Tom Zenk vs Vader

Great American Bash 1990 - Tom Zenk vs Vader (Vader's debut in WCW)

For as long as Ole Anderson was absent from WCW booking (from January 1 to around May 5, 1990) Tom Zenk's ring career flourished. From January to April, Zenk took to the ring in more than 70 tag and singles matches and was booked to lose only 5. This upwards trajectory came to a sudden and dramatic halt with the resignation of Flair as chief booker and the appointment of Ole Anderson in May 1990. From May to December, Zenk was booked for around 65 matches, mainly against less talented workers or 'monster heels' and booked to lose more than 50%. NWA contracts stipulated that all finishes are final. If Zenk had refused a match or finish then Anderson finally had grounds for termination.

Dave Meltzer wrote - "Big Van Vader pinned Tom Zenk in 2:16 with a big splash. There was interest in seeing Vader from the tv clips, and he got a babyface reaction coming down the aisle, especially when the fans saw the headgear blowing steam. Crowd was quiet once the match started because they couldn't work out if Vader was a face or heel. Zenk sold his stuff good and he did some elbow drops and falling moves that got over because of his weight [251lbs]. But because of the time, this was really just a squash."