10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Vader
9. The WWF Rushed Him Back From Injury
Following years of working an extremely physical style, Vader's shoulder was in a state of disrepair. Needing surgery to correct the problem, he would then have required around 6 months of time to heal up before being passed 100% fit.
The WWF didn't want to wait that long, meaning Vader was rushed back before he was really ready.
Debuting during the Royal Rumble 1996, the plan was then for Vader to attack then-WWF President Gorilla Monsoon on Raw and promptly be suspended. All of that happened, but Vince McMahon apparently didn't want to wait 6 months before bringing his new employee back.
Against his own wishes, Vader was brought back quickly, returning in February. Naturally, that was months too soon, he wasn't ready to wrestle to the best of his abilities.
This affected Vader's performances, and he noted during interviews years later that he wasn't anywhere close to wrestling shape when he was ushered back down the aisle and into the ring.
In Vader's mind, this stunted the start of his WWF career, because he was carrying excess weight and unable to work lengthy matches.