10 Must See Vader Matches

10. Vs. Stan Hansen (NJPW Super Fight In Tokyo Dome)

Big Van Vader IWGP Champion
NJPWWorld.com

Warning: do not watch this match if you've got a weak stomach. The grisly eye injury Vader suffered is quite graphic, and it happened fairly early on.

On a card also featuring Japanese stars as big as Genichiro Tenryu, Tiger Mask, Riki Choshu, Antonio Inoki and Masahiro Chono, it says everything that two rugged North Americans stole the show in 1990. Both Vader and Stan Hansen seemed hell-bent on proving their toughness at NJPW's Super Fight In Tokyo Dome, and they did just that.

Minutes in, an errant strike from Hansen caused Vader's eye to pop out of its socket. Of course, he simply popped it back in and kept wrestling to a double count out for a good 10 minutes more. The finish might not satisfy some, but this is an example of wild brawling that wasn't exactly the norm in WCW or the WWF back then.

It's not hard to see why this one became a favourite with tape traders in the 90s. Seek it out if you'd like to see how realistic some Vader matches could become. Again though, don't eat lunch when you're watching some of those early punches.

You're likely to lose it.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood.