"He did not get the run he should have had in WWE" – Mick Foley on why 3-time WCW World Champion left
Former WWE Champion Mick Foley recently spoke about the future Hall of Famer Vader. Foley said Vader wasn't happy in WWE because of how they booked his character. He said Vader's WWE run didn't do justice to his talent.
Despite being a former world champion, Vader got reduced to an enhancement talent during the end of his run in 1998. He lost feuds to younger talent like Mark Henry and Edge. He wasn't happy with his position in WWE and got himself released to work in Japan.
WWE legend Mick Foley had a message for the late great Vader on his YouTube channel before his Hall of Fame induction. Foley talked about Vader's time in WWE and how unhappy he was:
"I don’t think he had the run he should – it’s not a matter of thinking, I know he did not get the run he should have had in WWE. That was a case of the company trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. I know because I rode with Leon quite a bit in my early days in WWE…he'd mention how aggravating – he wouldn’t mention that, he'd talk about it at length – how aggravated he was...being forced to do things that he didn't think were in the Vader character. I remember him saying, ‘I’m Vader and I’m running away? Literally running laps around the ring, uh, against the Ultimate Warrior.'" (H/T - 411mania)
Mick Foley is happy Vader will finally be in the WWE Hall of Fame
Mick Foley said he's happy Vader is finally getting the respect he deserves. "It's about time," said Foley regarding the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion's WWE Hall of Fame induction.
Mick Foley added that he always believed Chyna and Vader needed to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. After this year's induction ceremony, both these names will officially be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame.