WWE News: Former World Champion Suddenly Announces His Retirement Out Of Nowhere
Late last year, a wrestling legend advised the world that he had less than two years to live and he was going to keep on wrestling, but that appears to have come to end. Big Van Vader (real name Leon White) has continued to wrestle despite suffering through congestive heart failure, but it now seems as if his years and years in the ring are over. It does certainly appear as if the former World Heavyweight Champion has officially retired.
The man known as “The Mastodon” and one of the hardest hitters in all of professional wrestling appears to have hung up his boots. After a career that has spanned more than three decades, Big Van Vader has finally reached a point where he knows that his time in the ring is over.
Vader has wrestled in more than 10 different promotions around the world and he has won more than five world heavyweight championships, more than a dozen over titles, and faced off with some true legends. Still, all good things must have a stopping point and it certainly does appear as if Vader announced his retirement.
As a matter of fact, he seemed to announce it on Twitter.
Early in the morning of June 4, Vader hopped on his official Twitter account and posted out a rather cryptic tweet. While it may seem a bit jumbled, which isn’t strange for the 62-year-old legend, it does push forth a point and that appears to be retirement.
With Great Sorrow I leave my first born my greatest love of All for a chance to exist inthe same plain of existance of my Gr Ch yet to exist
— Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) June 4, 2017
While it doesn’t exactly state that he is calling it quits, Wrestling Inc. does take the idea he is leaving his “greatest love of all” as him stepping away from wrestling. His sadness comes from having to step out of the ring, but he is doing it to spend more time with his family and see his future grandchildren.
If he has wrestled his final match, it took place last month at the Tatsumi Fujinami 45th anniversary show at Korakuen Hall in Japan. Vader tagged with AKIRA and Keiji Muto to take on Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Shiro Koshinaka. All went fine with the match, but there was a truly scary moment after it was over.
During the in-ring celebration, Vader passed out and fell to the ring mat. Many surrounded him and began checking on him, but he eventually came back around and ended up leaving the ring under his own power.
Vader tweeted out that he did black out after the match, but it had nothing to do with his heart. He said it had to do with his head and the fact that he was dropped on it during the match, but all was alright.
If his career is indeed over, he has nothing to be ashamed of as he accomplished so much in his decades in the ring. Big Van Vader spent time in WCW, WWE, NJWP, TNA, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, and a number of other promotions.
Still wrestling at the age of 62 is more than enough to be proud of, but if he really doesn’t have that much longer to live, Vader is justified in wanting to spend it with his family.
It would not be overly surprising if this Twitter message from Big Van Vader is indeed his way of officially retiring from all of wrestling. His announcement last year of having less than two years to live was bad enough, but his collapse in the ring last month may have been the kicker. Leon White has had a very long career and the time has come for him to call an end to it all and retire so that he can spend his time with his family.
[Featured Image by WWE]
