His run there may have been disappointing but at least he redeemed himself in Noah afterwards. His matches with Misawa & Kobashi are definitely worth tracking down.
Mostly All Japan just before the NOAH exodus, but yes. Vader was booked as the foreign monster heel that could only be taken out by the great Misawa. Those matches are prototypical AJPW: Stiff, dramatic, fantastic.
During Shawn's tantrum you can see Vader mouth "I'm sorry" as he gets his head stomped, and it broke my heart. Leon was apparently a really sweet guy in real life, he deserved better.
@@PlayStopRewindFilms Yeah, Vader wasn't exactly a saint by any means. I have no idea why so many revisionists claim that Vader was hurt by Hogan and Michaels, when anyone watching at the time could easily point the finger at something else. Too many people read Death of WCW and take it as the gospel truth. Michaels was indeed pissed during their match and reacted. But to treat this as something that is exclusive to Shawn is ridiculous when Vader himself threw a fit when Shamrock was being reckless with some kicks and suckerpunched Shamrock. Wait...did I say reckless? I meant "snug". You know that word people use about Vader while claiming that Shawn was being a primadonna about not wanting to lose an ear like Foley. God forbid that Vader..ya know lighten up. I guess working "snug" is the reputation of Vaderbombing dozens of people in a way that injures their backs or causes them to go unconscious on impact. What a pussy Shawn is! As far as Vader not getting a bigger push or the plan changing following SummerSlam, one thing that wasn't noted was quite honestly that Vader wasn't over the way he should have been. Honestly Camp Cornette was pretty bland despite the talent involved. I genuinely don't see what the problem was with the switch to Sid. Shawn wasn't cutting it as champ, Vader wasn't seen as major, but you had Sid getting these insane reactions. Seems like the right move to me.
There is an interview with Vader where explains the Kuwait situation. He claims the shows producers came to them and asked them to do that. They gave them a list of questions. The last one being "Is wrestling fake?". At which point they wanted them to react to the host. The catch being that nobody from the show told the host that his was going to happen. So what you were getting was his genuine reaction. Afterwards the host went a filed charges against Vader. Vader explained between the cops and show producers that it was staged and the let Vader out of jail but due to it being a holiday the paperwork couldn't get processed until after the holiday. Vader ended up staying in a really nice resort with all of his stuff getting paid for by the Kuwaitis.
@@earlusmcdivett Search for video titled "Vader - When I Threatened Kuwait TV Host on WWF Tour & Got Arrested" on the Title Match Wrestling RU-vid channel. Do a little research before calling someone a liar, buddy.
I laughed so hard when WWE announced that "mask vs mask" match. My friends all looked at each other, and one of us finally spoke up, "sooo...Vader is going to lose that one, right?". Lol
It seems like almost every career has a decline when they run into Hulk Hogan brother! You either do the job now or ya do the job later, but remember brother ya gonna do the job brother!
@@smittywerbenjagermanjensen4737 He DID say ALMOST every career. Rock was okay, and Shawn recovered. It took Bret almost a year to start recovering his career after what Hogan pulled at WM9.
I've always heard Vader was told by a producer to act like that, but didn't want the host to know to make it look more real. Then the producer denied it to keep his own job after the cops were called. That's why undertaker never flinched
Perhaps but Vader would have been smarter to not go along with it, Far too many things could go wrong leading to the host being badly injured. And attacking a non-wrestler whose not trained to take hits safely can never be a good idea IMO.
I meet Vader at New Jacks retirement, he was one of the sweetest individuals I’ve ever meet, he was literally a giant teddy bear. He was a victim of Vince hates WCW booking, look at Dusty Rhodes, The Big Show, the list goes on, and on. So sad for fans that only know him from WWE. The Stan Hansen vs Vader match you mentioned from New Japan is a must see, his best match might of been with the Great Muta in New Japan.
@@ryanwebb5082 I think they're referring to the first several years pf Show. He didn't get popular with WWE booking to the point of titles until late 2000s etc etc
But by 97 Shawn wasn't bending over the right way anymore. But in seriousness, Shawn was far too talented to get rid of and the only guy at the time aside form Bret Hart that was worthy of being the top guy plus there was WCW breathing down WWF's neck. That's why Vince was so lenient with him.
It's amazing how many people who have zero connection to any of this still believe this insane "Vince and Shawn were fuck buddies" silliness. Nobody has ever suggested that either of them were gay, but it's 2020, so why let facts get in the way of people's conspiracy fantasies 😂
Ya Boy Guzma 🤣 I know it’s a chance that’s actually how life works but could you imagine for a sec that one night time just totally freezes for a sec then all the problems are gone? 🤣
Vader was used the same way every monster heel is used in WWE: A constant threat for maineventers but never a real maineventer himself. He went the same way like Yokozuna, Kane, Umaga or recently Samoa Joe. They were attractions for themselves and never needed big titles to be remembered. Could be worse. Dungeon of Doom and jobbing for Hogan for example.
Agreed, but part of it is Vader's fault, I heard he was a very stiff worker and guys like HBK at the time didn't want anything to do with that style so he never worked in the main event save for SS 1996 and that was it, he'd been sliding ever since then.
@Se Se I don't know if he tried to correct it, I don't remember hearing that any where, your sources? I agree with everything you said about Michaels, I don't know if Shawn had him "wrapped around his finger" at the time but he certainly was in Vince's ear at the time. Shawn was the champion and Vince catered to him because of that, remember business was down when Shawn was Champion and at the time Shawn could always play the WCW card, and he did at one point or he tried to. I heard that Vince talked him out of it. Any way I'm sure he got special treatment being Vince's Champion and main draw at the time. I think it was deserved no? Vader was a newcomer in the WWF and as I said Shawn had busted his ass to get to where he was at. Yeah I heard from Bret that Vader was a big teddy bear on the inside and you could hurt his feelings easily. I wonder if he deserves sympathy, there is the Kuwait incident which he (Leon) claims was a work, and Vader was a pro by the time he came to the WWE, so you think he'd have learned full well how to work and he shouldn't have had to "correct" anything, I don't expect perfection but he should have known how to work to the point where he wasn't hurting or injuring anyone or being "stiff", something Bret, prided himself on.
Vader was an amazing heel. His career in the WWF once and for all proved that Vince and company were not in fact geniuses, Vader had so much potential and quality. WWF dropped the ball big time.
One of my all time favorites. Total freak of nature. He gave hope to fat kids everywhere. I remember being proud when my JV football teammates called me Vader when assigning wrestler identities to guys on our team. Shame he didn't work out in WWF/E.
He tried working with pneumonia?? I’ve had pneumonia and I was incapacitated for 10 days and in hospital for 7 of those days on oxygen!! Sometimes you just have to say no and do what’s best for your health.
Real Josh AJ has alot of juice in the tank and WWE gives him stuff to do. Even though he made his name in Japan, the Independent Circuit and Impact, Styles gets top star treatment every week and Vince admits he’s fantastic even for a guy who’s 5’10
Nah, man, the Mask Match still makes sense. You said it yourself, a masked wrestler's mask is a big deal - it is a major part of the identity, and losing it is a big blow to the Character. Even if we could already see most of Vader's face, his willingness to put the mask on the line still means something. In addition, this is a type of match that only Vader and Kane could have, and his reaction after the loss feels real - like a man that bet everything and then LOST everything. Although, I'll agree, they should have made him use a different Mask afterwards.
These videos are definitely my favourite of yours, Brian. I love learning about these wrestlers that I've only ever heard of and have never really seen. Thanks.
Fun fact! My first ever WWE event was the night before taboo Tuesday 2005 haha, I got to see Vader trip up close and personal being in the front row. Best night of my childhood
Back in the Day when i started the wrestling training, my coaches said: "When you want to work Big Man Style, watch everything what Vader has done." In my opinion he was one of the Best Big Man who ever worked in the squared circle, but his WWF run was just a big disappointment. Rest in Peace
My mind is officially blown.. hearing Paul orndoff had one good arm is insane since I once had found an Paul orndoff rubber wrestler figure missing an arm!
Vader was a victim of HBK and VKM in my eyes. Vince didn't like he wouldn't rename himself to Mastodon because Vince's moto was We don't hire Superstars, we Create them. Also HBK was HBK.. his politicking selfish self at the max at that point. What really pisses me off about this is as much of a Sham the WWE Hall of Fame is, Vince refuses to put Vader in it even after learning Vader was more or less going to die in a few years even despite Mick Foley pushing for it. Ohhh but he allowed Vader to induct Stan Hansen.
I think it's a good thing he's not in the WWE hall of fame because that shit is a pathetic joke, much like how the WWE cares about it's family, as seen in this recent disaster
@Mean Bob There are a lot of people who deserve to be there if they consider it an honor. However due to VKM being VKM they never will be or not till after they die which makes you wonder about Vince's ability to forgive, more so when things were his fault.. like all the wrestlers involved in the Concussion Law suit Vs WWE. Demolition and One Man Gang come to mind. You know OMG lost his house to a massive hurricane sometime back and not a peep from WWE about it? Someone mentioned it on Squared circle on Reddit and his family started a donation site for it.. the good news is They raised enough money to deal with the problem.. but it still pisses me off WWE didn't step up to help him.
@@PapaBear816 lmao…Why should Vince McMahon and the WWE help out OMG when he lost his home? Just because he USE to work for them? That’s not how it works, they paid him very well while he actually did work for them and they DON’T own OMG or any other past wrestlers a dime. Sounds harsh I know, but the WWE is NOT a charity, they’re a FOR PROFIT company. I use to work for Walmart, if I lost my home, I doubt they would help me, even though they’re a company that makes billions and I’ve worked for them for years, but I don’t work for them now, so they ain’t going to help. So again why should WWE be expected to help? Sorry mark, that’s not how the world works. Would it have been nice of them to help? Of course, but in no way are they obligated to do so, sorry to play “Devil’s advocate,” but sometimes that’s the role you play when you can perfectly understand the world isn’t nice.
@@Musiclover19 Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to Conservative thinking Fort Width. A man who gave like the Gang did to WWE, and why should the multi billion dollar company he gave heart and soul to, Help him with 30k to get his house fixed. Yea, Such a kind soul you are. Keeping in mind WWE has done more for other superstars in the name of being " Good " You see that road over there, it leads to Fuck off Ville, can you go all the way down there and fuck all the way off? Thanks :)
One of the best parts of my week is coming home from work on Wednesday and sitting back to watch the new Brian Zane video while I unwind. Thanks for what you do man!
Yay!!! I’ve been waiting for this one!! Hopefully he’s able to do: Legion of Doom 2000 Chavo Guerrero (2005 until his WWE departure) Mr. Kennedy WWF in 1995 Top 8 worst guest hosts The mishandling of JR Sin Cara The Rise and Fall of Rusev Shinsuke Nakamura
He was a Hall of Famer before he ever stepped foot in WWF. And he did have some great moments: attacking Monsoon, Final Four, shooting against the Kuwait reporter (which I thought was awesome).
@@RoyStantz yeah I think that if it wasn't because he teamed up with Road dogg or Chuck palumbo he would had been released after parting ways from Bart Gunn
Underrated Vader moment was when he Started fighting kane during Kanes inferno match with the Undertaker. That Undertaker top rope leap over the ropes and fire and landing on Kane and Vader is still one a my favorite spots.
Yeah, I've heard Cornette and Ross talk about how he wouldn't wash his tights. There's a funny story out there about how his wife gave him shit over it, too.
NBR. It’s not new at all. It’s been very well documented by other wrestlers that he had poor hygiene. Bam Bam Bigelow is often accused of it as well. His mask was infamously smelly as well.
The amazing thing was the second he left WWF, he was putting on 4+ star classics in AJPW with Kobashi/Kawada/Misawa/Akiyama, and he had a great match with Inoki too in 99-00 area
Holy shit finally a long form video. I honestly only watch this and classical ppv reviews. I could care less about current wrestling. Thank you, your comedy has been missed.
To be fair to Shawn (just barely since this is 1996 HBK we're talking about), Bret Hart also hated working with Vader because of how stiff he was. He was really better suited for Japan than North American wrestling. It's a shame things didn't work out in the Federation for him, but he still has his legacy intact despite this lackluster run.
Shawn has been a massive douche for his whole career but I don't think 'Can you not stiff me?' is exactly politicking or particularly unreasonable. A lot of that whole thing has been blown up by Corny, bless the guy, who tends to decry things done by guys he hates but lauds them when they're done by guys he likes. Bruiser Brody acts unprofessional, shows the fans he's there but doesn't wanna work to show his displeasure with the producer? Hahaha, classic Brody! Shawn Michaels does the same basic thing but in the back stage? Unprofessional douchebag. So when the stories of Vader being politicked out of a good career in WWF are hitting the rounds, take it with a grain of salt. It's likely! It's very believable, and probably true, but if the reason he was 'politicked' out of a good career is 'refusing to NOT stiff top stars'... well. No one's ever praised Bob Holly or JBL for it either.
Vader was one of the most scariest heels. I remember when he splashed Gorilla Monsoon, I wanted to see him beaten badly for that, and it was then I realized he was a phenomenal heel. I really feel bad for how things went down for him in the WWF. It’s interesting, reading through a lot of the comments that people posted about him, he seemed like a very nice likable guy outside the ring.
I watched an old interview with him and he said guys complained about his style. The two guys he hinted at were Taker and Shawn Michaels. I’m curious who it was .
I hate Shawn so bad it makes my blood boil, espically knowing how he acted in the 96 match with Vader. What a complete baby. Vader should of got up and blasted him.! What makes it worse is how people talk about Shawn being the greatest of all time. Yeah, greatest baby of all time. He messed with so many peoples spots back then, by crying and wingeing to Vince. He should be ashamed of himself. But its okay cuz HBK found God we should all forgive him..... NOT I hate you Shawn....!!!!!!!!!
Just like Michael Jorden or Floyd Mayweather. Assholes people but you got to respect that they were the best in that sport. I hate early Shawn as a person too. The Kilq burns my blood too. What's even more crappy is as a kid I loved Shawn and Deisel. Only to find out they were the two biggest assholes back then. My heart hurts for guys like Vader and anyone Hogan screwed over.
@@bOObies2 i agree but, Jordan and Mayweather never cost people there jobs, thats the difference. These wrestlers had famlies to feed. But aslong Shawn was okay who cares. He was and still is a JERK, and will never have my RESPECT..!
SamBo And look who's also crying? Don't blame it all on Michaels, Vince is the one you should be blaming and there were others like Hogan who was far worse than him. Atleast Michaels put over people in later years, something Hogan would never be proud to do
As a guy from Bremen, My older brother told me all about the stories of Vaders (at that time called Bull Power) time in Otto Wanz's CWA. He together with Fit Finlay and Jushin Thunder Liger would walk the streets constantly and sign autographs to anyone who asks. Bremen was kinda like the New York of Germany in the 80s and early 90s, as there was no bigger crowd for Wrestling in this country and we could also be considered a bit smarky. Too bad everything went to shit by the late 90s. But in any case, Vader will always be my favorite big man of all time.
@@wrestlingwithart And was on a house show. WCW DID ban at least parts of a Worldwide match though in that same year (1994), for it being too violent for TV. Perhaps you may be thinking of that.
That issue was entirely WCW's fault. Because they forgot something even local indies know: You need a ring crew. You can't just hire randoms with no experience to set up your ring and expect things to go right.
That makes zero sense...if they wanted to reference it, they could have created a massive angle out of it. When in wrestling could you have found a feud where one guy legitimately deformed another guy, who could then get revenge? That's pure gold.
