The Atlanta Hawks drafted Gonzalez in the 1988 NBA draft. Ladd played both basketball and football before becoming a pro wrestler. The Twin Towers, as they were called, came in at a combined weight of over 760 lbs. As you could see, pro wrestling didn't start with Hulk Hogan in the '80s. In June, he defeated Ted DiBiase to win the WWF North American Championship, and in September, he merged that title with the South American version to become the first ever Intercontinental Champion. Vader used that agility along with powerful strikes and the powerbomb to become WCW champ three times, beating Sting and Ron Simmons in the process. He was a fierce brawler but also a sound technician. However, at the end of the decade, he could not get rid of his "Sammartino's Protg" label, and he turned heel, to eventually leave in 1981. The two super-heavyweights were once tag partners, but turned on each other and in their subsequent battles evoked images of elephants fighting in thesavanna. Click here to watch the 1977 PWI Match of the YearGraham defeated Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Title. He once was a fierce wrestler, with a heel character back in the '60s. Unofficially, she lost the title on four occasions, but she only spent 70 days without the gold in that 10,778-day time frame. Spivey wouldn't make much noise in his career without Vicious. When you're the size that Gary Fletcher was, there's no more fitting name than Man Mountain. 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. Al hacer clic en el botn Aceptar, acepta el uso de estas tecnologas y el procesamiento de tus datos para estos propsitos. Mike Shaw later used the ring name Man Mountain Mike, though he was nowhere near as large as Fletcher. That is why he is known as the father of Mexican wrestling. - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (2011), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! He became one of the most infamous heels ever in the late '70s when he injured many babyface wrestlers with his signature swinging full nelson he didn't release after the bell. Considering his height, it's not surprising that Cottonwood (real name: Kipp Christianson) played basketball at St. John's (Minn.) as well as for the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks during the summer league. Other Links > Pro Wrestling > Top Ranked Pro Wrestlers by Decade . In 1987, All Japan Pro Wrestling took a chance on the skyscraper of a man and pitted him against Antonio Inoki. His sole presence guaranteed sold-out arenas to any promoter, and it was no exception for the growing WWWF. Of course, it was a show and the wrestlers were aware of that, but they were all professionals in the trade; some came from the amateur ranks. Privacy In films like Troy, The Protector and Conan the Barbarian, Jones played monstrous men, roles that didn't take much work from the special effects department. Throughout his whole career, Killer Kowalski was a top heel everywhere he wrestled, and he cemented his status when he ripped off an opponent's ear in the ring. 1951-07 - Wrestling Magazine (credit: Rock Rims), circa 1958 - Boxing Illustrated/Wrestling News, 1959-09 - Boxing Illustrated/Wrestling News. I also discovered many gems of the WWWF era before it became the WWF. Steve Reeves was the first bodybuilder to put . As the wresting world's first ever global superstar, Andre the Giant has been wrestling since the '60s as well. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. The 1974 PWI Rookie of the year was trained and introduced to the WWWF by Bruno Sammartino. 1962-08-10 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) When you are taller and nearly 80 lbs heavier than NBA center Dwight Howard, there's no questioning your size. He became a face in the '70s to eventually turn back heel in preparation for a legendary boxing match between him and Andre The Giant in 1977. The contest ended after an hour-and-16 minute time limit draw in front of a crowd that went nuts after the officials declared they had to comply with a curfew. 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. 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. Jerry 'The King' Lawler. The Valiant Brothers The curious thing was that none of the so-called wrestlers were true athletes. By the time he was working for WCCW and WCW, Swenson's body was a mass of bulging muscles. Couple that with him weighing at nearly 500 lbs and Harris was clearly one of wrestling's largest men. Facing a wrestler of decent size like Strangler Bright, Zehe looked like an unstoppable monster. He didn't fail to bring his aggressive style with him when he joined the WWWF in the mid-60s. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. There was a time for which I will call the "Silver Era" which took place back in the 1940s through the 1960s and has very little recognition today. Following that, he made sporadic appearances in various territories to eventually retire for good in the late '70s. His monikers included Big John Harris, Silo Sam and Trapper John. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WRESTLING CLASSICS volume 1 wrestling vhs BUDDY ROGERS antonino rocca 50's 60's at the best online prices at eBay! He joined the WWWF in early 1977, and only four months later, he had his first shot at the WWWF Championship against Graham, but he lost via countout. If he was officially undefeated for over 15 years, he never touched any WWWF gold in the '70s, proving there's no need to win championships to become a legend. When the former baseball player met the Rising Suns first legend, Rikidozan, that was it for Baba, and he began training to become a pro wrestler. In a familiar story for men his size, Jorge Gonzalez's height was both his greatest asset and biggest weakness. Click here to watch history being made when Ivan Koloff defeated Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF; and click here if you want to see The Russian Bear in a cage match again vs. Sammartino, in 1975. Rhodes began wrestling in the 1960s and gained a reputation as a fast-talking, hard-rocking wrestler. Think also about a 600-pound, 6'1" behemoth who could actually wrestle and who finished his opponents with a big splash. Uncle Elmer aka Plowboy Frazier (real name: Stan Frazier) was the biggest man among a WWE group called "The Hillbillies.". He gave us classics against Bret Hart and Taz. All rights reserved. Aired January 7, 1962. Honorable mention: Verne Gagne, Bill Miller, Karl Gotch, Dick the Bruiser, Reggie Lisowski, Wilbur Snyder, Buddy Austin, Bobo Brazil, Sailor Art Thomas, Lorenzo Parente, Light Heavyweight (Mexico): The Parks faced Ross and Marshall Von Erich, whom they defeated in a Tornado Tag Match. Given the resounding success of the fights, Lutteroth had the vision to expand and remodel it. With the Tag Team Championship around his waist for two-and-a-half yers, he holds the record for the most combined days. In the halcyon days of the 1950s and early '60s, the promos and interviews existed solely to heighten the drama of the matches. 1. Tenta was a powerful man and more of an athlete than he looked, thanks in large part to his days as a sumo wrestler. All rights reserved. Man Mountain Mike and Haystacks Calhoun formed a tag team, testing the structural integrity of every wrestling ring they entered. For most Bleacher Report readers, Mr. Fuji is that iconic manager of the '80s and '90s who led Yokozuna and Demolition to the gold. He was every bit the circus attraction that many giants before him were, but more than just someone to stare at, he was a compelling performer. The Big Red Machine has developed a resume worthy of the Hall of Fame. Anyone who is 7'0'' tall is inherently a giant, and a titan in Greek mythology refers to a race of giants. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. 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. Lindsay Kay Hayward is one of the tallest women in history. Unlike Khali, Silva could move quite well in the ring, even mixing in some flying moves. 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. Related: Antonio Inoki: The WWE Champion The Company Doesn't Recognize. Before wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University. Click here to watch Tony Garea in action against Billy Graham. The deranged villain held his opponents in the backbreaker rack or splashed his weight on their prone bodies. So I decided to explore an unknown zone for me and to tackle an era I didn't witness, the '60s and the '70s. His girth made most moves impossible for both Humphrey and his opponent. Think about Yokozuna or Big Daddy V but wearing a farmer boy outfit and carrying a horseshoe necklace from 1955 to the late '70s. . Studd towered over most of his opponents, whether it was Bob Backlund or Dusty Rhodes. Wrestling, though, is where he was meant to be. The custom of betting the mask arose: if a wrestler lost, he had to take it off and could never wear it again. Kamala faced off against the biggest names in the company, from Hulk Hoganto Jake Roberts, the Undertaker to Andre the Giant. DeNucci, who trained Mick Foley and Shane Douglas among others, was mainly a tag team specialist and a great brawler. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . Aside from the 50 men listed, pro wrestling has seen its share of both the extremely tall and extremely heavy. While he's not among the very tallest or heaviest on this list, Abyss is plenty big in both categories. Calhoun's enormity turned him somewhat of a circus attraction. 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. 50's and 60's wrestlers 20 Pins 7y S Collection by Thomas Roberts Similar ideas popular now Professional Wrestling Wrestling Professional Wrestlers Wwe Wwe Wrestlers Wrestling Superstars Pro Wrestler Professional Wrestlers The Professional Andr The Giant Giant People Tall People Mario Vintage Photography Wwe Wrestlers Jean Ferrat Jesse Ventura He began his movie career with roles like "Big Security Guard" in The Bodyguard 2 and as the titular character in Man-Thing. WWE fans might remember Akebono Taro as Big Show's enormous sumo foe at WrestleMania 21. As his nickname "Crazy" suggests, he portrayed a deranged persona who covered his ears and claimed he was not insane when someone made allusion to his craziness. His reign only lasted 21 days, but with only six different WWWF Champions in the '70s, it means a lot. Brought into the business by the real life original Zybysko brothers, "Handsome" Harley Race certainly didnt start out being one of the most feared men to walk on "Gods Green Earth." Known as Colossus the Gladiator or Giant Warrior, Bearden had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades. He would carry that swagger to WWE along with his "Big Cat" nickname. It's hard to forget his most bizarre one, the repugnant Bastion Booger. 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. Happy Humphrey was the size of several men. He eventually became a three-time WWWF United States Tag Team Championship. 11. The lack of speed and mobility that hampered his basketball career would go on to do the same for his wrestling career. From 1963 to 1971, the man held the WWWF Championship for an astonishing first reign of 2,803 days. 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