15 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Vader
14. Why Grandad Gave Him A Shotgun Aged 12
Picture the scene: 12 year old Leon is at home with his sister. They're as safe as they can be, or think they are, and the siblings are watching Star Trek on TV. Camped out in front of the box and revelling in some space drama, the kids suddenly hear somebody trying to break into their family home. They're then horrified to find out that it's actually two men, and they clearly have bad intentions.
Panicking, Leon ran down to the local bar to get his grandfather and ask for help. When all three returned to the house, his grandad handed White a shotgun and said, "You know what to do next time". Damn, that's intense for a 12 year old kid. In fact, it'd be an intense experience for anybody. Little dude just wanted to watch some Star Trek, and there he was clutching a shotgun hours later.
The documentary didn't go into any further details about whether or not Leon had to use the gun or if he even knew how to shoot. All that's disclosed is that his grandfather handed him the weapon, then presumably went right back to the bar to hang out with his friends. Did White and his kid sister sit back down in front of the TV after that?! Who knows?
This happened in the late-1960s, and Leon's son Jesse says parts of California had started gaining a reputation for being rough neighbourhoods around that point. Unfortunately, Leon wasn't quite the imposing Vader or a member of the WWE roster quite yet, but it's startling to think an adult's response was to give some 12 year old kid a shotgun.
What a horrible situation to be in.