10 Most Shocking NJPW Upsets
2. Vader Vs. Antonio Inoki - Year End In Kokugikan 1987
Almost too effective in its aim, the Sumo Hall crowd were not merely shocked by this result; absolutely seething, a set of fans known for their mild manners set fire to and threw cushions around a venue New Japan was subsequently banned from running for years.
Already incensed at being deprived of the huge Riki Choshu Vs. Antonio Inoki main event, the equally mild-mannered Vader used his preternatural, menacing instincts - and association with reviled comedian Takeshi Kitano - to exacerbate the situation following his impromptu, stunning win over Inoki.
In spite of its disastrous outcome, New Japan did something right by doing something wrong; orchestrated as an assault of fan relations, the debuting Vader didn't merely beat Inoki; he destroyed a weakened shadow of him in a clubbing, one-sided exhibition. New Japan demolished its monuments of brand trust and top act to put Vader over as a star.
A victory of both intention and happenstance, eventually, fans redirected their anger towards the intended target, and shaped the folklore of Vader as the last of the old-fashioned foreign invaders - to an extent that his stint in the East was as mythical as the legend that inspired the act.