Big Van Vader VS Antonio Inoki (Vader Debut)

[UCKABAH]

This was Vader at his best! He was in shape.

[SinCara619mexican]

BIG VAN VADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! is well scary with his big mask

[Teeheehee093]

That entrance gear is scary

[blakdust3]

Inoki told Vader "Shoot, shootfight." BIG mistake! "I hit him so hard," Leon said. "I could throw a right. The right hand lead and I'd throw that left in his face, boom, boom, BOOM, and the uppercut."

"Oh man," Inoki said. A supposed 6 or 7 minute match lasted just 2:57, plus the riot

[ganurr]

Thanks for the share. Awesome video.

[blueblur1997]

I've never seen Inoki-san dominated like that before.

[peterp21]

This has a very Rocky-Clubber Lang I feel to it.

[apparatoff]

Ведер как сявок их раскидывает

[sixarcorback]

welches jahr??



[smr182]

@sixarcorback 27th December 1987.

[MrVebbis96]

fake..... ;)

[ringheader]

If anybody is a fan of DBZ you should know that they use this character in the Cell Games of the Cell Saga. He is one of Mr. Satin's apprentices.

[realdeal119]

@ringheader lmao you know what. Iwas thinking the same thing. he looks like cell did when he first came to earth

[haestrom]

that reminds me of the old snes game saturday night slam masters, only the character in the was rip-off called grater

[mmmikeyxx]

that's how you become a superstar in one night.

[Mrslammie]

Don't forget he wrestled Baby Bull Leon WHite in the AWA.

[theinspectorshetty]

Didn't this match cause a riot?

[WolfGuyX]

@theinspectorshetty Yep

[Thunder7420]

still say that this weakling and an occupant of the hall of fame that's absurd

[Dijitull]

BRAIN-BUSTAHHHHHH  2:45

[yujinaji]

what a classless motherfucking vader.

[Psicologolopez]

Vader in his time was spectacular..Great debut for him.

[ajax420336]

I had always heard the crowd rioted after this match? Was this not Vader's actual debut or was the riot thing not true?

[warzyxx]

did inoki get really hurt?????

[9InchWarrior]

Well, if that was the crowd that rioted, they looked damn polite about it...

[Plexpara]

he not start in europe?i remeber him as "bullpower " in the 80's here in europe.

[KingSygma]

Vader wearing the helmet looks like a Space Jockey.

[Jonwood74]

@KingSygma Actually I think Vader's helmut looks like a combination of Darth Vader & Snuffleupagus...

[KingSygma]

@Jonwood74 xD

[CLewey44]

Vader could have been the greatest heel/bad is cool character ever. If this was his debut, he probably has the biggest win in anyone's debut history. Inoki is a legend.

[veeseee128]

would have loved to have seen vader go agaainst warlord.

[ablrcklnthewall]

Wow, Inoki resorting to heel tactics before the match... boo, hiss.

[jesusfreak1975]

well like all wrestling good timing and pre-planned outcomes... Moves are all calculated and timed not to hurt eachother. They only get hurt if the move is not done right!!

[redbuick]

vader was actually in great shape in this match., probably under 400 pounds. if he had stayed that size he may still be wrestling now. his health did him in and injuries. sad he is not active anymore.to my knowledge.

[novabeerfly]

@redbuick There is a great article now on the WWE website that explains Vader's life after WWE...it's a really interesting read.

[dchockeygoali07]

idk wtf that helmet thing was, but i agree, insanely intimidating.

[Wes919]

CRITICAL!

[MDAC1012]

Inoki owned this promotion and told Vader to be stiff with his shots because he really wanted to get Vader over as an absolute monster. Vader had a decent run in WCW but was never as big over here as he was in Japan.

[TheLeroyMoon]

That helmet Vader wore looked so intimidating that taking it off was anticlimactic. It's like when Mad Max fights Master Blaster in Thunderdome only to remove his helmet and find that he's a soft-faced kid with Downs Syndrome.

[kevinhardy]

good match

[armenius28]

that is not Vaders debut not even his NJPW debut...he had a full suit on his NJPW debut

[hayphils]

猪木弱えー

[ironcladlou]

Not his wrestling debut, but it is his NJPW debut.

[956rrios]

wat year was this?

[Johnny3D3D]

lol, this caused a riot because the fans were so pissed

[aglewi41]

wait vader could actualy wear that mammoth head-gear? i thought he just hauled it to the ring

[khanitime]

fake

[stonewho]

Big van vader give him the business

[RetepNoslack]

MAN! Vader is a monster! And I thought Antonio Inoki did not sell enought, before I seen this match. I guess this have to been a shock for the crowd.

[Bkamlem]

didn´t a riot happened after the match?

[Johnny3D3D]

@Bkamlem yeah. Wrestling was banned from Sumo Hall for quite a while after the riot because the fans trashed the place.

[Funnysterste]

vader was quite skinny then

[misterbee66]

@Funnysterste Exactly, was this before or after the WWE?

[aglewi41]

@Funnysterste well compared to him is wcw yes

[KingSygma]

That elephant-like helmet is better than the leather mask that Vader used to wear.

[Righter99]

Big Van Vader was Great Antonio

[SolidMike84]

@Righter99

Yes and Hulk Hogan vas Yokozuna

(sarcasm)

[RisenDevilz]

Ok folks... I get the picture. WWF VAder vs. Kane over the edge 98. Thats about 70 times I've been reminded now. Thanks.

[JKTube]

From this point on, it was Vader Time.

[ryanhitmanfury]

I haven't seen many vids of Inoki actually being pinned for the 123.

[CombatSportFan]

@ryanhitmanfury It is about as rare as Jerry Lawler or Hulk Hogan being pinned cleanly.

[RisenDevilz]

Vader wrestled as Leon Baby Bull White long before he was known as Vader. I'm looking for Vader's final w.c.w. appearence where at the end he called himself a "Fat Tub of $h!t"? I almost cried when he said he was gonna quit wrestling. Anyway I want to see that match again real bad but can't even recall for certain who it was against. Thinking it was Sting. Anyone help me out please.

[JKTube]

@RisenDevilz: No, he called himself that after he lost a mask vs. mask match to Kane at WWF Over the Edge 98.

[CombatSportFan]

I thought PWI reported that this match caused a riot in the arena...

[NeptuneNetwork]

POINT?

[CombatSportFan]

@Righter99 Worked, not fake. If you're gonna try to get cute, at least use the correct terminology.

[CombatSportFan]

@Righter99 Worked, not fake.

[Actionfigureluver]

Vader debuted in 1985 is this 1985?

[Suckfest83]

It wasn't ALMOST a riot, it WAS a riot. NJPW was banned from any more matches in this arena until 1989 because of it. XD

[Wes919]

Listen to the crowds reaction when Vader wins, they are like "WTF!?"

[violentop]

this is vaders debut in new japan wrestling

[xkydd]

This isn't vaders debut. He debuted as lenard white in the old AWA in the late 80's.

[dolemitedoestechno]

I read somewhere there was almost a riot after this match because of the uproar caused by Inoki's defeat.

[Bela195401]

Leon White in the early or mid 80's

[PlagueRiddenGoat]

Antonio Inoki was literally the Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan of Japan. And beating him like this made Vader a huge monster star in Japan. Had they done this in the USA, who knows what Vader could have achieved here, and not just jobbing to the lametaker. (undertaker).

[angrynostolgiamann12]

I'm thinking the rumors I heard of Inoki being like the god of wrestling in Japan are true?

[georgyfontaine28]

This match realy put vader over as one of the top heals in Japan. Brilliant work by Inoki jobbing to Vader. This sent shockwaves around Japan.

[Kerbalf]

@georgyfontaine28 Doaln fial. Its heel not heal.

[georgyfontaine28]

@Kerbalf oops!

[Kerbalf]

@georgyfontaine28 :D

[Kerbalf]

@georgyfontaine28 :D

[TitusVentura]

I heard they rioted this night when vader beat inoki?

[Planetwatts]

Vader (and Bam Bam Bigelow too) were the two most agile big men I've seen in the business. Vader was a monster and was badly handled in wwe for me

[thefriendsociety]

There are just too many monsters at the time he came to the WWE. I think if he would have came along times he was in WCW he would have been given a bigger push. I think vader needed to beat undertaker in a wrestlemania or atleast cage match to become number one monster

[Planetwatts]

I'll definitely give you credit on that call :)

I agree totally. If Vader had beaten Taker at the big one or in a hell in a cell it would have done wonders for him

[CombatSportFan]

@Planetwatts Which is all the more insane considering if anyone could have gotten Shawn Michaels over as a Sting like babyface to the WWF fans, it would be Vader. Yet, they botched that feud so badly that nobody cared about Vader afterward.

[TNO73]

@Planetwatts Agree. Vader was HUGE in Japan, but was HORRIBLY misused by Vince. You got to let the guy do what he does. But it isn't like he was the only guy Vince really screwed up on.

Now I am not trying to say this next guy is in the same league as a Vader, but i have always thought Sean O'Haire (especially with his Devil's Advocate gimmick) could have & should have gone over HUGE. He was an agile big guy that was good on the mic & could do some decent high flying stuff.

[IntenseCJF]

@Planetwatts Well said mate. Bigelow(RIP) and Vader were the tits!.

[undisputedgreatest]

@Planetwatts Very, very true. They were excellent wrestlers.

[MRROMEOCASANOVAJR]

Vader was awsome to watch! Too bad he was so mishandled during his WWE run...

[HungreyBoi05]

The one of the best big men in the business

[SirPromenade]

This match got New Japan banned from the Sumo Hall for 3 years.

[wtcvidman]

I'm also looking for Rick Rude vs. Hiro Hase from 3/19/94 where Rude wins the WCW International title (big gold belt) back after losing it 3 days earlier (I have the match where he loses it).

[wtcvidman]

Do you have or know anyone who has the Sting-Vader match from Germany in March 1994 for the WCW European Cup? I believe there was a whole tournament. I read that Sting defeated Kane (aka Stevie Ray) of Harlem Heat, Ron Simmons & Steve Austin to get to the final against Vader. I'm pretty sure that's the same tournament where Cactus wrestled Vader & lost part of his ear (I have that match). I'd love to see the tournament.

[JKTube]

@wtcvidman: Yes, Cactus did lose his ear during that particular tour.

[wtcvidman]

@JKTube

Thanks. You confirmed my suspicions. I have a handheld of that specific match, but would love to get my hands on handheld footage of the other matches in the tournament. I wish WCW taped the entire tournament & sold it in an official VHS release in Europe at the time as a memento to its European fans. I'd hunt down a copy & get it converted to NTSC. The first 5 months of WCW in 1994 was my favorite era of that organization. Such great talent & matches between them.

[drav6]

vader looks like a hundred pounds lighter here

[mooky9669]

yeah he does..looks like he weighs as much as when he was known as "Baby Bull"..I saw him on AWA the other night..never knew he was known in the using his real name of Leon White and the "Baby Bull" nickname... odd for him not not have his mask on when he takes the big helmet off.

[NeptuneNetwork]

antonio inoki dies during this match. Not really but damn close.

[Funnysterste]

@NeptuneNetwork everyone who stepped into ring with vader was close to death

[DrewBludd]

@NeptuneNetwork

Vader used to work for AWA in the 80s under his given name.

[DrewBludd]

@Righter99

Are you sure that comment is meant for me, I never said anything about wrestling being fake. I just said this isn't Vader's first match. I think you hit "reply" to the wrong person.

[94Lyght]

@NeptuneNetwork