Big Van Vader
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Leon Allen White, better known under his stage name Big Van Vader was an American professional wrestler.
Bio[edit | edit source]
Originally coming from a background of football and boxing, White was scouted by an old acquaintance while working out in a gym, and entered the American Wrestling Association as Baby Bull (soon changed to 'Bull Power') in 1985. The resulting career saw him touring all across the globe under different wrestling promotions; most notably NJPW, WCW, and WWE, as well as some later stints as part of the independent circuit until his last appearance in 2017.
In terms of style, Big Van Vader best known for two things: Wrecking ball-sized punches hailing back to his earlier days as a boxer, and the gleeful application of his own nature as a super-heavyweight against his opponents - most notably in the form of his finishing move; the corner slingshot splash Vader Bomb. That Vader often happened to move quite a bit faster than his generous size would suggest did little to help his enemies.
Already suffering from the early symptoms of congestive heart failure and heart arrhythmia, Vader unfortunately passed away from prolonged pneumonia on June 18th, 2018.
In 8chanmania[edit | edit source]
Big Van Vader fought in 8chanmania III, but sadly no records of his exact involvement have survived.
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Raiden / Big Bear from Fatal Fury was modelled after Vader.
- He also made a cameo appearance as Goliath in the 1995 live-action adaption of Fist of the North Star.
