It's generally accepted that when Hulk Hogan and his pals converged upon WCW in the mid-90's, Big Van Vader started to edge his way towards the exit door. Once one of the most-respected names in the company - a man management could rely on to be that top, killer heel - Vader was now largely surplus to requirements, especially after going down to Hogan himself in a main event feud. Leaving the promotion in 1995, Vader would never return to WCW, but he did almost wind up being contracted for a few dates in the original ECW. Holding discussions with Paul Heyman about how he'd be used, Vader likely felt he was a shoe in to become ECW Heavyweight Champion, given his star power and stature in WCW during the first half of the 90's. Incredibly, Heyman had other ideas, wanting the mammoth man mountain to lay down and lose for one of his own featured stars, Taz. It was a controversial idea, and it'd be one that Vader would eventually knock back, heading to Japan to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling instead, before signing on with the WWF, where he was promised to be treated more akin to his previous WCW run.
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.
