10 Unexpected Origins Of Wrestling Characters
9. The Lore Of Vader
It feels almost sacrilegious to taint the great name of Big Van Vader with one of pro wrestling's most memed words, but there is actual lore connected to the character.
The Big Van Vader gimmick was conceived by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki before he had an actual performer for it in mind. Based vaguely on the folklore of a real Japanese warrior in the Heian period of the country's history, Inoki thought big; the Vader character was the imposing secret weapon imposed on NJPW by the deeply unpopular Takeshi Puroresu Gundan stable boss Takeshi Kitano.
The aesthetic, attire and epic scope of the gimmick may have seemed too ambitious - between the aborted Azteckaiser gimmick and the smash success of Tiger Mask and Jushin Thunder Liger, the promotion experienced mixed extremes when deviating from credible pseudo-martial artists - but Leon White's portrayal was so effective that it got over immediately.
This was helped by an ultra-rare display of vulnerability on the part of Inoki, who did a clean job for his creation on Vader's infamous debut (albeit having been beaten-down beforehand). The role was originally intended for Jim 'Ultimate Warrior' Hellwig, incredibly enough.
Imagine Inoki jobbing to that f*cker.