Exposing The Myth: Pre-nWo WCW Was Trash

3. The Man They Call Vader

Sting Vader
WWE

For those not around at the time, it really is hard to put into words just how outright intimidating Big Van Vader was during his WCW stint of the early '90s.

Having spent the previous couple of years exchanging snug 'n' stiff shots with the likes of Stan Hansen and Shinya Hashimoto in Japan, Vader initially began appearing for WCW in 1990. Up until 1992, those Vader appearances were kept to a minimum, with the hulking behemoth still maintaining a full-time schedule with New Japan Pro Wrestling at that time. But once Vader became a full-time WCW talent in '92, he soon became one of the most must-see acts in the game.

Paired with Harley Race, Big Van Vader was a legitimately terrifying proposition for wrestling audiences. At 6'5", 450 lbs, and coming to the ring in a badass helmet that billowed smoke, Vader brought a level of intimidation that few could match.

Forget the Vader who WWE mishandled and ultimately turned into a Sunday Night Heat jobber, the Big Van Vader who tore through WCW was one of the best big men heels in wrestling history - complete with decimating top babyface Sting on several occasions throughout 1992 and in to '93.

People can talk about the cool swag and bravado of the nWo heels who skulked around WCW from 1996 onwards, yet all of them pale in comparison when compared to Big Van Vader.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.