10 Wrestlers Whose Careers TANKED After Winning Big
9. Vader
Fans, staff and the man himself had every reason to be excited when WCW's Big Van Vader chopped off most of that name to become Vader in the WWF. His 1996 jump was huge news at the time, and rightly so. Leon White was roundly considered one of the best big men in the industry, and he'd surely thrive in the fed.
Or not.
Some histrionics from an under pressure Shawn Michaels curtailed Vader's early promise, but there were also issues behind the curtain. According to Vader, Vince McMahon pushed him into debuting at the '96 Royal Rumble despite the fact he was injured, and he felt the heat to heal up ASAP and get in the game.
As a result, Vader never actually really got going in the WWF. By 1998, he was a shadow of his former self and struggled to even put together a basic five-minute match. Being thrust onto a much bigger platform than early-to-mid-90s WCW didn't pay dividends the way everyone thought it would.