In Loving Memory of Leon White. An inspiration to all us big guys, and one of the toughest SOBs to ever walk the Earth.
When I was but a wee lad there were several wrestling tough guys who were scarier than a person had a right to be. I’m pretty sure Ming can kill people by staring at them. However, the most intimidating of the lot was probably Big Van Vader. Vader was nearly 400 lbs of pissed off ginger in a weird mask. Seriously, what purpose did it serve outside of smooshing his nose?
It didn’t really matter though, because wrestling in those days was little better than a Saturday morning cartoon as far as character depth went, and Vader was one of the best villains ever. When Vader started his less than stellar run in the WWE it was many young fans first encounter with the Mastadon. It was frightening.
That’s not an exaggeration either. When Vader stepped into the ring things seemed to get real. I mean they already were to us kids, but somehow this was different, more visceral and violent. When he put people in a corner and started throwing those big ham hocks he called hands, you just knew he was gonna break someone’s ribs. And in the tradition of the Bonzai Drop and the Bigelosault, the Vader Bomb looked like a career ender.
Vader made an impact everywhere he went and was one of the greatest superheavies to ever lace up boots. Whether it was Japan, WCW, or WWE, Vader left a lasting impression on the fans and the men he wrestled. So, let’s take some time to appreciate the iconic moments the big man gave us.
And to you, Leon… Thank you so much. I can’t express in my limited vocabulary what you meant to all of us. Our hearts break with your passing and I know you’re looking down on us. When you get to St. Peter just tell him “It’s Vader Time!” and we’ll see you again someday.
5. Cactus Jack Feud
https://youtu.be/_mfDwZLr1uQ
In the early 90s, Vader started wrestling for WCW. When he went full time he was paired with Harley Race and eventually began a rivalry with Cactus Jack. Not only would this be a career-defining rivalry for both men, it was one of the greatest wrestling rivalries of the era. On an episode of WCW Saturday Night, Cactus defeated Vader via count-out. However, the match was a bloody affair that took its toll on Foley.
The match had to be heavily edited for broadcast due to the bloodshed. Foley suffered a broken nose and required 27 stitches afterward. During a rematch in April of 1993, Vader powerbombed the hardcore legend onto the concrete floor. The impact gave Mick a concussion and he lost feeling in his left extremities temporarily.
When Cactus returned to action he faced off against Vader in a Texas Death Match. A Texas Death Match is similar to a Last Man Standing match except you must score a pinfall or submission before the 10-count can begin. Big Van Vader would win the match after Harley Race hit Cactus with a cattleprod.
The following match was arguably the most memorable because of what transpired. During a match in Germany, Vader sent Mick into the ropes and over them. Foley got his head trapped in the ropes, a dangerous spot to say the least. While trying to free himself Foley ripped off his right ear.
The Blow-off came during a Texas Tornado match that Vader also won. The impact of this rivalry helped cement the legacy of brutality and toughness both men would carry through their entire careers.
4. Retired Koloff and Broke Joe Thuman’s back at Halloween Havok ’92
This was the actions of a single night for Vader. Though maybe not as memorable as his sustained rivalries, the actions he took this night have yet to be rivaled by another superstar. He retired a man and broke another man’s back… how do you top that for sheer dominance? Not even Braun has had a night like that and he pulled a scaffolding down on two men.
Nikita Koloff, the ‘Russian Nightmare,’ was an accomplished wrestler in his own right. A former NWA Heavyweight Champion and NWA Hall of Famer, Koloff was one of the original evil Soviet heels. At Halloween Havoc 1992 Koloff was set to face Rick Rude for the WCW United States Championship. Rude complained about having to wrestle twice that night and was replaced by Vader.
Vader beat Koloff after a stiff clothesline that herniated a disc in Nikita’s neck. In addition to the neck injury, Koloff suffered a hernia trying to lift the Mastadon. The resulting injuries would cause Koloff to retire, but that wasn’t the most devastating thing Vader did that night.
During a two-on-one handicap match, Vader beat up a couple of jobbers. One of those men was Joe Thurman. Thurman tagged into the match only to be met by stiff blows from Vader. Vader then chokeslammed Thurman brutally, as the jobber staggered to his feet, Vader slapped him then delivered one of the most gruesome powerbombs ever.
Thurman folded like an accordion as he landed on his neck and shoulders, and Vader just loomed over him for the three count. While Vader was probably checking on the wounded man, in the context of the match it looked like a grizzly about to tuck into his fresh kill.
3. Attacking Gorilla Monsoon
This might be my personal most memorable Vader moment. While it seems tame today, just remember how much we all freaked out when Bret Hart took the first table bump. Stuff was still new in the 90s… we were so much more innocent then. So, when Vader crossed that unspoken line and put his hands on the “boss,” it was incomprehensible. No one had taken out an authority figure like this before. Vader was out of control and we couldn’t stop him.
This single act separated him from every other heel in the WWE locker room, making him a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Vader was on a rampage in the ring, attacking officials, when Gorilla Monsoon, the then on-screen boss, came to ringside to put a stop to the devastation. Monsoon backed Vader into a corner with a series of chops and we all went nuts to see the legend stand up to the big man.
Finally, someone would stop Vader from tearing through everyone on the roster. Surely, he wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on Monsoon. Boy, were we wrong. Vader took the chops and as soon as Monsson turned his back Vader pounced. Vader beat Monsoon down and even delivered a Vader bomb to the old superstar. This act of defiance resonated with most of us fans because it was a breach of etiquette we’d never seen before. Vader was off the leash and it looked like no one could stop him.
2. Sting Feud
When Vader first appeared in WCW he was given a title shot against the champion, Sting in April of 1992. Vader lost the match via DQ but gave Sting a few cracked ribs and ruptured spleen for his troubles. Vader would get a rematch in July at the Great American Bash and won his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
The reign was cut short by a knee injury and he was forced to lose the title in an event that just barely missed this list. Vader put over Ron Simmons (Farooq) on his way out, making Simmons the first black superstar to win a major wrestling heavyweight title. Eventually, Vader would regain his title from Simmons, lose it to Sting, and regain again; thus, becoming a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
As wrestlers and writers, we’re only as good as the stories we tell, and this story was one of Stings best. The rivalry between the two established a lot of who these characters were and helped to cement their legacies in our minds. Sting became the epitome of white-hat faces, a superhero come to life to fight the big bad supervillain. This might as well have been Superman vs Doomsday, because, like Doomsday, Vader had the hero’s number.
1. Popping his own eye back in vs Stan Hansen
Vader’s eye popped out. That’s it. I shouldn’t have to write anymore. His eye literally came out of the socket, he pushed it back in, and continued the match. I don’t know about you, but if I stub my toe in the morning, I call in sick to work. This man’s eye… HIS EYE… came out of the socket, presumably dangling like one of those Ball-in-a-Cup games, before he shoved it back in and kept going.
Forget crying about Shawn Michaels or getting slapped by Paul Orndorff, if this doesn’t qualify the Mastodon as one of the toughest people to ever roam the planet, I don’t know what does. In a NJPW vs AJPW supercard, Vader faced off against Stan Hansen. Before the match even started Hansen broke Vader’s nose with his signature bullrope. Not a good sign of things to come.
As the two traded stiff blows, the only blows Vader knows, Hansen gouged Vader’s eye causing it to come out of the socket. Gruesome. Vader took off his mask, shoved his eye back in, used his eyelid to hold it in place, and kept going with the match. Mind you Sin Cara called off a match for a dislocated finger.
*Bonus: Boy Meets World
Anyone who was a kid in the 90s was probably terrified of Vader and loved Boy Meets World. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see the big guy on our favorite kid-friendly sitcom. Vader played the bully Frankie’s (the guy in Mallrats who couldn’t see the sailboat) dad, Francis Albert Leslie ‘Frankie’ Stecchino, Sr. The highlight had to be him challenging Mr. Feeny to a Texas Death Match… loser leaves town.
That’s it for this very special edition of the High 5. Thank you so much for joining me as we traveled down memory lane to experience the life and times of the Man they call Vader. Leon White was a special human being and an amazing wrestler who captured all of our heart as a terrifying big man. Though many complained about his stiff work in the ring, Vader brought a level of realism and brutality to every match, the like of which we may never see again.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’m writing this through blurry eyes. There are many of us weeping at the loss of this giant man. Giant in stature, giant in personality, and giant in heart. We miss you already, Vader. Thank you, big guy. Rest easy, champ.
What are your most memorable Vader moments? Please, leave your tribute to the greatest super heavyweight of all time on Twitter HERE or in the comments below. You can also join us on Discord to chat with Oli, Luke, the magazine team, the website writers and each other here. We’d love to hear your thoughts and memories of Vader as we celebrate his life together. Life is precious, and so are all of you. I’m out.
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