If I had posted in this thread about 4 months ago, I would have said hell no. However, I created a thread asking if Undertaker was the greatest big man wrestler ever and I was ultimately schooled in who Big Van Vader actually was.
You held your own, quite effectively, against a pro-Vader grouping that ultimately turned into an angry mob.
IMO, Vader deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. Let's be honest, people are in the hall of fame who have done less in Professional Wrestling than Vader. Vader is arguably the greatest big man wrestler of all time (I say arguably because I still think that it is Undertaker).
Ah yes, the Pete Rose rule. Several people have done less and gotten more.
I have some criteria which I use when determining my stance on somebody's hall-of-fame credentials. One of those criterion is influence on the business. Big Van Vader truly helped to redefine the way the world looked at the Superheavyweight. Bam Bam Bigelow falls into this category as well, but Vader more so.
Vader was an angry, hard to control monster. This is a basic characteristic for many SHW's when you look back on it. Earthquake, Bundy, One Man Gang, Yokozuna, Mark Henry at times, etc. Huge guys who truly know that they are huge and exist to squash all of the smaller guys.
Furthermore, Vader had a prominant manager whose role wasn't just to speak for the big man, but to control him. That man was the great Harley Race. Race, who was an all-time great heel, helped add a new dimension of viciousness to Vader. He was a manager with too much power, because he controlled the monster whom the world feared. Think James Mitchell with Abyss, Paul Bearer with Undertaker, Kim Chee with Kamala, Jimmy Hart with Earthquake, Bobby Heenan with Bundy AND Andre...
It really stops there, though. Vader then would transcend all of the SHW stereotypes, and the one word I can sum it up into is versatility. Vader could brawl with you like there was no tomorrow. He was an adept striker (opponents often spoke of how terrifying it was to do the spot in the corner where Vader pummeled then with the short hands because of how stiff and strong he was), a terrific mat wrestler (see the matches with Inoki in Japan), and of course, a brilliant arielist. Not just the moonsaults, but the Vader splash, the drop kicks, and the clotheslines. He was so many things other SHW's were not, and he has the winning record against Sting and Cactus Jack to prove it.
As for The Undertaker, I am okay agreeing to disagree with you. Besides, if you and I stand here and call Vader and Taker the best Big Men in history, who could be upset with that? Look at the company either man is in. And could you imagine if these two men had met in their primes? Like 1993-94?
Most of his legacy was in international wrestling however and that is where the problem is. He is not really known by the majority of today's wrestling fans. He had a great run in WCW, but many fans today still do not know who he was and I was one of them. If you really look at his matches though, he was outstanding in the ring. Any 300+ pound man doing moonsaults and coming off the top rope is impressive by itself, but Vader did it like a light weight. He really was a joy to watch in the ring.
So tragically true. Even on these boards, I am reminded that Vader's WCW hayday was almost 20 years ago. And when people think of international wrestling, it's rare that Vader's name comes up. But you're absolutely right. Vader is a man who was a World Heavyweight Champion on three different continents (North America, Europe, Asia), and a performer on every stage imaginable.
Vader belongs in the pro wrestling HOF.
He doesn't belong in the WWE Hall of Fame unless Vince is willing to credit Vader with his WCW days. He can't rightfully get his hands on the New Japan stuff. That's the real shame of it - Vince and the folks in Japan wouldn't collaborate to make the difinitive Vader DVD.
But as long as he's fondly remembered on boards like these, I'm cool.
Now time for me to post before I go on a Hogan rant 