There weren’t many legitimately tougher pro wrestlers in history than Vader — and a TV host in the Middle East found that out the hard way during a 1997 interview.

Appearing alongside The Undertaker on “Good Morning Kuwait” to promote an upcoming WWE tour in the region, things immediately got off to a rough start as host Bassam Al Othman asked the duo about the idea of wrestling being fake. The Undertaker was clearly annoyed by the line of questioning, but the Hall of Famer gave a relatively polite response — but Vader wasn’t as forgiving.

“My astute colleague -– the heavyweight champion of the world -– is a very diplomatic individual. I’m perhaps not quite so diplomatic. In fact, I find your question, and your remarks, insulting to what I do,” he said. 

After a few more words, Vader stood up, knocked over the coffee table in front of him, and grabbed Bassam Al Othman by his tie. “Does that f***ing feel fake? Huh? Does that feel fake?” Vader asked the uncomfortable Othman. “Why don’t you come down tonight and, before I kick his ass, I’ll kick your ass.”

Police were called to the studio and Vader was placed under arrest and while he was detained for 10 days, he spent the time in a luxury hotel rather than a jail. WWE would later acknowledge the confrontation and Vader’s arrest on-screen, using it to showcase Vader’s toughness. Jim Ross interviewed Vader and asked if he had any remorse or shame about what occurred. In response, he told Ross and the crowd that he went over there and did his job — which was to “beat up people”. 

During a 2022 interview looking back on the incident, The Undertaker admitted he realised things were starting to escalate early in the interview.

“I could see it coming long before it ever happened,” he told SHAK Wrestling. 

“You don’t know when you’re in a foreign country what the ramification of putting your hands on somebody else is, right? You just don’t know, so you don’t put yourself in that situation. I appreciate Leon, the fact that he was protecting his business — but there is a time when you have to be a little bit more vague.”