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9. Vader
Considering his glorious stints with AJPW, NJPW and WCW, "The Mastodon" Vader is the most decorated wrestler on this list and one of the most respected performers around the world. Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, Sting, Stan Hansen, Ric Flair and many others found in Vader the ideal opponent for timeless rivalries, still revised today with great joy from fans and experts alike.
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All of his Heavyweight Championships aside, the incredible athletic ability he possessed (considering he was always a Super-Heavyweight) along with various stories about his uncanny toughness make him probably the best "big man" in the history of the sport.
With a fantastic 1993 year as a monster heel in WCW, he received the Best Wrestling Maneuver [Moonsault], Best Heel and Wrestler of the Year awards by Wrestling Observer, while Pro Wrestling Illustrated gave him the Wrestler of the Year award too, in a rare occasion where both famous newsletters agreed.
His strong will to constantly improve himself was recognized by Wrestling Observer in 1999, when he was named the Most Improved Wrestler after 14 years in the business.
With a passion for the craft second to none, Vader suffered countless injuries that took a heavy toll on his body. However, he claimed that he couldn't live without wrestling an he didn't stop performing even when cardiologists told him he had only two years ahead of him in 2016. "If this thing [death] is gonna happen, I’d rather be in a ring" he said.
Unfortunately, doctors were right. Leon Allen White, as was his real name, died on June 18, 2018 from heart failure after a month-long hospitalization for pneumonia. He was 63 years old. His long time friend and great wrestling rival Sting was visiting him frequently at the hospital.
Despite "The Mastodon" inducting Stan Hansen to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, Vader himself is still not a HOFer to this day, to everyone's surprise. His WWF/E career was not as decorated as in other promotions, but a legendary performer like him should have been inducted years ago.
Information sources: Ten Bell Salute, Wikipedia
