10 Stiffest WWE Wrestlers Ever
1. Vader
Running afoul of Shawn Michaels in prime politicking form doomed Vader's WWE run. Though long-term success under Vince McMahon's roof would inevitably mean sacrificing some of his trademark stiffness, the fearsome monster heel could - and should - have been a bigger deal in Stamford.
Wrestling Vader was rarely a fun time. Speaking on WrestleZone's Sharpshooter Show in March 2016, Bret Hart likened the experience to "wrestling with a cement truck filled with barf":-
"He was stiff and really the sh*ts to work with as far as… he was no fun. He hurt you constantly. Every punch or kick. I can remember he did a belly flop on me one time. He told me he could do it safe and not hurt me or whatever. My body felt violated."
Perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise, given that Vader was the anti-Hitman philosophically, but you could see it in his work.
Vader's physicality was off the charts. A violent slugger, he found his calling as a worker in Japan, where opponents were more willing to eat harder shots and respond in kind, sharpening his style in legendary wears with Stan Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, Antonio Inoki, and more. Convincing American wrestlers used to working softer was often a tough task (Hulk Hogan heads the list of names dubious of wrestling Vader), but Vader's work still looked devastating even after striking a finer balance in WCW.
A bull elephant between the ropes, we will never see Vader's like again.