Leon White
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For the football player of the same name see Leon White (football player). For the Star Wars villain, see Darth Vader.
| Leon White | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Baby Bull Bull Power Big Van Vader Super Vader Vader |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (193 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 452 lb (205 kg) |
| Born | May 14, 1957 Lynwood, California |
| Resides | Boulder, Colorado |
| Billed from | Denver, Colorado Rocky Mountains |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans |
| Debut | January 1985 |
Leon Allen White (born May 14, 1957) better known under his ring names Big Van Vader or Vader, is an American professional wrestler. White was a top draw around the world in the 1990s with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. As a super-heavyweight wrestler capable of significant aerial maneuvers, he was both a face and a heel in several professional wrestling companies. He is also notable for his highly offensive and dangerous style of wrestling and the injuries he caused other wrestlers. He was well known for always asking, "What time is it?" and then yelling at the top of his lungs, "It's Time, It's Vader Time!!"[1]
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[edit] Career
[edit] American Wrestling Association (1985-1987)
Trained by Brad Rheingans, Leon White headed got his first national exposure in the American Wrestling Association. He went by the moniker Baby Bull, which he later changed to Bull Power. White honed his skills during this time, and while his ring persona was somewhat bland, his ring work improved dramatically. He was even given a title match with Stan Hansen for the AWA World Title. He then headed abroad, traveling the world and developing the hard-hitting style with which he is identified.
[edit] New Japan Pro Wrestling (1987-1992)
Before starting with NJPW, White's name was once again changed from Bull Power to Big Van Vader, and he began to wear a mask (though not the red strap for which he is now famous). He was given the name Big Van Vader by promoter Antonio Inoki. There is no connection to Darth Vader; "Big Van Vader" was a manga character created by Go Nagai, who had also created the Jushin Liger anime. He was introduced as the crown jewel of the Takeshi Puroresu Gundan stable managed by Takeshi Kitano. After a match in which Riki Chōshū had challenged Inoki only to lose, Vader demanded a match with the already worn-out Inoki, and Vader was victorious. This led the audience to riot and got NJPW banned from the Sumo Hall, which was its home arena (the ban was later rescinded in 1989).
Vader went on to feud with other Japanese legends, Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Chōshū, over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. His impressive showings and stiffness quickly gained him the respect of the press and the fans. On April 24, 1989, a one night tournament was held for the title. In the first round of the tournament, Vader defeated a young Masa Chono. Tatsumi Fujinami, the man who had the title when it was held up for the tournament, was defeated by Vader in the semifinals. After a final match against Shinya Hashimoto, Vader was declared the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
On May 25, one month after being crowned champion, Vader lost the title to Russian suplex master Salman Hashimikov. Hashimikov dropped the title to Vader's old rival, Riki Chōshū, on July 12. On August 10, he was given an opportunity at Chōshū and the title. He defeated Chōshū and became a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Shortly after winning the title again, White traveled to Germany, again using the name Bull Power, to face Otto Wanz for the CWA Heavyweight Championship. He won the match and, as a result, held the Heavyweight Championship in two separate organizations at the same time. He continued to travel between Japan and Germany defending his titles.
In November, Vader traveled to Mexico to face El Canek in the Universal Wrestling Association for El Canek's UWA Heavyweight Championship. Despite his rival putting on a good battle, Vader's superior strength and significant size advantage gave him the win. With the victory, he became the first man in history to hold three heavyweight championships in three separate organizations and continents: Europe (CWA, Germany), Asia (IWGP, Japan), and North America (UWA, Mexico).
In February of 1990, Vader faced another notoriously dangerous wrestler in Stan Hansen at an All-Japan vs. New Japan supercard show. The two exchanged very hard punches, and one of them caused White's right eye to actually pop out of its socket, although it was contained by the swelling in his eyelid. White took the time to take off his mask and push the eye back in the socket before finishing the match as planned.
His success garnered the attention of WCW, which convinced him to work for them while still the IWGP Champion and an active competitor in Japan.
[edit] World Championship Wrestling (1990-1995)
[edit] 1990
Vader's first match under the WCW banner took place on July 8, 1990 at The Great American Bash, where he defeated Tom Zenk in a little over two minutes.
Around this time, Vader began a feud with Stan Hansen in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
[edit] 1991
About two weeks later, Vader went to Germany and defeated Rambo in a tournament final to reclaim the vacant CWA Heavyweight Championship (making Vader 3-time CWA Heavyweight Champion). In early 1991, Vader defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to earn himself a third IWGP Heavyweight Title reign. This IWGP title reign was short-lived. On March 4, Vader lost the belt back to Fujinami. Rambo ended Vader's CWA Heavyweight Championship reign on July 6, 1991. Vader went on to defeat Fujinami for the CWA Intercontinental Championship but, upon his signing of a WCW contract in 1992, the title was declared vacant. At this point, WCW and NJPW were reaching a tentative working agreement. This benefited White, as he could now have his schedule coordinated far more easily. This helped alleviate his difficulty in gaining notoriety in WCW, as his previously infrequent appearances did not allow the audience to see him very often.
[edit] 1992
On March 1, 1992, he and Bam Bam Bigelow (the team named "Big, Bad, and Dangerous") won the IWGP Tag Team Titles from Hiroshi Hase and Keiji Mutoh. In May, Vader faced Mutoh, now known as The Great Muta, one on one and received a serious knee injury. This injury was a factor that caused "Big, Bad, and Dangerous" to drop the titles to the Steiner Brothers after almost four months as champions. This also signaled a decrease in his NJPW time, as Vader began to focus almost entirely on WCW and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Vader was paired with a manager, former 7-time NWA world champion Harley Race, and the duo stalked the WCW Champion, Sting, seeking a title opportunity. Vader finally received one on April 12, 1992, but lost after punching out the referee. Sting cracked a pair of ribs in the match after a Vader splash, though he continued to compete infrequently while recuperating. Vader was placed in a feud with Nikita Koloff shortly afterwards.
Vader received a rematch with Sting on July 12 at The Great American Bash 1992. At the close of the match, Sting missed a Stinger Splash (and hit his head on the ringpost as a result). This led to a powerbomb by Vader for the three count, making Vader the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion. His reign was short-lived, as a knee injury caused Vader to drop the title three weeks later to Ron Simmons.[2] Vader was out of action for the fall as he was getting knee surgery. Upon his return, Vader sent Nikita Koloff into retirement and broke the back of jobber Joe Thurman, causing him to become paralyzed for a few hours, in the following weeks.[3] At Starrcade 1992, Vader lost to Sting in the finals of the "King of Cable" tournament. However, just two days later, Vader defeated Ron Simmons by taking advantage of a shoulder injury to regain the World Heavyweight Championship.
[edit] 1993
At SuperBrawl III on February 21, 1993, in a Strap match which Vader dubbed the "White Castle of Fear," Vader defeated Sting. However, during the match, White sustained a lacerated back and a ruptured artery in his ear that required hospitalization.
On March 11, 1993, Vader lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Sting in London, England. However, on March 17, Vader was able to defeat Sting and regain the title in Dublin, Ireland. In subsequent weeks, Vader was able to successfully defend his title against Davey Boy Smith, Sting, and Dustin Rhodes.
In late February 1993, White signed an eight-date agreement with the Union of Wrestling Force International (UWFi), where he competed as Super Vader due to legal issues that arose from the Big Van Vader name. By this time, he was simply known as Vader in the United States and Japan. He went on to work with the company for over a year. His greatest triumph under the UWFi banner was victory in the Best of the World Tournament, which started April 3 and ended August 18, 1994. Vader first defeated Salman Hashimikov and then defeated Masahito Kakihara in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Vader defeated Kiyoshi Tamura and beat Nobuhiko Takada in the finals to win the tournament and the UWFi World Title. He later left the promotion in a financial dispute.
On April 17, 1993, Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) was able to defeat Vader via countout in a match on WCW Saturday Night.[4] However, Foley suffered a broken nose and needed 27 stitches for wounds on his face.[4] The match was heavily edited for broadcast, as WCW did not wish to show the severe bleeding.[4] However, it is shown in full on "Mick Foley's Greatest Hits And Misses" DVD collection (in which Foley claims the viewer can literally hear his nose breaking due to a Vader punch). In a rematch on April 23, Vader powerbombed Cactus onto the concrete floor outside the ring.[5] Foley suffered a concussion and temporary loss of feeling in his left hand and leg.[5] Vader believed he had sent Cactus into retirement, but Cactus later appeared in a series of skits involving his powerbomb-inflicted amnesia and a search for his past. (Foley had actually requested time off for knee surgery and to be with his family.)
In the meantime, Vader began to feud with a new arrival to WCW, Davey Boy Smith. They met at Slamboree in May for Vader's WCW title, where Vader lost by disqualification when he hit Smith with a chair, though he retained the title. Vader and Sid Vicious then formed a partnership and called themselves "The Masters of the Powerbomb." They faced off with Smith and his new partner, Sting, at Beach Blast in July. The feud was promoted by a series of often-mocked short movies featuring the four wrestlers on a beach and an evil dwarf blowing up a boat.
Finally, Cactus Jack returned for October's Halloween Havoc pay-per-view to face Vader in a Texas Death Match.[6] Cactus stood up to a series of devastating moves near the end of the match, though Vader was able to win when Harley Race stunned Cactus with a cattle prod that kept him down for the count of ten. On March 16, 1994, Mick Foley lost his right ear in a match with Vader in Munich, Germany. Foley's head became trapped in the ropes, which were under excessive tension, causing the ear to be torn off.[7]
Vader had originally been scheduled to face Sid Vicious at Starrcade 1993. However, the real-life dismissal of Vicious after his stabbing of Arn Anderson in England forced WCW to find a quick replacement. Executive producer Eric Bischoff placed Ric Flair in the match, which was to be held in Flair's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the storyline, Vader did not take Flair seriously until he agreed to put his career on the line against Vader's title. The match was dominated by Vader, but Flair capitalized on failed interference by Harley Race and Vader's weakened knees to win the match with a rollup to end Vader's third WCW World Heavyweight Championship reign.
[edit] 1994
Vader continued to feud with Flair until SuperBrawl IV, where Flair once again defeated Vader, this time in a "Thundercage" match. Vader claimed in a shoot interview in late 1998 that he was originally booked by Dusty Rhodes to regain the belt from Flair and then feud with Hulk Hogan (who was imminently joining the company) over the title, but that three days before the event, Flair took Dusty's head booker job and changed the ending of the match to himself retaining the title, a decision that left Vader bitter with Flair for many years.
Vader then feuded with The Boss, defeating him at Spring Stampede 1994. He also faced Sting at Slamboree for the vacant WCW International World Heavyweight Championship. Sting requested the match rather than be awarded the title after an injury to his original opponent, Rick Rude, and was able to defeat Vader.
On August 18th, Vader defeated UWFi World Champion Nobuhiko Takada in arguably the best match of 1994 at a sold out Buddukon Hall to win his first UWFi championship.
At Clash of the Champions XXIX, Vader beat Dustin Rhodes and earned the opportunity to face then-United States Champion Jim Duggan. In the Starrcade 1994 title match, Vader easily defeated Duggan to win his only United States title.
[edit] 1995
In January 1995, Vader (now alone due to Race having suffered a car accident that put him permanently out of WCW) confronted the World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan, and informed him that he could not avoid the monster. The two met at SuperBrawl V with Vader managing to kick out of Hogan's leg drop after a count of one. The referee was knocked out before Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Hogan. Ric Flair ran out, made the three count, and attacked Hogan, resulting in Vader's disqualification. A rematch was signed, a strap match for the inaugural Uncensored pay-per-view. However, Flair once again intervened (this time, wearing drag) and managed to cost Vader the match by getting himself carried by Hogan as he touched all four turnbuckle pads.
Vader was stripped of the United States Championship on April 23, 1995. However, Vader gained another opportunity to win the World Title from Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1995 in a Steel Cage match. He conspired with Kevin Sullivan and the Dungeon of Doom to gain a psychological edge before the encounter, which Vader lost when Hogan escaped the cage.
He then resurrected his feud with Flair based on his frustration at Flair's constant interference in his title matches and Flair's annoyance at his inability to defeat Hogan. At Clash of the Champions XXXI, Vader defeated Ric Flair and Arn Anderson in a 2 on 1 handicap match. Following the event, Hogan grew interested in Vader and asked for his assistance in his developing feud with the Dungeon of Doom. Vader complied but the situation never developed as a week or so later Vader was fired from WCW due to a locker room brawl involving Paul Orndorff.
[edit] The Paul Orndorff incident
During an encounter backstage, White had reportedly been asked by booker Kevin Sullivan and several others to come and do a crucial interview segment. White was speculated during this period to be taking medication for injuries, which resulted in apparent mood swings as a side effect. Sullivan eventually asked Paul Orndorff to approach White regarding the interview. Both Orndorff and White have claimed that the other was abusive, and a brief fight ensued that had apparently been brewing for some time. Accounts of this notorious real-life altercation generally claim that the upper hand was held by Orndorff, who was said to have practically begged White to start something as tensions grew. The two were separated in short time. Afterwards, White was soon released from World Championship Wrestling. Both men tell very different accounts of this incident, Orndorff stating that he was simply the better man in the fight, and White stating that, fearing for his position in the company, he relented in his assault on Orndorff after taking him off his feet with his first strike.
[edit] Post WCW
[edit] Independents (1996)
On January 4, 1996, Vader had his first post-WCW match, facing the man whose four-year winning streak Vader had ended over seven years ago, Antonio Inoki. Inoki was over fifty years old at the time, but the match lasted nearly 14 minutes of Vader pummeling Inoki. In the end, Inoki got the win.
[edit] World Wrestling Entertainment (First run, 1996-1998)
[edit] 1996
In the weeks leading up to the 1996 Royal Rumble, Vader’s debut was heavily hyped on WWF programming. On January 21st, Vader entered the Royal Rumble match at number 13 and eliminated Jake the snake Roberts, Luke, Doug Gilbert, and Swat Team member number 1. At one point in the Rumble, he and the 600 pound Yokozuna double-teamed the other superstars before turning on each other. Vader was about to eliminate Yokozuna, but Shawn Michaels threw both of them over the top rope simultaneously. Vader and Yokozuna fought each other on their way backstage. The next night on Raw, Vader went one-on-one with Savio Vega. Vader pinned Vega with the Vader Bomb. After the match, Vader proceeded to deliver 3 more Vader Bombs on Vega. Vader also attacked several WWF officials who tried to restrain him. WWF Commissioner, Gorilla Monsoon demanded Vader to stop the attack and leave the ring. Vader punched Monsoon in the face, body-slammed him and hit The Vader Bomb. As a result, Vader was suspended for his actions. At Rage In The Cage on February 18th, Vader interfered in Yokozuna’s match against The British Bulldog when Yokozuna had Bulldog pinned with a leg drop. Vader broke up the count and attacked Yokozuna. After the attack, Jim Cornette announced Vader as the newest member of Camp Cornette. The next night on Raw, Vader interfered in Owen Hart’s match against Razor Ramon when Razor had Hart pinned with the Razor’s Edge. Vader hit 5 Vader Bombs on Razor. As a result, Razor had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. At Wrestlemania 12 on March 31st, Camp Cornette (Vader, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog) took on Yokozuna, Jake the snake Roberts, and Ahmed Johnson in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Camp Cornette won when Vader pinned Roberts with the Vader Bomb. After the match, Razor Ramon made his return and attacked Vader. Vader went one-on-one with Razor at Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28th. Razor amazingly hit the Razor’s Edge on the 460 pound Vader. Razor had Vader pinned but Cornette had the referee distracted. Owen Hart came through the crowd, flew off the top turnbuckle, knocked Razor out with a shot to the back of Razor’s head with his arm cast, and went back into the crowd. Vader pulled the unconscious Razor over to the corner, hit the Vader Bomb, and pinned Razor. Their feud ended due to the fact that Razor left the WWF after losing to Vader. At Wrestlefest on May 26th, Vader went one-on-one with Yokozuna. Vader pinned Yokozuna with the Vader Bomb. Vader participated in the 1996 King Of The Ring tournament on June 23rd, but lost to Jake the snake Roberts by disqualification. Roberts tried to hit the DDT on Vader, but Vader easily got out of it by shoving Roberts into the referee and getting himself disqualified. After the match, Vader attacked Roberts and injured his ribs by squashing him in the corner 3 times and hitting 3 Vader Bombs. Later that night, Vader came to the aid of Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, who were being attacked by Shawn Michaels and Ahmed Johnson. Moments As Camp Cornette were triple-teaming Michaels and Ahmed, The Ultimate Warrior came out and cleared Camp Cornette out of the ring. The main event of The International Incident on July 21st was originally scheduled to be Camp Cornette vs. The Ultimate Warrior, Shawn Michaels, and Ahmed Johnson, but Warrior left the WWF one week before the event and was replaced by Sycho Sid. Michaels was about to deliver the Sweet Chin Music when Cornette held onto Michaels foot in the corner, Vader then corner splashed Michaels hit the Vader Bomb and pinned Michaels for the victory. At Summer Slam on August 18th, Vader faced Michaels in a No-Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship. Vader hit Michaels in the head with Cornette’s tennis racket. Vader pulled Michaels to the corner, hit the Vader Bomb, and went for the pin, but Michaels amazingly kicked out. Michaels pinned Vader with the Sweet Chin Music and retained the title. At Mind Games on September 22nd, Vader interfered in Michaels’ title defense against Mankind and attacked Michaels’ when Michaels had Mankind pinned with the Sweet Chin Music, but Vader came in the ring, broke up the count, and attacked Michaels. Mankind and Vader double-teamed Michaels until Sycho Sid to Michaels’ aid. Sid and Vader fought their way backstage. This incident started a feud between Sid and Vader. Sid and Vader went one-on-one with Sid at Slamathon on October 20th in a match where the winner would face Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series on November 17th. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Sid and went for the pin, but Sid amazingly kicked out and fought back. Sid had Vader pinned with the Chokeslam, but Cornette got on the ring apron and distracted the referee. Shawn Michaels pulled Cornette off the apron and delivered the Sweet Chin Music to Cornette. Sid pinned Vader with the Powerbomb to win the match and become the number one contender for the WWF Championship. After the match, Michaels and Sid celebrated in the ring. The next night on Raw, Vader continued his feud with Yokozuna. He and Yokozuna assembled their teams for Survivor Series. Vader’s team consisted of himself, Diesel, Farooq, and Razor Ramon, while Yokozuna’s team consisted of himself, Flash Funk, Savio Vega, and a mystery partner. Yokozuna’s mystery partner turned out to be Superfly Jimmy Snuka, who had been inducted into the WWF Hall Of Fame the night before. The match ended in a double-disqualification. On the 12/16/96 episode of Monday Night Raw, Vader went one-on-one with The Undertaker. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Undertaker and went for the pin, but Undertaker amazingly kicked out and fought back. Undertaker Tombstoned Vader, went for the pin and had the match won, but Jim Cornette got on the ring apron and distracted the referee. Undertaker threw Cornette in the ring and Tombstoned Cornette. As a result, Cornette had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. This incident left Vader without a manager. A week later, Vader challenged Undertaker to a match at the 1997 Royal Rumble on January 19th.
[edit] 1997
At the Royal Rumble, Undertaker again kicked out of the Vader Bomb and fought back. He Chokeslammed Vader and was about to hit the Tombstone, but Undertaker’s former manager, Paul Bearer, came to the ring and distracted him. Undertaker went outside the ring and knocked Paul Bearer down with one punch. Undertaker put Vader against the steel barricade and was preparing for a splash, but Paul Bearer pulled Vader out of the way and caused Undertaker to hit the barricade. Paul Bearer hit Undertaker in the back of the head with Undertaker’s own urn and knocked him out. Vader threw Undertaker back in the ring, climbed the second turnbuckle, hit the Vader Bomb, and pinned Undertaker to win the match. After the match, Vader and Paul Bearer left the ring together and as a result, Paul Bearer became Vader’s new manager. Later that night, Vader drew number 28 in the Royal Rumble match and eliminated Flash Funk. He also helped Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret the hitman Hart eliminate Yokozuna. Hart eliminated Austin, but the referees didn’t see it because they were too busy breaking up a fight on the floor between Terry Funk and Mankind. Austin went back in the ring and eliminated The Undertaker and Vader at the same time, just as Undertaker was about to eliminate Vader. Hart eliminated Diesel and then Austin eliminated Hart to win the Royal Rumble and earn a shot at the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania 13 on March 23rd. The next night on Raw, Shawn Michaels suffered a knee injury and was stripped of the WWF Championship. A week later, WWF Commissioner, Gorilla Monsoon arranged a Fatal-Four-Way Elimination Match for the WWF Championship at Final Four on February 16th with the participants being Vader, Bret the hitman Hart, The Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. At Final Four, Hart threw Austin over the top rope. Undertaker threw Vader over the top rope. Hart pinned Undertaker after Austin hit the Stone Cold Stunner on Undertaker. Hart won the match and became the WWF Champion for the 4th time. The next night on Raw, Mankind and Vader, who were both managed by Paul Bearer, started a feud with the Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. At the Slammy Awards on March 22nd, which was the night before Wrestlemania 13, Owen Hart won an award that he wasn’t even nominated for and ended up being chased off the stage by Vader. At Wrestlemania 13, Vader had Bulldog pinned with the Vader, but Owen broke up the count. All four men started fighting on the outside and the match ended in a double count-out. On April 23rd, Vader was a guest on Good Morning Kuwait. The host of the show, Bassam Al Othman, repeatedly told Vader that wrestling was fake. Vader got angry, grabbed Othman by the suit, and shoved him to the floor to prove the reality of wrestling. Vader was arrested and charged for assault. He was released from prison the next day on 1 million dollars worth of bail. 3 days later on Monday Night Raw, Vader was interviewed in the ring by commentator, Jim Ross. When Ross asked Vader a question he didn’t like, Vader attacked Ross. Ken Shamrock came to Ross’s aid and delivered a belly-to-belly suplex to Vader. Vader went one-on-one with Shamrock at A Cold Day In Hell on May 11th. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Shamrock, went for the pin, and had the match won, but the referee was knocked out. Vader tried to help the referee up, but Shamrock hit a belly-to-suplex on Vader and locked Vader in the ankle-lock. Shamrock won the match when Vader tapped out to the ankle-lock. The next night on Raw, Vader faced Shamrock in a rematch. This time, Vader was amazingly able to escape the ankle-lock. Vader fought back and pinned Shamrock with the Vader Bomb to win the match. After the match, Vader hit 4 more Vader Bombs on Shamrock. Immediately after the attack, Vader left the ring and as he was walking up the aisle, Vader looked at the camera and asked, “Now, who’s the world’s most dangerous man? As a result, Shamrock had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. On the 6/9/97 episode of Monday Night Raw, Vader faced Ahmed Johnson in a match where the winner would face The Undertaker for the WWF Championship at the Canadian Stampede on July 6th. Vader pinned Ahmed with the Vader Bomb after amazingly kicking out of the Pearl River Plunge. At the Canadian Stampede, The Undertaker defended the title against Vader with Paul Bearer in Vader’s corner. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Undertaker and went for the pin, but Undertaker amazingly kicked out, fought back, hit the Tombstone on Vader, pinned him, and retained the WWF Championship. On the 8/27/97 episode of Monday Night Raw, Vader went one-on-one with The Patriot. Vader pinned Patriot with the Vader Bomb to win the match. After Vader left the ring, Bret the hitman Hart came out, went in the ring, and put the Canadian flag on top of the unconscious Patriot. Vader came back to the ring, threw Hart over the top rope, helped The Patriot back to his feet, and broke the Canadian flag in half. This incident turned Vader into a fan-favorite and brought him into the Canada vs. The United States feud. A week later, Vader started a feud with Owen Hart. At One Night Only on September 20th, Vader went one-on-one with Hart. Vader pinned Hart with the Vader Bomb to win the match. Two days later on Monday Night Raw, Vader went one-on-one with The British Bulldog. Vader had Bulldog pinned with the Vader Bomb, but the entire Hart Foundation (Bret the hitman Hart, Owen Hart, Jim the anvil Neidhart, and Brian Pillman) came out and attacked Vader. The Patriot came to Vader’s aid, but he got beaten down also. After the attack, Bret and Bulldog put Canadian flags over the unconscious Vader and Patriot. A week later, Vader and The Patriot challenged Bret and Bulldog to a Flag Match at Badd Blood on October 5th and they accepted. At Badd Blood, Vader and The Patriot faced Bret the hitman Hart and The British Bulldog in a Flag Match, which could be won by pinfall, submission, or climbing the pole and grabbing your country’s flag. Bret pinned Patriot with a roll-up to win the match for his team. The next night on Raw, Vader faced The British Bulldog in a Chain Match. Bulldog hit the Running Powerslam on Vader, but Vader amazingly kicked out and fought back. Vader pinned Bulldog with the Vader Bomb to win the match. After the match, The Hart Foundation (Jim the anvil Neidhart, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon) came out and attacked Vader. Moments later, a fan by the name of Steve Blackman came to Vader’s aid and attacked The Hart Foundation until Neidhart took him down to the mat. Vader recovered and threw The Hart Foundation out of the ring. Blackman was arrested and sent to prison. 2 days later, Vader bailed Blackman out of jail. At Survivor Series on November 9th, Team Canada (The British Bulldog, Jim the anvil Neidhart, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon) took on Team U.S.A. (Vader, Goldust, Marvelous Marc Mero, and Steve Blackman). Blackman was counted out. Vader pinned Neidhart with the Vader Bomb. Vader pinned Lafon with the Vader Bomb. Furnas pinned Mero using the ropes for extra leverage. Goldust was counted out after walking on Vader (an incident which started a feud between the two). Vader pinned Furnas with the Vader Bomb. Bulldog pinned Vader after hitting him in the head with the ring bell.
[edit] 1998
At the 1998 Royal Rumble on January 18th, Vader went one on one with Goldust. Vader pinned Goldust with the Vader Bomb to win the match. Later that night, Vader drew number 30 in the Royal Rumble match and eliminated The Honky Tonk Man and Goldust. Vader hit 2 splashes on The Rock in the corner and was preparing for a third, but Rock moved out of the way, threw Vader over the top rope, and eliminated him. Vader lasted approximately 10 minutes. The next night on Raw, Vader went one-on-one with Goldust in a rematch from the Royal Rumble. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Goldust and went for the pin, but Kane came into the ring, broke up the count, and attacked Vader, causing Goldust to get disqualified. A week later, Vader angrily challenged Kane to a match at No Way Out on February 15th. During the match at No Way Out, Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Kane, but Kane amazingly kicked out and fought back. Kane pinned Vader with the Tombstone to win the match. After the match, Kane hit Vader in the head with a large wrench. As a result, Vader had to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. Vader returned to the WWF at Unforgiven on April 26th, attacking Kane during his Inferno Match against The Undertaker. At Over The Edge on May 31st, Vader faced Kane in a Mask vs. Mask Match, where the loser would have to unmask. Vader hit the Vader Bomb on Kane, but Kane amazingly kicked out and fought back. Kane pinned Vader with the Tombstone to win the match. After the match, Kane unmasked Vader, who was still unconscious from the Tombstone. After Kane and his manager Paul Bearer left the ring, Vader was interviewed by Michael Cole. During the interview, Vader angrily referred to himself as a “big, fat piece of shit”. The next night on Raw, Vader was viciously attacked by Mark Henry and knocked out of action once again. At King Of The Ring on June 28th, Mark Henry interfered in Owen Hart’s match against X-Pac, and attacked X-Pac. Just as Henry was leaving the ring, he was attacked by Vader, who had made a premature return to WWE. He and Henry had to be separated by security. At Fully Loaded on July 26th, Vader went one-on-one with Henry. Vader had Henry pinned with the Vader Bomb, but the referee was knocked out. Henry pinned Vader using the ropes for leverage to win the match. After the match, Vader cleared Henry out of the ring and received a standing ovation from the fans. At Breakdown on September 27th, Vader faced Bradshaw in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Vader had Bradshaw pinned with the Vader Bomb, but the referee was knocked out. Bradshaw pinned Vader with a roll-up to win the match. This was Vader’s last match in the WWF and his last appearance in the WWF in a wrestling role.
[edit] All Japan Pro Wrestling/Pro Wrestling NOAH (1998-2002)
After leaving the WWF, Vader went to All Japan Pro Wrestling. He formed a team with his old foe Stan Hansen. He mauled then Triple Crown Champion Mitsuharu Misawa in a non-title match, and he and Hansen made it to the finals of the 1998 Real World Tag League. At the beginning of 1999, he won the number 1 contendership to the Triple Crown by defeating Kenta Kobashi. He then won the (vacant) Triple Crown Title, making him the first man to hold both it and the IWGP title. He would then compete in, and win, the 1999 Champion Carnival, getting wins over such stars as Jinsei Shinzaki, Jun Akiyama, Akira Taue, Takao Ōmori, Gary Albright, Yoshihiro Takayama, and Johnny Ace, but during the tournament he drew with Kenta Kobashi and lost to Misawa. In the finals Vader squared off against Kobashi, and again got the best of him to win the tournament.
After Vader lost the Triple Crown to Misawa, regained it, and again lost it to Kobashi, he took some time off. When he returned to action, he joined the new Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he won the Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Tag Team Championship with 2 Cold Scorpio.
[edit] TNA Wrestling: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
On February 19, 2003, Vader appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling to defend Dusty Rhodes, who was attacking the Harris Brothers. He won a tag team match the next week against the Harris Brothers, albeit via disqualification. He then had problems with Nikita Koloff, whose career Vader ended long ago. However, TNA and Vader soon parted ways.
[edit] World Wrestling Entertainment (Second run, 2005)
Vader returned to WWE on the 10/31/05 episode of Monday Night Raw, where Jonathan Coachman announced that Vader and Goldust would be in his corner for his street fight against Stone Cold Steve Austin the next night at Taboo Tuesday. At Taboo Tuesday, Austin failed to show up for the match and was replaced by Batista. Vader and Goldust interfered in the match on Coach’s behalf and received spine busters for their efforts. Batista pinned Coach with the Batista Bomb to win the match. Vader has not made an appearance in WWE since then.
[edit] Independent circuit and Japan
White then returned to Japan, wrestling at a WRESTLELAND show. He would also work in the independent circuit as Big Van Vader, including a tag match against Samoa Joe and Dan Maff in Jersey All Pro Wrestling with Mike Awesome as his tag team partner. On May 12, 2007, Vader faced Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake at Spartan Slamfest, a World Wrestling Coalition charity show for Wyoming Valley West School District. The match was held at the Kingston Armory in Kingston, Pennsylvania.
[edit] In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
-
- Sky High Chokeslam (Super chokeslam)
- Vader Bomb (High impact sheer drop release powerbomb)
- Vadersault (Moonsault)
- Vader Crush / Vader Splash (Corner slingshot splash)
- Face Eraser (Standing wheelbarrow facebuster)
- Vader Attack (Bell clap)
- Forearm club
- Running front powerslam
- Chokeslam
- Running splash
- Running corner body splash
- Short-arm clothesline
- Lariat
- Falling powerslam
- Bearhug
- Spinning backfist
- Delayed German suplex - Japan
- Punching combination to the gut of the opponent
- Quotes
-
- "It's time, it's time, it's Vader time!"
- "No pain!"
- "I fear no man and I feel no pain!"
- "It's time, it's time for the pain game!"
- "Who's the Man?!"
- Nicknames
-
- "Baby Bull" Leon White
- Leon "Bull Power" White
- "The Mastodon" (referred to by Vince McMahon during commentary)
- "The Man They Call" Vader
- "Mountain Man From Colorado"
- "The Big Ol' Stinky Grizzly Bear" (referred to by Jim Ross at the 1998 Royal Rumble)
- "The Man, Who is the Man"
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- Impact Zone Wrestling
- IZW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling NOAH
- GHC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Scorpio (First)
- Union of Wrestling Forces International
- UWFI Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Wrestler of the Year (1993)
- PWI ranked him # 27 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Best Heel (1993)
- Wrestler of the Year (1993)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
- Most Improved (1999)
[edit] Cameos
White appeared in the sitcom Boy Meets World as the father of minor character Frankie "The Enforcer" Stecchino, a high school bully who harbored dreams of becoming a poet but felt pressured to follow in his father's footsteps as a wrestler. White's character, who met the Matthews family in various PTA meetings, was portrayed as being obsessed with kayfabe and constantly remaining in character as Vader.
Vader was spotlighted in one episode (Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred-Pound Men) that featured a grudge match against his nemesis Jake "The Snake" Roberts; much humor came from the fact that milksop main character Cory Matthews was intimately familiar with Vader's wrestling history while his own son was not.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.2)
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.225)
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.3)
- ^ a b c Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.239-241)
- ^ a b Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.243-244)
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.265)
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.6-9)
[edit] References
- Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins, 768. ISBN 0061031011.
