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Leon White may have passed on, but the legacy of Vader will live forever!
Leon White was a four hundred fifty pound mammoth of a man. Gifted with grace that belied his bulk, he embarked on a career in football to earn his fame and fortune.
Alas, that was not meant to be. A knee injury shelved White's football career before it could truly start, but like a phoenix emerging from the ashes, Vader emerged from the husk of White.
His fame would spread to all corners of the Earth. His powerbombs would shake the ringposts and he would carry off gold at each and every opportunity. He was Vader, and he was truly larger than life.
Here are ten standout moments from his career.
#1.The Early Days: Unmasked.
When Leon White first debuted, it was thought that he was too handsome to be a real heel! In Verne Gagne's AWA he was even referred to Baby Bull because of his baby faced good looks.
Given his abilities, he quickly ascended the card and faced AWA champ Stan Hansen no less than seven times for the title...and came up short every time. Still, for a relative newcomer to be getting shots against Stan the Man is quite the rookie achievement.
#2. New Japan--the Birth of Big Van Vader.
Big Van Vader's smoke spewing, skull like masque has terrorized and delighted fans all over the world. But the mask almost didn't go atop Leon White's head. It almost ended up on--the Ultimate Warrior?
It's all true. Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki designed the Vader mask and character with either Jim Hellwig (Warrior) or Sid Eudy (Sid Vicious) in mind. However, when neither of those men made the journey to Japan, it was given to the man we all knew and loved as Vader.
#3. New Japan debut causes a riot, and a ban from the building for years.
Leon White had the Vader mask, he was scheduled to debut against the legendary Tatsumi Fujinami at the world famous Sumo Hall. However, Fujinami backed out of their match for undisclosed reasons (most critics agree it was probably nagging injuries.)
Inoki wasn't about to let his new creation sit in idle any longer. After wrestling a match, Inoki called out Vader for his debut.
Big Van Vader had to hastily don his ring gear, as he'd been told to take the night off, and proceeded to beat Inoki senseless in a brutal match that was largely one-sided. The gathered fans didn't take well to an unknown Gaijin defeating their beloved pro wrestling hero, and rioted! The damage inflicted by angry fans caused New Japan to be banned from the Sumo Hall for nearly ten years.
Vader was told to attempt 'shoot' striking on Inoki, meaning they wanted him to legitimately try and knock out the legend. The New Japan officials grossly underestimated Vader's speed, and he quickly made Inoki back off with stiff strikes. Other than that, the match went exactly the way it was booked--much to the chagrin of the fans in attendance.
#4.Tag Team with fellow legendary big man Bam Bam Bigelow
Bam Bam and Vader started out as enemies; The New Japan officials reasoned that fans would not riot if Vader defeated another gaijin.
But, like many foes, the two formed a mutual respect for one another and ended up being a successful tag team. One wonders what would happen if these two mastodons were alive and wrestling today against the likes of War Raiders or the Bludgeon Brothers.
#5. First non-Japanese holder of the IWGP title.
While many credit Hulk Hogan as the first westerner to hold the IWGP title, the truth is his was more or less a 'pride belt' that was not meant to be defended as a regular championship. Big Van Vader is the man who is properly credited as the first non Japanese man to hold the IWGP heavyweight championship. Vader won a tournament for the vacant belt, beating legends like Masahiro Chono along the way.
#6. Global Domination.
In a world of triple crown champions and grand slam champions, a major accolade that neither Ric Flair nor Hulk Hogan can claim is to be world champion in TWO different promotions at the same time...let alone THREE.
But that's exactly what Vader did. While still the IWGP world champion, he also captured the CWA world title, then went on to claim the UWA world title in Mexico. That's an accolade that will likely never be repeated.
#7. Tag teaming with the future Yokozuna.
A team that sets the record for size and weight, Vader and Great Kokina--better known to wrestling fans as Yokozuna--were dominant in their brief time together.
Though the two would never capture gold as a unit, they still go down in history as one of the most massive, most intimidating forces ever to set foot between the ropes.
#8. Brutal, history-making match against Stan Hansen.
There's a saying in pro wrestling; Red is green. The idea is that brutality and blood pay off dividends when it comes to making money.
Vader and Stan Hansen certainly decided that they liked this philosophy. Both men were known for being 'stiff' in the ring--meaning their blows and body slams were genuinely painful and sometimes caused injury for real.
However, when the two behemoths locked up for an AJPW vs NJPW event, all hell broke loose. Hansen decided to smack Vader with his bullrope, which featured a heavy metal bell. Vader wasn't prepared for the unscripted attack and was nearly knocked unconscious. In pro wrestling, being 'potatoed' by another grappler means you are entitled to 'receipt,' meaning some real life blows are acceptable. Vader beat Hansen down in the corner while bellowing at him for the bullrope shot.
Vader backed away, figuring he'd made his point--then Stan Hansen thumbed him in the eye. More than a simple poke, the blow broke Vader's nose, fractured his eye socket and caused his eyeball to protrude from his face. Ouch!
Vader shoved the eye back into the socket and continued the match for another half hour. When Vader unmasked during the match due to pain and swelling, the gathered crowd--not to mention Stan Hansen--were horrified by the carnage. It was a legendary moment from a legendary career, and not for the squeamish.
#9. WCW champion.
Managed by Harley Race, Vader finally became the dominant force in an American based wrestling alliance when he captured the WCW world title from Sting at the Great American Bash.
Vader would drop the belt to Ron Simmons shortly thereafter, but would reclaim the belt to become a two-time WCW champion. Vader's dominance of pro wrestling was now complete.
#10. Tough enough to face the Fist of the North Star.
When the time came to cast a villain opposite Gary Daniels in the western live action version of Fist of the North Star--yes, the one from all those 'you're already dead' memes--the filmmakers could look no further than one of the legit toughest men on the planet--Big Van Vader.
Vader's appearance in the film was brief, but satisfying, as he got in a few good licks on main hero Kenshiro. Vader, champion of both wrestling rings and the box office.
There you have it; Ten larger than life moments from the career of the larger than life Vader! What are your favorite Vader moments? Please comment and share your love for the dearly departed Mastadon!
What are your favorite moments of Vader's career?
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