Leon White, aka Big Van Vader, aka Vader, one of the greatest big men to ever step into a wrestling ring, passed away late Monday night.

White grew up in Compton, CA, in a military family. He competed in track and field, wrestling, and football and excelled at all three. He was heavily recruited by multiple colleges and eventually chose the University of Colorado. While at CU Boulder, White was an All-American offensive lineman. He went on to be drafted in the third round by his hometown L.A. Rams, playing in Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

After his football career was cut short due to a knee injury, White returned to live in Boulder. He moved on to professional wrestling after being discovered by and eventually trained by Brad Rheingans (who also trained current WWE Universal champion and former UFC champion Brock Lesnar, among others). Through Rheingans, he began his career in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association (AWA) as Baby Bull, and later became known as Bull Power.

Following his run in the AWA, White went to Japan to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he was given the name Big Van Vader, based on a Japanese folklore warrior, now working under a mask. (Little known fact: the gimmick was originally intended for Jim Hellwig, aka the Ultimate Warrior).  It was in Japan that he also received the huge “Mastadon” mask, which would spew smoke out of the sides, seemingly on command. One of Vader’s most notorious matches came in Japan in 1990 when, during a match with Stan Hansen, Vader accidentally had his eye poked out of its socket by Hansen. Vader would proceed to shove his eyeball back into place and continued on with the match.

White would then move on to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1990, where he would win their world title on three separate occasions. It was here that he had what many consider his greatest run, feuding with superstars such as Sting, Cactus Jack (Mick Foley), Ron Simmons, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair.

In 1996, White jumped to the WWF and he would drop the “Big Van” in his name and be known simply as “Vader.” Although he would go on to battle the likes of Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, his run in the WWF is largely seen as a disappointment, due in part to weight issues, injuries, and personality conflicts.

After departing the company in 1998, White returned to Japan and then would go on to make sporadic appearances throughout the 2000s. His last big match came after an online feud with independent wrestler Will Ospreay. The two battled in August 2016 for Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) in England, with Vader going over Ospreay.

Leon White will be remembered for many things. He was surprisingly agile for a big man, even perfecting a moonsault from the top rope. He was also known to work “stiff,” meaning many of his punches and strikes were not pulled and were definitely felt by his opponents. He also had a number of catchphrases, such as “Who’s the man?!,” “It’s Vader time!,” and my personal favorite, “I fear no man and I feel no pain.” 

Leon White was 63. Rest in peace, big man.

 

 

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