Leon White
Acting • Born 1955-05-14 – Died 2018-06-18
Biography
Leon Allen White better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or Vader, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. White is best known for his time with New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1990s. A super-heavyweight wrestler capable of aerial maneuvers such as the moonsault and the dropkick, White was both a face and a heel in several professional wrestling promotions. During his career, he became an eight time world champion, having won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship three times and the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship twice. Vader returned to Japan, wrestling at a NJPW Wrestle Land show. He also worked 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 Beefcake at Spartan Slamfest, a World Wrestling Coalition charity show. The match was held at the Kingston Armory in Kingston, Pennsylvania. After wrestling his last match in 2007, White began working as a high school football coach. O April 29, 2010, White made a return to wrestling under his Vader ring name at the event Vader Time 5 Return of the Emperor. At the event, he teamed with his son Jesse and former tag team partner 2 Cold Scorpio to successfully defeat Makoto Hashi, Tamon Honda and Tatsumi Fujinami in the main event. In May 2016, Will Opsreay and Ricochet faced each other during the NJPW tournament Best of the Super Juniors. During the match, both wrestlers performed a high flying, fast paced sequence. When Vader saw the sequence, he complained in social media about the current direction pro wrestling is taking. During the following weeks, Vader and Ospreay feuded in Twitter, so England-based promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) booked a match between them. The match took place on August 12, 2016, where Vader defeated Ospreay. Two days later, he made an appearance in Colchester, England for the XWA Wrestling (XWA) promotion, where he defeated "Savvy" Sid Scala. On April 20, 2017, Vader made an appearance in Japan at Korakuen Hall as part of the Dradition show to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the debut of Tatsumi Fujinami. Following a six-man tag team match, Vader collapsed due to being dropped on his head during the match, but he was able to walk backstage under his own power and he remained in Japan as he was scheduled to work two more shows in Fukuoka and Osaka.[On April 22, Vader, Takuma Sano, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara lost a six man tag team match to Koji Kanemoto, Shiro Koshinaka and Tatsumi Fujinami. On April 23, Vader, Riki Choshu, and Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Shiro Koshinaka, Takuma Sano, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. The final match of his career took place May 25, 2017 at WrestleJam V, where Vader defeated The Ironman. Return to AJPW (2011–2012) In the aftermath of the 2011 natural disasters in Japan, Vader and his son Jesse wrestled on special tribute cards for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and Pro Wrestling Zero1. On December 7, 2012, Vader returned to AAJPW, teaming with Keiji Mutoh and Kenso to defeat Bambi Killer, Franz Dynamite and Mazada in a six-man tag team match.
Filmography
110 credits
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Movie • 1998
Vader
WWE Royal Rumble 1998
Movie • 1998
Vader
WWE Action Zone!
Movie • 1997
Big Van Vader
WWE WrestleMania 13
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE Hall Of Fame 2022
Movie • 2022
Vader
WWE Royal Rumble 1997
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE Badd Blood: In Your House
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE Breakdown: In Your House
Movie • 1998
Vader
WWE In Your House 9: International Incident
Movie • 1996
Vader
WCW The Great American Bash 1990
Movie • 1990
Big Van Vader
WWE SummerSlam 1996
Movie • 1996
Vader
WWE In Your House 11: Buried Alive
Movie • 1996
Vader
WWE Survivor Series 1996
Movie • 1996
Vader
WWE In Your House 13: Final Four
Movie • 1997
Vader
WCW WrestleWar 1991
Movie • 1991
Big Van Vader
WWE In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell
Movie • 1997
Big Van Vader
WWE In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE Survivor Series 1997
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE Fully Loaded: In Your House
Movie • 1998
Vader
WWE Over the Edge: In Your House
Movie • 1998
Vader
WCW Halloween Havoc 1991
Movie • 1991
Big Van Vader
WCW/New Japan Supershow II
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
WCW The Great American Bash 1992
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
WCW SuperBrawl III
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005
Movie • 2005
Vader
WCW Slamboree 1993
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Beach Blast 1993
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW SuperBrawl IV
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Spring Stampede 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Fall Brawl 1993
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Starrcade 1993
Movie • 1993
Vader
WCW Fall Brawl 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Halloween Havoc 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Starrcade 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
Best Of Raw • Volume One
Movie • 1996
Vader
WCW SuperBrawl V
Movie • 1995
Big Van Vader
WCW Uncensored 1995
Movie • 1995
Big Van Vader
WCW Slamboree 1995
Movie • 1995
Vader
WCW Bash at the Beach 1995
Movie • 1995
Big Van Vader
Best Of Raw • Volume Three
Movie • 1997
Vader
Best Of Raw • Volume Four
Movie • 1997
Vader
WWE: Shawn Michaels - Boyhood Dream
Movie • 2004
Vader
Best Of Raw • Volume Six
Movie • 1997
Vader
Ringside with Big Van Vader
Movie • 2009
BIg Van Vader
Deadly Venom: The Best of Sting
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW'S Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches Volume 1
Movie • 2014
Vader
Timeline: The History of WCW – 1993 – As Told By Vader
Movie • 2014
Himself
JCW Bloodymania 6
Movie • 2012
WWE King of the Ring 1998
Movie • 1998
Vader (Appearance)
WWE Unforgiven: In Your House
Movie • 1998
Vader (Appearance)
RevPro Uprising 2016
Movie • 2016
Vader
WWE: True Giants
Movie • 2014
WWE: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '90s
Movie • 2009
Vader
WWE No Way Out of Texas: In Your House
Movie • 1998
Vader
WWE: The Best Of In Your House
Movie • 2013
Vader
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
Movie • 2007
Vader
The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions
Movie • 2012
Vader
WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1
Movie • 2014
Vader
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection
Movie • 2013
Vader
The History of the World Heavyweight Championship
Movie • 2009
Vader
WWE: Starrcade - The Essential Collection
Movie • 2012
Big Van Vader
WWE: Mick Foley's Greatest Hits & Misses - A Life in Wrestling
Movie • 2004
Big Van Vader
The Rise & Fall of WCW
Movie • 2009
Big Van Vader
WWE United We Slam: The Best of The Great American Bash
Movie • 2014
Vader
WWE: The Best of Sting
Movie • 2014
Vader
Sting: Into the Light
Movie • 2015
Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XXII
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XX: 20th Anniversary
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
AJPW Super Power Series 1999 Finals
Movie • 1999
Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XVIII
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
AWA Blood on the Sand
Movie • 1986
"Bull Power" Leon White
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul
Movie • 1986
"Baby Bull" Leon White
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXI
Movie • 1995
Big Van Vader
WCW Halloween Havoc 1992
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
WCW Starrcade 1992
Movie • 1992
Big Van Vader
WWE Royal Rumble 1996
Movie • 1996
The Man They Call Vader
WWE WrestleMania XII
Movie • 1996
Vader
WWE In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies
Movie • 1996
Big Van Vader
WCW Starrcade 1991
Movie • 1991
Big Van Vader
WWE In Your House 8: Beware of Dog
Movie • 1996
Vader
WWE King of the Ring 1996
Movie • 1996
Big Van Vader
WCW Clash of the Champions XXIV
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XXIII
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW BattleBowl
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Halloween Havoc 1993
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Clash of the Champions XXV
Movie • 1993
Big Van Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XXVI
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Slamboree 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WCW Bash at the Beach 1994
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WWE Ground Zero: In Your House
Movie • 1997
Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XXIX
Movie • 1994
Big Van Vader
WWE One Night Only
Movie • 1997
Vader
WCW Clash of The Champions XXX
Movie • 1995
Big Van Vader
NOAH: Accomplish Our First Navigation 2001 - Day 9
Movie • 2001
Vader
NOAH: Great Voyage
Movie • 2000
Vader
WCW All Nighter 1995
Movie • 1995
WWE In Your House 6: Rage in the Cage
Movie • 1996
Vader (Appearance)
WCW: Ric Flar - 2 Decades of Excellence
Movie • 1995
Vader
Biography: WWE Legends
TV • 2021
Big Van Vader (archive footage)
WWE Table For 3
TV • 2015
Vader
Raw
TV • 1993
Big Van Vader
Raw
TV • 1993
Vader
Raw
TV • 1993
Bull Power
WWE Heat
TV • 1998
Vader
WWF Superstars
TV • 1986
Vader
Dark Side of the Ring
TV • 2019
Big Van Vader (archive footage)
Boy Meets World
TV • 1993
Frankie Stecchino Sr.
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Vader
AWA Arena Shows
TV • 1981
Leon White
Clash of the Champions
TV • 1988
Big Van Vader