10 Wrestling Rivals Who Seriously Can’t Stand Each Other

8. Vader & Shawn Michaels

Vader and the WWF were not a good match for each other.

An ox of a man and performer, Vader beat his opponents black and blue. That he hit so hard was a fundamental part of his appeal. A gigantic, terrifying, and stiff big man whose every move registered as legit, his physicality made him a perfect fit in Japan (and later WCW, where he shone opposite sympathetic babyface foils like Sting) - and an awful fit in Stamford.

Running afoul of the most notorious backstage politician of the era didn't help matters either.

That Shawn Michaels at his absolute worst may have sabotaged Vader's WWF career is a common opinion. Vindictive, overprotective of his spot, and not used to Vader's roughhouse style, Michaels was once so upset with Vader that, after a particularly brutal exchange, he once compelled the monster to roll out of the rings in tears. Per Jim Cornette, Vader told him that this was a result of Shawn threatening to get him fired if he didn't tone things down.

His WWF credibility irreparably damaged by his losing role in the one-sided Michaels feud, Vader returned to All Japan in 1998.