WWE may be run as a tight ship, but occasionally there are anomalies in the system. Hade Vansen sticks out as one of those anomalies, and his story is one that's completely confusing. In December, 2008, Vansen appeared on exactly one episode of Smackdown, in a pre-taped vignette during which he seemed to be targeting The Undertaker. That was as close as he would get to 'Taker. Apparently, the impending angle would have involved mutants led by Vansen to vanquish his supernatural foe. Hade would have then been forced to face Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV, where he would have surely been defeated. That was the original booking, but things didn't go to plan. Vince McMahon reportedly spotted Vansen backstage, and nixed the whole thing, feeling he was far too small. Everything about the scenario is ludicrous. The British-born grappler should never have been given the go ahead for a feud against The Undertaker if WWE weren't fully behind it. Worse yet, why was he allowed to appear on television if management weren't sure about pushing the new character? After just one promo, Hade Vansen was gone.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
