Big Van Vader

[7.0] "An absolute monster, massive and intimidating, spurious and intriguing in the ring and passionate outside of it. Surprisingly spring and could hit the top rope believe it or not. Probbaly need to see his Japan work, as that's what he's best known for"

[10.0] "Vader was the definition of a monster. He was big and scary. He had a mystique about him. He was freakishly athletic and gave us some very good matches and feuds to remember. He was great in Japan as well as in WCW. He had a few good matches in the WWF as well. One of the best big men ever."

[10.0] "In my opinion, Vader stands as the most exceptional "big man" in the history of pro wrestling. Few have been able to match his unique combination of size, agility, and power. What truly set him apart, however, was his mastery of psychology and storytelling, which made each of his matches feel distinct, something that can't be said of many wrestlers, and even fewer big men. The only real knock against Vader is that he was sometimes too nice and allowed others to get away with too much, but even that speaks more to his professionalism and greatness than it does to any weakness."

[9.0] "Vader was a rare blend of size, agility, and intensity that made him a one-of-a-kind performer. A true monster in the ring, he brought unmatched believability and physicality everywhere he went--from WCW to NJPW to WWF. Despite being a super heavyweight, he could bust out a moonsault like it was nothing. His matches with Sting, Cactus Jack, and Kobashi are still brutal classics. While WWE never used him to his full potential, his global impact, legacy, and unmatched aura easily make him one of the greatest big men in wrestling history. It's always Vader Time."

[10.0] "This guy is my fucking dude. I really just can't say how much I love Vader. "The Mastodon" was such a perfect nickname for this absolute behemoth of a man. I put in my Stan Hansen rating that he's tied with Vader for me as best gaijin of the 20th century, and it's basically for the same reason: He just beat the absolute shit out of everybody. I mean absolute no fucking mercy, and he expected none in return. Like, he got hit so hard in a match that his goddamn eyeball dislodged from his socket. And you know what he did? He pushed that motherfucker back into his skull with his hand and he finished the damn match. It's a damn shame that Shawn Michaels' politics got in the way of his WWF run because he could've really been a great Yokozuna-style superheavyweight heel powerhouse champion for babyfaces to chase, even if by that point he was past his physical prime. Still, his stuff in WCW and Japan was great and worth checking out if you only know him from his time in WWF."

[9.0] "Was Vader the best big man of all time? I don't think he had a long enough or enduring enough career (in the US) for us to say something like that, but he was close to it. His lackluster WWF run is a big strike against him, even if most of it wasn't his fault. He really fizzled out after being presented in such a neutered way. He has loads of great matches, in a number of different companies, with world title runs in all of them except WWF. Even his squashes were entertaining. He was the quickest and most nimble big man of all time, which is for sure. It's absolutely insane he was capable of a moonsault. He came off in promos well, even if he was supported by a manager (rightly) most of the time. Other than in WWF and early in his career, his presentation was spot on as well. A for gimmick/look, A in the ring and a B- for promos. I just can't rate him a ten since I don't think he's an all time great wrester, even if he was the greatest superheavyweight ever."

[10.0] "Big Van Vader is the greatest monster heel to ever do it. He is a walking mythological being. I'm not even gonna take his WWF run into consideration for this rating. Far as I'm concerned it never happened. Watch his WCW stuff where he nearly murders Foley. Watch his NJPW stuff where he nearly murders Inoki. Watch his AJPW and NOAH stuff where he nearly murders Misawa and Kobashi. It's all fantastic. It will put the fear of God into you."

[8.0] "What a fucking legend Vader was and what a career he had being World Champion in the CWA in Germany, IWGP champion, Triple Crown Champion, WCW World champion and so on. But Vader was more than just his accomplishments, Vader was a fantastic big man wrestler, he had amazing raw power, a good move set and, better fitness than he should have. His work in WCW with Sting and Flair, and his work in All Japan, show what a fantastic, intimidating monster heel Vader was. How WWF fucked it, I'll never know."

[9.0] "Vader is the ideal big man. His athleticism is still mindblowing to view considering he was around 400 pounds. He had a stiff wrestling style from his time and Japan and was a legit monster in the ring. In the WWF, he was booked pretty bad, but the rest of career wipes that away with his very popular WCW run as well."

[10.0] "I remember watching Vader in the WCW when he held tag titles and world championship belt at the same time. I just thought he was a legit monster, His unique pin style, his attire. Absolute pleasure to watch this performer in his day. No hesitation in giving a 10."

[10.0] "A huge, hulking, terrifying mass rhetorically goading "Who's the man? " and the most intimidating competitor I can recall not only in terms of stature but also outright hostility. Vader genuinely scared me as a kid watching Worldwide, a travesty then that not that long after he was usually tagging or putting people over in the WWF. Booked properly, he should have been an unstoppable monster for the ages. As is, one of the great big men and the last person you'd want to be stuck in a corner with - huge big splash, violent clubbing with the insides of BBV's thigh sized forearms and then a 400lb+ moonsault."

[10.0] "The best big man wrestler of all time, bar none. The WWF did not know what they had with him, and he still went out and put on some of the best matches anyone did in the years he was there. And if you've only seen him in the WWF, please go out of your way to watch some of his work from Japan or WCW, just absolutely incredible"

[8.0] "Sadly I can only give the best big man in history an 8 due solely to his WWE run. It damaged him so much that he had to go to Japan to refind himself. Of course he did so in spades, but it just hurts that WWE didn't think they had something with him. If he never went there or he was treated better, he would be a 10 without any hesitation."

[9.0] "One of the very best big men in professional wrestling history. Vader could go in-ring when he needed too (and was younger.) Really liked his stuff in Japan, I feel as if that's the only place that would really appreciate somebody like Vader. Can't forget WCW too, they did book Vader pretty well there. The minute he got to the then WWF, it was all downhill. He was a stiff worker, and whilst one could argue he should've been safer in-ring, you have to remember he came from Japan and worked a stiff style. He was a star, and arguably should never have went to WWE, he was much better suited to Japan and WCW. Overall, he is a legend. One of the best big guys ever. Would like to add, I met him back in 2016 and he was INCREDIBLY nice to me. Didn't know what to expect when meeting him, but he was so kind and really took the time to make me feel important, when most wrestlers I met couldn't care less, just wanted to get the signature and picture over with. Vader was not that guy and I will always cherish the few minutes I had meeting him."

[8.0] "Had he not lost his confidence due to the injury and the infamous locker room incident at the end of his WCW run, I would've easily said 10/10. Because from 1988-1995, I felt Big Van Vader was one of the most believable super heavyweights in the world, not just from the way looked physically, but from the way that he did his promos, and also due to the way that he worked. He had speed, he had agility, he could do the moonsaults from the top rope, he could do the Vader bombs from the second rope, and he had stiff working style that made you feel bad for whoever he was in the ring with. He would just bear paw guys upside the head night after night, give them those body shots he used to do, etc, and you couldn't help but wince watching it. However, back to my initial statement about his confidence being lost, I don't think he was ever the same performer starting at this WWF/E run onward, try as he might've to attempt to get back there by going back to Japan and such he never did."

[10.0] "Probably the best "Big Man" in the history of pro-wrestling. He has won so many titles all over the world and has put on some really fun matches. His career in Japan was a phenomenal run and his WWE run was also really fun. Great Competitor Overall."

[10.0] "Vader is the best "big man" wrestler in the history of the industry, without a shadow of a doubt. Everything he did just showed how good he was. Who else, before him, and at the size he was, was able to move as cleanly and quickly around the ring, while still being able to take peoples heads off with little to no effort? Amazing talent. 10/10."

[10.0] "Vader, without a doubt was the coolest "big man" wrestler in wrestling history. Whether it be WCW, NJPW, AJPW, UWFi even in random indy feds this guy was a big deal. How can one not like vader? He had the charisma, look, talent, and personality that wrestlers should want to have. 10/10."

[10.0] "The best big man in wrestling history! His look is insane, his style is as stiff as concrete, and he sells just enough to not make his matches complete washouts, while also not sacrificing his presence and intimidation. I havent seen nearly enough of his work in Japan, but being a part of one of the greatest matches of all time at Starrcade 93 with Ric Flair certainly helps his case in my eyes."

[9.0] "Vader was the complete package and one of the most iconic wrestlers of the 90s. Even as a scrawny teen that probably weighed about 150 pounds soaking wet, I found myself getting hyped up, hands forming a V signal as "It's Vader Time! " played through my stereo speakers. I'll be using Bret Hart's concept of rating wrestlers by look, promo skill, and in-ring ability to rate Vader. Although I don't particularly remember any Vader promo standing out above others, he had an intensity and intimidation factor on the mic, as well as a cool catch phrase. Still, promo skill is probably his weakest category. His look was excellent. He was clearly big enough to look like a poseable threat to any main eventer, while his mask was unique and added to his intimidation factor. In terms of in-ring ability, this is where Vader excelled. Everything he did was believable. He was also extremely agile for a big man, which was quite rare in an era where bigs often had predictable, boring slugfests. His Vader Bomb and top rope moonsault are two of my favorite wrestling moves of all time. Although his WWE run was subpar, his matches in WCW and AJPW still hold up very well. I still catch myself doing the Vader symbol with my hands and bumping his Vader Time theme song 25 years later, albeit about 75 pounds heavier and fearing an ACL tear every time I try to imitate Vader's walk to the ring."

[10.0] "The greatest big man to ever step into the ring. Vader was a formidable, extremely impressive super athlete that you had to see to believe. A 12 time heavyweight champion across 5 promotions and 3 continents and was just an all around bad bad man in the ring. I will always love his feud with Inoki and the brutal matches they had."

[10.0] "The fact that Vince missed Vader is very baffling. The WWF knew full well of what Vader was capable of. It's really a shame that WWF screwed Vader over and made him look weak. Vader is the best super heavyweight in wrestling history. His style is so legit, you couldn't tell what's real or not. One of the few big men to preform a moonsault off of the top rope. He also had one of the best ring attires as well. RIP Leon Big Van Vader Allen White"

"I wish WWE used him in a more serious role. He could have been a dominate WWE champ much like him in other promotions. Vader is such a great worker and impressively agile for his size. He was a monster in NJPW and also great in WCW. If he was pushed right in WWE he could have been a 10/10 wrestler. Instead he's probably in the 8 or 8.5 range."

[9.0] "The best superheavyweight of all time! My first memory of Vader is the WWF vignettes and I remember being pumped for his debut and I did not know who he was (I was like 10 and grew up on WWF lol) Event at 10 though my excitement and hype for the Mastadon was ended quickly as after SummerSlam and an HBK hissy fit Vader was finished, then they turned him babyface and it got worse, then he called himself a fat POS on TV and went back to Japan where he had a resurgence and reminded people who he was! When I got older I watched his stuff in WCW and Japan and I could never say enough good things about him. Just an absolute beast of a professional wrestler."

[8.0] "Vader was the most agile and charismatic big man in the history of wrestling and is one of the best super heavyweights of all time as he put on high calibre performances in his matches when he competed in WCW and NJPW. He was over in America and Japan, he was truly the Mastodon of Wrestling and his legacy will always be remembered by many."

[10.0] "Vader was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, super heavyweights of all time. There's not too much I can add that hasn't already been saida truly groundbreaking wrestler who won awards and championships around the globe."

[8.0] "Big Van Vader was arguably the best super heavyweight of all time. An excellent performer for a man of his size. Rest in peace, Vader"

[9.0] "The best agile big man I've ever seen. Was over in America, was over in Japan, had incredible matches and was a role model for so many people. I think there wouldn't be people like Keith Lee in today's wrestling world, if it wouldn't have been for the Mastodon."

[10.0] "The greatest big man wrestler who ever stepped foot inside a wrestling ring. His legendary bouts in Japan with Antonio Inoki, Great Muta, Mitsuharu Misawa, Stan "The Lariat" Hansen and others etched his name in the history books as the greatest gaijin of all time. Nobody hit harder than Big Van Vader. The man was a fucking machine in the ring. In one legendary bout, his eye popped out of its socket and he jammed it back in and continued the match. His run in WCW where he wrestled the likes of Ric Flair and Cactus Jack was also highly acclaimed. The only negative on his resume is his WWF run where he was treated like a joke. Vince McMahon had no idea how to use Vader. Aside from his WWF debacle of a run, his career was illustrious and he became an all time legend. RIP Leon White aka Big Van Vader. Wrestling will never be the same without you."

[9.0] "Vader was ridiculously talented and agile for a near 400-pounder. He was one of the very few workers of that size pulling out moonsaults and splashes on a regular basis. He had some amazing matches outside of WWE, where he never really got the push he deserved which is mainly because of Shawn Michaels being a pain in the ass backstage."

[10.0] "An absolute beast of a man, Big Van Vader was the most intimidating presence in professional wrestling from the moment he stepped into New Japan to the moment he stepped into the World Wrestling Federation. Upon leaving the WWF, he became arguably the most intimidating man in wrestling all over again. The pure brutality and punishment Vader afflicts in matches is always a gruesome spectacle thats very fun to watch, but at the same time you cant help but wince at some of the suplexes and Powerbombs he threw."

[8.0] "Best big man ever? I think he's pretty high up there until you get into the super giants category like Andre and Baba. I almost went for a 9 but Vader had his legs cut out by Hogan early 95 and he was turned into another monster for Hogan to go over. WWF tried rebuilding him in 1996 and they were doing a fine job until Shawn Michaels threw a hissy fit and made Vince throw the whole planned booking schedule out the window. Vader started sliding down the card by 1997 and it was a shame what they did to him in 1998, having Vader complain about his weight problems and then losing a match to a very green Mark Henry and in his final ppv match, he basically got jobbed out hard to a lower mid card guy named Bradshaw. Vader was great from 1992-1994 in the US, but his best stuff was in Japan."

[10.0] "One of the best if not the best big man in the business. How many guys his size can pull off a moonsault? Ok Bam Bam Bigelow, Keith Lee, and maybe Jerry Blackwell can do a moonsault, hell even Big Show did it once in WCW. Vader kicked everyone's ass. a legit bad dude in the ring. Sad that he didn't get the push he deserved in the WWF."

[10.0] "Easily my favorite big man. He had some absolute classics and intense bangers. I wish we could have seen him in the WWF at his AJPW condition. He's a beast and unfortunately put the first nail in his WWf coffin against Shawn."

[10.0] "Vader is probably the best super heavyweight wrestler ever. Great powerhouse offense and he could move around extremely well in the ring for his size, doing moves such as a dropkick and even a moonsault. If more big guys were like Vader in the ring, the powerhouse style wouldn't have the bad reputation that it has from people like Khali and Giant Gonzalez."

"a very good wrestler, but in WWE, as for me, his potential was not fully used. In Asia he was very good and brought a new style there"

[9.0] "Fuck Vince for not seeing the potential in Vader. Dude had an amazing monster heel look and could put on 5 star matches (check out his AJPW matches). Vader is %100 the best big man in the history of wrestling."

[9.0] "Big or small, one of the most talented guys to ever step in a ring. Obviously had the unique look and was a genuinely great worker as well, and being able to do things nobody else your size could dream of only helped him get over. In WCW 92-93 he was just amazing and then had a great resurgence in AJPW and NOAH after Vince dropped the ball on him."

[9.0] "FUCK. YOU. VINCE. I am disgusted he never saw anything in Vade, possibly the greatest big man ever, great in New Japan, and perfect in WCW."

[10.0] "What a presence. Amazing aura. Everytime Vader is on, I can't take my eyes off the screen (until late into his WWF run, at which point it got quite ridiculous). His matches were physical, intense and great to watch. Loved his battles with Sting and Cactus Jack in WCW, among many others. Perhaps my favorite super heavyweight wrestler of all time. Great wrestler."

[10.0] "WWF run? Really? He was there? I must have mentally blocked that out for about 23 different reasons that I totally actually recall but... no. One of my all time favorite heels. The best big man ever. Such a formidable BEAST that wrought nothing but destruction and dominance. I consider him iconic. I'm not really a Stan Hansen fan but - those matches were fkn AWESOME. THAT is how to put over a new star and create a legacy almost instantly, kudos to Stan for that rub. The Sting feud was/is marvelous, the best David vs Goliath matches ever, easily toppling the original. Go back and rewatch all of the Sting matches, PLEASE, start with maybe the best: Great American Bash 1992. The match with Ric Flair at Starrcade 93 is legendary for all of the right reasons. Had chemistry with Ray Traylor when it honestly wasn't expected (forgive me for forgetting what gimmick Ray was using during that, probably 3 different ones! ). Shame on me for not watching more of his Japan stuff enough to memorize highlights, but damn he was tremendous from what I've seen! I really liked the original mask (the full hood that was black with red trim) because along with that crazy war helmet thing, his look was ridiculously intimidating. I would be remiss if I did not also recommend his feud with Cactus Jack, brutal and must watch. One of my all time favorites, ranking extremely high on my personal list. 374, 000 points rounded down to be acceptable in cagematch's system. A 10!"

"He was so much better in the WCW and Pro wrestling NOAH , then he was in WWF. He was a truly scary site when coming to the ring, I still can't believe that we lost him , rest in peace ..."

[10.0] "Possibly the best superheavyweight of all time. His work in Japan especially is legendary. A man of his size doing flips still isn't that common today but back then it was pure unseen insanity."

[9.0] "An absolute beast of a pro wrestler, watch his work in Japan and fan reactions. Ignore his run in WWF, they had no idea how to book him and he was slowing down by that point."

[6.0] "(This is strictly based on his WWF run because I haven't seen him in other promotions) He didn't really have good in-ring work, although he was big in my opinion he didn't look as intimidating as Mankind, Undertaker, or Kane. Although I'm not a fan of his matches I do appreciate that he has a wide range of moves including a moonsault which shouldn't be possible but he still does it."

[9.0] "The prototypical "monster" big man in wrestling and by far one of the most talented. Sure, Vader wasn't going to have a technical masterclass or a spot fest but if you wanted a big huge guy throwing bombs and murdering people in the ring, he's your guy, and he played that role to perfection in every promotion he was in, through his Eastern work is far more infamous and well known. Sure, you could make the argument he wasn't the most consistent seller and a lot of his fights turned into big old brawls, but considering how well he did that style of match, I'm not sure you can knock him for it. Guy was a insane draw in both NJPW and AJPW and when paired with the right babyface, you'd get some amazing bouts: Inoki, Kobashi, Sting, Flair, hell even his pretty mediocre run in the WWF had some great exchanges. There's just such a wealth of great work there that it would be impossible to not put him this high up. He's as iconic as he was for a reason."

[9.0] "One of, if not the greatest gaijin monster heel in Japanese pro wrestling history. He had the look, the aura, and the ability to wrestle against just about anyone. The only reason I can't give him a 10 is because his work in WWE was so pedestrian and not worth of his talents, that it does cast a bit of a shadow on his career overall."

[9.0] "Vader in Japan: 11 out of 10. Vader in WCW: 10 out of 10. Vader in WWF: very bad out of 10 but that's not really his fault. However, Vader has a staying power within wrestling and outside of the business that is undeniable. He's one of those guys your grandma still hates for heeling on Sting or some shit and that's staying power you can't buy."

[9.0] "I'm not too sure there's gonna ever be a big man like Vader again. While I'm not the biggest fan of the big brutes in wrestling, Vader still made for enjoyable matches, storylines and segments throughout his career. The things this man could do in the ring were at the very least surprising if not impressive."

[10.0] "Greatest super heavyweight big man wrestling has ever seen , was excellent in the ring , was a beast of a man standing 6 foot 4 and weighing over 400 pounds and can moonsault from the top turnbuckle which was unheard of back then , was stiff , strong and just so fun to watch."