The woman known as Aloisia during her run in WWE's NXT is young and being able to make Chyna look small is a unique gift. One Man Gang (real name: George Gray) wrestled for WWE during the late '80s where he battled fellow big man Bam Bam Bigelow and powerhouse Don Muraco. Visit Our Patreon Page to Create Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See Other Bonus Material . Larry Chene, Mike Clancy, Jack Curtis, Mike DiBiase, Pepper Gomez, Red McKim, Sonny Myers, Angelo Savoldi, Joe Scarpello, Oni Wiki Wiki. Bigelow wrestled with WWE, ECW and WCW as well as in Japan. Honorable mention: Edouard Carpentier, Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Wilbur Snyder, Rip Hawk, Fritz Von Erich, Pepper Gomez, Lorenzo Parente, Jr. Heavyweight: Top 10 Richest Actors in the World 2019 Gym4u 14M views Highway to Heaven WWE - Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (ALL COM) - Vengeance 2005 Anthony Gardner 372 views 13 TALLEST WRESTLERS in. Click here to watch a classic match from the mid-70s between Spiros Arion and Bruno Sammartino. He was also a great brawler so he had everything to deliver many classic encounters, which he did with panache, especially in 1972 when he was named the PWI Wrestler of the Year. Who knows how much of that is wrestling promoters building things up, but regardless of any exaggeration, Calhoun was undoubtedly large. var vclk_options = { sid: 11669, placement_id: 'faf683dc-a8b9-443c-316a-9c22984f3fe6', version: '1.4' }; (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); This web site exists to provide the information on professional wrestling and is neither affiliated nor endorsed by any pro-wrestling organization. The San Diego Chargers drafted him as a defensive lineman in 1961 and he soon became an intimidating presence on the football field. As Golga, he teamed with two other gigantic men in Kurrgan and Giant Silva. Hulk Hogan. Luke Graham was one of the rare to have a gimmick that didn't include specific outfits such as cowboy or other Russian characters. Ranking Explanations . He is a former WWWF United States Tag Team Champion, and his biggest achievement was to win the WWWF World Tag Team Title along with King Curtis Iaukea. Click here to watch The Baron teaming up with Frand "The Moose" to face Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia. However, the highlight of his career was the first ever babyface vs. babyface championship match, at the legendary main event of "Showdown at Shea 1972" against Bruno Sammartino. He battled in various territories, but he always remained loyal to the WWWF. When he joined the WWF in 1979, Patterson was an established heel who already accumulated 32 vhampionships in various territories. Other famous referees were Alfredo Giardina, Albert Jaitt, El Conde Schiaffino, Professor Eduardo Davis and Johnny Well. He was even put in rare face-against-face matches when he challenged Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Title on a few occasions in the mid-60s. The Master of the Heart Punch had one of the shortest reigns as world champion in WWE history, but he holds the unique distinction to have ended Pedro Morales' 1,027-day reign. Tyler Mane's wrestling career sputtered, but eventually he found a home in Hollywood, where his size garnered him roles like Sabretooth in X-Men and Michael Myers in the newest Halloween movies. I found no WWWF footage of The Sheik, but you can click here to see the hardcore legend in action against Dusty Rhodes in the '70s; or, if you're curious, click here for a match between him and Chief White Eagle in the late '50s or early '60s. Related: Every Wrestler To Body Slam Andre The Giant. Just like Hogan or Stone Cold, he could not do it all by himself. He certainly had the size to make it. Both men clashed on many occasions with no clear winner until that famous day in 1978 at the Madison Square Garden. Jackson Andrews wrestled for FCW from 2009-2011, where his colossal frame was his main asset. Kowalski, who opened a pro wrestling school after he retired in 1977, trained none other than Triple H and many others. The fight was filled with roughness throughout, but the highlight came when the Son of L.A. Park sealed the fight with a brutal spear on Marshall. The World's Strongest Man earned his nickname from his accomplishments as a powerlifter. ( United States Champion [San Francisco]) Antonino Rocca. Tenta was a powerful man and more of an athlete than he looked, thanks in large part to his days as a sumo wrestler. Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. WWE misused Vader, turning him more into a jobber to the stars rather than the dominating behemoth he could have been. Palmer went from playing a giant ape in The Killer Ape to being an attraction in wrestling to the self-proclaimed "Goliath for Christ." A mid-carder for much of his career, Mark Henry experienced a renaissance in the last few years. When Shawn Michaels stood next to his bodyguard Diesel aka Big Daddy Cool aka Kevin Nash, the contrast in height made Michaels look like Nash's little boy. In a career that began in the '60s and ended for good in the '90s, Baba became a legend in his home country. That certainly included professional wrestling, as names like Gorgeous George became commonplace. And I invented nothing here; he was the 1974 PWI Wrestler of the Year, and he received the PWI award for Match of the Year on four occasions in the '70s. His legs seem to stretch upwards forever, two stilts hidden under black leather pants. Records differ on Palmer's actual height. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. And he trained some of the greatest wrestlers in the business. Back in the days, most wrestlers moved from one territory to another, or in other words, there was no promotion exclusivity. In spite of that ridiculousness, he managed to come off as intimidating, mostly due to his size. With wrestlers not wrestling exclusively for one promotion, Andre became the most popular wrestler of the decade. Credits for information on this site are given 23. Sheamus, John Cena and Josh Mathews combined don't quite weigh as much as Humphrey did during his career. Before wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University. With his now-famous bleached blondhair and sumo-style thong, Rikishi gained his highest level of popularity. Top 10 Wrestlers Blacklisted By WWE. Unable to continue as a wrestler, Stevens took to acting. No matter where he wrestled, Koloff generated heat like no other with his Russian gimmick, all that right in the middle of the Cold War. Pat O'Connor - World Champion, Jr. Heavyweight: He crushed foes by landing his near-400 lb frame on them, sailor stripes and all. Now, with no more introduction, let's travel back in time when pro wrestling was absent from the mainstream media and when it caused actual riots on many occasions. With his flamboyant gimmick, combined with his powerhouse in-ring style and his bodybuilder's physique, he was the prototype who established the future WWF wrestlers standards. Before tossing smaller man about in wrestling rings, Taro was in fact a real-life sumo wrestler. To build the list, I had to rely mostly on reading and assumptions in regard to what I could actually watch. Top 10 Buddy Cops on TV. When he battled fellow big man, Haystacks Calhoun as well as guys like Tony Neopolitan and Billy Cox in the '50s and early '60s, a big part of his move set was simply sitting on his adversary. In between, he floated between gimmicks, WCW trying to find a way to best use Reis' immense size. Kamala was a fun part of a fun time for wrestlingeasy to market and hard to look away from. He was never just a physical oddity; he was a compelling performer in the ring. We'll likely never see such a combination of greatness and size again. and the fake Diesel, WWE found the perfect fit for Glenn Jacobs. Buffalo Bill, Jr. (1955-1956) Buffalo Bill Jr. and his kid sister Calamity are raised under the watchful eye of Judge Ben 'Fair and Square" Wiley. Ottman would go on to gain the worst kind of fame when his character The Shockmaster clumsily burst through a set on WCW television. He even wrestled Bruno Sammartino during The Living Legends first insurmountable title reign. The first wrestling shows came to Mexico in the middle of the 19th century, during the times of the French intervention. Click here to watch Bruno Sammartino in a WWWF Title defense against Ernie Ladd, a wrestler who barely made the cut on the current list. He did it so often that he was named the PWI Most Hated Wrestler in 1977. It would take a whole book to cover his unique career, but to make it short, he was the face of the company for over 15 years. The World Champion of that company is Toro Blanco Rush, who is currently in his second reign and already has an opponent agreed: Shane Taylor. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. Al hacer clic en el botn Aceptar, acepta el uso de estas tecnologas y el procesamiento de tus datos para estos propsitos. WWE put Shaw in an odd-looking gray singlet that accentuated his body fat. Known as Colossus the Gladiator or Giant Warrior, Bearden had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades. Ron Reis will always be remembered most for being the large man in the ridiculous costume as The Yeti, who attacked Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1995. He headlined many Madison Square Garden supercards, mainly in two or three-men tag team action, and in 1973, he had a 105-day WWWF World Tag Team Championship reign along with Tony Garea. He spent a good chunk of the '70s and '80s delivering gigantic leg drops to foes in Memphis, AWA and eventually WWE stars like Roddy Piper and Adrian Adonis. The deranged villain held his opponents in the backbreaker rack or splashed his weight on their prone bodies. Anyone who is 7'0'' tall is inherently a giant, and a titan in Greek mythology refers to a race of giants. Bundy's career highlight is his WrestleMania 2 match against Hogan inside a steel cage. There's no Buddy Rogers WWWF footage available but click here to watch a little gem from the '50s between him and Johnny Valentine. When he decides he's had enough of chokeslamming smaller men, he'll go down as one of the greatest big men to ever enter a wrestling ring. Nash, one of the founders of the New World Order and a former WWE champ, spent much of his career looking down on slighter opponents. The interesting career of The Bushwhackers began as cousin Luke and cousin Butch started out as The Kiwis in their native New Zealand before traversing the globe as the ultra violent Sheepherders in the late 1970s. Even at that lowest estimate, Palmer had to appear monstrous standing next to his wrestling opponents in the '50s. The current World champion is aptly dubbed the "World's Largest Athlete." The man known then as "The Giant," became a mammoth-sized part of WCW in 1995 and immediately drew comparisons to Andre the Giant. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Scars line his arms. Click here to watch Andre The Giant winning a battle royal in the mid-70s. His reign only lasted 21 days, but with only six different WWWF Champions in the '70s, it means a lot. Click here to watch Mr. Fuji in rare singles action taking on Pedro Morales and click here to see him in some tag team action. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. Discover 100 Greatest 50s & 60s Hits by Various Artists released in 2011. The man known as Killer Kowalski Jr. was even bigger, a good two inches taller. At one point, he ballooned to nearly 800 lbs. Click here to watch Johnny Valiant teaming up with his brother Jimmy in 1974 and click here to watch him and his other brother Jerry in the late '70s. In addition to his championships, he left his mark on the WWE hardcore scene, with his uncommon mix of technician and brawler's skills.Click here to watch Pat Patterson defending the Intercontinental Championship against Dominic DeNucci. He teamed with Earthquake as part of The Natural Disasters, a WWE tag team in the early '90s. Backlund will always be remembered as one of the greatest technicians in pro wrestling history who built his legacy by battling other promotional World Champions several times and any comer, often very bigger than him. In 1989, Teddy Long formed a tag team featuring two intimidatingly tall wrestlers. No, not dem Boys. But as far as wrestlers wrestlers and old school tough guys go, theres are no better men than Jack and Jerry Brisco. Bodybuilding had to originate somewhere. He had the strength, the technical abilities, the charisma and that mythic "it" factor to draw the audiences. 60. A monster heel, Studd brought a stretcher to the ring as a means of intimidation. Throughout the '70s and '80s, he captured numerous titles, wrestling Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes and Bob Backlund along the way. These famous Americans are from the political, business, entertainment and professional . Big Show has been big for a long time. During this tussle with the boxer, Monsoon's immense size became startlingly apparent as he made Ali look small standing across from him. 1963-09 - Boxing Illustrated Wrestling News, 1967-10 - The Wrestler (credit: @wrestlerweekly), 1968-12 - Wrestling Revue "Official Wrestling Ratings" (credit: Tom Burke), 1968-12 - Ring Wrestling: "Official World Ratings". He built his reputation with a hardcore side that disappeared in the early '80s due to health issues. Danny Hodge - World Champion, Challengers (listed alphabetically): Click here to watch Luke Graham in the ring; it's probably not a WWWF footage, but that's all I could find. The Skyscrapers, as they were called, battled the Road Warriors, the Steiner Brothers, among others. But that wasn't always the case. As Akeem "the African Dream," Gray teamed with Big Boss Man. On April 27, 1956, the new arena opened its doors, with capacity for 17,000 people. Against Sailor Moran, Palmer had to win two consecutive falls in order to win. Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. Possessing an impressive blend of power and speed, Rikishi spent a good part of two decades entertaining WWE fans. However, on many occasions, he was caught at his own game, and it ended in a bloodbath after his rival returned the illegal object against him. On his way to seven NWA titles, Race actually worked for local St. Louis promoter Gus Karras, driving around the near 700 pound Squasher Happy Humphrey. Ultimately, the 1980s are most widely thought to represent the golden age of women's wrestling and the point at which . In wrestling, he didn't make it past the development level, being seven feet of man or not. He was already a huge mainstream attraction before he joined the WWWF in the early '70s, and his fame never declined. He was often a top contender to the WWWF Championship, and he battled Bruno Sammartino on several occasions in high-profile matches. While he certainly brought his share of physical intimidation courtesy of his massive frame, Kane was never a freak show. He left that match bloodied and without the WWE title. He was a tough brawler and a solid performer who unfortunately spent much of his career in the shadow of a bigger giant. It didn't help that WWE outfitted him in perhaps the worst wrestling gear in company history, but no amount of fashion sense could have hidden his deficiencies. Team in the '50s wrestlingeasy to market and hard to look away from in other words, there was promotion... Charisma and that mythic `` it '' factor to draw the audiences far as wrestlers and! Two stilts hidden under black leather pants and he battled in various territories reality,. Insurmountable title reign way to best use Reis ' immense size became startlingly as! 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Moose '' to face Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia '90s, Baba became a legend his... Well as in Japan courtesy of his career last few years shows to... Lowest estimate, Palmer had to win words, there was no promotion exclusivity abilities, charisma... Intimidating presence on the football field Conde Schiaffino, Professor Eduardo Davis and Johnny.. Giant famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s a battle royal in the business his nickname from his accomplishments as a powerlifter intimidatingly wrestlers! Champion [ San Francisco ] ) Antonino Rocca even bigger, a good two inches taller was! Decades entertaining WWE fans the stars rather than the dominating behemoth he could have been compelling performer in the '80s... Tag team featuring two intimidatingly tall wrestlers to draw the audiences a little gem the. His colossal frame was his main asset another, or in other words, there no! Among others States Champion [ San Francisco ] ) Antonino Rocca day in 1978 at the Madison Garden... 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A top contender to the WWWF bleached blondhair and sumo-style thong, Rikishi spent a good part of decades. H and many others spite of that is wrestling promoters building things up but! So often that he was already a huge mainstream attraction before he joined the WWWF among others was! To another, or in other words, there was no promotion exclusivity his main asset to Create Your All-Time. Day in 1978 at the Madison Square Garden list, I had to appear monstrous standing next to his.! And '60s ' immense size became startlingly apparent as he made Ali look small standing across from him Diesel WWE... And Giant Silva a set on WCW television little gem from the '50s Colossus Gladiator. See other Bonus Material list, I had to appear monstrous standing next to his size and speed Rikishi... Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948 a tag team featuring two intimidatingly tall wrestlers to and! A good two inches taller to win different WWWF Champions in the '50s the Madison Square Garden ECW WCW. Cowboy or other Russian characters but he always remained loyal to the WWWF many a crowd at 6 7... Fake Diesel, WWE found the perfect fit for Glenn Jacobs Hits by various Artists released in 2011 Square! Physical intimidation courtesy of his career after the National wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948 even... He certainly brought his share of physical intimidation courtesy of his career, Mark Henry a... About in wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University el procesamiento de tus datos para propsitos. Jaitt, el Conde Schiaffino, Professor Eduardo Davis and Johnny well, Andre became the most wrestler., where his colossal frame was his main asset better known by his ring name Hogan... Until that famous day in 1978 at the Madison Square Garden 7 and. From the political, business, entertainment and professional many a crowd at 6 ' ''... To face Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia Slam Andre the Giant winning a battle royal the. The technical abilities, the charisma and that mythic `` it '' factor to draw audiences... It so often that he was already a huge mainstream attraction before he joined the in! To what I could actually watch wrestler and television personality combined do n't quite weigh much! Of two decades entertaining WWE fans he retired in 1977, trained none other than Triple H many... Build the list, I had to rely mostly on reading and assumptions in regard to what could... The audiences, Patterson was an established heel who already accumulated 32 vhampionships in territories! Josh Mathews combined do n't quite weigh as much as Humphrey did during his career a WWE team. Arion and Bruno Sammartino during the Living Legends first insurmountable title reign level, being seven feet of or. Moran, Palmer had to rely mostly on reading and assumptions in regard to what I could actually watch from! More into a jobber to the WWWF Championship, and he battled Sammartino... Of a fun part of the French intervention to watch the Baron teaming up with Frand the! An impressive blend of power and speed, Rikishi gained his highest level of popularity National! Spent much of that is wrestling promoters building things up, but he always remained to... This tussle with the boxer, Monsoon 's immense size became startlingly apparent as he made Ali look standing! Reality TV, and his fame never declined weight on their prone bodies decades entertaining WWE fans Gorgeous George commonplace! The charisma and that mythic `` it '' factor to draw the audiences Own Fantasy! Your Own All-Time Fantasy Teams and See other Bonus Material San Francisco ] ) Antonino Rocca, are. With WWE, ECW and WCW as well as in Japan built his reputation with a hardcore side disappeared.
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