WCW vs WWF: Vader

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next in the series...

'The Mastadon'
Big Van Vader

Years in Promotions
WCW:1990-1995
WWF: 1996-1998​

What would you say looking at feuds, matches, impact created and accomplishments...Vader is WCW or WWF??
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Lets break it down!
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Feuds
WCW
Ric Flair, Sting, Cactus Jack, Davey Boy Smith, The Guardian Angel, Hulk Hogan, Jum Duggan...

WWF
Shawn Michaels, Yokozuna, Kane, Goldust...
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Championships & Accomplishments
WCW
1-time WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
3-time WCW World Heavyweight Championship

WWF
Slammy Award for Crime of the Century (1996) - Assault on WWF President Gorilla Monsoon
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My Opinion
I would have to look at everything in a simple way and saw WCW, he had title reigns, he created a much bigger impact their, had better feuds most notably Sting and I like some of his hardcore matches there...All he did in WWF in my head is challenge for the WWF championship with HBK and not winning it, maybe he didn't deserve it, but also he lost his mask..
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What would you say??

Please keep thread on topic thank-you!

 

[Zaahir3000]

In WCW Vader was one of the most violent and feared men in the industry. I actually had nightmares about Vader killing my entire family. In WWE he became a P---y

 

[crow75789]

Vader was Sting's greatest nemesis, and wrecked havoc on the WCW roster, winning the title on 3 occasions and dropping the belt to Ron Farooq Simmons on one occasion.

 

[nutt]

Vader's WWF run was very weak. There are so many backstage politics that played into this, especially with HBK refusing to do jobs during his title reigns, one in particular being Vader.

Vader was going to get a Kane-esque run with the WWF title (win it at the PPV, drop it the next night on RAW), albeit to create a buzz in the company.

 

[AttitudeAJM]

Vader had one great year in the WWF and that was 1996. Every year after that was mired by injury and his increasing weight gain. His years in New Japan and WCW were definitely the best of his career. Although he had a fantastic run in 1999 in All Japan Pro Wrestling.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Vaders WCW days were awesome and his WWE days cannot touch what he did while in WCW. In WCW Vader was an unstoppable monster who just plowed through his competition. This guy almost completely destroyed Mick Foleys face (and played a part in Foley losing his ear), and broke a wrestlers back with a powerbomb (even though it was an obvious accident, it helps with his reputation kayfabe wise) and sat at the top of the mountain most of the time he was there. Not only that, Vader was by far my favorite guy in WCW back in the early 90's (even more than Sting), he also was good at promos and he also had the ability to put on a great match.

Outside of the first 6-8 months of his WWE run, we never really saw the monster that Vader really was as he was a lot more tame, especially in comparison to guys like The Undertaker, Kane and Mankind. He was good in the WWE, but nowhere near the level he was in WCW.

His WCW days is what made me a fan of him, and when I remember Vader, I remember his WCW days alot more than I do his WWE days.

 

[ccotreau1]

Here I am going to say WCW, even though I never watched him there...he had more success there. I only remember him from World Wrestling Federation. But in watching some of his WCW matches that I have on DVD, I can see why he was so good there.

 

[Puffey]

Completely disrespected in WWE. No one who saw him in WCW knows he was done justice in WWE.

 

[Travaje]

I forget that Vader was even in WWE. They probably only hired him because at that time, they would have hired anybody just to stay afloat. I'm sure that's the only plan they had for him. Another thing: pretend Vader in WWE was as badass as he was in his peak in WCW, and he won the WWE title from Shawn Michaels. Vader still would have not drawn more money as the champ as Michaels, and even more so, would have not drawn viewers away from the NWO. So to make the comparison is just silly.

If this doesn't drive my point home, I don't know what will. We all know how Vince likes to take guys who were in other promotions and create an entire new character and try to build him up from scratch. He does this with 90%+ of the guys. He didn't with Vader. Why? Because he didn't see anything in him, at all, as anybody. Vince's plan, if he had one at all, had to have been something similar to what WCW did with Sting after Flair left: feed HBK a rapid-fire amount of opponents who will job to him to make Michaels, far and away their #1 and possibly only draw over enough to keep people interested enough until they came up with something better.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

I remember seeing the promos hyping Big Van Vader coming to WCW and I was in awe! When he arrived I thought he was all kinds of bad ass just destroying everything in his path. His feuds with Sting and Foley in WCW were so cool, but once Hogan got there he was done for.

The only thing I remember about Vader in WWE was at some PPV, an In Your House event I think, after he lost the match he did a ringside interview with Jim Ross. Ross asked him something and Vader replied something like "I suck. I am nothing but a big fat piece of shit. I suck." Ross was speechless and I don't think I ever saw Vader in WWE after that.

 

[Puffey]

Vince is the only wrestling promoter in the world who will not give a guy the dues they earned in the buisness. Ric Flair was the only guy who left another promotion nd was treated with that sort of respect.Vader was the best in the world at this time, point blank. Look at how poorly DDP was used. Booker T. was only a shell of his former self. Jerry Lawler was feuding with Doink the Clown. Lex Luger was used as a prop to pump up other guys. Goldberg had maybe two good months, and he was by far the most over guy in the wrestling world. How many guys from WCW came and was treated like trash. Sting stated this very obvious reason as to why he never went there.

 

[AttitudeAJM]

Vader was the best in the world at this time, point blank.

Vader was actually coming off of a horrible 1995. Not all of it was his fault. He lost his mouth piece and manager Harley Race due to injuries from a car accident and his feud with Hulk Hogan was marred by some of the worst finishes ever. His amazing run in WCW really ended when Hulk Hogan showed up. Afterward, He played second fiddle to the Hogan/Flair feud.

 

[Money Inc.]

You have to go with WCW.

The hype for his match with Flair at 93' Starrcade was intense. I believe it was one of the best hype up matches in the history of our industry.

He also had more brilliant feuds in WCW.

His WWF run was ruined by back stage politics. He accidentally grabbed Shawn Michaels pigtails and Shawn got his push derailed.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Do we really need to compare? WCW hands down. Admittedly toward the end of his WCW run he was getting booked to be embarrassed by Hogan but even that was better than most of his WWF run. I'm a huge Vader fan and looking back I'm disgusted at how he never won a single title in WWF when he's been revered as one of the true legends of wrestling, especially in japan.

 

[conici]

I'm going to say WCW it made vader he had title reings 3 time world champion in wcw and a very weak run in WWF so its really no choice

 

[chuck_billy]

Did Vader ever say the phrase, "I fear no man. I feel no pain!" even once in the WWF? Probably couldn't because of some dumb copyright thing.

I remember watching WCW and Vader was pretty much unstoppable for a while. He was a reason to watch. On the other hand, he really wasn't a reason to watch WWF and it wasn't his fault.

I say WCW.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Vader was better in WCW and I don't think that anyone can make an even remotely valid argument for WWF in this situation.

When Vader was in WCW in the early to mid 90s, he was like a force of nature. He had size, power and was pretty damn athletic for a man as big as he was. I'd never seen a 400 pound man do a moonsault before and when Vader did it, I knew that he was different than any other superheavyweight that'd come before him. In my view, Vader is probably the last truly great superheavyweight in wrestling.

In WCW, Vader had a number of memorable feuds, he was a three time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and was a literal force within the company.

 

[Kenny Powers]

As some have already said, Vader was more of an unstoppable force that accomplished more in WCW than in WWF. He was on a roll in WWF in the beginning when he took out Gorilla Monsoon. He was in the main event against Shawn Michaels in WWF, but never became champion. He had some feuds with Undertaker and Bret Hart, but it never lead to anything. He didn't even hold any singles titles in WWF. In WCW he was a 3 time WCW Heavyweight champion. He had great feuds with Sting, Hogan, Flair, and Cactus Jack.

Vader was responsible for causing Mick Foley to lose half of his ear in Germany. Vader was more of a threat in WCW and accomplished more. At the end of his run in WWF, he was a shell of his former self.

 

[mikeyboy]

WCW all the way, he was totally brutal in WCW a completely unstopable monster that people feared, in wwf he just wasnt as impressive at all , it was like a watered down version of his wcw days.

 

[WWFNWA78]

Vader in the WCW was great..he was a huge monster heel, and besides Rick Rude in the mid 90's...he was one of the best heels..being teamed with Harley Race...he had the toughest meanest streak in WCW...winning the WCW Title 3 times, and taking Mick Foleys ear lobe off was pretty incredible...but after losing the title to Ric Flair at starrcade 93, i feel his monster gimmick was winding down, and of course with what happened to Foley, should have been an oppiturnity to make him a huger monster heel.

But than came Hulk Hogan, and what should have been a killer feud, turned out not too be as Hogan didn't sell Vader at all, and soon he was turned into a face, and after that backstage fight with Paul Orndorrf where Orndorff kicked his butt..he was shown out the door of WCW.

a few months later the WWF Picked him up, and i liked the move..i figured Vince could make him into a huge monster heel again, and for a bit he was..powerbombing Gorilla Monsoon, and attacking like he did back in the WCW days, but after losing to Shawn Michaels at Summerslam 96, and getting teamed with Mick Foley...and with the Attitude era lifting off..he wasn't the same, and by 98 he left the WWF.

Definetly in WCW where he was the best.

 

[Tor187]

WCW without question. Vince brought him to the WWF to put over his stars to make it seem that WWF > WCW. Vader was WCW's greatest heel in the early 90's and he put over Shawn Michaels consistently, most memorably Summerslam 1996

Vader was better in WCW and I don't think that anyone can make an even remotely valid argument for WWF in this situation.

When Vader was in WCW in the early to mid 90s, he was like a force of nature. He had size, power and was pretty damn athletic for a man as big as he was. I'd never seen a 400 pound man do a moonsault before and when Vader did it, I knew that he was different than any other superheavyweight that'd come before him. In my view, Vader is probably the last truly great superheavyweight in wrestling.

In WCW, Vader had a number of memorable feuds, he was a three time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and was a literal force within the company.

I agree with most of your post but Bam Bam Bigelow was no doubt the most agile big man in the history of wrestling.