Antonio Inoki had organized an inter-promotional super-card between All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in October 1990 entitled Super Fight In Tokyo Dome. Inoki’s current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, the monster known as Vader, would defend against fellow big angry American “The Lariat” Stan Hansen on Japanese soil. This match would go down in history as one of the most memorable matches of the decade, not because it was the championship match on the Super Fight card, but because this would be the now infamous match where Vader would nearly lose his right eye.
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The Legendary Vader Eye Incident At NJPW Super Fight 1990
With the legend of Vader’s eye comes the many tales that are passed on over the years. Those include that Stan Hansen intentionally poked out Vader’s eye for some malicious reason, or that he was somehow protecting his spot in Japan despite the two operating in different companies. The tale of Vader’s eye is brutal, but much more simple than any devious well plotted plan. It all begins with the giant helmet that Antonio Inoki had bought for Vader to wear, and how Hansen jumping Vader as he tried to get in the ring would cause Vader’s nose to break within the helmet. The damage to Vader’s nose and orbital socket early on would set the stage for the horrific eye popping event set to come.
In a 2016 interview with Hannibal TV, Stan went over the infamous incident with Vader’s eye, and a story that Vader had recently told him when they last saw one another.
“I don’t remember per se, but he was telling me, ‘You hit the thing (Vader’s Massive Helmet) and the thing came back, and broke my nose right off the bat.’ He said ‘the thing hit me in the face, and broke my nose.’ So he's seeing red, and we just pounded the dog shit out of each other.” -Stan Hansen
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The first five minutes of the match was non-stop meaty men slapping meat sort of brawling. This is how it went until a stray thumb of sorts caught Vader and popped his eyeball out of the socket, leaving it hanging out slightly onto his cheek. Vader would discuss this in a rare sit-down interview with Title Match in 1998.
“He had caught me in eye, and I turned around and felt my eye on my cheek… I turned my back, and I just shoved it in. Nature just kinda took over, and the swelling held the eye in. I took him down in an arm-bar, and then I Just kept blinking...That was a good fight, if you ever get a chance to see that.” -Vader
Vader took his mask off and his eye began to visibly, and horrifically, swell shut. The two behemoths would battle for another ten plus minutes until the match would be ruled a double count out with the IWGP Championship staying with Vader. Not only that, but he was also able to hang on to his eye.
There Were No Hard Feelings Between Vader And Stan Hansen
2016 would see Vader get the honor of inducting his good friend Stan Hansen into the WWE Hall Of Fame. He was able to take a lighthearted look at the legendary incident, and celebrate the career of one of his greatest friends and rivals. Vader made it clear that he does not believe there was malicious intent, and that it was merely a freak accident brought on by the helmet, Stan’s lack of vision, and an unlucky twist of fate.
Both Vader & Hansen are Japanese Wrestling legends, WWE Hall of Famers, and two of the greatest brawlers in wrestling history. Vader would pass away at the age of 63, just two years after he was able to induct his friend into the WWE Hall of Fame. Four years later, Vader was added posthumously.
