Well it’s January again, that means it’s nearly time for the Royal Rumble. For over thirty-five years the Rumble has guaranteed massive surprises and epic letdowns. Sometimes new faces make their debut for the company. As what usually happens when I write a video for this channel, what started as me looking at debuts of big stars ended as a deep dive into why Vader left WCW in the first place, and the timeline leading up to his arrival at the Rumble. We’ll get there, but it’ll be a while off.
It's not often that a main event level star just leaves a major company for another, especially having enjoyed the success that he had, especially as well get into, with the deal Vader had. By this point Vader was a three time IWGP champion, and three time WCW World champion, but it would all start to fall apart when would be suspended following a backstage fight with Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff that happened around early September, and as a result, he just barely missed out on being involved in the first episode of Nitro. While he could be seen in the opening video of the first show, he wouldn’t actually appear. According to the Pro Wrestling Torch at the time, Vader had been scheduled to face Hulk Hogan for the WCW World title on the second episode, but would be replaced on that night, and in his storyline leading to a War Games match by the returning Lex Luger. The Wrestling Observer would also note that Vader’s next pay per view opponent at Halloween Havoc was slated to be Meng. I can only imagine what a hoss fight that would have been. In the following weeks Observer there was even talk of Vader beating Hogan for the World title. This would be a way of making Nitro seem like a can’t miss show where big title changes could happen any week. Vader's last ever match in WCW would air on the September 9th episode of Saturday night, where he would destroy two enhancement talents, Bobby Starr and Scott D’Amore for future TNA fame in under two minutes.
In the September 11th ‘95 Observer, Dave Meltzer notes that Vader had been apologetic over what happened with Orndorff, and Paul also wasn’t against Vader coming back. It is also here where Dave first brings up the idea of Vader going to WWE, saying “If he were to go to WWF, which would be the almost certain end result if WCW wouldn’t take him back, he’d be working four times as much for a lot less money. He’d be far more recognized in airports and would almost surely get a lengthy run as the top heel in the company, but at 39 with a history of back and knee problems, I’m not sure that takes precedence over a guaranteed contract. Not to mention that at his weight and with the bumps he takes and type of matches he works on the big shows, he’s been very injury prone and has missed numerous house shows even on the relatively easier WCW road schedule.” In the following week's issue Dave goes further into Vader contractual status with WCW. “Vader has a contract through the end of March in 1999 at approximately $750,000 per year and obviously doesn’t want to blow the deal and has apologized to everyone involved. WCW has sent a cease and desist letter to WWF claiming Vader is under contract and that any contact with him they would consider tampering.” A bit rich from them given how they had only just brought Luger back one day after his final WWE appearance at a house show by the way.
Though it was thought that Vader had been fired, the October 9th Observer notes that this might not be the case. “Vegas indie promoter T.C. Martin was interested in using Vader and was told he’d have to go through WCW to get the date cleared, which means that he hasn’t been fired despite rumors going around to the contrary. He is suspended and he’s not being paid, but a final decision hasn’t been made. There is really no consensus right now one way or the other about what the ultimate decision will be but he clearly has his enemies.” In the same edition of the Observer though, Dave notes that “Tatsumi Fujinami is going to try and contact Big Van Vader for his first show on 10/29.” Fujinami having worked for WCW before might well have better connections, and so this might not be the contradiction it looks like.
In the October 30th issue, Vader’s release would be reported. “The official reason for the firing was that his 90-day review window had passed and that since he was medically unable to wrestle because of a shoulder injury, they were cancelling the contract on that basis, so officially the incident with Paul Orndorff was never specified probably for legal reasons since Orndorff, according to reports, egged on rather than quelled a messy situation.” Dave also notes though that every promotion is going to want to bring Vader in, but he will likely take time off to deal with the shoulder injury. According to the Observer the injury occurred in a cage match with Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach. In a somewhat bizarre part, Dave notes that Vader had wanted to try a shooting star press, a relatively new move at the time. Given how wooden and unpolished Vader’s moonsault looked, the idea of him trying an inverse flip off the top is a terrifying prospect. If you’re wondering as to how he was injured but still wrestling, the Observer notes that “He continued to work on heavy medication for the next two months until the Orndorff incident, at which point WCW suspended him without pay.”
The next time Vader would step in a ring would be on January 4th ‘96 for New Japan in the Tokyo Dome, pre the days of Wrestle Kingdom. Vader would wrestle one of his most famous opponents for the final time, Antonio Inoki. Years earlier on the same date, Inoki had made a star out of Vader by taking a beating from him, but this time Vader would do the honours, tapping out to an armbar from Inoki. In the January 15th ‘96 Observer it would be reported that “Inoki, who turns 53 later this month, allowed himself to absorb a Cactus Jack-like beating from Vader in order to get the match over as a classic. It was reported to us that this was the single greatest performance of Vader’s career, and if you factor in his age, probably of Inoki’s as well.” Later in the same issue Dave would report that Vader had been paid forty thousand dollars for the one match, surely making up for WCW not paying him since September. Vader’s next match would be the 1996 Royal Rumble match, but how would he get there?
In the January 2nd ‘96 edition of the Observer, it's first reported that WWE was looking to boost the buy rate for that year's Royal Rumble, by inviting some surprise entrants to appear. “The Vader name is the most intriguing. With the WWF short on heels, and he is a proven PPV draw, the two potentially could fit like a glove. However, Vader is used to big money, has the avenue of getting big money in Japan, is coming off a serious injury and hasn’t wrestled a schedule as grueling as the Titan schedule in years.” When Vader was announced for the Inoki match at a press conference in early December, it was made public that he had agreed to two appearances, the January 4th match and another in March. Vader did have other options on the table, but as Dave noted, Vader had other options. According to the Observer other names that had come up were the Ultimate Warrior, who would eventually return at Wrestlemania 12 later that year, Jake Roberts who would return in the Rumble match, Rick Martel whose last WWE match had been the ‘95 Royal Rumble, and former UFC champion Dan Severn, who would join WWE in 1998.
On the January 1st ‘96 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler run down the participants for the Rumble match, and they officially announce Vader. We then see a training montage that they would use in the weeks leading up to the event. In the following Observer it is noted that “The two sides haven’t signed a contract or even agreed to all details although they’ve come to an agreement that Vader will start at the Rumble and be in as a regular. He’ll continue to work major Japan shows.” This wouldn’t last long, as Vader wouldn’t make it to Japan for the March appearance he had agreed to. He would however wrestle a match in April for USWA, where he would team up with Brian Christopher to face Jeff Jarrett and Sir Mo in Troy Tennessee. There would be no further mention of Vader in the Observer and no public appearances until his debut in the Rumble.
On January 21st 1996, Vader would enter at number thirteen in the Royal Rumble, with the ring already full of bodies. Quite an interesting mix of names, like Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the returning Jake Roberts, Sparky Plug Bob Holly, Savio Vega and the 123 Kid from the active roster. Legend Dory Funk Junior was also in there, but most interestingly though, the very large Yokozuna was also in the ring. Having just thrown out Mabel by himself, what would happen when he and Vader would clash? We wouldn’t have long to find out, or would we, as Vader arrived with Jim Cornette behind him, who was also managing Yoko. Vader goes right after Bob Holly, which is funny when you think about both men’s reputations for stiffing people. He then dumps Savio back into the ring from the apron when he could have eliminated him, showing a slight misunderstanding of the rules, but not quite a Mil Mascaras level. Vader slowly plods around the ring for a while longer, until finally meeting Yoko. The two have a brief shoving match, before Vader turns his attention to Jake Roberts, eliminating him with a single clubbing blow. We then get two more debut in the Rumble, as Headhunter A and B of the Squat team would enter, and thankfully not last long, as one of them is thrown out quickly by Vader. As the other enters, both the legal headhunter and illegal one get in the ring, they are both pummeled by Vader and Yoko before being thrown out, in perhaps the most interesting thing Vader has done yet. He and Yoko start working together to beat on poor Savio, and the two clients of Jim Cornette are finally getting along.
When we get to number eighteen, out comes the eventual winner of the match, Shawn Michaels, and the crowd wakes up. Shawn goes right after Helmsley and 123 Kid, proving that it’s every kliq member for themself. Seemingly out of the blue, Vader and Yoko stop getting along, and start brawling in the middle of the ring, while Vince McMahon on commentary tries to get the Mastodon nickname over. As the two fight near the ropes, and Jim Cornette begs them not to, Shawn Michaels with a herculean feat of strength, dumps both out over the ropes. After being eliminated, Vader clocks Yoko outside the ring, and heads back in. He launches Shawn Michaels over the top, which Vince is quick to tell us doesn’t count as Vader is out. Wasn’t a problem in other years though. Vader then clears the ring including fellow Camp Cornette mate Owen Hart, with energy he frankly should have been using when he was part of the match, and then takes his leave. It takes WWE President Gorilla Monsoon and a flock of zebras to convince Vader to leave, and the match resumes. What started as a fairly unimpressive debut, got very heated towards the end, and foreshadowed his ill fated feud with Shawn Michaels later in the year.
On Raw the next night, Vader really gets to make an impression. He defeats Savio Vega in a short match where he lays waste to him. Savio gets very little in, and Vader ends with an impressive looking Vader bomb. What happens after the match though is more memorable. Vader continues the attack on Savio, hitting another Vader Bomb. He then attacks two officials and pushes Cornette, who doesn’t seem to be able to control him. This brings out President Gorilla Monsoon, and Vader goes way too far. Vader attacks Monsoon, hitting him with a splash in the corner and a Vader Bomb, which brings out Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon to stop him. Backstage Vader goes off on a rant after the ad break, threatening every wrestler and official, quote “including you Mr. McMahon and… AAAHHH”. I think Vader might have spotted his mistake there by nearly outing McMahon, who in storyline wasn’t the boss just yet.
Vader went from a pretty dominant debut and memorable night after, to calling himself a quote “fat piece of shit” following a pay per view loss in 1998. His record in broadcast matches over his run was 65 wins out of 110 matches, slightly more than half. He would win no titles in the company, with his next major achievement being the Triple Crown in All Japan in ‘99. Vader would have a pretty long career after leaving WWE, and after WCW closed. He would join Noah in 2000, working a pretty full on schedule for the promotion. He also managed to keep himself relevant, making WWE appearances when needed, and even wrestling Will Ospreay, one of the current top names in wrestling, back when he was cutting his teeth. Vader’s WWE career remains one of the ones that could have been more, but for lots of reasons wasn’t. It also remains one what excelled everywhere else. It’s always Vader time somewhere.
Sources:
1996 Royal Rumble Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBpcLSDJUBY
WCW Saturday Night September 9th 1995 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoPTPJN6FEQ
Pro Wrestling Torch, September 9th 1995 - Vader’s WCW firing: https://members.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/1995PWTorchNewsletters/article_89764.shtml
Wrestling Observer, September 4th 1995: https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/sept-4-1995-wrestling-observer-newsletter-downfall-uwfi-and-working/
Wrestling Observer, September 11th 1995: https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/sept-11-1995-wrestling-observer-newsletter-nitro-debuts-luger-jumps/
Wrestling Observer September 18th 1995 Contractual Status https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/sept-18-1995-wrestling-observer-newsletter-monday-night-wars-day-one/
Wrestling Observer October 9th 1995 Vader still signed: https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/oct-9-1995-wrestling-observer-newsletter-bill-watts-wwe-moment-more/
Wrestling Observer October 30th 1995 Vader official release https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/oct-30-1995-wrestling-observer-newsletter-promotional-war-mexico/
Wrestling Observer January 2nd 1996 Vader invited to Royal Rumble https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/jan-2-1996-observer-newsletter-wwe-bringing-surprises-royal-rumble/
Wrestling Observer January 6th 1996 Vader joins WWE https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/jan-6-1996-wrestling-observer-newsletter-guess-who-won-nwa-title-again/
Wrestling Observer January 15th 1996 Comment on Inoki match, https://members.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-newsletter/jan-15-1996-wrestling-observer-newsletter-world-championship-wrestling/
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