absolutely devastating in his days in Japan and WCW.



Really? How about multiple main events with Sting, Flair and Hogan in WCW? This guy was absolutely money. A big, powerful, guy who could work with anyone! He would've been great in WWF if Vince hadn't cut his balls off. He was a shell in the WWF but like I said in WCW and Japan he was the Mastodon!

please, fat Yokozuna couldn't do half the stuff Vader did and wouldn't hold a candle to Vader

Are you fucking brain dead?.. Yokozuna was more of a talent than Vader will ever be, that's why he was World Champion multiple times in WWE and Vader didn't do shit... Vader absolutely sucked and you know it.

 

[Makaveli31]

Are you fucking brain dead?.. Yokozuna was more of a talent than Vader will ever be, that's why he was World Champion multiple times in WWE and Vader didn't do shit... Vader absolutely sucked and you know it.

Multiple time champion?!? He was a one-time champion you fucking idiot.

 

[Makaveli31]

Yokozuna was more of a talent than Vader will ever be

Vader ever will be? He's fucking retired you moron. His career is over. I didn't see Yokozuna doing moonsaults, or splashes off the top turnbuckle. I guess you consider the "banzai butt drop" talent.

What a moron.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Multiple time champion?!? He was a one-time champion you fucking idiot.

No, Yokozuna was a 2-Time WWE Champion.

 

[Makaveli31]

No, Yokozuna was a 2-Time WWE Champion

I'm not counting that bullshit 10 second reign after WM 9. I'm talking about a real championship run as THE guy. We can split hairs and say he technically was a 2 time champ but we all know he had ONE run as champ. Thats like saying Andre the Giant or Ted Dibiase are former WWF World Champs.

 

[Makaveli31]

Plus who gives a shit if he was a one time or two time champ? That was not the argument. Stop being stupid marks counting "world title" reigns like they are heavyweight fighters.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Vader will get in eventually. Just about everybody does.

But personally, not a fan of him. I never saw Vader as anything special. He moved well for a big guy, but even as JUST a big guy, I could never see him as being a money talent. Give me Yokozuna over this guy any day.

He WAS money... but not used like it and sadly, how he was poorly used by Vince has defined his career.

This guy was a BEAST in the early 1990's... he was the Brock Lesnar of his day, legit tough as evidenced from the eyeball incident, massive around the world as a draw and able to work against almost any style...smaller guys like Sting, strong guys like Davey and Simmons and brawlers like Cactus.

Vader is one of the few pre-NWO success WCW had, they took this guy with the killer rep and made him better by putting him with Harley Race, removing the goofy helmet and building him to be a monster. He could be beaten, but he'd be right back on your tail and more dangerous - the one night title run Sting had in the UK made that work.

Vince hired that guy - started him off as that guy by letting him take out Monsoon - that was HUGE... but ultimately Shawn was smarting from his buddies leaving and took it out on Vader - ruining the plans for him to be the guy to best Shawn in favor of Sid, who it could never be said was "as good".

It killed that credibility and he became just another big man, which is tragic really because he deserved to be the top beast in WWE... I always got the feeling Vince KNEW he'd fucked up with Vader and that was why they kept his son around in Developmental for so long, even when it was clear he wasn't gonna make it. A HOF nod is not only likely, but if they are going with a Sting theme (and possible Hansen induction) this year, an easy add. For everyone who claims Flair was his greatest opponent, there is someone who will say Vader or Rude was (I say the latter) so it's probably right all 3 go in. Of course the difficulty is with 2 of 4 Freebirds dead... but that shouldn't matter as they're gonna have Hayes and Garvin there...

Vader is someone who to an extent is a good advert for the business... Came in from the NFL, became a world-wide star, got out relatively healthy and can still show up from time to time. That last time with Slater, it really seemed like he could have stuck around a few months.

Could they still use him? I think so - he'd be a perfect manager type now in the way Harley was for him. If they can find someone close to what he was in 1991 then it'd be a good idea. In a different world I could have seen Rusev being that guy.

WWE needs to get a lot of guys into the HOF - that's the only difficulty. Vader is on that top rung with Pillman, Rude, Bossman, Davey & Demolition...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think that anyone can justifiably say, at least not in my view, that Vader doesn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame. Vader's a 3 time All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, 3 time Catch Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion, 3 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a 3 time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Basically, beginning in the late 80s, he was a huge star wherever he went and probably the last truly great super heavyweight in American wrestling.

I've no doubt he'll wind up in the HOF at some point, I'd rather it happen sooner than later, but it'll happen.

 

[TDFG]

For anyone to say that Vader doesn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame, just remember Koko B. Ware has already been inducted.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

For anyone to say that Vader doesn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame, just remember Koko B. Ware has already been inducted.

Koko is in for different reasons, political reasons... they are mentioned in Bret's book but in short he was the Alberto Del Rio of 1992... racially abused by Vince's number 2, took exception/dealt with it and was fired. The HOF is the "apology".

Him being in there is different to Vader going in - there will always be political picks, I would say the Freebirds arguably are this year - after all if Hogan is "out" for stuff said 8 years back, then Hayes surely shouldn't go in for stuff said at a similar time while WORKING for the company...to an EMPLOYEE... but hey that's just me. Vader totally deserves the honor, the HOF is made for guys like that...

 

[Navi]

For anyone to say that Vader doesn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame, just remember Koko B. Ware has already been inducted.

Every year there is a Hall of Fame thread and Koko B. Ware's name is brought up. It's like well if he's there anyone can be. Get over the fact that he is in the HOF. Was he put in before other more worthy wrestlers, maybe. Should he even be there at all, debatable. None the less Koko B. Ware is in the WWE Hall of Fame, just learn to live with it. Everyone who is anyone will get in eventually, for those that give a shit.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I suppose there will always be an issue when it comes to WCW guys entering the WWE Hall of Fame......because while WCW is now a part of WWE in an administrative sense, it isn't in a historic sense.

Sure, Vader performed in WWE, but only because WCW failed. It's arguable (highly arguable) whether he ever would have switched companies had he not been left with nowhere to go after the tent was folded in Atlanta.

Plus, no one wants to argue that Vader was anything but a shell of his former self when working in Stamford, do they?

The big guy will eventually get in, as many in this topic are saying. He had a fine career.....he just didn't have it where it counted most.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I suppose there will always be an issue when it comes to WCW guys entering the WWE Hall of Fame......because while WCW is now a part of WWE in an administrative sense, it isn't in a historic sense.

Sure, Vader performed in WWE, but only because WCW failed. It's arguable (highly arguable) whether he ever would have switched companies had he not been left with nowhere to go after the tent was folded in Atlanta.

Plus, no one wants to argue that Vader was anything but a shell of his former self when working in Stamford, do they?

The big guy will eventually get in, as many in this topic are saying. He had a fine career.....he just didn't have it where it counted most.

That's not true....rare for you dude, but way off the mark... He signed at the end of 1995 and debuted early 1996 - He left WCW cos the Hogan era had begun and he was frozen out. WCW didn't fold for a long time - Vader was out of the picture long before that in 1998.

He debuted REAL strong in WWE as the reason Gorilla Monsoon was taken off TV, with Camp Cornette and all the way until Summerslam was portrayed as a beast...Monsoon was so important in the WWF backstage that them letting Vader be that guy over one of their own showed they were serious about him... They could have used any of their home grown talents for that and got someone over as a heel.

Then Shawn refused the job and it started to go wrong. But in that early period, Vader was given the appropriate push, once he lost to Shawn - that value was diminished and they even made him a face....

But to say he only got to WWE cos WCW failed is a dis-service... Vader was a "steal" in the same way Simmons, Dustin, Foley, Pillman and Jericho were... WCW peaked after he left... but the damage was done by Shawn... another career he helped wreck.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He signed at the end of 1995 and debuted early 1996

I stand corrected. Usually, my memory is better than that but I honestly don't recall the Shawn Michaels and Undertaker feuds. Even more, it amazes me he signed with WWE that far back.

The guy was a huge deal in WCW and I read what you said about him being frozen out in the late 90's. Still, why would WCW do that? Was it part of the 'Eric Bischoff believing himself to be God and making the mistakes that would eventually sink the company' or was there a consensus that Vader wasn't worth the effort anymore?

At any rate, I still recall him as not being nearly as effective in WWE as he had been previously, yet WWE management must have believed in him to feature him as prominently as you say.

....rare for you dude

I'm not a dude, y'know.