A three-time WCW World Champion, Big Van Vader had held the competition's World Title for a combined 377 days before entering the World Wrestling Federation at the 1996 Royal Rumble. Vader's first impression on WWF audiences involved him beating up everyone: Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels, Savio Vega, and even WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, which got him temporarily suspended. Vader returned, and set his sights on the WWF Championship, held at that time by Shawn Michaels. Vader pinned the Heartbreak Kid in a six-man tag at In Your House: International Incident, and was named the Number One contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1996. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Qg9BOMx5U Vader could not defeat Michaels at SummerSlam, nor could he defeat him at subsequent house shows following. Vader was part of the Final Four match at the February 1997 In Your House for the vacant WWF Title match, but was eliminated by Undertaker (and bloodied horribly in the process.) Vader and partner Mankind fought the Tag Team Champions Bulldog/Owen Hart at WrestleMania 13; the match ended in a double count-out. Vader then tried to dethrone his old foe- and new WWF Champion- the Undertaker following 'Taker's title victory over Psycho Sid at WrestleMania 13, but to no avail. Vader should have been huge when he entered the WWF in 1996, and his initial push seems to agree with that assessment. Unfortunately, he came in right as the Attitude Era was starting, and he just never seemed to fit. Couple that with reported complaints of working "too stiff" from Shawn Michaels, and it seems Vader's WWF career was doomed to fail from the beginning.
The 'House is a father of two and husband of one in Minnesota. He is an improv comedian, and in his spare time follows WWE, MLB, The Simpsons, and Bob's Burgers. Growing up he was a huge fan of He-Man, and refuses to believe that it was in fact terrible.
