Yesterday, the wrestling world was saddened to hear the news that wrestling legend Leon White, also known as 'Big Van Vader' and 'Vader', had passed away earlier in the week on Monday at the age of 63.
Jesse White, the son of Vader, revealed the sad news on Twitter on Wednesday morning, announcing that his father had passed away on Monday evening at 7:25 PM.
He posted: "It is with a heavy heart to inform everyone that my father, Leon White, passed away on Monday night (6/18/18) at approximately 7:25 PM.
"Around a month ago my father was diagnosed with a severe case of Pneumonia. He fought extremely hard and clinically was making progress. Unfortunately, on Monday night his heart had enough, and it was his time."
The wrestling world came out in force yesterday to pay their tributes to Vader who had one of the most iconic looks in the wrestling business, and who also opened the door for many bigger people to become superstars in the world of wrestling.
He broke the rules in terms of how big men were supposed to work in the wrestling business, most notably making the off-the-top-rope moonsault a standard part of his high-spot repertoire, which later became known as the Vadersault.
Hall of Fame
Oddly enough though, despite his impact on the wrestling world, Vader is yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and Mick Foley believes this needs to change due to four excellent reasons.
Speaking in a tribute post to Vader on his Facebook account, Foley said the following: "In the event that he continues to be overlooked, let me put forth my criteria for which Leon White should not only be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but be considered one of the greatest, most influential wrestlers of his generation.
"1) He drew more money, with a wider variety of opponents, for different promotions, on a global basis, than just about any of his contemporaries. Basically, until WWE tried to fix something that wasn't broken, Vader was money everywhere he went.
"2) He brought out the best in his opponents. Vader "paid it forward" by bringing out the very best in some of the greatest stars of his time, and of all time.
"3) His matches stand the test of time. No matter what trends the business may go through, Vader's believable brawling, combined with his impressive athleticism will never go out of style.
"4) He was able to turn a 6'4, 300-pound maniac with a love for pain into a sympathetic underdog.
"Who's the man? Leon White was, and always will be. Rest in peace, my friend."
Unfortunately, Vader is going to be one of those superstars that are inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after their passing rather than before it, but hopefully, WWE listens to Foley and doesn't overlook Vader for any longer.
What is your fondest memory of Vader in action? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.