**WTF, (Fill In The Blank) is a series of opinionated pieces where DieHard calls into question the creative and day-to-day decisions that are arguably “bad for business”.** SUBJECT: (Big Van) […]
**WTF, (Fill In The Blank) is a series of opinionated pieces where DieHard calls into question the creative and day-to-day decisions that are arguably “bad for business”.**
SUBJECT: (Big Van) Vader
QUESTION: Why is he NOT in the WWE Hall of Fame?
WHY HE SHOULD BE:
First off, if you’re not familiar with Vader – then you’re NOT a REAL wrestling fan. They have this invention called “the internet”, …I suggest you use it sometime.
Before the Monday Night Wars changed the grand scheme of the business…before the territories were evaporated from the lay of the land…and before fans became confused on how to properly identify a babyface and heel in the circus of pro wrestling, Vader was THE dominate money-drawing big guy, main eventer, champion and most hated heel…in WCW. I say that because his run in WWE, well…, not so good – but we’ll get to that in a few.
In a nutshell, Vader is multi-time global champion. It’s debatable whether he saw the majority of his success in WCW or Japan, but regardless of the continents where he earned his gold, Vader’s body of work cannot be denied. His vicious in-ring style struck deep-rooted fear into the hearts of both the fans AND his opponents, and when pitted against the heroes of the company, there was a legit fear that the men who boldly walked into the opposing side of the ring would have no choice but to be carried out. Just ask Sting’s back, Ric Flair’s teeth, and Mick Foley’s ear.
Standing at 6’5 and a rock-solid 375 lbs, his agility was absolutely incredible. Keep in mind, the only thing a big man had to do in the late 80’s and early 90’s, was give the perception that they were too big to beat, too heavy to lift, and too strong to attack. There was no need for someone that size to venture to the top turnbuckle, let alone execute a moonsault. We’d seen big men in the past attempt to defy the odds against their size – namely Bam Bam Bigelow. The problem is, once the other big men were out of their element, they exposed their weaknesses. Once they left their feet, their sense of weight distribution was lost. Once the aerial risk was considered, the fear of missing the target and crashing through the mat like the Hindenburg took control of their performance wheel. And once little Jack figured out how to get the big bad giant down to his knees, off of his feet or flat on his back – then the only strategy they needed was to keep him there…but NOT Vader!
Vader was a different kind of beast. He was fueled by his inner rage and other’s fear. Vader was absolutely unstoppable. And though few and far between, when Vader experienced the rarity of defeat – the winners had no time to celebrate. Instead, the time would be wisely used to run. Sure, chalk up the victory in the record books. And after you do, …RUN!
I can go on and on, reliving moments and history that easily support the significance of his career – but YOU can do that yourself on Wikipedia or YouTube. So let’s cut to the brass tax and discuss – or shall I say “speculate”, why the illustrious WWE Hall of Fame has yet to honor the conductor of your fears.
WHY HE ISN’T:
Let’s call a spade a spade and state the obvious – Vader is NOT a WWE creation. He was NOT the vision nor the brain-child of Vince McMahon. As a matter of fact, I firmly believe that Vince McMahon was envious of WCW’s monster. He desperately wanted one of his own, and instead of luring him into his white talent kidnapping van with a trail of money, Vince was obsessively inspired to build an even bigger monster – and he named it Yokozuna.
Now if you’re a strong alpha male, you know that raging erection just doesn’t go away until you’ve conquered the sole reason you got hard enough to cut diamonds. Yeah, you may have snagged one even bigger and quite possibly better, but you’ll always look at the one that got away with lust in your eyes. It’s like a hunting trophy, or bragging rights to tell the boys that you chased it down and claimed it your own. Sure it was 5 years too late and she put on a few extra pounds, but the victory is all in the name!
Vader ended up on the WWE roster in 1996, and made a huge impact upon his debut – but the impact fizzled rather quickly. There are a multitude of reasons and theories why Vader’s WWE run was considered a failure, and …well, f**k it, here’s a few:
Luckily for Vader, he returned to Japan and not only regained his confidence, but was once again appreciated by fans and properly booked by promoters. How could you not? This badass got his eyeball knocked out of his head by Stan Hansen – then he pushed his dangling eyeball back into the socket and continued the match! It’s ironic how Vader inducted Hansen into the Hall, when Hansen never wrestled in a WWE ring. That would be like Koko B Ware getting inducted by The Honky Tonk Man – oh wait, that DID happen!
I’ve never heard of any heat between WWE and Vader, as they’ve offered him a legends contract for use of his likeness in action figures and video games, and he’s been invited to make appearances on old school editions of Raw. Unfortunately, his run with WWE was short-lived and nothing memorable. Just clearly another case of “creative has no f***ing clue what to do with you”.
Will he ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame? ABSOLUTELY!
When….? Who knows. But it is long overdue.
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