1. Big Van Vader Vs. Stan Hansen - New Japan Pro Wrestling (Japan) - 1990
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYSnhhiU8M At 3:40 of this match Vader takes off his mask in order to put his eyeball back into the socket and hold it in place with his eyelid. At the time, Hansen was nearly a decade in with All Japan after his aforementioned split from New Japan. Vader was the new big bully on the Japanese block, having debuted in New Japan in 1988 after originally being signed to All Japan (via their talent exchange deal with the American Wrestling Association) in 1987. Thus, the scene is set and the match is epic. It's Godzilla versus King Kong, and even given the infamous eye issue putting it over the top, it's a fantastic brawl that showcases the mix of size, psychology and athleticism that made both grapplers two of the best brawlers in wrestling history.
Marcus K. Dowling
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Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
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