Big Van Vader

"Vader (wrestler)" redirects here. For other uses, see Vader.

Big Van Vader
Vader in 1997
Born
Leon Allen White[1]

(1955-05-14)May 14, 1955[2]
Lynwood, California, U.S.[2]
DiedJune 18, 2018(2018-06-18) (aged 63)[3]
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
Spouse
Grace Connelly
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 2007)​
ChildrenJake Carter
Ring name(s)Baby Bull[4]
Bull Power [4]
Big Van Vader[5]
Leon White[2]
Vader[6]
Billed height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[6]
Billed weight450 lb (204 kg)[6]
Billed fromBoulder, Colorado, U.S.
"The Rocky Mountains"[6]
Trained byBrad Rheingans[2][5]
Debut1985[2][5]
RetiredMay 25, 2017[7]
American football career
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
Career highlights and awards

Leon Allen White[1] (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018),[8] better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) during the 1990s and 2000s. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest super-heavyweight professional wrestlers of all time.[9]

White performed as a monstrous wrestler, and he was capable of aerial maneuvers: his diving moonsault was voted the "Best Wrestling Maneuver" of 1993 by Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) readers. Among other accolades in WCW, Mexico and Japan, he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times each, the UWA World Heavyweight Championship once, the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice, the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship once, and won the battle royal main event of the 1993 Battlebowl pay-per-view (PPV). He headlined multiple PPV events for the WWF and WCW. Vader was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NFL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e "Big Van Vader". Cagematch.
  3. ^ @itsvadertime (June 20, 2018). "It is with a heavy heart to inform everyone that my father, Leon White, passed away on Monday night (6/18/18) at approximately 7:25pm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference rej was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c "Puroresu Central profile". Archived from the original on February 27, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "Vader". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cagematch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ ビッグバン・ベイダー. All Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  9. ^ Burkholder, Denny (March 3, 2017). "Still wrestling despite heart issue, Vader prefers to die 'having fun in the ring'". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.