Big Van Vader facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Big Van Vader
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Vader in 1997
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| Born |
Leon Allen White
May 14, 1955 Lynwood, California, U.S.
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| Died | June 18, 2018 (aged 63) |
| Alma mater | University of Colorado |
| Spouse(s) |
Grace Connelly
(m. 1979; div. 2007) |
| Children | Jake Carter |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Baby Bull Bull Power Big Van Vader Leon White Vader |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Billed weight | 450 lb (204 kg) |
| Billed from | Boulder, Colorado, U.S. "The Rocky Mountains" |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans |
| Debut | 1985 |
| Retired | May 25, 2017 |
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Football career |
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| No. 75 | |
| Position: | Center |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Bell (Los Angeles, California) |
| College: | University of Colorado |
| NFL Draft: | 1978 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80 |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Leon Allen White (born May 14, 1955 – died June 18, 2018) was a famous American professional wrestler and football player. He was best known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader. Throughout his career, he wrestled for major companies like New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1990s and 2000s. Many people consider him one of the greatest super-heavyweight wrestlers ever.
Vader was known for his huge size and powerful wrestling style. He could even perform amazing moves like a diving moonsault, where he would jump backward off the top rope. This move was voted the "Best Wrestling Maneuver" in 1993. He won many championships, including the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times each. He also won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship once. Vader was honored for his career by being inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Beginnings
Leon Allen White was born in Lynwood, California, on May 14, 1955. He grew up in Compton, California, and later moved to Bell, where he went to Bell High School. In high school, Leon was a talented athlete. He competed in shot put for the track and field team, wrestled, and played football.
College and Professional Football
Leon White was a highly sought-after football player in high school. Forty different colleges wanted him to play for them! He chose to play as an offensive lineman at the University of Colorado. In 1977, he was named a second-team All-American for the Buffaloes. He also earned a degree in business administration.
After college, Leon was drafted into the NFL in 1978 by the Los Angeles Rams. He was the 80th player picked overall. In his second season, the Rams made it to the Super Bowl, and Leon earned an NFC championship ring. However, he had to retire from football early because of a serious knee injury.
Professional Wrestling Career
Leon White began his professional wrestling journey in 1985. A man at his gym, who remembered him from his college football days, suggested he try wrestling. He was trained by Brad Rheingans.
Starting in the AWA and Europe
Leon White first gained attention in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He used the name Baby Bull, which later changed to Bull Power. He quickly improved his wrestling skills.
In May 1986, he traveled to Europe to wrestle for Otto Wanz's company, Catch Wrestling Association (CWA). He continued to use the name Bull Power. On March 22, 1987, he won his first championship, the CWA World Heavyweight Championship. He held this title for almost four months. He won the CWA World title two more times in 1989 and 1990. He also became the first CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion in 1991.
Becoming Big Van Vader in Japan
In 1987, Leon White joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). This is where he became Big Van Vader and started wearing his famous black wrestling mask. His new name and look were inspired by a powerful warrior from Japanese folklore.
Vader quickly made a huge impact. He became the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He won this top title three times between 1989 and 1991.
One famous moment happened on February 10, 1990, when Vader faced Stan Hansen. During their intense match, Hansen accidentally poked Vader's left eye, causing it to pop out of its socket! Vader, incredibly, pushed his eye back in and kept wrestling until the match was stopped. He needed surgery and a metal plate under his eye because of this injury.
In 1992, Vader teamed up with Bam Bam Bigelow as "Big, Bad, and Dangerous." They won the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
Dominating in WCW
Vader joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1990, but he started wrestling there full-time in 1991. He was managed by the legendary Harley Race.
Vader quickly became a top star. He challenged Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in April 1992. He won the title on July 12, becoming the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He held this title three times between 1992 and 1993.
Vader was known for his tough matches. He had a very intense rivalry with Mick Foley, who wrestled as Cactus Jack. In one famous match in Germany, Foley's ear was torn off when his head got caught in the ropes. Vader later admitted he was responsible for the injury.
In 1993, Vader won the Battlebowl main event. He also won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in 1994. Vader left WCW in 1995 after a disagreement.
Time in Other Promotions
Vader also wrestled for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) in Mexico, where he won the UWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1989. He also competed as Super Vader in Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi), winning their Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship in 1994.
Vader in WWE
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Vader made his big debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at the 1996 Royal Rumble. He was called "The Man They Call Vader." He quickly made an impact by attacking WWF officials and even WWF President Gorilla Monsoon.
Vader joined a group called Camp Cornette, managed by Jim Cornette. He had major matches against top stars like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. At the 1997 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker's former manager, Paul Bearer, started managing Vader. Vader and Mankind even teamed up to try and win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Vader returned to WWE for special appearances in 2005, 2012, and 2016. In 2012, he defeated Heath Slater on Raw. In 2016, he inducted his old rival Stan Hansen into the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2022, Vader himself was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Later Career and Retirement
After leaving WWF, Vader returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1998. He won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice and the World Tag Team Championship with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.
He then joined Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) in 2000, where he and 2 Cold Scorpio became the first GHC Tag Team Champions in 2001.
Vader continued to wrestle on the independent circuit and made appearances in Japan until 2017. His final match was on August 26, 2017.
Vader's Wrestling Style
Vader was known for being one of the greatest super-heavyweight wrestlers ever. He used his large size and weight to make his moves look incredibly powerful. His finishing move, the Vader Bomb, was a corner slingshot splash. He would bounce off the middle rope and land on his opponent.
What made Vader special was his amazing agility for a wrestler his size. Even at 450 lb (200 kg), he could perform a simple dropkick. His most impressive move was the Vader Sault, which was a moonsault (a backward somersault jump off the top rope). This move requires incredible agility and is usually only done by much smaller wrestlers.
Vader in Other Media
Vader appeared in several movies and TV shows. He was in the 1995 film Fist of the North Star. He also appeared in three episodes of the popular TV show Boy Meets World as Frankie Stecchino Sr. and one episode of Baywatch.
He was also a character in many video games, including WCW games, WWF games, and later WWE games like WWE '12 and WWE 2K19. Characters in other fighting games, like Raiden from Fatal Fury, were even based on his look.
Personal Life and Legacy
Leon White married Grace Connelly in 1979. They had a son named Jesse White, who was born in 1986. Jesse also became a professional wrestler and wrestled for WWE for a time. Leon White was a born again Christian.
In April 1997, while on a WWF tour in Kuwait, Vader was involved in a TV interview incident. He was later detained by Kuwaiti authorities for two weeks. It was later revealed that this incident was planned by the show's producers to get more viewers.
Leon White faced some health challenges later in his life. He passed away on June 18, 2018, at the age of 63, after being hospitalized for pneumonia. Fellow wrestler Sting visited and supported him often in the months before his death.
Championships and Awards
Vader won many championships and awards throughout his career:
- All Japan Pro Wrestling
- Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Steve Williams
- Champion Carnival (1999)
- Catch Wrestling Association
- CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- CWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- IWGP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bam Bam Bigelow
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Wrestler of the Year (1993)
- Ranked No. 2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993
- Pro Wrestling Noah
- GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Scorpio
- Universal Wrestling Association
- UWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Union of Wrestling Forces International
- Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- BattleBowl (1993)
- World Wrestling Federation/WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2022)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Heel (1993)
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (1993) (Moonsault)
- Wrestler of the Year (1993)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
Images for kids
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Vader (far right) and other WWE legends after attacking Heath Slater at WWE Raw 1000 in July 2012
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Vader in 2014
