10 Times WWE Sabotaged WCW Wrestlers

5. Vader In 1996

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WWE.com

According to Leon White, the man known as 'Big Van Vader' in WCW, his first mistake after signing with Vince McMahon in late 1995 was insisting that he remained 'Vader' and not 'The Mastodon', a character Vince wanted to create. In hindsight, Vader realized that 'The Mastodon' would've likely received Vince's full support as a WWE creation, whereas 'Vader' did not.

Prior to signing with WWE, Vader disclosed that he needed shoulder surgery. So Vince devised a plan where Vader debuted at the 1996 Royal Rumble but got indefinitely suspended the next night on Raw, allowing Leon a minimum of six months to recovery from surgery.

Two weeks after surgery, Vader was asked to return to the ring at WrestleMania XII in a singles match against Yokozuna. Needing more time to recover but knowing that he would be in breach of contract if he refused, Vader negotiated a compromise of working a six-man tag instead of one-on-one against Yoko' at WrestleMania.

Needless to say, Vader was far from 100% but was still scheduled to defeat Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam until HBK successfully politicked to retain the title. Although Vader was still penciled-in to win it at Survivor Series, McMahon eventually chose Sycho Sid to replace Leon after souring on Vader's push.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.