Vader

Before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring, the man they call Vader earned a worldwide reputation as a bona fide tough man. At well over four hundred pounds, he possessed the power of a super heavyweight, while also owning the unbelievable ability to fly through the air like a cruiserweight.

The three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion made his WWE debut at the 1996 Royal Rumble. Despite being eliminated by Shawn Michaels, Vader made a remarkable showing, eliminating an impressive list of Superstars. Following his debut, the mastodon assaulted both Superstars and WWE officials. He even attacked WWE President Gorilla Monsoon, which earned him a brief suspension.

Upon returning to the ring, Vader’s path of destruction left many of WWE’s biggest names laying the wake, including Yokozuna, Razor Ramon, and Sycho Sid. His impressive victories over WWE’s elite eventually earned him a WWE Championship Match against Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam. Vader defeated the champ at the event, but the victory came by count-out, which meant the title could not change hands. Realizing his client would not be awarded the title, James E. Cornette demanded the match be restarted. Vader won again, this time by disqualification. As expected, Cornette cried for another restart, which he received. However, this time HBK defeated Vader via pinfall to mark the official end of the wild encounter.

The following year, Vader traded in Cornette for Paul Bearer. The move proved to be a wise one, as his new manager helped him gain a huge victory over the legendary Undertaker at the 1997 Royal Rumble. Bearer also paired Vader with Mankind in an attempt to claim a tag team championship. The duo nearly dethroned Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith at WrestleMania 13 but fell short after the match was declared a double count-out. Following losses to Edge and Bradshaw in late 1998, Vader disappeared from the WWE scene completely.