[1996-01-22-WWF-Raw] Vader vs Savio Vega

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Listen to the pop Vader gets and see all the signs in the audience and don't tell me he shouldn't have gone way further in the WWF.

 

They definitely started off on the right foot, as this was a GREAT way to debut him, attacking Vega after the match, beating up two referees, getting suspended, and then destroyed Gorilla Monsoon. Using Gorilla in this capacity was a great idea. And the pop Shawn and Razor got coming out for the save showed that at this point, there was money in Shawn/Vader several months down the line.

 

Of course, lots happened between this angle and Summerslam.

[Hollinger.]

I think he would have gone much further if he wasn't so ridiculously out of shape by this point. He had to have been close to 100 pounds heavier than he was 2 years earlier.

[Victator]

He was injured and need surgery when he debuted. So with that momentum he had to take off right after this. In his shoot he says he wishes he had told Vince he could not start til Wrestlemania.

[Kronos]

Superb segment. I love the confrontation with Monsoon and the idea that Vader's so crazy even Cornette can't control him.

 

I do agree he looked very overweight here.

[Jack_Briscoe_Is_My_Hero]

This is one of the strongest debuts I can remember during this time frame. Vader is an awesome bully. He got to beat up a couple of refs and a retired wrestler that is loved by the fanbase is as good as it gets.

[flyonthewall2983]

I liked the irony of Vader putting away Monsoon, who was similar to Vader in his own career as a wrestler. Big, strong, intimidating, but knew how to work the ring as well.

[fishbaugh]

Awesome debut for Vader, as he comes across like a huge deal. I've only read about how things ended up for him when his program with HBK got going, but I'm still interested in seeing it for myself.

[Kevin Ridge]

I loved when Vader debuted in WWF. They were in need of heels for the roster. Vader destroys Savio with the Vader splash. He ain’t done though and continues the beating on Vega. Vader squashes referee Jack Doan with power bomb. I remember being pissed off when Monsoon suspended Vader because of this. Monsoon with the big chops! Vader then squashes the crap out of him. Vader runs off when Michaels shows up. Ugh.

[Zenjo]

A fantastic debut for Vader. Firstly he crushes Savio and then goes on a rampage. He was an out of control monster. I loved the stuff with Gorilla. When he's on commentary it's easy to forget that he used to be a wrestler. In the ring you can see what a huge guy he was.

[BruiserBrody]

When Jack Doan was powerbombed, my mouth fell open and I let out an audible "Holy Shit!" at its stiffness. Tremendous angle.

[PeteF3]

The WWF knocks out of the park again with its second hot angle in as many weeks. It was pretty ballsy of Monsoon to go through with this, with his history of heart attacks and diabetes. All the little details were handled perfectly, from the slow build to Vader finally losing it and crushing Monsoon, to Monsoon's chops--which were a pivotal moment as Clarence Mason was able to argue that Vader acted in "self-defense" which got him reinstated.

[soup23]

I thought this was great too. Vega was competent so seeing him get his ass beat here by Vader really got over the monster Vader was. The attack of the legend that was Monsoon afterwards was one of the last scary kayfabe moments of my childhood and really got Vader over as well. Vince and Cornette played their roles very well. *1/2

[tim]

Incredible TV. This segment just kept getting better and better. The match itself was a fun competitive squash, Vader unloading strikes looked as nasty as ever and Savio's comeback tease was good. Post-match was great, Gorilla getting involved to the point of chopping Vader was a holy shit moment -- I've never seen this angle before. They really teased Vader attacking Gorilla the perfect amount before delivering. Great debut and makes me very excited to see where Vader goes next.

[dawho5]

Great debut for Vader.  At first I was wondering if he should have gone over the top to the floor like he did, but what came after made it perfectly fine.

 

The post-match stuff was good with the crazy stiff powerbomb to a ref and trying to murder Gorilla.  In my mind I heard Gorilla on commentary criticizing Vader's technique  while putting himself over and it made the beating he got seem deserved.