Line #21 Wrestling/Vader


1	[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Leon_White_9323.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:270:"[[TheDreaded I fear no man]] and '''I FeelNoPain!'''"]]
3
4	Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), known in the wrestling world as Big Van Vader, was one of ProfessionalWrestling's legendary big men, having made a name for himself all over the world, including Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/{{WWE}}, and Japan.
5
6	Trained by Brad Rheingans, he started his career in the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] in the mid-1980s as "The Baby Bull" Leon White and also competed for Otto Wanz's Catch Wrestling Association in Austria[=/=]Germany, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH and Wrestling/{{TNA}}.
7
8	Among his many achievements, he was a 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Champion]], a 3x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-h.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-t.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Tag Team Champion]] with Wrestling/BamBamBigelow, and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/tc-h.html All Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion]].
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10	Not to be confused with [[Characters/StarWarsDarthVaderandservants Darth Vader]] or [[Music/{{Vader}} the band called Vader]].
11	----
12	!! "IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME! IT'S TROPE TIME! [[EchoingAcoustics (...TIME! ...TIME!...)]]":
13
14	* TheAce: He's the only man to have ever held three different world titles from three different promotions on three continents (UWA Mexico in North America, New Japan in Asia and the German Catch Wrestling Association in Europe) ''simultaneously,'' making him [[ClosestThingWeGot the closest thing]] professional wrestling has ever had to a true world champion since the death of Wrestling/LouThesz, the first undisputed world wrestling champion.
15	* {{Acrofatic}}: Especially considering his finisher, the Vadersault (which is, indeed, a Moonsault).
16	* AllAmericanFace: He was the leader of "Team USA" during the USA vs Canada Feud in 1997.
17	* AnimalMotifs:
18	** For years he would wear a large smoke-emitting helmet to the ring that resembled a cross between a gas mask and a mammoth's head.
19	** Wrestling/VinceMcMahon wanted to rename him "The Mastodon" so that he could trademark the name. He has the ability to turn into one in the ''WWF In Your House'' video game.
20	** Before going to Japan and becoming Vader he was "Baby Bull", then "Bull Power".
21	* ArchEnemy:
22	** Wrestling/RikiChoshu in New Japan.
23	** Wrestling/{{Sting}} in WCW, and while probably not as personal as Riki Choshu from Vader's point of view, Vader was able to make Sting team up with his own long time nemesis, Wrestling/RicFlair.
24	** To some degree, Wrestling/StanHansen, as they fought three separate times across as many promotions (the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling during an NJPW versus Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling supercard, and Wrestling/{{WCW}}).
25	** Akira Taue in All Japan. They did team up once but were not a particularly good team and went right back to feuding.
26	** In RealLife, Wrestling/WillOspreay, which started over Vader criticizing a match of Will's (the one against [[Wrestling/TrevorMann Ricochet]] in the Best of the Super Juniors), turned into a ton of back and forth sniping between the two over the Internet (laced with what seemed like genuine animosity) and ended in a match in Britain's Revolution Pro Wrestling.
27	* AxCrazy: At the start of his WWF run, which actually got him ({{kayfabe}}) fired. Wrestling/JimCornette was able to get him to settle down when he brought Vader back and acted as his manager.
28	* BadassSanta: The WWF had him dress up like Santa Claus, so he gave out candy and used the opportunity to sneak attack The Artist Formerly Known As Wrestling/{{Goldust}}.
29	* BashBrothers: With Wrestling/BamBamBigelow, Wrestling/TooColdScorpio, Wrestling/StanHansen, and Wrestling/DrDeathSteveWilliams.
30	* BellyFlopCrushing: Used many variations of the splash throughout his career.
31	* {{Bowdlerize}}: His WCW feud with [[Wrestling/MickFoley Cactus Jack]] was more violent and bloody than their televised showings would have you believe.
32	* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: A red "V" on his black mask. His red masks have less obvious, small black or white marks, depending on which you are looking at, that could be called a "v" as well.
33	* TheBrute: Made a career out of it. It helps that he was a legit tough guy inside and outside the ring.
34	* TheBully: This was basically his entire character, delighting in abusing others with his strength in and out of the ring. He was a much nicer guy in person, though like most wrestlers, he has negative stories about him.
35	* BullyingADragon: While generally a sweet guy in real life (despite being a rather stiff performer in the ring), Vader could be pushed too far. When Wrestling/KenShamrock (an infamously stiff worker himself) faced him at the ''WWF In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell'' PPV in May 1997, he laid into Vader with stiff kicks to the knees and blows to the head. Eventually Vader had enough of this treatment and, even though he was booked to lose to Shamrock by submission, wound up a MegatonPunch which absolutely ''flattened'' the veteran MMA fighter. After shaking the stars out of his vision, Shamrock rushed into the finishing sequence of the match (where he got Vader in an ankle lock and made him tap out) ''[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere very quickly]]''.
36	* CaptainErsatz: Several.
37	** A favorite for ''Videogame/FireProWrestling'' in the skin of '''The Guardian Saber'''.
38	** He also appeared in the videogames ''Saikyou: Takada Nobuhiko'' under the name of '''Geiger'''.
39	** In ''Funaki Masakatsu: Hybrid'' as '''M. Cougar'''.
40	** He was also the inspiration for ''VideoGame/FatalFury's'' brutal superheavyweight masked wrestler '''Raiden''', repacked later as '''Big Bear''' once unmasked.
41	** Creator/{{Capcom}} has its own version of him as ''Alexander The Grater'' (or ''Sheep The Royal'' in Japan), complete with his trademark helmet in the ''Videogame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters'' games.
42	* CatchPhrase:
43	** The aforementioned "I fear no man" shtick.
44	** "Oh, It's time! It's time! It's Vader time!" in WWE.
45	** Also, what Wrestling/MickFoley called his `gorilla-grunting routine´ as Vader yelled to the crowd "Who's the Man?"
46	* CoolHelmet: His "Mammoth head."
47	* CoolMask: Until Kane removed it.
48	* DeathFromAbove: '''THE VADERSAULT.''' Vader was '''450 pounds.''' To put that into perspective, that's very nearly the current weight of Wrestling/TheBigShow.
49	* DeathSeeker: May have been this in real life, as he had made statements to the effect that he would rather die in the ring than in a hospital bed.
50	-->"If this thing's gonna happen, I'd rather be in a ring, anywhere, compared to sitting in a hospital room in a hospital bed, sitting there like some sheep getting ready to be slaughtered. It's not who I am, and it's not the way it's gonna happen with me."
51	** Sadly did not come to pass as he died from heart failure at 63, though he at least got to stay active up until his death, which is more than most of his contemporaries got.
52	* DemotedToExtra
53	** What he eventually became in Wrestling/{{WWE}}. He went from challenging for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Championship Title]] at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 1996'' to losing to a young [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield Bradshaw]] in 1998.
54	** Wrestling/HulkHogan [[NoSell not selling]] the [[FinishingMove Power Bomb]] ''at all'' helped kill his drawing power in WCW.
55	* DistaffCounterpart: Wrestling/AjaKong, unofficially (''Virtual Pro Wrestling 64'' even pairs them and Wrestling/BamBamBigelow together). Officially, [[Wrestling/{{WSU}} Big Van Missy]].
56	* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: Vader was an infamously stiff worker as it was (he made his fame wrestling in Japan, where stiff shots were the norm rather than the exception), but the strength behind his punches and throws are what gave him an awful reputation outside of WCW and Japanese promotions -- he once broke the back of an enhancement talent with a power bomb ''by accident'' and was reportedly brought to tears when informed about it. This also brought his push as a WrestlingMonster in the WWE to a screeching halt... Wrestling/ShawnMichaels was so spooked by a glancing potato (a "real" punch in wrestling parlance) that Vader threw at him in a dark match that he reportedly refused to work a program with Vader, leading to other wrestlers doing the same. Without viable opponents, Vader tumbled down the card, becoming a shadow of himself as a glorified {{Jobber}} and eventually leaving the company without his famed mystique to boot.
57	* TheDreaded: His WrestlingMonster character, obviously, but also to an extent in real life. Despite generally being a sweet guy outside of the ring, Vader's stiffness so terrified people that Wrestling/MickFoley claimed he saw rookies [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere quit WCW on the spot]] when told they were to work a match with him.
58	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Used to have a black mask that covered much more of his face. The red ones that show more skin are the masks everyone from Japan to Mexico associate with him.
59	** The weird giant elephant/Darth Vader helmet he wore to the ring in Japan is an even bigger example.
60	* EnemyMine:
61	** With Wrestling/TheUndertaker temporarily when he prevented Kane from escaping from their inferno match.
62	** With [[Wrestling/DelWilkes The Patriot]] vs Bret Hart.
63	** With [[Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith The British Bulldog]] in WWF's "Camp Cornette." They had a couple of matches pitting one against the other for the WCW World Heavyweight belt a few years earlier.
64	** Attempted by Wrestling/PaulBearer to give him and Mankind a common goal but it did not work.
65	* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
66	** Made his Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling debut in the Vader gimmick by {{Squash\|Match}}ing the promotion's [[TheAce biggest star]], Wrestling/AntonioInoki at Year End in Kokugikan 1987, December 12, 1987 in a brisk '''2:49''', sparking a riot that led to the arena banning NJPW for fourteen months.
67	** In WWF, he attacked and injured acting WWF President Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon. A few months later, he assaulted Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}, broke his leg, and then kept on attacking him while medics tried to get him onto an ambulance.
68	* EyeScream: In 1990, during an Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling[=/=]New Japan Pro Wrestling supercard show, Vader faced fellow brawler Wrestling/StanHansen in a match. During the match, Hansen, who, like Vader, is known for his incredibly stiff style of fighting, landed a punch which caused Vader's right eyeball to pop out of socket. Fortunately, the eyeball was contained by the swelling of his eyelid.
69	** And then, later in that same fight, he pushed his eye back in the socket with his own fingers.
70	* FeelNoPain: His standard BadassBoast included him saying "I fear no man and I feel no pain!"
71	* FieryRedhead: Of the 6'5''/450 lb. kind.
72	* FinishingMove: Powerbomb, Vader Bomb (second-rope inverted slingshot splash), Vadersault
73	* ForeignWrestlingHeel: In NJPW but he did eventually turn face.
74	* GameBreakingInjury
75	** See MegatonPunch below; Vader couldn't walk for three days after that match.
76	** Something of an inversion, Vader was the one that threw Cactus Jack into the ropes, where Cactus Jack got tied up and ended up losing most of one of his ears. Early in Cactus Jack's/Mick Foley's run in the WWE as Mankind the injury was shown to both reveal to wrestling fans who he was and to establish him as one of the craziest/toughest men on the roster. (For what it's worth, the injury was a terrible accident and wasn't anybody's "fault" per se. It was a planned spot Foley often did, and he attributes the injury to the ropes being too tight in ''Have A Nice Day''.)
77	* GentleGiant: Outside of the ring, anyway. Jim Cornette was once asked what the first thought to come to mind was when he thought of Vader. Jim's immediate response? [[spoiler: "A big ol' teddy bear"]].
78	* GimmickMatches: Vader technically should not have even lost his strap match to Hulk Hogan, given it was Wrestling/RicFlair Hogan drug around for the four corners. Well, given it was Hogan, Vader probably would have ended up losing anyway but WCW didn't have the decency to keep the stipulation.
79	* HeroicBSOD: Vader suffers one following his match with Wrestling/{{Kane}} at ''Over the Edge 1998'', to the point where he calls himself a "piece of shit." ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMBY3825kyc Clip starts at 2:58]])
80	* HeroKiller:
81	** His WCW run began with him squashing Wrestling/{{Sting}} and then beating him again for the world heavy weight championship belt. Then killing careers by retiring Wrestling/NikitaKoloff and breaking Joe Thurman's back is really put him in this category.
82	** The man closer to have a dessisive victory against him back in 1993 was Davey Boy Smith. A guy so strong, resilent and savvy enough to whitstand his demolishing attacks and lift ''him'' limp. If not for his then manager Wrestling/HarleyRace, Vader may have found his match here.
83	** HopeSpot: Vader would continue to beat Sting too but every match they had saw Sting get closer and closer to beating Vader. This went on for eight months. Due to injury Vader dropped the title to someone substituting for Sting's rematch, Wrestling/RonSimmons, but he won the title back from Simmons after he was healthy again and no one else was able to beat Vader again until Sting finally got the job done.
84	* HiredGuns: Hired by Jonathan Coachman along his former enemy Goldust to take out Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin. Instead the two of them ended up fighting Wrestling/{{Batista}}.
85	* {{Homage}}
86	** Big Van Walter in Germany's westside Xtreme wrestling.
87	** Some of Wrestling/JackSwagger's moves are taken from Vader.
88	** Practically every videogame character based on him counts also as this.
89	** [[https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/van-vader-giant-inflatable-wrestler-big-man-vader-japanese-ddt-pro-wrestling-wcw/ "Big Man Vader"]] in Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam, a giant inflatable Vader, who was the "man" who ended the winning streak of Andreza Giant Panda.
90	* LargeHam: Though he usually let a manager do most of his talking, Vader could get very animated when he decided to cut his own promos or when Jim Cornette was talking him up in the locker room.
91	* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He'd tell you red and black were the superior colors.
92	* {{Leitmotif}}: Mastodon in WWF, which was in reference to his vetoed rename...or maybe those weird helmets he used to wear. Or both.
93	* LightningBruiser: Especially during his younger years.
94	* MadeOfIron
95	** He got right back up after a Samoan drop from the 600 pound Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}.
96	** Stan Hansen broke his orbital bone and made his eye pop out. ''Vader popped it back in and kept fighting''.
97	* MeaningfulAppearance: He wore fingerless gloves that complemented his flesh-exposing mask well enough.
98	* MegatonPunch: Delivered one to Wrestling/KenShamrock in their match at the ''WWF in Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell'' PPV in May 1997. Shamrock was one of the only ones who could legitimately tolerate Vader's stiff style.[[note]]Although Shamrock was coming in from [[UsefulNotes/UltimateFightingChampionship the UFC]], he ''had'' wrestled professionally in the Carolinas-based independent promotion South Atlantic Pro Wrestling in the early [[TheNineties 1990s]] under the name "Mr. Wrestling" Vince Torelli. It had just been a few years since he'd been in a worked competition.[[/note]] After several minutes of Shamrock kicking Vader as hard as he could around the legs and thighs, Vader wound up and threw a punch/clothesline that ''leveled'' Shamrock.
99	* MiniMook: Besides Big Van Vader, there was the lesser known Mini Vader.
100	* MomentKiller
101	** One of the biggest anticlimax promos in WWE history occurred on his time. When he did his "WHAT TIME IS IT?!" at the end, [[Wrestling/TammyLynnSytch Sunny]], the woman interviewing him, mentioned it was about 15 minutes until the PPV started. It deflated Vader.
102	** FunnyBackgroundEvent: But what everyone remembers about that promo is [[Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors Road Warrior Hawk]] entering in the background, realizing he was walking in on the promo, gawking in surprise, and walking back out.
103	** Another example for both came in 2005. Vader had been brought in by [[Characters/WWECommentators Jonathan Coachman]] (along with Wrestling/{{Goldust}}) for a beatdown on Wrestling/{{Batista}} (who was filling in for Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin for a match at ''Taboo Tuesday''.) Vader and Goldust laid Batista out (I know, right?) and then, as the villainous trio were making their exit, Vader jumped off the apron... only to lose his balance and promptly fall on his ass. Not that that match had much steam going into ''Taboo Tuesday'' as it stood, but that COULDN'T have helped.
104	* {{Mythopoeia}}: In New Japan Pro Wrestling Big Van Vader was said to have been inspired by a legend in which a man fought to defend his village for seventy two hours straight, but no such story actually existed until Creator/GoNagai (who is also behind Wrestling/JushinThunderLiger) came up with it.
105	* NoHoldsBarredBeatDown: Odd enough, he suffered one of those in the hands of the man who taught him about ''stiffness'', Wrestling/BruiserBrody.
106	* OnlyOneName: Only known as Vader for awhile because New Japan took out a copyright on Big Van Vader and refused to let WCW use the entire name.
107	* PowerStable
108	** Makai Club in New Japan
109	** Camp Cornette in the WWF
110	** KAOS in Pro Wrestling NOAH
111	** The Masters of the Power Bomb in WCW, after Wrestling/BookerT and Stevie Ray were taken in as Kole and Kane.
112	** Also, the Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom
113	* PrecisionFStrike:
114	-->[[Wrestling/BretHart "The best there is the best there was the best there ever will be.]] What a bunch of bullshit."
115	* PrejudicedForPecs: A beneficiary of it but also ran into the negative side of the trope too. Ole Anderson thought moonsaults from a guy Vader's size would not be bought by fans, for example.
116	* ProWrestlingEpisode: ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' made use of Vader's wrestling for the episode ''Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred-Pound Men.'' (Along with [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]) He showed up at least one more time in ''The thrilla in Philla'' and was known to be the father of a one of the show's bullies.
117	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Assuming it wasn't a ''really'' well-done work, Vader got into a slanging match on Twitter with Wrestling/WillOspreay after he publicly criticised Ospreay's famous match against [[Wrestling/TrevorMann Ricochet]] at ''Best Of The Super Junior'', which ultimately culminated in the two of them having a match at a Revolution Pro Uprising event in August 2016. After interference from Pete Dunne (on Vader's behalf) and Ricochet himself (on Ospreay's), Vader came out on top, but Ospreay then cut a promo on him where he implied that he'd been originally booked to go over but the ending had been changed after Vader had refused to lose, something he later stated openly in an interview.
118	* RedBaron: (in the AWA): "The Baby Bull"; (in USAW): "The Prince Of Power"; (in WWE): "The Mastodon"
119	* RingOldies: He could still get it done in the ring, even at the age of 60.
120	* TheRival: Primarily known as an opponent of Wrestling/TatsumiFujinami and Wrestling/RonSimmons, though Big Van Vader has teamed up with them on quite a few occasions and he ended up being a good teammate to both of them.
121	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: He threatened to leave NJPW if they didn't book his rematch over Tony Halme, which they did. To be fair, Halme had shot on Vader at the first match and hit it for real, enraging White and forcing everybody to separate them backstage.
122	* SignatureMove: Vader attack (running body block), Vader Crush (standing splash, doing it from the ropes made it the Vader Bomb), Vader Hammer (forearms in the corner), Vader Slam (running power slam), face eraser (wheelbarrow face buster).
123	* SmarmyHost: As asked by a Kuwaiti reporter if "wrestling was fake", which caused him to assault said reporter. Miscommunication lead to Jerry Brisco telling Vader it was a work, so he felt free to go crazy on the reporter but it was not, so he suffered a fine. Unfortunate since Vader was both passive otherwise ''and'' a stiff worker.
124	* SpikesOfVillainy: His helmet/armor had several long sharp bits in it. They were a little more curved points that spikes but same effect.
125	* StillGotIt: On his ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]]'' appearance in June 2012, Vader went one on one with Wrestling/HeathSlater. Despite being a little slower on his feet and at getting back up than he used to be, Vader actually pulled out a pretty good match against Slater, and the crowd showered him with praise for his effort, popping enormously when he hit the Vader Bomb for the win.
126	* StoutStrength: Vader was not just a big guy, he was strong enough to lift up guys just as large and larger than himself.
127	* TagTeam:
128	** The Masters of the Powerbomb, with [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sid [=Vicious=]]], in Wrestling/{{WCW}}
129	** Won the NJPW World Tag belts with Wrestling/BamBamBigelow in Japan.
130	* TooManyBelts: Held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/newjapan/iwgp-h.html New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Heavyweight Title]] and the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/europe/germany/cwa/eu-cwa-h.html CWA (Catch Wrestling Association in Austria/Germany) World Heavyweight Title]] at the same time in 1989-1990, forcing him to go back and forth between two continents on a regular basis.
131	* TournamentArc
132	** Defeated Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto in the finals of the 1989 IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament held by New Japan
133	** Won the 1993 WCW Battle Bowl, which was more like a series of qualifying matches for a lethal lottery battle royal than a tournament but is counted as one all the same. Also, he beat Kane to qualify... the Kane who is better known as Stevie Ray, not the Big Red WWE machine.
134	** "Super Vader" beat Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada to win the {{Wrestling/U\|niversalWrestlingFederation}}WFi Best of the World Tournament in 1994
135	** In the last match of the seventeen day ''AJPW Champion Carnival 1999'', Vader defeated Wrestling/KentaKobashi
136	** In 2001, he and Too Cold Scorpio won the GHC Tag Team Title Tournament, Pro Wrestling NOAH version.
137	* UnnecessaryRoughness: Costing Cactus Jack his ear was not even the end of it. In WCW, he would power bomb Cactus Jack on concrete, leading Jack into an amnesia angle (except not).
138	* VersusTitle: [=UWFi=] Pro Wrestling World Championship: Takada vs. Vader.
139	* TheWorfEffect
140	** Was used to help Wrestling/{{Kane}} get over at a Pay Per View, and in order to build credibility for Kane as a monster heel, Kane had to annihilate Vader. Notably very controversial at the time, as Vader had built up a huge amount of credibility as a monster heel in WCW and Japan over the years. His career never truly recovered from such a devastating loss.
141	** A few years prior, his career took another hit when in a match with Wrestling/HulkHogan, Hogan (who was at the height of his InvincibleHero stage) [[NoSell no sold]] Vader's Power Bomb, a move that has legitimately caused concussions and broken backs.
142	* WorthyOpponent: In real life he speaks very highly of his feud with Wrestling/MickFoley, noting that the hardest he has ever been hit was by Foley (then Cactus Jack) with a scoop shovel. Take into account that he was once hit so hard in the face that his ''eye popped out''.
143	* WrenchWhack: Tried many times during his feud with Kane.
144	* WrestlingFamily: His son Jesse was in WWE's developmental program ''Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}}'' as Jake Carter until he was released.
145	* WrestlingMonster: One of the trope codifiers in North America, the other being the Undertaker. Still provides the page image because he was just ''that'' intimidating.
146	* WritingAroundTrademarks: Had to use the name Super Vader when he worked in the UWF-I.
147	* YourDaysAreNumbered: Tragically, Vader [[https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/798395371470864384?lang=en announced]] in November 2016 that he was dying of congestive heart failure and had possibly less than two years to live. As well as the expected outpouring of support, this made fans ''desperate'' for him to be inducted in WWE's Hall of Fame as soon as possible.
148	** Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage took on the challenge of trying to help Leon with his health using his patented DDP Yoga, and after what he did for Wrestling/JakeRoberts and Wrestling/ScottHall, fans prayed he could work another of his miracles to help save another ring legend. Additionally, Vader consulted a 4th doctor who gave him a much more positive diagnosis than the first 3, meaning things might not have been as bad as they initially appeared...
149	** ...but in the end, it wasn't enough. He had heart surgery in late March 2018, but soon came down with pneumonia. The stress proved too much for his already weakened heart, and he passed less than three months after the surgery, before he had a chance to go into the WWE Hall.

Context Wrestling / Vader