Fans of more modern professional wrestling may not recognise Big Van Vader. He is probably best known for being the man that caused Mick Foley to lose most of one of his ears. Vader was one of the most dominant heels in WCW during the early 1990s, feuding with Sting and Ric Flair, as well as Foley in his Cactus Jack persona. In fact, WCW bookers refused to book Vader and Foley in any further pay-per-view bouts after a while because of the dangerous brutality of their matches. When he debuted in WWF in 1996, he quickly established himself as a top heel in the company, challenging The Undertaker for the WWF Championship. With his devastating Vader Bomb finishing move and surprisingly athletic Moonsault, the 450-pound monster was an important villain in the WWF until his face turn in 1997. He is now in semi-retirement, but occasionally wrestles at special events and has appeared on WWE programmes a few times since 2012.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
