10 Must See Vader Matches

8. Vs. Antonio Inoki (NJPW Wrestling World 1996)

Less than a full month before he made his WWF debut at the 1996 Royal Rumble, Vader met Japanese legend Antonio Inoki at New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show. Predictably, he upped the violence levels to bring the best out in Inoki.

Both men bladed, some of the strikes remain eye-watering and the match is notable for Inoki winning it seemingly out of nowhere. Vader dominated the vast majority of the match, and it's cool even now to hear the Tokyo crowd pop big time for Antonio's surprise submission win.

Keep in mind that Inoki was a major star, so it can't have been easy to make fans view him as the underdog.

This is the kind of match Vader could work in his sleep. Long stretches of heat followed by a stirring babyface comeback were his thing, and he did it better than most. Though some may dislike the slow pace of this one, it's a tremendous example of Vader's work in Japan and a nice contrast to the wicked brutality of the Hansen match.