Vader was a tough act to follow. For some, like Jim Ross for example, every super heavyweight that has come since has had to live up to the standard set by Vader's run in WCW from 1992-1995. The class of Vader's work was his rivalry with Sting. They had three PPV matches from Great American Bash '92 to SuperBrawl III, the Strap match that ended their initial feud arguably the highlight. The Strap match has seldom been used in the WrestleMania Era and it is that gimmick in general - along with Vader and Sting's mastery of it and Vader's in-ring excellence - that earned SuperBrawl III's main-event its place on this list. Sting and Vader beat the tar out of each other, with Vader busted open the hard way. The leather strap cut battered and bruised their skin in such a way that the end result was one of the most physical battles of the days prior to ECW's influence taking hold in the mainstream. Vader made a 400 pound man flying off of the top rope look routine. It was one of the most underrated matches by one of history's most underrated superstars in one of wrestling lore's most underrated feuds.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
