A recent announcement was a moment WWE fans have long waited for. At last, nearly four years after his passing, Vader will be entering the WWE Hall of Fame. Many felt it long overdue as Vader was one of the best biggest men in wrestling history. A monster worker who could be amazingly stiff in the ring, Vader could also take off the ropes well, and his powerbomb was a legitimately dangerous move.
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This announcement has led to a look back at Vader’s career from Japan to WCW to WWE and later on. While he had some great matches, a few rivalries stand out among the best for his run. They were guys who were not just great stars but brought the best in Vader in the ring and let both men shine. So as he finally gets into the Hall of Fame, here are Vader’s 10 best in-ring rivals to remind fans how terrific Vader Time was.
10 Hulk Hogan
On paper, Hulk Hogan and Vader should have been a great feud. Hogan was always tops against monster opponents and Vader was one of the best. But the matches never worked out, not helped by Hogan no-selling Vader’s powerbomb before their first big PPV match.
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There was also the horrible Uncensored 1995 battle that had Ric Flair involved. They did better with a cage match at Bash at the Beach and clearly were trying, but while this feud was a big one in WCW, it never got to the heights of greatness it could have. Just by virtue of working with Hogan, Vader's star was elevated, which merits his inclusion here.
9 Ric Flair
In late 1993, Vader was to drop the WCW World title to Sid Vicious only for Sid to be fired after an infamous fight. That left Ric Flair to defeat Vader in a great match at Starrcade for the title. The pair feuded for a while afterward, including a terrific Superbrawl IV Cage match.
They didn’t battle as much afterward, but the heat of their encounters was always terrific with Flair going all out against the monster. Even when they were allies, some tension always bubbled just beneath the surface. Thus, the Nature Boy ranks as one of Vader’s best foes.
8 Kenta Kobashi
After his poor WWE exit, Vader returned to Japan in the late 1990s and quickly re-established himself as a monster. This included a feud with popular star Kenta Kobashi. The pair battled in some pretty stiff matches, with Vader doing a fine job handling Kobashi, who gave as good as he got in the battle.
They traded the Triple Crown championship in matches that remain among the best of their time. While the feud never had a proper conclusion, it did restore Vader’s reputation as a great worker for fans.
7 Big Boss Man
This is another odd choice, but yes, Vader and the Boss Man had a pretty big rivalry going in WCW. Thanks to legal reasons, the Boss Man started in WCW as “The Boss” before becoming the Guardian Angel.
That included a Spring Stampede 1994 encounter that’s one of the Boss Man’s best matches, with both of them just beating the tar out of each other. They also went at it at Bash at the Beach and were part of a triangle match with Sting at Fall Brawl. Vader brought out the best in his opponent, leading to be an underrated but terrific feud of two big men.
6 Stan Hansen
If any person on the planet was as stiff as Vader in the ring, it was Stan Hansen. The wild cowboy and Vader had a crazy war in Japan, both going at it hard in some bloody matches.
That included the infamous match where Hansen actually popped Vader’s eye out of its socket and forced him to put it in mid-match and then go back to fighting. The pair continued their war for a few years as Vader was one of the few men who could outdo the insane Texan in terms of a bloody brawl.
5 Riki Choshu
This was a feud that spanned two different decades. Vader first came to prominence in Japan in the late 1980s, where the fans loved his amazing look and power. He was soon defending the IWGP Title, including against a younger Riki Choshu.
The pair had some sensational fights - just two meaty men slapping meat, and they were terrific either in singles battles or tag team matches. They had a brief revival when Vader returned to Japan in the late 1990s and Choshu proved himself one of the few men able to go pound-for-pound against a tough Vader in a top battle.
4 Mitsuharu Misawa
Passing away far too soon at the age of 46, Mitsuharu Misawa remains one of the most respected names in Japanese wrestling. Thus, it’s no surprise that he and Vader could have some epic encounters. This was after Vader left WWE and their clashes in late 1990s Japan had Vader back in full form.
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The pair traded the Triple Crown championship in some terrific battles that ranged from technical work to pure brawling. They also clashed in numerous tag team matches that enhanced the feud. While Vader battled many Japanese stars, their encounters add to Misawa’s legend.
3 Dustin Rhodes
As odd as it sounds, Vader and Dustin Rhodes somehow clicked brilliantly in the ring together. The pair had several matches in WCW ranging from some PPVs to a couple Clash of the Champions battles and each one was amazing. Dustin played the classic underdog against this monster, yet he was able to get down and dirty to fight back against Vader.
Their Clash of the Champions 29 bout was one of the best matches of its time as the pair just gelled in the ring, including in WWE. So, amazing as it sounds, Vader and Dustin always brought out the best in each other in great matches.
2 Mick Foley
Nothing summarizes the heat of this feud than the fact it’s the reason Mick Foley is missing an ear. The pair warred from Japan to WCW, always tearing into each other with Foley ready to absorb whatever punishment Vader could dish out.
The highlight was the now legendary match with Foley caught in the ropes and tearing most of his ear off. Their WCW bouts had Vader putting Cactus Jack on the shelf with a powerbomb on concrete and a wild Spin the Wheel/Make the Deal match. They didn’t clash as much in WWE, but it was good when they did as Vader allowed Cactus’ toughness to shine.
1 Sting
For all the bad mistakes they made, WCW amazingly didn’t blow it with Vader’s rise. After dominating the company since his debut, Vader cleanly crushed Sting to win the WCW World title at the 1992 Great American Bash. It took a while for the feud to revive, but it was astounding when it did.
That included a SuperClash 3 war and trading the World Title on a European tour. It was always sold as Sting doing his best to beat this monster in encounters that lasted into 1994. Put together, and Sting was always clearly the best foe Vader had in the ring.
