Vader Interview

It’s Time, It’s Time, It’s Vader Time…Big Van Vader or simply Vader is one of the best big men to ever step foot inside the squared circle. The super-heavyweight showed his agility by performing moves such as the moonsault and the dropkick.

Vader was also known for his distinctive masks, the 59-year-old, from Boulder Colorado made a name for himself wrestling in Mexico, Europe, Japan and America with WCW and WWE, winning numerous titles along the way.

We caught up with Vader to talk about, starting out in American Football, working with the likes of Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, if he will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame plus much more.

How did you first get into the sport of professional wrestling?

It was after I was done playing professional football for the Los Angeles Rams. I picked up a really bad injury that required nine surgeries – the Rams kept me on the team and under contract I guess because I had potential, I was big, fast, strong and mobile centre offensive guard.

But then I remember the general manager coming into the hospital saying they were thinking about me but at the same time they had to put the whole team first and we came to a settlement on the contract.

I went back home and got a real estate license and I was actually doing really well in real estate and began investing the little money I made with the Rams but I just got bored. So I got back in the gym, the next thing I know I was down in Minnesota training with Brad Rheingans who I had met at a local show in Denver through the AWA, that’s how I started wrestling. It’s something that I had always thought about doing and I was a big wrestling fan but that is how I began my journey in wrestling.

When growing up who were some of the wrestlers you enjoyed watching?

One of the individuals that caught my eye was Bruiser Brody, being based in Denver we got AWA wrestling with Stan Hansen, and Jerry Blackwell, some of the bigger guys. Occasionally we got some stuff from down south. With the WWF I would catch Andre ‘The Giant’ now and again and that was always a treat to have a man that size and being able to see him and gaze at him.

I don’t think it was any particular individual but for me, it was more about just the sport in general. One of the big things for me about wrestling was performing and entertaining a crowd which is something I did with football and I think that was more of a lure for me.

What was it like when you made your professional wrestling debut with the AWA?

It was exciting, I remember going down to Minnesota and attending some of the local shows there. I was at Brad Rheingans school of professional wrestling and I was fortunate enough to be picked up by the AWA. I remember going to Las Vegas for a television taping and debuting in Denver in front of a sold-out crowd, I actually had to wrestle Bruiser Brody that night.

It was the night my son was born, my wife had been in labour from the Thursday and then my match with Bruiser was on the Saturday. I was getting dressed into my wrestling gear in the birthing room and I had a friend stand by and drive me down to the show. It was quite an exciting night, my son was born and I was racing down to Denver breaking all the speed laws, I walked through the crowd to get to the ring and went out there, fought Brody and lost the match.

As a Heavyweight you performed moves such as the Moonsault, when did you add the high-flying moves to your wrestling arsenal?

They were just something that I was always capable of doing and very few other 400 pounders could do. As a football player, an all-conference and all-American in college and as a coach of my son’s team I always told him to be the most athletic guy on the field and the other things will fall into place.

Those high-risk moves were things that I could do and I thought just because the other big guys aren’t doing it why shouldn’t I do it. I did those moves and I guess they were one of the things that made me unique as a 400 pounder doing a moonsault, moves like a Shawn Michaels or a Ric Flair would do – I thought it added to my character’s ability to entertain.

Another one of the iconic things about Vader was the mask, how did the ideas for those come about?

The Iron mask was something the Japanese came up with, it has nothing to do with Darth Vader out of Star Wars, it’s actually a samurai headgear and defensive wear for the shoulders and chest. In Japanese folklore to settle disputes the strongest men from villages would go to an island and do battle and Vader was given the title of ‘Emperor’s Warrior’. Antonio Inoki after watching me wrestle came up to me and gave me the iron mask.

The leather mask came about because they had me wearing a full mask over in Japan and they would get really hot, I would have three or four of them for a tour and they would stink to high heaven. I actually came up with the leather mask and it had a unique shape and look, no one else had one at that time – years later Mick Foley came up with something similar for Mankind, but I had the original. I actually designed and made the mask myself, basically, it’s a series of V’s connecting with each other.

What was your time like wrestling across Mexico, Europe and Japan?

I had wrestled in Europe for three or four years and had won a number of world titles over there and had a solid run, that was with Otto Wanz, and at the time his promotion CWA was the largest wrestling organisation in Europe. We would do some big shows with 20,000 plus people across Germany, Austria and Italy. I was actually paying English referees who had come out to work to train me during the day and then I would wrestle at night.

I also had a spell in Mexico and held three World Titles down there, they were getting attendances of 30,000 to 40,000 people. In Japan, I think I held a total of 10 World Championships, with all the companies, New Japan, All Japan and NOAH.

What was your experience in WCW like?

When I first arrived there Dusty Rhodes was the booker, Dusty is an extremely talented man and he was a great verbal coach for me in terms of giving interviews. It was great learning in the ring from Dusty and Harley Race, who was my manager at the time as well – that’s about as good as it gets in terms of coaching.

Sting was the face of the company and I think I was the number two guy there. We built it up and then it started getting the attention of guys like Ric Flair who came back, Hulk Hogan, then Hogan turns into the whole NWO with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.

I don’t really remember how long I was in WCW for but it was a great time of my career flying in and out of Atlanta. I felt during that time my wrestling knowledge, skills and physicality had caught up with each other – I was young and strong, able to wrestle hard and long, it all just kind of fell into place during my time in WCW.

In 1993 you were Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Wrestling Observers, Wrestler of the Year, what were those achievement like?

I was the first 400 pounder to win the Wrestler of the Year, there had never been a guy that size ranked that high. Contrary to what WWE says I was the first 400 pounder to do a moonsault from the top rope and I guess being 400 lbs just made it more unique when I did it. 1993 was a great year, WCW as a whole was going really well, I was mostly having matches with Sting, Cactus Jack and Ron Simmons, as well as teaming with Sid Vicious that year.

It was just before Ric came back and Hulk joined, after that it changed the dynamics of the company and it became the Hulk Hogan show.

In 1996 you joined WWE, What was it like making your debut at the Royal Rumble?

That night was a good night! I got a phone call from Vince McMahon out of the blue, after leaving WCW I was actually ready to go back to Japan to finish my career. Vince asked if I would be interested in going to work in the WWF but I needed surgery on my shoulder so we weren’t sure if I was going to debut and then go have surgery or delay my debut and have surgery and come in fully fit.

When I debuted at the Royal Rumble I was 400 lbs plus and I was Vader, I was the same guy I had been in WCW. After my debut Vince told me to go have the surgery and that everything was set up for when I came back. Next thing I know I had 90 days to get well and I knew there was no way that was going to be possible. I remember coming back weighing 360 lbs but I was fatter, I couldn’t even do a push-up or raise my hand over my head due to my shoulder.

They were excited about me coming though and Vince had made plans for me and I had come in but I was physically not who I had been my whole career. I was successful everywhere I had been up until that point and then all of a sudden I couldn’t perform, that first year in WWE I was working with only one arm and I was in a great amount of pain.

After the pain had gone away and I was ready to perform at my best, I was already established as a mid-card guy, you get one chance to make a good first impression and I wasn’t physically able to do that in WWE.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

You got to work with guys like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, what were those moments like?

The atmosphere was everything I expected it to be, WWE is the greatest wrestling company in the world, run by the greatest promoter in the world. I had some very big matches during my time in WWE despite my injury, Shawn was an incredible worker, Undertaker was just phenomenal and I would say he is the best big man in professional wrestling history, without a doubt.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

You made an appearance on Raw leading up to the 1000th episode and also appeared on the 1000th episode of Raw, what was it like returning?

It was fantastic, there were about 23,000 people in the crowd that night and I received a great reaction. I thought it was a really good little match that I had with Heath Slater, he is a very nice guy and he wrestled quite a few of the legends leading up to Raw 1000.

Who are some of the current guys you like watching?

I think Brock Lesnar is just a beast, he’s an incredible athlete and he would be great at anything he turned his hand to, I would love to see Brock featured more than he is.

Triple H is doing a fantastic job running the company now but I would love to see more of him performing in the ring as he is still a tremendous athlete.

I like Big Show and Mark Henry as well, as a big guy myself it is always satisfying to see those guys performing the way they do and for the period of time they have been doing it at the top level.

Are we likely to see Vader inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame soon?

I heard rumblings about it a couple of years ago, but I’ve not heard anything for a while now. I would really like for that to happen, I think I’ve earned it. Yokozuna, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy and myself would be considered super-heavyweights, and I would rank myself very high out of that group, and there is a time in my career in the early nineties where I considered myself to be the best big man.

How would you compare your two bosses, Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon?

Eric was put into a situation and I think from a wrestling standpoint he wasn’t really ready for it at that time. He became very educated and excellent at what he did but it was kind of like we had one guy running the wrestling part and then two weeks later we had another guy doing it and so on and so forth until Eric did it. I think Eric was way in over his head initially but he certainly figured it out with the help of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan and there were times when it became a biased situation but he achieved some great things, he is one of the most successful promoters in the history of professional wrestling.

What can I say about Vince, he’s a genius, he is the most successful wrestling promoter of all time and just works so hard. He was very approachable and he has done nothing but treat me like a gentleman.

For more information on Big Van Vader, you can follow him on Twitter @itsvadertime.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

2 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Scissor Jaguar

6 years ago

One small mistake, it’s Brad Rheingans, not Brad Riggings. That aside, I really enjoyed the interview.

Admin

W101Kam

Reply to Scissor Jaguar

Thanks for the heads up, I’ve amended it. Glad you enjoyed it!

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

Interview: Vader

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you