Vader briefly collapses after match in Japan
There was a very bad scare earlier today as Leon White (Vader) fainted right after his match at Korakuen Hall in Japan.
It was the 45th anniversary of the debut of Tatsumi Fujinami (one of the greatest workers of all-time) in a six-man tag with Fujinami, Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Vader, Keiji Muto & AKIRA. Vader passed out right after the match ended when Antonio Inoki was coming to the ring for a ceremony honoring Fujinami.
He was okay after a while and left the ring on his own, and was at a party put on by Fujinami and his family after the show several hours ago. He was scheduled for shows on Saturday in Fukuoka and Sunday in Osaka. We’re not sure if he’ll be able to wrestle on those shows or not.
It was believed he was suffering from dehydration, though Vader posted on Twitter that it was caused by being dropped on his head at the beginning of the match and claimed that it had nothing to do with the heart problems that he’s been dealing with.
Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.