He certainly had the size to make it. Much of his success can be attributed to his size and his menacing look. I hope you enjoyed that ride back to the old school universe, and as usual, your comments are more than welcomeespecially if I missed anyone on the list and/or if you disagree with the order. Click here to watch Luke Graham in the ring; it's probably not a WWWF footage, but that's all I could find. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. After some forgettable gimmicks in Isaac Yankem D.D.S. Morgan played college basketball for the Monmouth Hawks and later appeared on American Gladiators as Beast. Credits for information on this site are given He won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in 1976 with one of his students, Big John Studd. The current World champion is aptly dubbed the "World's Largest Athlete." Despite he never broke out of the tag team division, he was very over with the fans, and he was one of the best technical wrestlers of his time. A standout in the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1970s, McDaniel held his own with some of the best workers of his era, from Superstar Billy Graham and Ivan Koloff to Johnny Valentine and. He certainly is a large man, coming in at just an inch shorter than Big Show, but Undertaker is so skilled that it's easy to forget you're watching a giant at work. Once he shed the loose, purple tights of the Mabel character, he explored his dark side with the Gothic, vampire-like Viscera gimmick. His profile on thetallestman.com lists him at "only" 7'3'' but anything between that range is super tall. At one point, he ballooned to nearly 800 lbs. Making Ron Simmons look diminutive is an impressive feat. The man known as Killer Kowalski Jr. was even bigger, a good two inches taller. Bruno Sammartino is one of the most famous and popular faces ever to wrestle for the McMahon machine. The enemies-turned-allies carried on the tradition of wrestling's oversized pairings. Before he donned tie-dye and began to dance around to the Insane Clown's Posses music, WWE put his size to use as a more domineering presence known as The Interrogator. They experimented with a few gimmicks for him, including the poorly conceived Sultan, who resided in mid-card status. However, since I didn't watch wrestling in those great days, I could hardly evaluate the in-ring abilities, the charisma and the mic skills. Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. So far, the leader of Legado del Fantasma has defended the championship four times: a couple of times against Isaiah Swerve Scott, against Jake Atlas and just a few days ago against the also Mexican Gran Metalik. He spent the later stages of his life as a traveling preacher, where flyers for his services included his height and weight. 50. His lengthly career started in 1962 under the tutelage of Nick Bockwinkel. ( United States Champion [San Francisco]) Antonino Rocca. . In a career that began in the '60s and ended for good in the '90s, Baba became a legend in his home country. Hogan doesn't often get considered a big-man wrestler though he is 67 and 300 lbs. Never the most skilled wrestler, Frazier, for much of his career, was a major draw. The hardcore wrestling pioneer trained many wrestlers who became original ECW icons such as Rob Van Dam, Raven and his nephew Sabu. Honorable mention: Edouard Carpentier, Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Wilbur Snyder, Rip Hawk, Fritz Von Erich, Pepper Gomez, Lorenzo Parente, Jr. Heavyweight: Click here to watch Bobo Brazil taking on his nemesis, The Sheik. Click here to watch Zbyszko turning on his mentor at the end of 1979; then, treat yourself by clicking here to watch their classic cage match in August 1980. Darren Matthews Actor | WWE: OMG! Lindsay Kay Hayward is one of the tallest women in history. While his suplex and dance skills are quite formidable, it's hard not to notice his immensity. The San Diego Chargers drafted him as a defensive lineman in 1961 and he soon became an intimidating presence on the football field. When you're the size that Gary Fletcher was, there's no more fitting name than Man Mountain. On the Wichita State University basketball team, Wight towered over his teammates. In real life Ricki Starr was also an accomplished ballet dancer which comes into play during the episode as his character Tiger Davis takes up ballet . Chyna. Taro would go on to try his giant-sized hand at kickboxing and MMA, but his size didn't translate to success in either case. You can also click here to watch another poor quality video (Sammartino defeating Stasiak for the WWWF Title). Records differ on Palmer's actual height. Posted below are the 50 best wrestlers of all time, according to fans. 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. During his heyday in the '60s, Calhoun feuded with Dick the Bruiser and battled Bruno Sammartino. This was his most successful endeavor. For most Bleacher Report readers, Mr. Fuji is that iconic manager of the '80s and '90s who led Yokozuna and Demolition to the gold. * Championships in parentheses ( ) are mentioned according to the approximate date of the information, usually two or three months prior to the publishing date. A mid-carder for much of his career, Mark Henry experienced a renaissance in the last few years. He began his movie career with roles like "Big Security Guard" in The Bodyguard 2 and as the titular character in Man-Thing. He was an instant top babyface who battled Gorilla Monsoon and The Sheik among others. His girth made most moves impossible for both Humphrey and his opponent. Aired January 7, 1962. Jerry 'The King' Lawler. while others continued to bill Byers as the title holder. Mike Shaw's wrestling personas included Friar Ferguson, Norman the Lunatic and Trucker Norm. The wrestler called The Living Legend had it all to be a genuine superstar. Then, in June 1971, he and Tarzan Tyler became the inaugural WWWF World Tag Team Champions. Bigelow wrestled with WWE, ECW and WCW as well as in Japan. I also discovered many gems of the WWWF era before it became the WWF. If the whole clan of the Valiant Brothers is inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, Johnny is the one who embraced the most success. Khali is as stiff as a mannequin. Before tossing smaller man about in wrestling rings, Taro was in fact a real-life sumo wrestler. One built a reputation just meeting him in the ring. Happy Humphrey was the size of several men. Logos are registered trademarks of respective organizations. When he tag-teamed with The Sheik of Araby and took on the big, bad Lisowski brothers, he was my hero. Knowing every heel tactic in the tag team action environment, he became the manager known as "Luscious" Johnny V who introduced Demolition to the WWF and who worked with The Dream Team (Greg Valentine / Brutus Beefcake) among others. The WWE portion of his career was not nearly as successful. He's best known for his time as Big Sky in WCW. When his three-year reign ended in 1977, Sammartino established an unbeatable record of 11 years as the reigning WWWF Champion. With a body that looks capable of no more than stumbling around, Baba dropkicked, headlocked and chopped his opponents in his more than 3,000 matches. After that last success, Graham slowly faded away from the WWWF. I could not even French press a 5-pound dumbbell.". He did it so often that he was named the PWI Most Hated Wrestler in 1977. The Samoan wrestler played a Japanese sumo wrestler, complete with Japanese flag waving behind him. He was a master of in-ring psychology and an ace on the mic who could generate heat like no others. He started out in his native France as Geant Ferre, a play on a French folk hero. 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. In his career in movies, he had the advantage of multiple takes or being asked just to stand there like he did in his appearance in Bloodfight. The Russian Bear was with the WWWF for only two years, but he claimed the most shocking world championship victory of all times when he defeated Bruno Sammartino on January 18, 1971. Some sources list him at 7 8 and others go as high as 86. Despitehis walrus-like physique, Vader was very agile in the ring. The inaugural WWE Champion lost the title 21 days later against Bruno Sammartino, and he suddenly vanished for a while. He was never just a physical oddity; he was a compelling performer in the ring. He was in the first Wrestlemania against Hogan and Mr. T. As a competitor,. 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. According to PWInsider (via 24wrestling.com) WWE released Norton along with several other FCW wrestlers in 2011. He is even credited as the inventor of the figure-four leglock. For so many men on this list, their size is their only asset. When he was not embracing success in the tag team division, he had some memorable feuds in singles against the likes of Billy Graham and Ken Patera. For many, including myself, that name is totally unknown, but he left a big mark on the WWWF from 1966 to 1975. 8 Kevin Nash. Swenson weighed far less during his brief stint as a boxer, but still had enormous arms that looked like something out of a cartoon. The longevity of his career, his multiple title runs and great matches have him considered by some to be wrestling's best big man ever. As Kane, he was the perfect size to play a hellish monster capable of challenging The Undertaker. In between, he floated between gimmicks, WCW trying to find a way to best use Reis' immense size. 10 Wrestlers Who Tragically Died In The Ring. Many icons paved the way to what would become an empire in the world of wrestling. Throughout the '70s and '80s, he captured numerous titles, wrestling Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes and Bob Backlund along the way. Click here to watch Strongbow taking on Professor TanakaMr. Satiating its obsession for girth, wrestling's promoters have found real-life Goliaths and showcased them for fans. Time will tell if WWE can find a way to utilize their latest mastodon. Following that, he made sporadic appearances in various territories to eventually retire for good in the late '70s. If his nine-day reign was short, Stasiak can at least say he was one of the only six WWWF champions of the '70s and to have been a top heel of his time. Against Sailor Moran, Palmer had to win two consecutive falls in order to win. 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. He once was a fierce wrestler, with a heel character back in the '60s. From 1963 to 1971, the man held the WWWF Championship for an astonishing first reign of 2,803 days. Bearden won several championships throughout his career, particularly in South Africa, where he made his home in the early '90s. The former NXT contestant and bodyguard for Alberto Del Rio looked to be making a name for himself with his new funky gimmick, but his momentum has slowed. And, when we take a look at everything he did in 1980 and after he left, he is clearly one of the most misused talents in WWE's history. Click here to watch a classic match from the mid-70s between Spiros Arion and Bruno Sammartino. Ruben Juarez - National Champion, Middleweight (Mexico): Are you sure you want to delete your score and checked items on this list? Fuji's tag team partner at the time. Hulk Hogan. His most notable feud, that lasted for over two decades in and out WWWF, was against Bobo Brazil, and in the process, he became a two-time WWWF US Champion. 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