The hulking behemoth that is Vader was a huge (quite literally) draw for WCW. He was a monster of a human being, yet he could move around with a shocking agility that made him a genuinely intriguing character. Through a partnership between WCW and NJPW in the late 80s and early 90s, Vader was presented as a legitimate tough guy who could wrestle against virtually any kind of opponent. While some other wrestlers drew in crowds with their charisma and their gimmicks, Vader sold tickets through sheer brute force and amazing wrestling matches. His brutal contests with Sting in 1992 and 1993 are considered some of the best matches in WCW history, and demonstrated that the big man was an excellent heel, capable of drawing in fans who wanted to see the big mans agility and his opponents trying to overcome him. Vader was able to excel as both a face and as a heel in WCW, and his wrestling prowess led him to three reigns as WCW World Heavyweight Champion. There was so much curiosity in seeing the giant man wrestle, and even more in seeing smaller wrestlers, especially Ric Flair, fight uphill battles against Vader. As examples of his drawing power, two shows that featured Vader prominently, Starrcade 1992 and 1993 drew 95,000 and 85,000 PPV buys, respectively. Even though these numbers might be small by modern standards, they were great for a promotion that was still growing and regionally-focused.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
