10 Major Signings That WWE Totally Wasted
3. Vader
If there's one thing Vince McMahon loves, it's a big, burly monster heel. Thus, signing Vader should've been a home run. He's one of, if not the, all-time greats in that field, and a man whose dangerous aura was matched only by his beautiful brutal brand of wrestling. But WWE totally mishandled the super heavyweight throughout his time with the company.
Vader made a strong debut by destroying everyone in the 1996 Royal Rumble, immediately establishing him as a destructive force. He continued on a similar path, beating down anyone who dared step before him (including WWE President Gorilla Monsoon) over the coming weeks and months, then shooting to the top of the card, entering a feud with WWE Champion Shawn Michaels.
This was Vader's undoing. Instead of making the logical choice and booking Vader to go over Michaels to cement him as WWE's top dog, WWE derailed 'The Mastodon.' The SummerSlam 1996 main event was mired by a horrifically overbooked finish that saw Vader first "win" via count-out, then again by DQ after a restart, before HBK pinned his opponent on the third occasion, ending his shot at ever becoming a top guy.
Rumour has it that Vader was initially booked to go over, but Michaels used his political pull to change the decision. If so, WWE deserve just as much scorn for bending to his will.