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WCW signing Hulk Hogan was arguably the biggest move in wrestling history at the time since the biggest star was changing companies in such a mainstream way that had never happened before. One huge positive for Hogan joining WCW was the potential of two dream feuds with WCW’s top heels Ric Flair and Vader.

Hogan and Flair had a great program that drew a lot of money to gain some momentum. However, the next dream program for Hogan just didn’t work out. Everything about the pairing looked good on paper to become great rivals. However, it showed that nothing is guaranteed in wrestling until it happens. Hogan and Vader having such a failed rivalry requires a deeper dive at why.

Vader Should Have Been Hulk Hogan's Dream Opponent

Hulk Hogan made a living off having feuds against the big men of WWE playing monster heel characters. Any talented big man getting over in any company was instantly being talked about as a dream opponent for Hogan in wrestling circles. Vader was the top big man in the industry when breaking out in WCW’s main event scene. Japanese fans saw Vader thrive over there, but WCW proved he could get over in the United States.

RELATED: The 10 Best Matches Of Vader's Career, According To Cagematch.net

Vader was arguably the best WCW Champion of the 1990s before Hogan arrived. The outstanding programs with Sting, Cactus Jack, and Ric Flair saw Vader stepping up at the highest level. Vader was a dominant world champ that came off both intimidating by size and credible by the booking. The legendary Harley Race even managed Vader to add another strong aspect to his character.

Hulk Hogan Parade

WCW had their perfect big man there when Hogan joined the company to shake things up. Flair had defeated Vader for the WCW Championship before Hogan arrived. WCW turned Flair heel to feud with Hogan first and put him over as the next champ. Hogan also wanted to work with his best friend Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake next in a failed feud. Vader was the next man up, finally getting the dream rivalry with Hogan still a year into Hulk's debut.

Hulk Hogan & Vader's Horrible WCW Feud Missed The Mark

The feud between Hulk Hogan and Vader proved that not everything good on paper will lead to success. Vader suffered a little from losing Harley Race as his manager after Race was injured in a car accident and left his WCW duties to recover. WCW made too many mistakes by trying to find a middle ground of prolonging the feud and having Hogan always come out on top.

Vader lost more and more credibility along the way due to bad booking. Hogan won their first match by DQ at SuperBrawl 1995 when Ric Flair returned to attack him. Vader and Flair formed an alliance to try to end Hogan’s reign despite their previous rivalry. WCW basically punted on the dream match having a real finish to keep the story going.

Hulk Hogan v Vader SuperBrawl V Cropped

A rematch took place at Uncensored 1995 in a non-title strap match with Hogan winning again. However, there was more controversy due to Flair getting involved again. WCW finally had the rivalry culminate at Bash at the Beach 1995 in a steel cage match. Hogan scoring the decisive victory ended the feud after three PPV matches of Vader looking weak.

Vader's WCW Career Fell Apart

The hope for Vader entering a feud with Hulk Hogan was to not only regain his momentum as a top star, but he was hoping to reach new heights from even his previous WCW success. If this program worked better, WCW would have gone back to it years later and kept Vader around as a pivotal piece. Things unfortunately went the other way instead with Vader’s credibility taking a hit and the rest of his WCW run going poorly.

WCW ran a storyline of Vader teasing a face turn, uniting with Hogan and fellow top faces Randy Savage and Sting for a War Games match of that dream team facing the Dungeon of Doom. However, a real-life backstage fight with Paul Orndorff saw WCW firing Vader. The face turn wasn’t even working, and the match improved with Lex Luger replacing him.

War Games Promo Vader Sting Hulk Hogan Randy Savage

WWE signing Vader saw the entire run going much worse than his WCW stint. Vince McMahon wasn’t a fan of Vader, and he dropped down the card more and more each year after he joined the company. Vader’s career was never the same with the Hogan feud standing out as when the momentum started to shift downhill without ever turning around.