Jun 18th 2026 01:03pm

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

Mick Foley: Remembering Leon White

Mick Foley: Remembering Leon White

Posted: Jun 20th 2018 By: Mick Foley

REMEMBERING LEON WHITE

I was preparing to fly out to Denver for an episode of Monday Night Raw in October, 2016 when my wife called to tell me that Leon White had left a few messages on my answering machine. I figured he must have wanted to get together while WWE was in town, and got on my flight, thinking I would catch up with him the next day – that we would grab lunch before the show, or he could come backstage and hang out with some of the guys. But that next day, my wife asked me again to call him, telling me of the urgency in his voice, and how it seemed very important.

As it turned out, Leon wasn’t calling me to have lunch, catch up, or to hang out backstage. He was calling me as a friend, telling me that he had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and had been given two years to live.

On Monday night, one year and eight months after telling me of his diagnosis, Leon White passed away, leaving behind him a loving son, a legacy as one of the very best big men to ever grace the ring (the very best, in my opinion) and a great mystery as to why one of the biggest drawing cards of his era has yet to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

No matter how many times I talked with Leon, the conversation would eventually turn to the Hall of Fame, and I would constantly tell him that no one or no thing, not even his absence from the WWE Hall of Fame could take away from what he had accomplished around the world. He was quite simply one of the biggest stars our business has ever known. He worked hard. He worked injured. He brought out the very best in so many people he faced – including me. On a worldwide basis he was so much bigger and meant so much more to our business than so many people who have gone on to receive far more accolades - including me, including just about everyone.

A few years ago, I was honored to be asked by Leon to write the forward for his book. I did my very best to come up with something that was worthy of the man and his body of outstanding work. I said a lot of the things I really felt needed to be said at that time – and probably need to be repeated now, more than ever.

FOREWARD: by Mick Foley

I had a unique problem in the spring of 1993 for which there was really only one solution. I had become a babyface - a good guy for Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling (WCW) - a few months earlier, and things were going fairly well with one exception; it was difficult for me to get sympathy from the fans. As a heel, a bad guy, I'd been portrayed as a guy who thrived on pain, maybe even liked it - which helped create a very interesting wrestling villain persona. It did not, however, make for a terribly sympathetic portrait as a good guy.

I requested a meeting with WCW booker Dusty Rhodes, and together we came up with a plan to combat the sympathy problem. Quite simply, I would wrestle Vader. Two matches, twenty stitches, a broken nose, and a memorable ambulance ride later, my sympathy problem was a thing of the past. Vader had cured it.

It was almost impossible not to feel a sense of sympathy for an opponent of Leon White during his career as Vader. To me, he was the most believable, most talented "monster" wrestler of his generation. No one was better at being the immovable object, that inpenetrable wall than Leon White. Eventually - if you worked hard enough, and if it was in the interest of doing business - the object would move and the wall would crumble in spectacular fashion. But if you were his opponent, he'd make damn sure that you were the very best irresistible force you could possibly be - or he'd eat you alive. The price you paid to be the best you could be against Vader was high - but the rewards for going places you didn't know you could go, until he helped you get there, were even higher.

Every year fans wonder if Leon and White will finally be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and every year, most of those HOF slots are filled by wrestlers who didn't draw a fraction of the money, or contribute to the wrestling business on nearly the level that Leon White/Vader did. I'm not belittling the importance of the WWE Hall of Fame. Indeed, being inducted was one of the personal highlights of my career. But the selection process is more than a little subjective in nature. 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.

 

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1964 Karl Kox def. Louie Tillet for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 2004 Shane Morbid def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 Codie Mullins def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Codie Mullins for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 Pork Chop def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Pork Chop for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 S.K. Fulton def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. S.K. Fulton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 2006 Ryan Davidson def. Angel Williams for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 2011 Michael Barry def. Kenny Campbell for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 2016 Spyder became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 2016 Skylar Slice became the IZW Womens Champion
  • 2021 Lady Sensacion became the FIW Women’s Champion
  • 2021 Rodeo (Chandler Hopkins & Malico) def. Cam Cole & Johnny Bedlam for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
  • 2022 Duke Cornell def. Blue Bolt for the WFC Prime Title
  • 2022 Maddox Jones def. Striker for the EPW Heavyweight Title
  • 2022 Mike Gunns def. Jake Danielsson for the NAW Heavyweight Title

Week of Sun 06-14 to Sat: 06-20

  • 06-14 1970 Fritz Von Erich def. Boris Malenko for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-14 1982 Fritz Von Erich def. King Kong Bundy for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-14 2004 Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) def. Li'l Joe & Al Farat (substituting for Se7en) for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2008 Kenny Campbell became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 06-14 2008 Nathan Sensation & Striker def. The New Age Syndicate (Shawn Sanders & Scott Sanders) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2008 Anarchy [2nd] def. The Enforcer for the SECW Tri-State Title
  • 06-14 2008 Dane Griffin def. Mo'Body Gillespie for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 06-14 2009 El Super Colibri became the TAP Adrenaline Champion
  • 06-14 2009 Reckless def. The Canadian Red Devil for the TAP Heavyweight Title
  • 06-14 2009 Shane Morbid def. Jon Cross for the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Title
  • 06-14 2013 Clint Cox became the BPPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-14 2014 The Rising (Justin Riker & Abel) def. Psycho Sawyer & Diamond for the SRPW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2014 Omega X (Brett Stopp & X-Static) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2025 Pastor Brent def. Dr. Corvus for the WAH Living Hope Title
  • 06-14 2025 Skylar Slice became the WAH Womens Champion
  • 06-14 2025 Military Express (Sgt. Todd & Sgt. Hartman) def. Speeding Bullet (Mike Gunnz & Stephen Nitro) for the NAW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2025 Scotty Rose def. Floyd Maystorm for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-14 2025 Floyd Maystorm def. Scotty Rose for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-15 1982 King Kong Bundy became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-15 2003 Tyler Bateman def. Jef Tiger for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-15 2003 John O'Malley def. Tyler Bateman for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-15 2008 El Culo Intruso def. Dane Griffin for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 06-15 2018 Sam Stackhouse def. Abyss for the BCW Buzzsaw Title
  • 06-15 2019 Double D became the WFC Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-15 2019 Prince Mahalli def. Damon Windsor for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 06-15 2024 Cade Fite became the TIW No Pressure Champion
  • 06-15 2024 Ozzy Hendrix & Adrian Vega def. The Voiceless Society (Tyler Watts & E-Bone) for the CAPW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-15 2024 The Gatekeeper def. Rick Russo for the EPW All-American Title
  • 06-15 2024 Trench Blythe became the EPW International Champion
  • 06-15 2024 Malachi def. Kevin James Sanchez for the EPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-16 1959 The Zebra Kid def. The Golden Giant for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-16 1970 Johnny Valentine def. Killer Kowalski for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-16 1984 Terry Taylor def. Krusher Khrushchev for the MSW Television Title
  • 06-16 1986 Buzz Sawyer def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
  • 06-16 2006 Bobby Burns def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-16 2006 Beau Dalton became the SRPW X Division Champion
  • 06-16 2006 Ray Martinez became the SRPW X Division Champion
  • 06-16 2012 Big Business (Kevin Morgan & Damon Windsor) def. The Old School Suckas (Gary Tool & Randy Price) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-16 2017 Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders & Chaz Sharpe) def. Cursed (Kuda & Blade [2nd]) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 06-16 2017 Nytronis A'Teo def. Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders, Shawn Sanders, & Chaz Sharpe) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 06-16 2023 Jason Simon became the MajCW Native American Champion
  • 06-16 2023 Dan Webber def. Cappuccino Jones for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 06-17 1957 Billy Raborn became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-17 1958 Bull Curry def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-17 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. David Von Erich for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-17 1983 Kerry Von Erich & Bruiser Brody def. The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-17 2005 Kenny Campbell def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW X Division Title
  • 06-17 2006 The Party Express (Mitch Carter & Cade Sydal) def. Impact Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-17 2008 Kunna Keyoh def. El Culo Intruso for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 06-17 2017 Prince Mahalli def. Paul Puertorico for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 06-17 2017 Michael Wolf def. Aaron Anders for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-17 2017 Randy Price def. Double D for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-17 2023 Alex Royal def. Justin Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 06-18 1964 Karl Kox def. Louie Tillet for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-18 2004 Shane Morbid def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Codie Mullins def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Codie Mullins for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Pork Chop def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Pork Chop for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 S.K. Fulton def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. S.K. Fulton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2006 Ryan Davidson def. Angel Williams for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 06-18 2011 Michael Barry def. Kenny Campbell for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-18 2016 Spyder became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 06-18 2016 Skylar Slice became the IZW Womens Champion
  • 06-18 2021 Lady Sensacion became the FIW Women’s Champion
  • 06-18 2021 Rodeo (Chandler Hopkins & Malico) def. Cam Cole & Johnny Bedlam for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-18 2022 Duke Cornell def. Blue Bolt for the WFC Prime Title
  • 06-18 2022 Maddox Jones def. Striker for the EPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-18 2022 Mike Gunns def. Jake Danielsson for the NAW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-19 1977 Fritz Von Erich def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-19 2010 Aaron Neil def. John O'Malley for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-19 2015 Bree Ann def. Claudia for the NWA-TXO Rose Title
  • 06-20 1972 The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente) def. Tom Jones & Ivan Putski for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 06-20 1977 Bill Watts became the TSW North American Champion
  • 06-20 1987 Barry Windham became the UWF Western States Heritage Champion
  • 06-20 2004 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-20 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Dane Griffin for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-20 2009 BLK-OUT (Montego Seeka & Jermaine Johnson) def. Impact, Inc, (Johnny Z & Bernie D) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-20 2014 Bree Ann def. Miss Diss Lexia for the NWA-TXO Rose Title
  • 06-20 2021 DNR (Drake Gallows & Revan) def. Malik Mayfield & Maui Mike for the ASP Tag Team Titles
06-18
  • Abe Jacobs Jun 18th Today!
  • Cam the CODA Jun 18th Today!
  • Johnny Angel Jun 18th Today!
  • Andy Dalton Jun 18th Today!
  • Bruiser Brody Jun 18th Today!
  • Sashimi Deluxe Jun 18th Today!
  • Bad Boy Jun 18th Today!
  • Wahoo McDaniel Jun 19th
  • Billy the Kid Jun 19th
  • Kodi Ocean Jun 19th
  • Top Dollar Bill Jun 19th
  • Miguel Padilla Jun 19th
  • Mike Two Jun 19th
  • Canadian Red Devil Jun 19th
  • Professor Ito Jun 20th
  • Koko B. Ware Jun 20th
  • Jon Cross Jun 20th
  • David Kyzer Jun 20th
  • Jeff the Ref Jun 21st
  • Super Star Jun 21st
  • Milton Winkelman Jun 21st
  • Phantom Star Jun 21st
  • Rick Russo Jun 21st
  • Athena Jun 23rd
  • Juan Sebastian Jun 24th
  • Gabe Wilder Jun 24th
  • Don Kent Jun 24th
  • X-Storms Jun 25th
  • Kody Lane Jun 25th
  • Sylvia Richmond Jun 26th
  • D. K. Bradley Jun 26th
  • Paul Rodriguez Jun 26th
  • Jax Samuel Jun 26th
  • Jason Kirby Jun 27th
  • Reckless Jun 27th
  • Dan Barnhart Jun 27th
  • Ignition Jun 27th
  • Kuda Jun 27th
  • Claire Jun 28th
  • Doc Hearon Jun 28th
  • John Tidwell Jun 28th
  • J. J. Blake Jun 28th
  • Malico Jun 28th
  • Kenny Mack Jun 28th
  • Damian Kincaid Jun 28th
  • Boris Malenko Jun 28th
  • Bill Dromo Jun 28th
  • Voltio Santiago Jun 29th
  • Barbara Galento Jun 29th
  • Kenneth Caine Jun 30th
  • Terry Funk Jun 30th
  • Ed Lewis Jun 30th
  • Sung Yung Kang Jul 1st
  • Jake Hollister Jul 1st
  • Li'l Joe Jul 1st
  • Tim WarCloud Jul 1st

More Look Back In History

Most Active Members

  • Striker
  • Michael York
  • The Mayne Event
  • cphs_sweethearts
  • Talon

Card Results

1

Tag Cloud

Mick FoleyTNAA. J. StylesSgt. SlaughterMWABrandon WalkerEl Super ColibriCanadian Red DevilDustin HeritageBlake AlbrightBud Guffey