Tag: Vader

Vader Apparently Announces His Retirement

WWE and WCW legend Big Van Vader apparently announced his retirement from professional wrestling over the weekend on Twitter. In the post, Vader expressed sadness of leaving his “greatest love of all” for a chance to see his grandchildren some day.

If this is indeed a retirement announcement, we have Vader last working in a six-man tag team match with Keiji Muto & AKIRA against Fujinami, Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka at Korakuen Hall in Japan back in April. Vader passed out after the match due to an apparent head injury he suffered during the bout.

Vader announced on Twitter last November he only had two years to live due to suffering from congestive heart failure. He later expressed regret for making the tweets.

Vader’s career began in the American Wrestling Association in the mid-1980s and he won the IWGP Heavyweight title at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s first Tokyo Dome show on April 24, 1989. Vader came to WCW in 1990 but was used sparingly as he was still working on Japan. He first won the WCW Heavyweight Championship in 1992 when he beat Sting at the Great American Bash.

Vader debuted with WWE (then WWF) at Royal Rumble 1996, where he worked until 1998. He was rejuvenated in Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah until 2002. Since then, he’s made sporadic appearances including with TNA in 2003 and 2015 and with WWE in 2005, 2012 and 2016.

If Vader’s career is over, his resume includes being a two-time Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion (All Japan Pro Wrestling), three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion (New Japan Pro Wrestling), three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, among many other titles and accolades. In 1993, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named him “Wrestler of the Year.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Vader Passes Out After Match In Japan, Reveals What Happened

Vader briefly collapsed after a match at Korakuen Hall in Japan on Thursday.

Vader was teaming with Keiji Muto & AKIRA in a six-man tag team match against Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu & Shiro Koshinaka. After the match there was a ceremony honoring Fujinami and Vader fainted in the ring. Vader was able to eventually come to and leave the ring on his own.

Vader took to Twitter and said that he collapsed because he was dropped on his head during the match, and that it didn’t have anything to do with his recent heart issues.

As noted, Vader had tweeted out last November that he had two years to live due to congestive heart failure. He later said that he regretted making the tweets.

“I really kind of regret tweeting it out,” Vader told The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling last month. “In other words when I got diagnosed and was told, ‘Leon, you have a bad heart and you have congestive heart failure and we feel your time is limited and you have maybe a couple of years left… two years or less to live.’ I remember getting very angry and said this has gotta be bulls–t because I don’t feel bad and I remember getting extremely angry. Since that time and when I got the news I left the hospital and went right to the gym and rode the bike for a half hour. Hard. As hard as I could and when I got off the bike and got on the treadmill and walked for another 15 minutes pretty hard and I was exhausted but my heart felt fine so how can I do that if my heart is going to give out? The doctor in some of the ongoing appointments that I had with him explained to me that when you are tipping the scales at 400 and 420-25 pounds that a man that size and that heavy isn’t supposed to be able to push himself in a cardiovascular endeavor no matter what it is much past 2 or 3 minutes.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Vader Sends Out Sad Tweet About His Health

As noted in November, Vader told fans that he had about two years to live due to congestive heart failure. While some of his updates from there on had some promise from other doctor visits, he sent this tweet out yesterday:

Source: WrestlingINC

Vader Says He Has Two Years To Live

Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Leon “Big Van Vader” White posted on Twitter that doctors told him he has two years to live.

Vader says he has congestive heart failure and has seen two different doctors. He blames it on his football and wrestling careers.