Big Van Vader

Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player.

Leon Allen White was born in Lynwood, California, on May 14, 1955, and grew up in Compton, California.

He was raised with his sister in a rough area of Los Angeles known as South Central, where the siblings experienced a home break-in.

His father was a US Marine.

His father also was an underwater welder for the US Navy and invented an automobile hoist, which made the family wealthier and let them move to a safer neighborhood in Bell, where White attended Bell High School.

In high school, he competed in shot put on the track and field team, wrestled, and played football.

White was a nationally ranked center that was recruited by forty colleges.

He played offensive line at the University of Colorado, where he was named a second-team All-American at guard by United Press International for the Buffaloes in 1977.

He earned a business administration degree.

In the 1978 NFL Draft, White was drafted as a center by the Los Angeles Rams with the 24th pick of the 3rd Round (80th overall).

White's second season saw the Rams go to the Super Bowl and earned White an NFC championship ring.

White spent the season on the injured reserve list due to knee problems.

He did not play a single down and registered no statistics.

White was forced into retirement by a ruptured patella.

While working out at a gym, White was spotted by a man who remembered him from his college football days who suggested he look into professional wrestling.

Trained by Brad Rheingans, White got his first national exposure in the American Wrestling Association (AWA).

He went by the moniker Baby Bull, which was later changed to Bull Power.

White honed his skills during this time, and his ring work improved significantly to the point that he was booked in a match with Stan Hansen for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, where he was defeated.

In May 1986, White went to Europe to compete for Otto Wanz and his promotion, Catch Wrestling Association, touring Austria and Germany, using the name Bull Power.

That summer, he took part in the three-day tournament for the Vienna Catch Cup, in Austria.

He made it to the finals, before losing to Klaus Wallas.

On March 22, 1987, he won his first championship, the CWA World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Otto Wanz in Denver, Colorado, ending Wanz's reign of nearly nine years in its only title change in the United States.

He held onto the title for nearly four months, before losing back to Wanz on July 11 in Graz, Austria.

In December 1987, he participated in his second tournament, the Bremen Catch Cup, in Germany.

He defeated Rambo in the finals, to win his first tournament.

Although originally signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), AJPW owner Giant Baba traded White's contract over to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in 1987 after consideration.

In 1989, Bull Power returned to the CWA, to challenge Otto Wanz for the CWA World Heavyweight Championship.

On August 21 in Vienna, Austria, he defeated Wanz to win his second CWA World title.

He held onto the title for a little over four months before losing it back to Wanz in Bremen, Germany, on December 22.

A year later, Otto Wanz retired and the CWA World title was held up.

Bull Power defeated Rambo to win the vacant title for the third and final time.

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.

He held to the title for over six months, before losing it to Rambo in Graz, Austria on July 6, 1991.

Five months later, he defeated Tatsumi Fujinami to become the inaugural CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion.

He vacated the title in 1992 after signing with World Championship Wrestling.

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.