1 00:00:03,919 --> 00:00:07,056 Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest big man 2 00:00:07,123 --> 00:00:09,291 in the history of wrestling... 3 00:00:09,391 --> 00:00:14,130 Vader! 4 00:00:14,230 --> 00:00:16,399 [Narrator] In the world of professional wrestling, 5 00:00:16,498 --> 00:00:18,701 every hero needs a villain. 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:20,836 And few villains were tougher, 7 00:00:20,969 --> 00:00:23,338 scarier, or more dangerous... 8 00:00:23,472 --> 00:00:24,974 Oh, gosh! 9 00:00:25,074 --> 00:00:28,143 ...than Big Van Vader. 10 00:00:28,277 --> 00:00:30,847 The most amazing super heavyweight 11 00:00:30,980 --> 00:00:32,981 that I've ever seen. Ever. 12 00:00:33,115 --> 00:00:35,018 When you looked at him, you'd think, my God, 13 00:00:35,151 --> 00:00:36,652 who would ever fight that guy? 14 00:00:36,753 --> 00:00:37,920 Argh! 15 00:00:38,020 --> 00:00:38,987 He is one of the most sadistic, 16 00:00:39,088 --> 00:00:41,289 one of the most physically intimidating athletes 17 00:00:41,390 --> 00:00:43,493 I have ever seen in my career. 18 00:00:43,593 --> 00:00:46,329 He was 400 pounds, and could do moonsaults. 19 00:00:46,429 --> 00:00:47,996 The moonsault! 20 00:00:48,131 --> 00:00:50,533 Vader was a world champion in almost every continent 21 00:00:50,633 --> 00:00:52,301 on the globe that had professional wrestling, 22 00:00:52,402 --> 00:00:54,469 but he had a reputation. 23 00:00:54,536 --> 00:00:55,537 Oh! 24 00:00:55,637 --> 00:00:56,506 When you start hammering people, they were like, 25 00:00:56,606 --> 00:01:00,643 damn, that had to hurt them, because it did. 26 00:01:00,743 --> 00:01:02,177 He was the stiffest wrestler 27 00:01:02,277 --> 00:01:03,679 I've ever been in the ring with. 28 00:01:03,813 --> 00:01:04,846 Whack! 29 00:01:04,980 --> 00:01:06,649 He was really good at that style. 30 00:01:06,715 --> 00:01:08,483 But, it can be a scary thing. 31 00:01:08,551 --> 00:01:11,120 But the violence that made Vader a sensation 32 00:01:11,219 --> 00:01:14,356 also sabotages his career, as the industry's 33 00:01:14,456 --> 00:01:17,192 biggest stars turned their back on him. 34 00:01:17,325 --> 00:01:19,528 You got to remember what's show biz and what's real. 35 00:01:19,662 --> 00:01:21,329 And sometimes Leon had a hard time 36 00:01:21,430 --> 00:01:23,498 separating the fact from the fiction. 37 00:01:23,599 --> 00:01:25,802 Out of the ring, the man who became a champion 38 00:01:25,902 --> 00:01:27,403 by inflicting pain, 39 00:01:27,537 --> 00:01:29,572 struggles to deal with his own. 40 00:01:29,704 --> 00:01:30,873 He lived life hard. 41 00:01:30,972 --> 00:01:33,176 He did things that a man his size 42 00:01:33,242 --> 00:01:35,144 shouldn't have been able to do, and... 43 00:01:35,243 --> 00:01:37,146 paid a big price for it. 44 00:01:37,245 --> 00:01:39,248 Pain will change you. 45 00:01:39,382 --> 00:01:41,216 Your personality will change. 46 00:01:41,316 --> 00:01:43,084 You will change. 47 00:01:43,218 --> 00:01:45,587 Big Van Vader is the greatest super heavyweight 48 00:01:45,688 --> 00:01:48,424 of all time, but he's still human. 49 00:01:48,558 --> 00:01:52,093 And sometimes many of us forgot that. 50 00:01:52,194 --> 00:01:54,996 Vader, he fears no man... 51 00:01:55,097 --> 00:01:58,034 and he feels no pain. 52 00:01:58,099 --> 00:02:02,871 ♪ 53 00:02:05,740 --> 00:02:09,611 [Evil laughter & growling] 54 00:02:09,745 --> 00:02:11,713 If you look at some of the great movie villains, 55 00:02:11,813 --> 00:02:14,282 they were just so overwhelmingly powerful, 56 00:02:14,417 --> 00:02:17,219 that they were terrifying. 57 00:02:17,319 --> 00:02:20,455 You rooted for your favorite character 58 00:02:20,556 --> 00:02:23,258 to survive that encounter. 59 00:02:23,391 --> 00:02:25,895 And in professional wrestling... 60 00:02:25,961 --> 00:02:29,098 Vader was the greatest monster, really, of his era. 61 00:02:29,198 --> 00:02:31,067 Vader! 62 00:02:31,133 --> 00:02:32,200 My name is Mick Foley. 63 00:02:32,300 --> 00:02:34,804 I'm a three-time WWE champion, 64 00:02:34,903 --> 00:02:37,939 and I was pummeled by Vader on many occasions. 65 00:02:38,039 --> 00:02:39,175 Oh! 66 00:02:39,275 --> 00:02:41,576 Leon was one of those few people who could come in and 67 00:02:41,644 --> 00:02:44,212 make it look like not only might your favorite be 68 00:02:44,312 --> 00:02:45,848 losing their title... 69 00:02:45,948 --> 00:02:47,984 they might be losing their life. 70 00:02:48,116 --> 00:02:49,919 Like they were fighting for something 71 00:02:49,985 --> 00:02:52,121 bigger than a victory. 72 00:02:52,254 --> 00:02:53,622 Vader was going to give it to you, 73 00:02:53,723 --> 00:02:54,824 and if you didn't give it back, 74 00:02:54,956 --> 00:02:56,626 he was going to eat you up. 75 00:02:56,725 --> 00:02:57,460 Argh! 76 00:02:57,592 --> 00:02:58,828 My name is Jesse White, and I have the 77 00:02:58,961 --> 00:03:00,462 honor and privilege of being the son 78 00:03:00,596 --> 00:03:04,167 of Leon White, aka Vader. 79 00:03:04,266 --> 00:03:05,835 Dad grew up in Lynwood, California, 80 00:03:05,967 --> 00:03:07,502 about two miles outside of Compton... 81 00:03:07,637 --> 00:03:11,507 in a, a house with a lot of violence. 82 00:03:11,606 --> 00:03:13,842 A lot of it revolved around alcohol. 83 00:03:13,975 --> 00:03:16,111 Growing up, he kind of had to step up 84 00:03:16,211 --> 00:03:18,813 to take care of his family... 85 00:03:18,914 --> 00:03:21,349 and become the head of the family. 86 00:03:21,484 --> 00:03:22,784 He had a rough one, 87 00:03:22,852 --> 00:03:24,520 he had a rough one, you know? 88 00:03:24,620 --> 00:03:27,156 I'm Debra White, and I was married to 89 00:03:27,256 --> 00:03:32,427 Leon White, aka Big Van Vader. 90 00:03:32,527 --> 00:03:33,930 The school he went to, 91 00:03:34,030 --> 00:03:37,332 he had to pretty much fight every day. 92 00:03:37,432 --> 00:03:39,268 This is late 60s and now LA's starting to get 93 00:03:39,367 --> 00:03:40,635 a little bit more rough. 94 00:03:40,735 --> 00:03:42,437 My dad was probably about 12 years old. 95 00:03:42,538 --> 00:03:45,007 He was at home watching Star Trek with his sister, 96 00:03:45,106 --> 00:03:47,143 and someone's coming to break in the house. 97 00:03:47,242 --> 00:03:48,711 [Shattering] 98 00:03:57,485 --> 00:03:59,622 So they ran down to the bar where Grandpa was at. 99 00:03:59,722 --> 00:04:00,855 Grandpa took them back home, 100 00:04:00,956 --> 00:04:03,224 boarded up the window, gave him a shotgun, 101 00:04:03,359 --> 00:04:04,627 and said, "If someone comes through, 102 00:04:04,727 --> 00:04:06,996 you know what to do this time." 103 00:04:07,096 --> 00:04:09,731 He made sure that Leon knew 104 00:04:09,865 --> 00:04:12,501 you don't take bullshit from anybody. 105 00:04:12,602 --> 00:04:14,704 He was trying to make him tough. 106 00:04:14,804 --> 00:04:17,072 And obviously, he turned out pretty tough. 107 00:04:17,206 --> 00:04:19,375 [Laughing] 108 00:04:19,475 --> 00:04:21,843 Sports is where my dad found his identity. 109 00:04:21,911 --> 00:04:23,812 If it wasn't for football, I don't know if 110 00:04:23,913 --> 00:04:25,680 Pops ever makes it out of LA. 111 00:04:25,781 --> 00:04:27,350 He was a hell of a player. 112 00:04:27,449 --> 00:04:28,718 When he would hit you, 113 00:04:28,817 --> 00:04:30,720 even if he was messing around... 114 00:04:30,819 --> 00:04:32,654 Man, it hurt. 115 00:04:32,754 --> 00:04:33,956 My name is Dave Logan. 116 00:04:34,055 --> 00:04:35,625 I played a long time in the NFL. 117 00:04:35,725 --> 00:04:39,060 I met Leon his freshman year, University of Colorado. 118 00:04:39,161 --> 00:04:40,997 And after that, we just became fast friends. 119 00:04:41,062 --> 00:04:42,898 His nickname was Baby Bull. 120 00:04:43,031 --> 00:04:46,369 Bull fit him perfectly... 121 00:04:46,435 --> 00:04:48,771 because he was very, very tough. 122 00:04:48,903 --> 00:04:51,072 Unbelievably strong. 123 00:04:51,173 --> 00:04:54,043 An incredible, incredible athlete. 124 00:04:54,142 --> 00:04:57,346 He was drafted third round to the Los Angeles Rams. 125 00:04:57,446 --> 00:04:59,915 But unfortunately due to knee injuries that he had, 126 00:05:00,016 --> 00:05:01,449 he couldn't play anymore. 127 00:05:01,584 --> 00:05:03,084 That's what he worked for his whole entire life, 128 00:05:03,185 --> 00:05:04,920 was to get there and go have that success. 129 00:05:05,021 --> 00:05:07,389 And this wasn't the success that he wanted. 130 00:05:07,490 --> 00:05:10,759 He was trying to figure out what was next for him. 131 00:05:10,892 --> 00:05:12,560 Being an athlete, he still felt 132 00:05:12,627 --> 00:05:14,764 he can contribute something athletically. 133 00:05:14,896 --> 00:05:17,899 So he decided to give pro wrestling a try. 134 00:05:17,966 --> 00:05:20,269 Leaving his NFL career behind, 135 00:05:20,369 --> 00:05:23,406 Leon is welcomed into the pro wrestling business 136 00:05:23,471 --> 00:05:25,608 by one of the sport's toughest men. 137 00:05:53,903 --> 00:05:56,137 King Kong Brody against Leon "The Baby Bull" White, 138 00:05:56,271 --> 00:05:58,673 and it's underway! 139 00:05:58,807 --> 00:06:01,911 Oh! Another one! 140 00:06:02,011 --> 00:06:03,512 When Leon White started, 141 00:06:03,646 --> 00:06:05,514 he was trained in the Midwest, 142 00:06:05,648 --> 00:06:08,684 and he had notoriety even as a rookie because of 143 00:06:08,817 --> 00:06:11,687 his size and NFL background. 144 00:06:11,821 --> 00:06:14,255 He was close to 400 pounds, 145 00:06:14,357 --> 00:06:17,860 but he was amazingly agile and nimble. 146 00:06:17,959 --> 00:06:21,831 He was six foot three and as wide as a wrecking ball. 147 00:06:21,963 --> 00:06:25,201 So he was very convincing in that 148 00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:27,202 he could kick the shit out of you. 149 00:06:27,302 --> 00:06:28,504 Oh, look at Leon. 150 00:06:28,637 --> 00:06:31,273 At the time, Stan Hansen was a champion for AWA. 151 00:06:31,372 --> 00:06:32,375 Stan Hansen! 152 00:06:32,507 --> 00:06:34,476 The biggest, the nastiest! 153 00:06:34,543 --> 00:06:38,047 He was teaching my dad the ropes in AWA. 154 00:06:38,146 --> 00:06:40,949 Well, he was a very impressive guy. 155 00:06:41,050 --> 00:06:43,886 Oh, look at the agility of him. 156 00:06:44,019 --> 00:06:46,355 But, I'm pretty aggressive. 157 00:06:46,488 --> 00:06:50,326 So, when he stepped into the ring, it's on. 158 00:06:50,392 --> 00:06:51,560 Oh! 159 00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:53,394 Hi, this is Stan Hansen. 160 00:06:53,528 --> 00:06:56,031 I'm here to talk about Vader. 161 00:06:56,132 --> 00:06:57,766 Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody 162 00:06:57,867 --> 00:07:00,802 introduced Leon to a rough in-ring style that 163 00:07:00,903 --> 00:07:02,204 pushes the boundaries between 164 00:07:02,338 --> 00:07:03,872 showmanship and violence, 165 00:07:04,005 --> 00:07:07,543 a style insiders call "working stiff." 166 00:07:07,675 --> 00:07:09,711 It was much more physical. 167 00:07:09,812 --> 00:07:13,749 We just decided to go all out as long as we could. 168 00:07:13,882 --> 00:07:15,584 That's what made us strong. 169 00:07:15,718 --> 00:07:18,487 That's where it starts, and that's where it's gonna end. 170 00:07:18,586 --> 00:07:22,490 When a guy's stuff lands really well... 171 00:07:22,591 --> 00:07:24,425 he's stiff. 172 00:07:24,526 --> 00:07:27,562 It didn't injure you, but it hurt. 173 00:07:27,663 --> 00:07:29,264 But that's the way he was trained, 174 00:07:29,398 --> 00:07:30,899 live in front of a crowd. 175 00:07:31,033 --> 00:07:32,767 Brody and Stan beating the hell out of my dad, 176 00:07:32,901 --> 00:07:35,336 and my dad took it, didn't complain. 177 00:07:35,437 --> 00:07:38,007 And I think both Stan and Bruiser 178 00:07:38,107 --> 00:07:39,442 respected that about my dad. 179 00:07:39,574 --> 00:07:42,211 I never looked at him like a student. 180 00:07:42,278 --> 00:07:45,947 I always looked at him as a very equal competitor. 181 00:07:46,081 --> 00:07:48,016 [Cheering] 182 00:07:48,117 --> 00:07:49,951 [Indistinct commentary] 183 00:07:50,084 --> 00:07:52,454 But, Leon "Baby Bull" White 184 00:07:52,555 --> 00:07:54,956 did not exactly set the wrestling world on fire 185 00:07:55,057 --> 00:07:57,593 until he got a deal to go to Japan. 186 00:07:57,725 --> 00:08:00,095 And they made him the character of 187 00:08:00,196 --> 00:08:03,598 Big Van Vader. 188 00:08:03,699 --> 00:08:05,266 It was an amazing gimmick. 189 00:08:05,401 --> 00:08:07,569 It was an amazing outfit. 190 00:08:07,670 --> 00:08:11,439 And, Vader became an instant sensation. 191 00:08:11,574 --> 00:08:14,310 I'm Jim Cornette, and in the WWF, 192 00:08:14,410 --> 00:08:17,312 I was the manager of the man they called Vader. 193 00:08:17,446 --> 00:08:18,781 From Tokyo, Japan... 194 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,617 Antonio Inoki! 195 00:08:22,718 --> 00:08:25,653 Antonio Inoki, Japanese wrestling legend, 196 00:08:25,788 --> 00:08:28,223 was the owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling, 197 00:08:28,324 --> 00:08:31,459 and he was always looking for monster foreigners, 198 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,596 monster heels, that he could vanquish somehow. 199 00:08:34,663 --> 00:08:37,131 And with Leon's size, 200 00:08:37,232 --> 00:08:39,235 he knew he had something. 201 00:08:39,301 --> 00:08:41,169 The legend goes that 202 00:08:41,269 --> 00:08:42,971 Big Van Vader was a samurai warrior 203 00:08:43,105 --> 00:08:45,941 who represented an island, and him and another warrior 204 00:08:46,041 --> 00:08:47,275 had fought to the death. 205 00:08:47,375 --> 00:08:49,577 Big Van Vader won that battle, 206 00:08:49,644 --> 00:08:51,614 and so Inoki always wanted to make a character 207 00:08:51,714 --> 00:08:52,981 based on that... 208 00:08:53,081 --> 00:08:57,253 samurai warrior come to life for the Japanese fans. 209 00:08:57,318 --> 00:09:00,255 He also created the helmet. 210 00:09:00,355 --> 00:09:02,423 The headgear and the shoulder pads were 211 00:09:02,524 --> 00:09:04,326 custom made in Japan, 212 00:09:04,460 --> 00:09:08,330 and it required a person to operate it remotely, 213 00:09:08,464 --> 00:09:09,831 where the steam would come out of 214 00:09:09,965 --> 00:09:11,933 the shoulder pads and the spikes. 215 00:09:12,033 --> 00:09:14,003 It was something that people hadn't seen before, 216 00:09:14,135 --> 00:09:17,306 and that's what Antonio Inoki needed for Japan. 217 00:09:17,373 --> 00:09:19,341 [Japanese commentary] 218 00:09:19,441 --> 00:09:21,844 Antonio Inoki, he hadn't lost a match in 3, 4 years, 219 00:09:21,943 --> 00:09:23,879 and Big Van Vader comes out and 220 00:09:24,013 --> 00:09:26,347 beats him in under 3 minutes. 221 00:09:26,481 --> 00:09:29,951 The fans were so upset they rioted. 222 00:09:30,019 --> 00:09:32,520 It's probably the most impactful debut 223 00:09:32,654 --> 00:09:34,889 in professional wrestling history. 224 00:09:47,836 --> 00:09:51,506 I think the Japanese fans started realizing that this 225 00:09:51,606 --> 00:09:54,009 is someone who is special and important. 226 00:09:54,076 --> 00:09:55,844 My dad was the first American 227 00:09:55,910 --> 00:09:58,681 to hold an IWGP championship. 228 00:09:58,746 --> 00:10:00,349 They would bow to him. 229 00:10:00,448 --> 00:10:03,152 He was the Hulk Hogan of Japan. 230 00:10:03,251 --> 00:10:06,221 With interest from Japanese fans at an all-time high, 231 00:10:06,322 --> 00:10:08,356 Stan Hansen and Big Van Vader 232 00:10:08,456 --> 00:10:11,092 are scheduled for an epic match... 233 00:10:11,192 --> 00:10:14,028 destined to become one of the biggest of all time. 234 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,101 Oh, yeah. Or a nightmare. 235 00:10:20,235 --> 00:10:22,104 [Laughing] 236 00:10:22,236 --> 00:10:23,739 [Cheering] 237 00:10:23,839 --> 00:10:26,408 My dad and Stan Hansen are the main event. 238 00:10:26,542 --> 00:10:29,278 There is 60, 65,000 people in attendance. 239 00:10:29,410 --> 00:10:30,578 Sold out Tokyo Dome. 240 00:10:30,712 --> 00:10:32,681 There was two big horses in there, 241 00:10:32,780 --> 00:10:35,583 from opposite stables. 242 00:10:35,717 --> 00:10:38,253 He started hammering me hard and... 243 00:10:38,354 --> 00:10:40,355 I hit him back. 244 00:10:40,456 --> 00:10:42,591 It was the real deal. 245 00:10:42,691 --> 00:10:44,259 They wanted it to look real. 246 00:10:44,393 --> 00:10:45,594 Sometimes, you didn't know. 247 00:10:45,727 --> 00:10:47,763 The line was really close. 248 00:10:47,895 --> 00:10:50,599 And the result could be... 249 00:10:50,732 --> 00:10:52,267 scary. 250 00:10:52,368 --> 00:10:57,105 And boom! He hits Leon right in the eye. 251 00:10:57,239 --> 00:11:00,442 Stan Hansen knocked Vader's eyeball 252 00:11:00,542 --> 00:11:02,610 out of his head. 253 00:11:02,745 --> 00:11:05,114 [Audience] Oh! 254 00:11:12,620 --> 00:11:14,789 When he pulled off his mask... 255 00:11:14,923 --> 00:11:17,625 I mean, there was a huge reaction. 256 00:11:17,725 --> 00:11:19,595 [Shouting Japanese commentary] 257 00:11:19,695 --> 00:11:22,464 You could see the swelling and the discoloration 258 00:11:22,563 --> 00:11:24,799 had started almost immediately. 259 00:11:24,899 --> 00:11:25,967 I freaked out. 260 00:11:26,100 --> 00:11:29,638 Leon takes it, pushes it back into his head, 261 00:11:29,738 --> 00:11:32,240 and goes for it. 262 00:11:32,341 --> 00:11:35,677 After ten minutes of exchanging blows, 263 00:11:35,778 --> 00:11:39,181 I can remember saying, "Take it easy, Leon." 264 00:11:39,313 --> 00:11:40,448 [Laughing] 265 00:11:40,515 --> 00:11:41,917 I was scared to death. 266 00:11:42,017 --> 00:11:46,488 But I will tell you, it was a phenomenal match. 267 00:11:46,621 --> 00:11:48,823 The brutality of the match with Stan Hansen 268 00:11:48,956 --> 00:11:50,926 cements Vader as one of the toughest and 269 00:11:50,993 --> 00:11:53,662 most popular wrestlers in Japan. 270 00:11:53,796 --> 00:11:57,499 Leon was in Japan probably 32 weeks a year. 271 00:11:57,633 --> 00:11:59,802 He was gone all the time. 272 00:11:59,902 --> 00:12:02,104 Growing up, he probably missed half of my childhood. 273 00:12:02,171 --> 00:12:04,206 It's tough for him. It's tough for my mother. 274 00:12:04,306 --> 00:12:05,673 It's tough for me. 275 00:12:05,807 --> 00:12:07,341 But that's the life he chose... 276 00:12:07,475 --> 00:12:09,677 and it's the life I was born into. 277 00:12:09,778 --> 00:12:12,514 As Leon's infamous match with Stan Hansen 278 00:12:12,648 --> 00:12:14,349 circulates among tape traders, 279 00:12:14,482 --> 00:12:17,385 a new opportunity opens up stateside. 280 00:12:17,485 --> 00:12:18,486 When I was at WCW, 281 00:12:18,586 --> 00:12:21,523 somebody sent me some footage of the Hansen match, 282 00:12:21,657 --> 00:12:24,192 and that gave me the idea to bring him in. 283 00:12:24,293 --> 00:12:26,861 This is one big, big man. 284 00:12:26,995 --> 00:12:30,499 I'm Jim Ross, and my relationship with Leon 285 00:12:30,566 --> 00:12:32,366 goes back a good while. 286 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:33,735 This is big time. 287 00:12:33,869 --> 00:12:35,203 We're signed with Ted Turner, right? 288 00:12:35,303 --> 00:12:37,239 So extremely important for him, 289 00:12:37,371 --> 00:12:39,475 for us as a family. 290 00:12:39,575 --> 00:12:41,643 And instantly he's in the main events. 291 00:12:41,743 --> 00:12:44,513 I mean, you can't put this guy in the second match. 292 00:12:44,580 --> 00:12:47,416 He was just a human demolition machine. 293 00:12:47,548 --> 00:12:48,884 He's the big, bad villain. 294 00:12:48,984 --> 00:12:50,885 He's the one that beat up the pretty boys. 295 00:12:50,985 --> 00:12:52,221 Ah! 296 00:12:52,354 --> 00:12:54,056 [Shouting] You ain't man enough! 297 00:12:54,155 --> 00:12:55,923 He took pride in his craft, but what truly 298 00:12:56,057 --> 00:12:58,594 separated my dad is his athleticism. 299 00:12:58,693 --> 00:13:00,229 Well, here comes some pain. 300 00:13:00,328 --> 00:13:02,397 His ability to have a 25-minute main event match. 301 00:13:02,498 --> 00:13:03,932 Oh, no! 302 00:13:04,066 --> 00:13:06,168 This guy is just tough, man. 303 00:13:06,268 --> 00:13:08,169 Vader had a big impact on me. 304 00:13:08,269 --> 00:13:10,572 Cactus Jack! 305 00:13:10,706 --> 00:13:14,275 The irresistible force versus the immovable object, 306 00:13:14,408 --> 00:13:16,577 and you wonder which one's going to give first. 307 00:13:16,677 --> 00:13:18,046 Whoa! 308 00:13:18,113 --> 00:13:21,115 The stuff Leon and I were doing was a little edgy. 309 00:13:21,250 --> 00:13:22,951 Whoa! Falls back with him. 310 00:13:24,952 --> 00:13:26,254 Oh, the moonsault was crazy. 311 00:13:26,388 --> 00:13:29,291 Vader going up... 312 00:13:29,390 --> 00:13:30,958 Yeah, I can say that as a guy who was 313 00:13:31,058 --> 00:13:32,927 on the receiving end of it. 314 00:13:33,028 --> 00:13:34,428 Oh! 315 00:13:34,529 --> 00:13:36,264 Here's a 400 pound athlete 316 00:13:36,398 --> 00:13:38,966 doing a backflip from the top rope. 317 00:13:39,100 --> 00:13:40,369 Moonsault! 318 00:13:40,469 --> 00:13:42,370 How many big men in the business 319 00:13:42,471 --> 00:13:43,804 have you seen do that? 320 00:13:43,938 --> 00:13:46,207 At about the exact time that 321 00:13:46,307 --> 00:13:48,710 Vader debuted his moonsault... 322 00:13:48,809 --> 00:13:50,379 it was like the whole complexion 323 00:13:50,479 --> 00:13:52,813 of that company changed because 324 00:13:52,947 --> 00:13:55,951 he just raised the bar incredibly high. 325 00:13:56,083 --> 00:13:59,488 The intense matches with Cactus Jack elevates Vader 326 00:13:59,587 --> 00:14:02,791 into being one of WCW's top attractions. 327 00:14:02,924 --> 00:14:06,294 Nobody was going to be able to stop Vader. 328 00:14:06,394 --> 00:14:07,428 Vader has won! 329 00:14:07,495 --> 00:14:08,931 Vader has won the world title! 330 00:14:08,996 --> 00:14:10,631 It was extremely big for my dad, right? 331 00:14:10,731 --> 00:14:12,301 Winning a championship for any federation, 332 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:13,668 it's big time. 333 00:14:13,802 --> 00:14:15,736 So this is when things start escalating 334 00:14:15,836 --> 00:14:17,806 to a new level of fame. 335 00:14:17,905 --> 00:14:20,942 -Vader's here. -Who's the man? 336 00:14:21,009 --> 00:14:22,610 You're the man. 337 00:14:22,711 --> 00:14:24,812 Vader! Vader! 338 00:14:24,947 --> 00:14:26,615 Growing up and seeing your dad on television 339 00:14:26,682 --> 00:14:28,683 3 or 4 times a week... 340 00:14:28,817 --> 00:14:30,485 Being on "Boy Meets World"... 341 00:14:30,586 --> 00:14:31,852 "Baywatch"... 342 00:14:31,986 --> 00:14:34,322 A couple movies. That's pretty cool. 343 00:14:34,423 --> 00:14:37,091 Accept the challenge of Vader! 344 00:14:37,192 --> 00:14:39,494 But it was, it was a double edged sword because 345 00:14:39,628 --> 00:14:41,330 you're trying to develop a relationship with 346 00:14:41,462 --> 00:14:43,331 your father, and he's constantly on the road. 347 00:14:43,465 --> 00:14:45,967 He wasn't around like the rest of the fathers were. 348 00:14:46,067 --> 00:14:47,635 He enjoyed being on the road... 349 00:14:47,702 --> 00:14:49,370 'cause it's a fun lifestyle. 350 00:14:49,504 --> 00:14:51,105 Right, rock star lifestyle. 351 00:14:51,206 --> 00:14:54,275 He worked very, very hard to get there, 352 00:14:54,375 --> 00:14:56,144 but he got to where... 353 00:14:56,245 --> 00:14:59,313 that's all he did... 354 00:14:59,380 --> 00:15:01,383 was be a star. 355 00:15:15,998 --> 00:15:17,865 He's coming to my basketball games, and... 356 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,400 we have a line of, you know, 20, 357 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:21,168 25 people asking for autographs and, 358 00:15:21,235 --> 00:15:22,870 I'm, I'm starting to... 359 00:15:23,004 --> 00:15:25,206 get, ah, jealous. And I'm like, 360 00:15:25,307 --> 00:15:26,508 "No, no, no, Dad, you're here to watch me, 361 00:15:26,575 --> 00:15:28,076 not sign autographs." 362 00:15:41,657 --> 00:15:43,892 He did have a Jekyll and Hyde quality to him. 363 00:15:44,025 --> 00:15:45,326 Very soft hearted, 364 00:15:45,427 --> 00:15:48,562 but he also had the ability to change. 365 00:15:48,663 --> 00:15:50,264 I believe, anything you say, I believe it. 366 00:15:50,399 --> 00:15:53,100 And I mean at the flip of a switch. 367 00:15:53,235 --> 00:15:54,769 Doug, get him out of here. 368 00:15:54,903 --> 00:16:00,042 He could go from 1 to 10, like fast. 369 00:16:00,142 --> 00:16:02,277 There was a side of him 370 00:16:02,376 --> 00:16:04,078 you just didn't want to see. 371 00:16:04,211 --> 00:16:06,715 He'd go from being Big Van Vader, 372 00:16:06,815 --> 00:16:08,951 and trying to be Leon White. 373 00:16:09,083 --> 00:16:10,719 And sometimes that was a little bit 374 00:16:10,785 --> 00:16:13,922 of a challenge for him. 375 00:16:14,022 --> 00:16:16,591 Pretty soon he just lost Leon, you know? 376 00:16:16,692 --> 00:16:18,192 And he just became the character. 377 00:16:18,293 --> 00:16:20,095 And that's not who I fell in love with. 378 00:16:20,195 --> 00:16:21,929 I fell in love with Leon White. 379 00:16:22,029 --> 00:16:25,767 And, when he couldn't leave the other one at all, 380 00:16:25,900 --> 00:16:28,269 you know, that's when things got pretty rough 381 00:16:28,403 --> 00:16:29,904 around the house. 382 00:16:29,971 --> 00:16:32,541 He liked being the tough man. 383 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,210 And, you know, unfortunately... 384 00:16:35,309 --> 00:16:38,580 he'd bring it home sometimes. 385 00:16:38,679 --> 00:16:41,982 The one thing is, he never went to Jesse. 386 00:16:42,116 --> 00:16:43,818 It was always me he came to. 387 00:16:43,951 --> 00:16:46,587 But if I tried to leave, I... 388 00:16:46,687 --> 00:16:48,590 It wouldn't have turned out well. 389 00:16:48,657 --> 00:16:52,561 Leon loved me to death, but he loved me to death, 390 00:16:52,660 --> 00:16:56,664 you know, so either he's in prison and I'm dead or, 391 00:16:56,764 --> 00:16:58,767 you know what I mean? 392 00:16:58,866 --> 00:17:01,503 It looked like a beautiful life. 393 00:17:01,635 --> 00:17:05,106 But you never know what's going on behind closed doors. 394 00:17:05,207 --> 00:17:08,609 ♪ 395 00:17:08,676 --> 00:17:11,480 Leon understood one of the most important things of 396 00:17:11,613 --> 00:17:15,317 our business, and that's the psychology of it. 397 00:17:15,450 --> 00:17:18,819 His role in the ring was that of a really violent man. 398 00:17:18,953 --> 00:17:21,856 But as good as Vader was, he always had a reputation 399 00:17:21,990 --> 00:17:25,160 of being that stiff guy that could hurt you at any time. 400 00:17:25,292 --> 00:17:27,295 Hey, everybody. Gerald Brisco here, 401 00:17:27,362 --> 00:17:29,030 better known as Jerry Brisco, 402 00:17:29,131 --> 00:17:30,999 WWE Hall of Famer. 403 00:17:31,098 --> 00:17:32,867 A lot of guys bitched and complained about 404 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,368 how stiff Leon was. 405 00:17:34,502 --> 00:17:36,337 But if he wasn't stiff and snug on you, 406 00:17:36,438 --> 00:17:37,772 you wasn't having a good match. 407 00:17:37,873 --> 00:17:39,374 When he manhandled you, 408 00:17:39,508 --> 00:17:41,375 you knew you were being manhandled. 409 00:17:41,509 --> 00:17:43,144 That's one of the reasons why Vader 410 00:17:43,211 --> 00:17:44,679 looked so impressive. 411 00:17:44,779 --> 00:17:45,946 Sting is hurt! 412 00:17:46,047 --> 00:17:47,682 He broke Sting's ribs. 413 00:17:47,816 --> 00:17:50,018 Nikita Koloff, he ended his career. 414 00:17:50,152 --> 00:17:52,686 He gave Cactus Jack a concussion. 415 00:17:52,788 --> 00:17:57,125 On more than one occasion, I saw young men 416 00:17:57,224 --> 00:18:00,595 whose entire lives were built around this goal of 417 00:18:00,694 --> 00:18:02,196 becoming professional wrestlers, 418 00:18:02,297 --> 00:18:04,532 when they saw their name against Leon White, 419 00:18:04,665 --> 00:18:07,169 they just looked at their friend and said, 420 00:18:07,234 --> 00:18:09,904 "I don't think this is for me." 421 00:18:10,005 --> 00:18:13,875 Especially after Leon temporarily paralyzed 422 00:18:14,009 --> 00:18:15,977 a kid named Joe Thurman. 423 00:18:16,044 --> 00:18:18,547 Thurman is gonna be coming in to Big Van Vader. 424 00:18:18,646 --> 00:18:20,714 Oh! All the power in the world! 425 00:18:20,816 --> 00:18:23,384 This is something that... 426 00:18:23,484 --> 00:18:25,554 I've never... 427 00:18:25,653 --> 00:18:28,557 talked about this to anybody. 428 00:18:28,656 --> 00:18:30,826 Vader does just what he wants to in the ring 429 00:18:30,892 --> 00:18:34,028 when he wants to do it. Oh my goodness! 430 00:18:39,768 --> 00:18:41,269 Growing up, the only thing that I ever 431 00:18:41,403 --> 00:18:44,005 wanted to do was to be a pro wrestler. 432 00:18:44,105 --> 00:18:45,906 I had just turned 20. 433 00:18:46,007 --> 00:18:47,107 This is the very first time that 434 00:18:47,241 --> 00:18:48,910 I had got to work for WCW. 435 00:18:49,009 --> 00:18:51,078 This is the biggest night of my career. 436 00:18:51,212 --> 00:18:54,615 I'm living the dream, literally. 437 00:18:54,715 --> 00:18:56,183 I'm Joey Thurman. 438 00:18:56,284 --> 00:18:58,686 I was a professional wrestler for WCW. 439 00:18:58,787 --> 00:19:00,788 The biggest claim to fame in my wrestling career 440 00:19:00,888 --> 00:19:03,758 was the incident with Big Van Vader. 441 00:19:03,858 --> 00:19:05,426 Right before we're getting ready to go out, 442 00:19:05,559 --> 00:19:07,461 Vader goes, "Hey, I'm working you. 443 00:19:07,596 --> 00:19:09,631 It's gonna be quick. You good with powerbombs?" 444 00:19:09,763 --> 00:19:11,432 I was like, "Yeah." And he was like, 445 00:19:11,532 --> 00:19:13,434 "Okay, cool. See you out there." 446 00:19:13,567 --> 00:19:15,971 Introducing first, Big... 447 00:19:16,104 --> 00:19:19,574 Van Vader! 448 00:19:19,673 --> 00:19:20,775 I found the hard camera. 449 00:19:20,909 --> 00:19:22,644 Done a big smile. 450 00:19:22,743 --> 00:19:26,280 Get in the ring, and he does the Vader growl. 451 00:19:26,381 --> 00:19:28,282 I went and bounced off of him. 452 00:19:28,415 --> 00:19:29,451 [Grunts] 453 00:19:29,584 --> 00:19:31,952 Ah! All the power in the world! 454 00:19:32,086 --> 00:19:34,455 And, ah, I don't know... 455 00:19:36,258 --> 00:19:38,259 I don't know what changed. 456 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:41,630 ♪ 457 00:19:41,762 --> 00:19:46,268 And this is the part that has really bothered me... 458 00:19:46,367 --> 00:19:50,971 for 32 years, and the part that I will- 459 00:19:51,105 --> 00:19:53,674 there's no way that I'll ever find the answer to. 460 00:19:53,807 --> 00:19:55,109 This is the first time that I realized 461 00:19:55,210 --> 00:19:56,411 that something was different. 462 00:19:56,510 --> 00:19:57,412 Because he leans down, he goes, 463 00:19:57,479 --> 00:20:01,316 "You better jump, you little mother----er." 464 00:20:01,415 --> 00:20:03,484 And we're gonna do the chokeslam. 465 00:20:03,585 --> 00:20:08,123 Went up, come back down, big crash. 466 00:20:08,222 --> 00:20:11,159 And, as I'm getting back up from that, 467 00:20:11,292 --> 00:20:14,528 it was something to the effect of, 468 00:20:14,663 --> 00:20:16,865 "Come here, you little piece of shit." 469 00:20:16,964 --> 00:20:19,267 He's just absolutely too much man. 470 00:20:19,366 --> 00:20:21,769 The mood absolutely changed. 471 00:20:21,869 --> 00:20:24,538 He sets up, we go to do the powerbomb. 472 00:20:24,638 --> 00:20:28,143 I mean, the carelessness is obvious. 473 00:20:28,210 --> 00:20:30,679 Look at that. Oh! Oh, my gosh! 474 00:20:30,811 --> 00:20:33,682 Right on the back of the neck and the shoulders! 475 00:20:33,781 --> 00:20:36,218 The way that I land, the impact, 476 00:20:36,351 --> 00:20:39,954 it was like a rifle. It was that-[Snaps] "Pow!" 477 00:20:40,020 --> 00:20:43,525 And I remember just feeling... 478 00:20:43,625 --> 00:20:46,528 the numbness. 479 00:20:46,627 --> 00:20:48,630 Nobody's taking care of anybody. 480 00:20:48,730 --> 00:20:51,465 ♪ 481 00:20:51,566 --> 00:20:53,734 When he comes down for the pin, 482 00:20:53,867 --> 00:20:55,502 he's not even touching me. 483 00:20:55,604 --> 00:20:57,972 Whatever had switched... 484 00:20:58,038 --> 00:21:00,875 between backstage and in the ring... 485 00:21:00,976 --> 00:21:03,144 had now switched back. 486 00:21:03,244 --> 00:21:05,279 You could see that there was concern at that point. 487 00:21:05,380 --> 00:21:07,382 Ladies and gentlemen, here's your winner! 488 00:21:07,481 --> 00:21:09,317 I remember the ref saying, "Holy crap, 489 00:21:09,416 --> 00:21:11,819 are you alright?" I told him, I said, 490 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,055 "I can't feel my legs." 491 00:21:14,189 --> 00:21:16,258 Broke my back in two places. 492 00:21:16,391 --> 00:21:18,559 The trauma was so... 493 00:21:18,660 --> 00:21:20,394 great that... 494 00:21:20,494 --> 00:21:23,365 it almost severed my spinal cord. 495 00:21:23,431 --> 00:21:25,400 ♪ 496 00:21:25,532 --> 00:21:28,036 I was there and I saw Leon crying, 497 00:21:28,135 --> 00:21:29,671 you know, backstage, you know, 498 00:21:29,738 --> 00:21:31,573 I saw it, he felt terrible about it, 499 00:21:31,705 --> 00:21:35,277 and I know he visited him in the hospital that night. 500 00:21:35,410 --> 00:21:38,579 About all he got out of his mouth... 501 00:21:38,712 --> 00:21:41,115 was... 502 00:21:41,215 --> 00:21:42,683 "Hey, brother, you okay?" 503 00:21:44,719 --> 00:21:48,256 And, I unloaded on him. 504 00:21:48,355 --> 00:21:51,692 I called him everything that I could think of. 505 00:21:51,792 --> 00:21:54,628 And he's crying and... 506 00:21:54,729 --> 00:21:56,263 I couldn't care less... 507 00:21:56,397 --> 00:21:57,632 because they just told me, 508 00:21:57,731 --> 00:21:59,467 "You'll never get in the ring again." 509 00:21:59,601 --> 00:22:01,736 [Sighing] 510 00:22:01,803 --> 00:22:03,971 ♪ 511 00:22:04,105 --> 00:22:06,374 Yeah, he would cry. 512 00:22:06,473 --> 00:22:08,143 It broke my heart, you know, 513 00:22:08,242 --> 00:22:11,779 'cause he never showed that side very often. 514 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,115 And I would hold him, and say, 515 00:22:14,214 --> 00:22:16,317 "It's okay, baby, it's okay." 516 00:22:18,653 --> 00:22:22,123 I was told later that he was under a lot of pressure. 517 00:22:22,257 --> 00:22:23,557 He was supposed to be that big beast 518 00:22:23,657 --> 00:22:24,425 that nobody could beat. 519 00:22:24,526 --> 00:22:26,795 But if I'm working hand-to-hand with 520 00:22:26,928 --> 00:22:30,565 another guy, his safety is my responsibility. 521 00:22:30,664 --> 00:22:33,634 It just felt like having your dream... 522 00:22:33,768 --> 00:22:36,971 put in your hand. 523 00:22:37,071 --> 00:22:39,907 But before you can close your fingers around it... 524 00:22:41,643 --> 00:22:44,144 it's snatched away. 525 00:22:44,244 --> 00:22:47,182 Word got around that this was what he did. 526 00:22:47,315 --> 00:22:49,483 Guys like you make me sick getting up here and 527 00:22:49,616 --> 00:22:52,153 bragging upon the fact that you take young guys like 528 00:22:52,287 --> 00:22:53,855 Joe Thurman and break their back. 529 00:22:53,988 --> 00:22:55,690 Leon was a nice, caring man, 530 00:22:55,824 --> 00:22:59,361 but you have to turn that side of yourself off 531 00:22:59,461 --> 00:23:00,961 when you're in front of the camera. 532 00:23:01,028 --> 00:23:02,830 And that man is lucky that's all he got 533 00:23:02,963 --> 00:23:04,531 was a broken back. 534 00:23:04,632 --> 00:23:06,468 That's what they wanted. They needed a killer. 535 00:23:06,534 --> 00:23:08,169 And he gave it to 'em. 536 00:23:08,269 --> 00:23:09,002 Ah! 537 00:23:09,136 --> 00:23:11,105 You know, they had to play that up. 538 00:23:11,172 --> 00:23:14,108 Well, if you didn't, then what a waste of time. 539 00:23:14,209 --> 00:23:16,877 It just advanced my dad's aura of 540 00:23:17,010 --> 00:23:19,180 being a badass and being real. 541 00:23:19,279 --> 00:23:21,249 Although WCW embraces 542 00:23:21,348 --> 00:23:24,318 Vader's vicious reputation in the ring... 543 00:23:24,419 --> 00:23:26,186 his actions alienate him 544 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,021 from the rest of the locker room. 545 00:23:30,325 --> 00:23:31,992 That wasn't a good thing. 546 00:23:32,059 --> 00:23:34,496 Talk about two people that didn't like each other. 547 00:23:34,596 --> 00:23:37,731 Hogan was the massive star babyface... 548 00:23:37,865 --> 00:23:41,169 and Leon was the killer heel. 549 00:23:41,236 --> 00:23:43,738 It's a marriage made in heaven. 550 00:23:47,142 --> 00:23:48,209 Egos. 551 00:23:48,308 --> 00:23:49,477 Here he comes! 552 00:23:49,576 --> 00:23:51,546 Hulk is a different type of wrestler. 553 00:23:51,645 --> 00:23:54,481 And Leon was not going to be Hulk type of wrestler. 554 00:23:54,582 --> 00:23:56,750 My dad's matches with him were... 555 00:23:56,851 --> 00:23:58,086 respectfully, a watered down version 556 00:23:58,185 --> 00:23:59,253 of my dad, unfortunately. 557 00:23:59,386 --> 00:24:01,923 Let me see what you got. Oh, my goodness! 558 00:24:05,259 --> 00:24:07,929 He's gonna powerbomb! Oh, no, God! Oh, no! 559 00:24:10,464 --> 00:24:12,933 Look at that! Hogan's back up! 560 00:24:15,903 --> 00:24:18,539 -He's not human! -[Cheering] 561 00:24:18,605 --> 00:24:20,541 Egos made it go wrong. 562 00:24:20,642 --> 00:24:23,111 And, and wrong it went. 563 00:24:23,211 --> 00:24:26,647 Ego's a terrible enemy of a lot of wrestlers. 564 00:24:26,748 --> 00:24:29,451 Vader's conflicts with other talent reach 565 00:24:29,584 --> 00:24:32,420 a breaking point behind the scenes. 566 00:24:32,554 --> 00:24:34,756 Paul Orndorff, who had retired from the ring 567 00:24:34,855 --> 00:24:36,423 because of nerve damage in his arm, 568 00:24:36,523 --> 00:24:38,625 had become a producer for WCW. 569 00:24:38,726 --> 00:24:41,261 They needed to do interviews at a TV taping. 570 00:24:41,362 --> 00:24:42,896 Orndorff went back, "Hey Vader, 571 00:24:42,963 --> 00:24:46,034 you got interviews." "I'll be there in a minute." 572 00:24:46,134 --> 00:24:48,470 And he didn't come, and then Orndorff says, "Hey, 573 00:24:48,569 --> 00:24:51,873 get your fat ass in there and do the interviews." 574 00:24:51,940 --> 00:24:54,209 Well, then that's when Leon stood up and said, 575 00:24:54,275 --> 00:24:56,577 "You ain't gonna call me a fat ass." 576 00:24:56,644 --> 00:25:01,281 And Paul Orndorff, bad arm, wearing flip flops, 577 00:25:01,415 --> 00:25:03,718 punched the shit out of Vader. Bam! 578 00:25:03,817 --> 00:25:05,653 ♪ 579 00:25:05,752 --> 00:25:06,954 And then when he went down, 580 00:25:07,087 --> 00:25:08,923 he started kicking him with those flip flops. 581 00:25:09,022 --> 00:25:10,458 One of the guys in the locker room said it sounded 582 00:25:10,557 --> 00:25:13,760 like you were slapping two dead fish together. 583 00:25:13,862 --> 00:25:16,396 Somebody had to take the fall for that. 584 00:25:16,497 --> 00:25:19,534 So, Leon had to go. 585 00:25:19,634 --> 00:25:23,003 And that brought his WCW career to an end. 586 00:25:23,136 --> 00:25:26,673 That was the beginning of him making bad decisions 587 00:25:26,773 --> 00:25:28,809 and bad mistakes. 588 00:25:28,910 --> 00:25:32,814 That was the beginning of the end pretty much. 589 00:25:38,987 --> 00:25:41,489 Following a humiliating backstage fight with 590 00:25:41,588 --> 00:25:45,792 Paul Orndorff, Leon White is let go from WCW. 591 00:25:45,894 --> 00:25:47,828 Leon was never quite the same emotionally 592 00:25:47,929 --> 00:25:50,365 after the Paul Orndorff incident. 593 00:25:50,498 --> 00:25:52,165 Everybody in the whole wrestling world 594 00:25:52,267 --> 00:25:54,167 was talking about it- Japan, everywhere. 595 00:25:54,269 --> 00:25:58,472 It took away from his aura of being this invincible monster. 596 00:25:58,539 --> 00:26:01,541 Vader's status as a free agent quickly results 597 00:26:01,643 --> 00:26:05,346 in a new opportunity from an old friend. 598 00:26:05,445 --> 00:26:07,714 I was in charge of talent relations in WWE, 599 00:26:07,848 --> 00:26:11,286 and I just believed he was a great addition to our team, 600 00:26:11,352 --> 00:26:13,654 if we could keep him sane... 601 00:26:13,721 --> 00:26:15,022 and healthy. 602 00:26:15,155 --> 00:26:17,791 All of us in the WWF office were thrilled. 603 00:26:17,892 --> 00:26:19,227 This guy's a major star. 604 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:21,796 He's gonna be a champion here. 605 00:26:21,863 --> 00:26:23,830 Who is it? Vader! 606 00:26:23,897 --> 00:26:26,467 They debut Vader at the Royal Rumble, 607 00:26:26,567 --> 00:26:28,536 where he makes a huge splash. 608 00:26:28,635 --> 00:26:31,571 Then the next day on Raw, when I introduce him, 609 00:26:31,705 --> 00:26:34,375 I say, "It's time! It's Vader time!" 610 00:26:34,474 --> 00:26:38,011 It's Vader time! 611 00:26:38,112 --> 00:26:39,212 The people are cheering. 612 00:26:39,314 --> 00:26:40,714 They're going ballistic because one of the 613 00:26:40,815 --> 00:26:44,551 biggest stars from the only opposition has now come 614 00:26:44,652 --> 00:26:47,221 to the WWF, and the fans are going crazy. 615 00:26:47,355 --> 00:26:49,557 They do a deal where Gorilla Monsoon, 616 00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:51,659 legendary wrestler who was then the 617 00:26:51,759 --> 00:26:54,429 president of the WWF... 618 00:26:54,561 --> 00:26:57,765 Vader beats him up and lays out Gorilla Monsoon. 619 00:26:57,898 --> 00:27:01,068 That's the president of the World Wrestling Federation! 620 00:27:01,201 --> 00:27:02,869 Holy. I got goosebumps right now. 621 00:27:02,936 --> 00:27:05,506 This was the start... 622 00:27:05,606 --> 00:27:08,409 of making the first... 623 00:27:08,542 --> 00:27:13,181 monster heel of the modern WWF era. 624 00:27:13,247 --> 00:27:14,749 I thought. 625 00:27:14,848 --> 00:27:17,852 But Vince McMahon had no clue 626 00:27:17,951 --> 00:27:19,287 who Vader was because 627 00:27:19,386 --> 00:27:22,256 Vince McMahon never watched any other wrestling, 628 00:27:22,390 --> 00:27:25,425 besides the WWF, and Vince thought, 629 00:27:25,559 --> 00:27:28,962 "Pal, let's call him the Mastodon." 630 00:27:29,063 --> 00:27:32,266 Call him what? Vince didn't get it. 631 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,068 So, this began... 632 00:27:35,169 --> 00:27:38,972 a relationship where neither one of them got the other one. 633 00:27:39,106 --> 00:27:41,108 Beyond the creative differences, 634 00:27:41,241 --> 00:27:45,113 Leon fights to live up to his own reputation in the ring. 635 00:27:45,246 --> 00:27:48,115 Dad was injury prone at this point. 636 00:27:48,215 --> 00:27:50,484 Vader had a bad shoulder and needed surgery. 637 00:27:50,617 --> 00:27:53,387 And, his weight had started to balloon because 638 00:27:53,488 --> 00:27:55,155 he was off for so long. 639 00:27:55,256 --> 00:27:57,090 He's gonna get too heavy. 640 00:27:57,191 --> 00:27:59,594 It's gonna put additional pressure on his joints. 641 00:27:59,693 --> 00:28:01,796 It's going to slow him down. 642 00:28:01,895 --> 00:28:05,133 And now Vince got upset about his weight. 643 00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:07,969 And Leon began taking it personally. 644 00:28:08,102 --> 00:28:10,171 Vince probably was on him more than 645 00:28:10,304 --> 00:28:11,939 he was on most guys. 646 00:28:12,006 --> 00:28:14,474 He didn't fit in the program. 647 00:28:14,575 --> 00:28:16,644 Duke University, in North Carolina, 648 00:28:16,743 --> 00:28:21,115 had a world renowned weight loss facility, 649 00:28:21,214 --> 00:28:25,486 and it was Vince's idea to send Yokozuna and Leon. 650 00:28:25,619 --> 00:28:27,821 We were weighing them in on a regular basis, 651 00:28:27,954 --> 00:28:29,523 and they're gaining weight. 652 00:28:29,624 --> 00:28:30,490 How in the hell are you gaining weight 653 00:28:30,625 --> 00:28:32,826 at the Duke Weight Loss Clinic? 654 00:28:32,926 --> 00:28:34,828 Figure that out. 655 00:28:34,961 --> 00:28:36,864 Then you found out they cheated. 656 00:28:36,963 --> 00:28:39,967 They're smuggling fried chicken into their dorm. 657 00:28:40,067 --> 00:28:42,002 You're going to eat yourself out of a job, man. 658 00:28:42,135 --> 00:28:43,671 Act like an adult. 659 00:28:43,805 --> 00:28:46,039 Then came Shawn Michaels. 660 00:28:46,173 --> 00:28:48,308 He is the leader of 661 00:28:48,375 --> 00:28:52,180 the new WWF generation! 662 00:28:52,279 --> 00:28:54,449 Shawn Michaels was Vince's 663 00:28:54,548 --> 00:28:56,851 anointed babyface hero 664 00:28:56,983 --> 00:29:00,121 that needed monsters to try to menace him, 665 00:29:00,221 --> 00:29:02,355 to try to take that title away. 666 00:29:02,457 --> 00:29:04,525 They should have had wonderful matches. 667 00:29:04,625 --> 00:29:06,193 Oh, no! 668 00:29:06,294 --> 00:29:09,630 But, some things are just not meant to be. 669 00:29:09,696 --> 00:29:11,365 Michaels was a prima donna. 670 00:29:11,465 --> 00:29:12,866 He didn't like working with Leon 671 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,737 because Leon was stiff with him. 672 00:29:15,869 --> 00:29:17,704 He was Vince's boy. 673 00:29:17,838 --> 00:29:20,374 And, Leon was nobody's boy, and... 674 00:29:20,508 --> 00:29:24,679 ended up being a pretty nasty situation on both sides. 675 00:29:24,746 --> 00:29:26,012 Shawn said, you know, 676 00:29:26,079 --> 00:29:27,048 "If you keep roughing me up like that, 677 00:29:27,147 --> 00:29:28,382 I'm gonna get you fired." 678 00:29:28,516 --> 00:29:30,050 And my dad rolls out of the ring, and he has, 679 00:29:30,183 --> 00:29:31,551 like, tears in his eyes. 680 00:29:31,685 --> 00:29:34,221 You know, you don't upset the golden boy. 681 00:29:34,355 --> 00:29:35,890 Shawn's pissed off 682 00:29:35,990 --> 00:29:39,093 because Leon didn't always wash his gear. 683 00:29:39,192 --> 00:29:41,261 It was a regular discussion. 684 00:29:41,362 --> 00:29:43,431 Goddamn it, you've got body odor. 685 00:29:43,564 --> 00:29:45,266 People don't want to work with you. 686 00:29:45,398 --> 00:29:47,201 And Leon's offended. 687 00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:49,569 And Shawn Michaels was bitching about it 688 00:29:49,703 --> 00:29:51,071 all the time, every day. 689 00:29:51,204 --> 00:29:54,241 Crazy, isn't it? Body odor. 690 00:29:54,375 --> 00:29:58,112 Michaels had already buried Vader to Vince. 691 00:29:58,246 --> 00:29:59,247 "I don't want to work with this guy," 692 00:29:59,380 --> 00:30:00,882 blah blah, blah- whatever he said. 693 00:30:00,981 --> 00:30:04,117 Now Vader's a nervous wreck and he can't be Vader. 694 00:30:04,251 --> 00:30:06,386 And then, the SummerSlam match happened. 695 00:30:06,453 --> 00:30:08,256 SummerSlam! 696 00:30:08,355 --> 00:30:12,460 When you go back and look at that SummerSlam match, 697 00:30:12,559 --> 00:30:14,595 it's a good match. 698 00:30:14,694 --> 00:30:17,230 Michaels up in the air. Michaels from behind again. 699 00:30:17,330 --> 00:30:18,766 And again, a clip in the jaw. 700 00:30:18,865 --> 00:30:21,102 But there's a couple points, and one of 'em, 701 00:30:21,234 --> 00:30:24,204 Michaels plants Vader in the middle of the ring. 702 00:30:24,305 --> 00:30:25,972 And he's going to go to the top rope, 703 00:30:26,073 --> 00:30:27,708 and he was going to come off with an elbow drop, 704 00:30:27,808 --> 00:30:29,977 and he wanted Vader to move. 705 00:30:30,111 --> 00:30:33,114 Well, either Vader didn't hear it, I don't know. 706 00:30:33,247 --> 00:30:35,583 So instead of being a professional, 707 00:30:35,682 --> 00:30:38,451 Michaels changes position in mid-air, 708 00:30:38,586 --> 00:30:40,320 lands on his feet, 709 00:30:40,421 --> 00:30:43,990 right over Vader, and then screams at him so 710 00:30:44,125 --> 00:30:47,662 all the fans can hear, "I said move!" 711 00:30:47,795 --> 00:30:49,329 And kicks him in the head. 712 00:30:49,462 --> 00:30:52,232 He's an unprofessional ----ing asshole! 713 00:30:52,333 --> 00:30:55,569 You're a gutless no good coward! 714 00:30:55,670 --> 00:30:57,137 But after that match, 715 00:30:57,238 --> 00:30:59,773 that's when Michaels really went. 716 00:30:59,874 --> 00:31:03,911 Shawn, not wanting to drop the title to my father, 717 00:31:04,010 --> 00:31:06,180 he convinced Vince that he's not ready. 718 00:31:06,279 --> 00:31:07,114 He's not the guy. 719 00:31:07,214 --> 00:31:09,416 That... day, 720 00:31:09,482 --> 00:31:11,986 yeah, more than anything, 721 00:31:12,086 --> 00:31:16,089 changed him to a very angry human being. 722 00:31:16,190 --> 00:31:19,861 You'd think a guy like him would be armor plated. 723 00:31:19,993 --> 00:31:21,328 But he wasn't. 724 00:31:21,461 --> 00:31:25,532 He had feelings, and he was very sensitive. 725 00:31:25,633 --> 00:31:28,836 And, I mean, you kind of saw Leon's career... 726 00:31:28,935 --> 00:31:33,007 just end in that moment, as a main eventer. 727 00:31:33,140 --> 00:31:36,810 He never worked in that main event level again. 728 00:31:36,876 --> 00:31:38,346 Despite his demotion, 729 00:31:38,479 --> 00:31:40,347 Vader remains a star attraction, 730 00:31:40,448 --> 00:31:42,650 until his aggressive behavior threatens 731 00:31:42,717 --> 00:31:45,952 his career and freedom. 732 00:31:46,053 --> 00:31:49,089 The WWF was big on international tours, 733 00:31:49,190 --> 00:31:51,057 and the last thing Vince wanted was 734 00:31:51,157 --> 00:31:52,526 international incidents. 735 00:31:52,660 --> 00:31:54,561 All of the Middle East opened their arms to the 736 00:31:54,694 --> 00:31:57,397 ambassadors of goodwill, the world over, 737 00:31:57,530 --> 00:31:59,866 the WWF superstars. 738 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,068 We got this big, elaborate tournament 739 00:32:02,202 --> 00:32:04,038 where Vader's supposed to be the star. 740 00:32:04,137 --> 00:32:06,539 So we get Undertaker and Vader booked on 741 00:32:06,673 --> 00:32:08,843 the most popular talk show in Kuwait. 742 00:32:08,942 --> 00:32:10,678 The host had asked, you know, 743 00:32:10,778 --> 00:32:12,712 "Is wrestling fake or is that stuff you do? 744 00:32:12,813 --> 00:32:14,515 It's not real, right?" Whatever. 745 00:32:14,582 --> 00:32:16,717 They say this wrestling is not for real. 746 00:32:16,851 --> 00:32:19,019 Is it like you act, or...? 747 00:32:19,119 --> 00:32:21,087 Leon took it to heart. 748 00:32:21,188 --> 00:32:23,423 I find your remark and your question insulting. 749 00:32:23,523 --> 00:32:26,192 It's not my question. It's somebody- 750 00:32:26,693 --> 00:32:28,663 Does that ----ing feel fake, huh? 751 00:32:28,729 --> 00:32:30,064 Does that feel fake? 752 00:32:30,196 --> 00:32:32,432 Now that's physical assault. 753 00:32:32,532 --> 00:32:34,402 And it becomes an incident. 754 00:32:34,501 --> 00:32:36,170 Why don't you come down tonight, 755 00:32:36,237 --> 00:32:38,838 and before I kick his ass, I'll kick your ass. 756 00:32:38,905 --> 00:32:41,041 This is Kuwait. It's a foreign country. 757 00:32:41,107 --> 00:32:43,611 They don't have laws like ours. 758 00:32:43,743 --> 00:32:44,612 -Okay. -All right? 759 00:32:44,744 --> 00:32:45,779 -Just calm down. -Don't, hey. 760 00:32:45,913 --> 00:32:46,780 We're not here to be insulted. 761 00:32:46,913 --> 00:32:49,016 I'm not here to be insulted. 762 00:32:49,115 --> 00:32:50,284 But at the same time, 763 00:32:50,384 --> 00:32:51,951 I'm back at the office in Stanford. 764 00:32:52,086 --> 00:32:53,421 And that's when I found out 765 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,123 Leon's being detained in Kuwait. 766 00:33:02,963 --> 00:33:04,597 Is it just for the wrestling shows that- 767 00:33:04,699 --> 00:33:05,766 Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. 768 00:33:05,865 --> 00:33:06,834 I'm sorry, yeah. 769 00:33:06,933 --> 00:33:08,702 You gave him a chance to respond to the question. 770 00:33:08,803 --> 00:33:11,271 This is the question I'm gonna ask you now. 771 00:33:11,372 --> 00:33:12,640 I'd like to respond to the same question. 772 00:33:12,740 --> 00:33:13,973 Okay, please, go ahead. 773 00:33:23,217 --> 00:33:24,818 Does that ----ing feel fake, huh? 774 00:33:30,991 --> 00:33:32,893 [Laughing] And he snatched the guy... 775 00:33:32,992 --> 00:33:35,429 and the guy freaks out. 776 00:33:35,496 --> 00:33:37,631 Especially in a foreign country, 777 00:33:37,731 --> 00:33:40,267 you can't physically manhandle somebody. 778 00:33:40,367 --> 00:33:41,801 They can just keep you! 779 00:33:41,935 --> 00:33:44,438 They wanted to put him in one of those Kuwaiti jails. 780 00:33:44,538 --> 00:33:47,008 The company exhausted every resource that they had 781 00:33:47,107 --> 00:33:49,242 just to get him under house arrest. 782 00:33:49,343 --> 00:33:52,278 They kept his passport. 783 00:33:52,346 --> 00:33:54,615 Vince got everybody out, 784 00:33:54,714 --> 00:33:57,284 got on the plane, and left Leon there. 785 00:33:57,384 --> 00:34:00,820 Now, I'm at home, and I'm finding out about this. 786 00:34:00,921 --> 00:34:02,655 And it was very scary for me and Jesse. 787 00:34:02,757 --> 00:34:03,824 I had no idea. 788 00:34:03,923 --> 00:34:05,826 No communication, no nothing. 789 00:34:05,925 --> 00:34:08,996 I didn't know, he- if he was still alive. 790 00:34:09,096 --> 00:34:12,032 And I believe he spent the next two weeks 791 00:34:12,166 --> 00:34:14,168 under house arrest. 792 00:34:14,268 --> 00:34:17,003 Leon is lucky he didn't get put in prison. 793 00:34:17,103 --> 00:34:19,206 We were lucky to get him out of the country. 794 00:34:19,306 --> 00:34:22,976 This incident really set things on a bad path, 795 00:34:23,077 --> 00:34:24,545 'cause now... 796 00:34:24,677 --> 00:34:27,347 when Vince loses interest in something, 797 00:34:27,481 --> 00:34:29,784 Vince loses interest in something. 798 00:34:29,884 --> 00:34:31,684 Following the incident in Kuwait, 799 00:34:31,786 --> 00:34:34,221 Leon's status in the company tumbles as 800 00:34:34,355 --> 00:34:38,025 his physical and mental health deteriorates. 801 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:40,494 Leon, he wanted to be treated like "the" star. 802 00:34:40,594 --> 00:34:42,797 He thought he deserved more. 803 00:34:42,896 --> 00:34:45,199 And he may have. I guess you could say 804 00:34:45,331 --> 00:34:47,701 he might have overstayed his welcome. 805 00:34:47,802 --> 00:34:49,402 But he was getting older. 806 00:34:49,536 --> 00:34:51,472 Time ran out on him. 807 00:34:51,572 --> 00:34:53,173 He got to become too high maintenance. 808 00:34:53,273 --> 00:34:54,875 We couldn't get him happy. 809 00:34:55,009 --> 00:34:57,077 Couldn't get him healthy. 810 00:34:57,177 --> 00:35:00,414 When you play that hard, it catches up to you. 811 00:35:00,514 --> 00:35:03,250 Knees, elbows, shoulders. 812 00:35:03,384 --> 00:35:07,521 You know, just pain. Pain from his neck, down. 813 00:35:07,621 --> 00:35:08,789 Going back to football. 814 00:35:08,889 --> 00:35:11,692 My dad was in an era of, hey, you got a sprained ankle, 815 00:35:11,759 --> 00:35:13,860 try these new things. They're called pain meds. 816 00:35:13,927 --> 00:35:15,563 And then, so now fast forward. 817 00:35:15,695 --> 00:35:17,864 "Hey, I got a match coming up here tonight. 818 00:35:17,965 --> 00:35:19,099 Let me take pain pills." 819 00:35:28,775 --> 00:35:30,945 Pain will change you. 820 00:35:31,045 --> 00:35:33,847 If you've ever been in pain, and I mean pain, 821 00:35:33,947 --> 00:35:37,550 you will become somebody you've never known before, 822 00:35:37,650 --> 00:35:41,222 ever seen before, and probably never wanted to be. 823 00:35:41,288 --> 00:35:43,056 ♪ 824 00:35:43,123 --> 00:35:45,793 Leon could be all over the place with his emotions. 825 00:35:45,893 --> 00:35:48,695 When you get in chemicals and pain and all that stuff, 826 00:35:48,762 --> 00:35:52,032 that's just like pouring gas on the fire for depression. 827 00:35:52,132 --> 00:35:54,768 And I'm pretty sure that Leon had fallen into that. 828 00:35:54,869 --> 00:35:56,135 He's... 829 00:35:56,237 --> 00:35:57,771 self-destructive. 830 00:35:57,871 --> 00:36:00,541 And it just got worse and worse and worse. 831 00:36:00,608 --> 00:36:02,610 The biggest moonsault in the world! 832 00:36:02,710 --> 00:36:04,445 Oh! 833 00:36:04,545 --> 00:36:06,045 You saw he was human. Talking about one of 834 00:36:06,112 --> 00:36:07,947 the great monster heels of all time. 835 00:36:08,081 --> 00:36:09,550 We just couldn't handle it anymore. 836 00:36:09,617 --> 00:36:12,786 Maybe Vader time's over... 837 00:36:12,887 --> 00:36:15,255 I ain't nothing but a big piece of shit. 838 00:36:15,356 --> 00:36:17,958 A big fat piece of shit! 839 00:36:18,092 --> 00:36:21,661 Those words came from Vincent Kennedy McMahon. 840 00:36:21,762 --> 00:36:23,797 Vince told him, be honest, just say, 841 00:36:23,931 --> 00:36:25,766 "I haven't been able to give you what, 842 00:36:25,865 --> 00:36:26,967 what you guys deserve 843 00:36:27,101 --> 00:36:29,135 because I'm a big piece of shit." 844 00:36:29,269 --> 00:36:30,938 That's the way Vince thought of him. 845 00:36:31,038 --> 00:36:32,572 He was a big, fat piece of shit. 846 00:36:32,672 --> 00:36:35,342 And he just got mad and went all the way with it. 847 00:36:35,442 --> 00:36:38,311 And it killed the character of Vader. 848 00:36:38,411 --> 00:36:39,847 His career was, was... 849 00:36:39,947 --> 00:36:41,315 zilch after that. 850 00:36:41,447 --> 00:36:44,184 He wants some more? Come get some. 851 00:36:44,318 --> 00:36:48,355 Man, it's like what could have been. 852 00:36:48,489 --> 00:36:51,759 He was just brow beaten... 853 00:36:51,858 --> 00:36:54,994 to the point where he lost his mojo... 854 00:36:55,094 --> 00:36:59,699 and was trying so diligently to please everyone, 855 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:02,869 that he lost track of who he was and 856 00:37:03,003 --> 00:37:07,041 what made him Vader. 857 00:37:07,141 --> 00:37:09,510 Vader's career bottoms out as his issues 858 00:37:09,610 --> 00:37:12,445 spill over into his on screen persona. 859 00:37:12,545 --> 00:37:14,681 [Indistinct commentary] 860 00:37:14,815 --> 00:37:17,050 It was devastating for him. 861 00:37:17,150 --> 00:37:19,686 He's not used to not being on top. 862 00:37:19,820 --> 00:37:22,222 He blew it. That's all I can say. 863 00:37:22,356 --> 00:37:23,489 He actually blew it. 864 00:37:23,590 --> 00:37:26,025 At one time, he was on top of the world, 865 00:37:26,159 --> 00:37:29,195 and then he just started spiraling 866 00:37:29,329 --> 00:37:32,333 and went downhill. 867 00:37:32,432 --> 00:37:35,034 I wish he would have taken better care of himself. 868 00:37:35,135 --> 00:37:37,403 Eating healthier, losing weight. 869 00:37:37,538 --> 00:37:39,840 Started realizing like, hey, I don't need to be 870 00:37:39,907 --> 00:37:42,643 this 350 pound monster anymore. 871 00:37:42,742 --> 00:37:45,545 But for my father, that was always a part of his identity. 872 00:37:45,646 --> 00:37:47,847 I do think he struggled trying to figure out 873 00:37:47,914 --> 00:37:51,318 what the next 15 to 20 years was gonna look like, 874 00:37:51,385 --> 00:37:54,320 for his family, for him professionally. 875 00:37:54,420 --> 00:37:57,891 There was sort of the great unknown in terms of, 876 00:37:57,992 --> 00:37:59,760 what am I going to do? 877 00:37:59,860 --> 00:38:01,394 He was done, I mean, he was cooked. 878 00:38:01,494 --> 00:38:03,931 Nobody wanted to talk to him. I mean, he, 879 00:38:04,063 --> 00:38:07,668 he burned a lot of bridges, a lot of bridges. 880 00:38:07,735 --> 00:38:12,206 It came to a point when Jesse went to college, I just... 881 00:38:12,306 --> 00:38:15,909 I'd had enough. I'd had enough. 882 00:38:17,777 --> 00:38:20,047 Leon at that point was pretty much gone. 883 00:38:20,146 --> 00:38:23,050 And, you know, I tried to get him to go to rehab. 884 00:38:23,150 --> 00:38:26,786 I tried everything I could to save the marriage. 885 00:38:26,887 --> 00:38:31,090 But, by then, he'd stay in bed for 3, 4, 5 days. 886 00:38:31,224 --> 00:38:35,795 Maybe get up to drink, and then go back to bed. 887 00:38:35,929 --> 00:38:37,797 He had been a diabetic for some time. 888 00:38:37,931 --> 00:38:39,900 And, we did not know this. 889 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,135 With low blood sugar, you need insulin 890 00:38:42,268 --> 00:38:44,103 to get back to normal levels, but my dad would 891 00:38:44,237 --> 00:38:46,472 just take naps and kind of power through it. 892 00:38:46,606 --> 00:38:49,643 He got an opportunity to go to Japan. 893 00:38:49,742 --> 00:38:51,445 Decent little payday for him. Well, 894 00:38:51,577 --> 00:38:54,581 on this particular trip, he had been drinking... 895 00:38:54,648 --> 00:38:56,650 and levels were low enough to 896 00:38:56,784 --> 00:38:58,385 where he needed to take a nap. 897 00:38:58,485 --> 00:39:01,121 He went into a diabetic coma. 898 00:39:01,255 --> 00:39:02,822 That's the most scared I ever was, 899 00:39:02,922 --> 00:39:04,625 'cause he's essentially on the other side of the world 900 00:39:04,757 --> 00:39:06,492 and I don't know how I'm gonna get to him. 901 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:16,170 Following a brief resurgence in Japan, 902 00:39:16,302 --> 00:39:19,106 Leon's health issues continue to take a toll. 903 00:39:19,172 --> 00:39:21,240 ♪ 904 00:39:21,340 --> 00:39:23,309 I could just see his health declining. 905 00:39:23,443 --> 00:39:25,945 He was having a lot of breathing issues, 906 00:39:26,012 --> 00:39:27,815 a lot of chest pains. 907 00:39:27,947 --> 00:39:29,849 We knew something was wrong with his heart. 908 00:39:29,949 --> 00:39:30,983 So I immediately set up a meeting with 909 00:39:31,117 --> 00:39:33,487 one of my doctors. 910 00:39:33,619 --> 00:39:35,989 Dad had congestive heart failure. 911 00:39:36,090 --> 00:39:37,490 And it was so bad, the doctor says, 912 00:39:37,623 --> 00:39:39,927 "Hey, Leon, I think we need to, you know, 913 00:39:40,027 --> 00:39:41,527 operate pretty quick." 914 00:39:41,661 --> 00:39:43,030 So we were having a quad bypass. 915 00:39:52,338 --> 00:39:54,375 We finally get him home. Unfortunately, 916 00:39:54,474 --> 00:39:56,844 Dad had a very aggressive case of pneumonia. 917 00:39:56,976 --> 00:39:58,778 So, I had to break into his place. 918 00:39:58,878 --> 00:40:01,280 ♪ 919 00:40:01,380 --> 00:40:04,217 Find him unconscious. 920 00:40:04,351 --> 00:40:06,353 9-1-1, the whole bit. 921 00:40:06,487 --> 00:40:08,489 We had to put him in a medically induced coma. 922 00:40:08,554 --> 00:40:12,226 ♪ 923 00:40:12,326 --> 00:40:15,996 Jesse kind of was his saving grace at the end. 924 00:40:16,063 --> 00:40:17,797 We had three weeks of the coma, 925 00:40:17,864 --> 00:40:20,032 and we had a tracheotomy, so when we woke up, 926 00:40:20,166 --> 00:40:21,869 he couldn't speak. 927 00:40:22,001 --> 00:40:25,204 It was hard watching your father, who was... 928 00:40:25,338 --> 00:40:27,373 King Kong, he was Superman. 929 00:40:27,507 --> 00:40:30,476 And now, not be who he was, 930 00:40:30,577 --> 00:40:32,545 mentally or physically. 931 00:40:32,646 --> 00:40:34,815 You know, my dad was feeding me at one point, 932 00:40:34,914 --> 00:40:37,518 and now I'm feeding him. 933 00:40:37,583 --> 00:40:40,086 Bull was so appreciative 934 00:40:40,186 --> 00:40:43,023 of how Jesse had stepped up. 935 00:40:43,090 --> 00:40:45,893 He really did the right thing by his dad. 936 00:40:46,025 --> 00:40:47,126 It's the day after Father's Day, 937 00:40:47,226 --> 00:40:50,463 and I walk into the room. The first things he says is, 938 00:40:50,563 --> 00:40:52,632 "I love you." This is the first time I'm hearing him 939 00:40:52,733 --> 00:40:55,434 speak in about a month and a half so, ah... 940 00:40:55,568 --> 00:40:58,172 and, I, ah... said, "Hey, 941 00:40:58,271 --> 00:41:00,072 I'm gonna see you after work tonight." 942 00:41:00,173 --> 00:41:02,242 And he said, "Cool." Later that night, 943 00:41:02,342 --> 00:41:04,777 I get a call from the nurse, and she's like, 944 00:41:04,878 --> 00:41:06,713 "Hey, your dad wants to talk to you." 945 00:41:06,813 --> 00:41:08,414 And he's like, "Hey, I love you so much. 946 00:41:08,548 --> 00:41:10,016 Thank you for everything that you, 947 00:41:10,117 --> 00:41:12,585 you've been doing for me." And I said, "I love you, 948 00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:13,887 and I'll see you in a couple hours." 949 00:41:13,987 --> 00:41:17,056 Unfortunately, that was the last time I talked to my dad. 950 00:41:17,123 --> 00:41:19,460 Leon and I had an agreement. 951 00:41:19,559 --> 00:41:21,360 We promised each other if that ever happened, 952 00:41:21,460 --> 00:41:23,764 that we would pull the plug. 953 00:41:23,864 --> 00:41:27,634 And that was my call, and it was the right call. 954 00:41:27,768 --> 00:41:30,137 That was very hard. 955 00:41:31,972 --> 00:41:35,641 Yeah, he, um... 956 00:41:35,742 --> 00:41:38,478 He lived a short life, he lived a full life. 957 00:41:38,579 --> 00:41:40,780 He got to experience some things most people 958 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:44,117 can't even fathom. Unfortunately, it just, 959 00:41:44,217 --> 00:41:46,420 he was 63 years old and too young. 960 00:41:46,487 --> 00:41:50,657 ♪ 961 00:42:04,605 --> 00:42:07,474 Big Van Vader was the greatest monster heel, 962 00:42:07,608 --> 00:42:10,277 the greatest big man that I ever saw, 963 00:42:10,376 --> 00:42:13,579 and I've been doing this for 50 years. 964 00:42:13,679 --> 00:42:15,916 Vader's legacy in wrestling is, 965 00:42:16,016 --> 00:42:18,085 for a period of almost 15 years, 966 00:42:18,184 --> 00:42:21,755 the most dominant big man in the sport of wrestling. 967 00:42:21,855 --> 00:42:24,590 And that's what people remember. 968 00:42:24,690 --> 00:42:26,927 He was a good man, conflicted man, 969 00:42:27,027 --> 00:42:29,161 who wanted to bring it every single night. 970 00:42:29,262 --> 00:42:30,396 No pain! No pain! 971 00:42:30,496 --> 00:42:33,132 Even though he was one of the biggest stars of the era, 972 00:42:33,199 --> 00:42:34,134 I just don't think he's gotten 973 00:42:34,233 --> 00:42:35,135 the credit he deserves. 974 00:42:35,235 --> 00:42:36,402 You alright? 975 00:42:36,503 --> 00:42:39,338 And the lesson to me is that you should never let anyone 976 00:42:39,472 --> 00:42:43,175 or anything define to you what being a success is. 977 00:42:43,277 --> 00:42:44,677 Before he died, I mean, 978 00:42:44,811 --> 00:42:46,679 we would talk every now and then, 979 00:42:46,780 --> 00:42:49,983 and he actually became Leon White 980 00:42:50,050 --> 00:42:52,652 at the very end. 981 00:42:52,753 --> 00:42:55,489 He felt very bad about 982 00:42:55,588 --> 00:42:57,724 how our life could have been... 983 00:42:57,858 --> 00:42:59,793 and how it ended up. 984 00:42:59,893 --> 00:43:02,195 There was a lot of bad. 985 00:43:02,295 --> 00:43:04,630 But gosh, there was a lot of good too. 986 00:43:04,731 --> 00:43:07,467 And it was a lot of fun 987 00:43:07,568 --> 00:43:10,336 to be able to be part of that. 988 00:43:10,403 --> 00:43:12,739 ♪ 989 00:43:12,873 --> 00:43:15,175 The reason I am so successful, 990 00:43:15,242 --> 00:43:17,577 my lovely wife, Debbie. 991 00:43:17,710 --> 00:43:20,514 For without her, I could be nothing. 992 00:43:20,581 --> 00:43:21,981 And to my little boy, 993 00:43:22,048 --> 00:43:23,817 someday he will be champion... 994 00:43:23,916 --> 00:43:27,054 because through him, I get my strength 995 00:43:27,153 --> 00:43:29,056 and I am young again. 996 00:43:29,188 --> 00:43:32,326 I think he is the bar for big men in this business. 997 00:43:32,425 --> 00:43:35,394 And I got to be front row center for a lot of it. 998 00:43:35,494 --> 00:43:37,396 I'm proud, blessed to be his son, 999 00:43:37,530 --> 00:43:41,034 and I hope that he's proud of the man that he raised. 1000 00:43:41,134 --> 00:43:45,072 As crazy as his death is, and as dramatic as this 1001 00:43:45,172 --> 00:43:49,208 whole process was, there was beauty in it. 1002 00:43:49,309 --> 00:43:52,278 The love I have for my father and the love he had for me... 1003 00:43:52,411 --> 00:43:54,114 that never changed. 1004 00:43:54,246 --> 00:43:57,617 ♪