The autobiography of Leon “Vader” White titled “Vader Time: The Story of a Modern Day Gladiator”, completed before he passed away last year, has been released.
The book, completed along with ghostwriter Kenny Casanova, will cover Vader’s entire career up to his final days. You can order the book now at wohw.com.
The following press release was passed along to Wrestleview:
TITLE: VADER TIME: The Story of a Modern Day Gladiator
AUTHORS: “Big Van Vader” Leon White & Kenny Casanova
PAGES: 400 pages of brutality
PICTURES: Never-seen-before (CWA rookie shots) from Gernot
Freiberger and DDP Diamond Dallas Page
RELEASE DATE: May 2019
PUBLISHER: WOHW Publishers
FOREWORD: Mick Foley
GUEST PASSAGES: Jim Ross, Jesse White & more!
ORDER INFORMATION: WOHW.com“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 impenetrable wall, than Leon White.” – Mick Foley
“As a wrestling fan when I heard about this horror show of a fight, I immediately put my feelers out to find that footage so I could see it for myself. I finally got a hold of that tape and, let me tell you, it was certainly worth the wait. That match instantly turned me into a Big Van Vader fan. I loved it. I loved the brutality. I loved the physicality of that match. It lived up to the hype and everything I had heard about it. It personally made me a believer.” – Jim Ross
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Kenny Casanova was selected by Leon White to get his story to paper. As a manager who played Kim Chee on occasion, Kenny first published Kamala’s book after he lost both legs to diabetes (raising 60k for the cause.) Kenny has since completed autobiographies to benefit the wrestlers with Sabu, Brutus Beefcake, and referee Danny Davis. (See KennyCasanova.com for more author information.)
PITCH: Leon White grew up on the tough streets of Compton, before taking on the world. His impressive college football days led him to the NFL culminating at the Super Bowl. After reinventing himself, he debuted as a wrestler battling monsters like Bruiser Brody and Jerry Blackwell. Then, on a Japanese tour, he was given a new gimmick. As “Big Van Vader,” he beat the undefeated Antonio Inoki for the IWGP title and had his eyeball literally pulled out of his skull by Stan Hansen, initiating his own legendary monster status. After winning titles around the world with every major promotion (wrestling names like Sting, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan) this mastodon became “The Greatest Super Heavyweight of All Time,” while also being a father. Read how his reign of terror continued even after getting an expiration date; a diagnosis of only “two years to live.”
This is the story of his life …and a legacy that will last forever.