Bill Apter Remembers Big Van Vader, Talks Why He Should Be In WWE Hall of Fame, His Impact In Japan & More

During the latest episode of Voice Of Wrestling, Nick Paglino and Chris Cash were joined by the legendary Bill Apter who talked about Vader and the legacy that he left behind.

Bill Apter spoke about Vader’s absence in the WWE Hall Of Fame, how much it meant to Vader and whether he thinks he will go in:

“He never said why it was so important to him, but he told me that he hopes one day they will bring him in, he really did want to be in there. First of all, and I hate to say this, passing away doesn’t give you the ticket to get into the WWE Hall Of Fame. The reason I think WWE would put him in is that he was one of a kind, there was never anyone before him or after him that could do what he did at his size.”

Apter also spoke about the style that Vader worked and how it got over so well in Japan:

“The style that Vader worked there was the style that the Japanese fans loved, like Stan Hanson and Bruiser Brody, the tight type of work in the ring, the hardcore, tough, strong style and that is what Vader brought to Japan. Fans there are still in the believability that what is going on is going on for real and Vader is one of the pioneers that made people believe.”

Bill also spoke about whether any wrestlers did not want to work against Vader because they knew how stiff he was in the ring.

“They always welcomed it but if you go back and look at the ear Cactus Jack had lost, that might be a guy who didn’t want to wrestle him again. Accidents do happen and that was very unfortunate but I never heard anyone say they didn’t want to wrestle against Vader because he was too stiff.”

You can check out the full episode of VOW in the video player at the top of the article where Nick and Chris break down Brock Lesnar’s absence, Bobby Lashley and more.

Please, H/T ProWrestling.com for any quotes used.