Eric Bischoff recently shed light on why Hulk Hogan was hesitant to work with Vader during their time in WCW in the mid-1990s. On his “83 Weeks” podcast, Bischoff explained that Hogan’s reluctance stemmed from Vader’s reputation for having a stiff, intense wrestling style, which made many wrestlers, including Hogan, wary.
“Hulk Hogan didn’t want to work with Vader because Vader was stiff. Well, are we talking about the guy who broke someone’s back or ruptured Sting’s eardrum? Come on, Vader did work stiff,” Bischoff noted.
While Hogan was not entirely opposed to working with Vader, he wanted to ensure that Vader would tone down the physicality during their matches. Bischoff emphasized that Hogan’s wrestling philosophy focused more on character-driven performances rather than the hard-hitting style Vader was known for.
“Hulk Hogan was a character. He wasn’t Mick Foley who wanted to go jump off of balconies or throw himself off of thumbtacks and end up with 65 stitches in his head. That wasn’t the kind of match he wanted to have.
He wanted to make sure that when he got into the ring with people, they were people that would complement the kind of match he could do best,” Bischoff explained.
Hulk Hogan and Vader had several notable matches during their time in WCW. Here’s a list of their key encounters:
1. SuperBrawl V (February 19, 1995)
Location: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Match Type: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Result: Hulk Hogan defeated Vader by disqualification, retaining the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
2. Uncensored (March 19, 1995)
Location: Tupelo Coliseum, Tupelo, Mississippi
Match Type: Strap Match
Result: Hulk Hogan defeated Vader in a non-title Strap Match.
3. Slamboree (May 21, 1995)
Location: Bayfront Arena, St. Petersburg, Florida
Match Type: Tag Team Match
Result: Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage defeated Vader & Ric Flair.
4. Bash at the Beach (July 16, 1995)
Location: Huntington Beach, California
Match Type: Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Result: Hulk Hogan defeated Vader to retain the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
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