11. Vader
When it comes to flat-out, straight-up intimidating monsters, they don’t come much nastier or imposing than The Man They Call Vader. A former professional football player and a super heavyweight in Japanese wrestling, Vader’s stock in the U.S. rose upon his time in WCW during the early 1990s. Big Van Vader, the hulking former IWGP Heavyweight Champion made an instant mark in WCW, destroying top babyface Sting in some truly memorable, brutal matches.
The presentation of Vader during those times has rarely been topped when it comes to showcasing someone as a monster bad guy. With Harley Race at his side, and a creepy, intimidating, smoke-spewing helmet as part of his entrance, Vader had many an opponent and fan dousing their drawers before he’d even stepped between the ropes.
Upon debuting in the then-WWF in 1996, Vader was hyped up as the true monster that he was. Hopes were high, and it looked as if Vader was set to take Vince McMahon’s organization by storm as he ran through its top guys. Unfortunately for Vader fans, running through top WWF guys was something that rarely happened for the mastodon. As soon as he debuted, shoulder problems meant that the former WCW World Champion needed time off.
Then the biggest nail in the coffin for Vader’s WWF run wasShawn Michaels refusing to lose the WWF Title to him at SummerSlam ’96. After that, he’d stay with the company for another 2 years, but this was mostly spent jerking the curtain and doing the J.O.B. to up-and-comers such as Mark Henry, Bradshaw, and Edge.
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