HeadLocker–Jay Shannon
The Giants of our Industry
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, takes a look at some of the best and worst super-heavyweights to ever step into the ring.
At No Way Out, The Big Show made his return to the ring. Big Show began his career as The Giant. I started thinking about other so-called giants in the industry. In this edition of HeadLocker, I wanted to evaluate the biggest men in the sport, past and present.
Andre the Giant
He was the measuring stick of the super-sized wrestler. Andre almost never lost and he thrilled audiences of all ages. He was a sweet man who was willing to help out a stranger as quickly as a friend. He was the very first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. As a matter of fact, the Hall of Fame was created to celebrate Andre after his death in 1993.
Grade: A+
Hulk Hogan
There aren’t enough words to describe this legend. He is the ultimate of all ultimate wrestlers. His name is known the world over. He, along with Vince McMahon, forever changed the world of wrestling. He’s fought every main eventer over the last 25 years. His list of super-star matches over-flow even 4 DVD sets. In the list of important men in wrestling, Hogan’s name will be among the top three (Hogan, McMahon and Flair). He is the most successful super-sized superstar of all time.
Grade: A+
“Big” John Studd
He was one of Andre’s main rivals during the 80’s heydey of wrestling. Studd’s collection of wrestling moves were somewhat limited but he was a force in any match that he battled in. Sadly, he never won singles gold in the WWE, but he is a legend that stands only a half-step behind Andre and Hogan. Studd died in 1995 from cancer, but he will always be remembered as one of the top big men in the sport.
Grade: A
The Undertaker
The old phrase is Things are bigger in Texas. Undertaker would be a perfect example of that axiom. Hailing from Houston, Texas, Undertaker was trained by Don Jardine (The Spoiler) and Chris Adams in the Dallas area. Undertaker walks the ropes with Old School as a tribute to Jardine. Undertaker is perhaps the most agile big man to ever wrestle. He has won almost every title possible in wrestling. Most impressive of all, he has the longest winning streak in the history of Wrestlemania (15-0).
Undertaker is also the most respected man in the WWE locker room. He is seen by most everyone as the locker room leader. There is absolutely no doubt that Undertaker will find himself in the WWE Hall of Fame within the next few years.
Grade: A+
The Big Show (Paul Wight)
Big Show has had a roller-coaster career in the ring. He has won numerous titles. As a matter of fact, he is the only man to win the ECW, WWE and WCW titles. He has also found himself struggling in mid-card level feuds during his career. Weight and poor personal habits have slowed down the gigantic grappler. After a hiatus, Show has returned with a new fire and a healthier lifestyle. He may end up one of the top stars during the next year.
Grade: B+
Sid Vicious/Justice
He should have been one of the legends of the industry. He ended up just a footnote. Sid had great talent, but a lousy attitude. His brutal fight with Arn Anderson in a hotel room nearly killed his career (as well as Anderson). Sid was a member of the Four Horsemen (but so was Steve “Mongo” McMichael). Sid suffered numerous injuries that side-lined him at high points of his career. A severely broken leg finally brought his full-time career to a screeching halt. Sid was a major disappointment to all that trained him and worked with him.
Grade: D+
Giant Gonzales/El Gigante
After the death of Andre the Giant, WCW went looking for a new Giant. They would eventually find Paul Wight, but before they found him, they came across Jorge Gonzalez. The former Argentinian basketball player had been signed to the Atlanta Hawks basketball team of the NBA. Jorge couldn’t keep up with the fast pace of the game, so Ted Turner decided to move Gonzalez to his other sports franchise, WCW. Fans loved the novelty of El Gigante (Spanish for The Giant). He was never taken serious as a wrestler, though he did feud with Ric Flair and others during his two-year run with WCW.
Gonzales was re-christened Giant Gonzalez (slight change in the surname). He was brought in to battle Undertaker. In one of the worst matches in Wrestlemania history, Undetaker won over Gonzalez by DQ. Gonzalez came to the ring in a bizarre skin-tight body suit that was airbrushed with hair and muscles. He was supposed to be some kind of South American version of Sasquatch. Gonzalez began to incur injuries that further hampered his in-ring abilities, such as they were. The injuries, combined with a general discontent from fans and management, led to an early retirement for the Argentinian. Gonzalez returned to Argentina, never to be seen again, thankfully.
Grade: F
The Great Khali
He was meant as the “next generation” version of Andre the Giant. He’s quickly turning into the 21st century, Giant Gonzalez. Unlike Gonzales, Khali actually does have some talent in the ring. Sadly, Khali has lost so many matches, in recent months, that he is not realistic as a top-level competitor anymore. Unless Khali can revamp his career, he will have a better chance of ending up in the Jobber Hall of Fame than the regular Hall of Fame.
Grade: C (and falling quickly)
Kamala
The Ugandan Giant was a legend in the World Class area. While he was a top star in the Dallas area, he struggled outside of his home territory. His runs in WCW and WWE were unremarkable and over-looked by many. The character of Kamala was created by James Harris (Kamala’s real name), Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett. Kamala has made occasional appearance over the past few years, but his career is long over. He was a great star that just came up a little short (pun fully intended).
Grade: B-
Big Daddy V/Viscera/Mabel
This ginormous wrestler should have been a major player in the world of wrestling. He hasn’t been. He is perhaps the world’s largest jobber. As Mabel, he did win the King of the Ring, but that was the highlight of his career. The re-packaged Viscera should have been a top contender to the major titles. He did manage to win the Hardcore title, once. His current incarnation is difficult to watch. The massive, tattooed girth is nauseating to watch. Big Daddy V needs to win a major title (and put on a shirt) or he will never break out of his jobber status.
Grade C+
Bruiser Brody
The wildman from New Mexico was an icon in Japan, Puerto Rico and Texas. He was agile, vicious, and cunning. Had his life not been cut short, 20 years ago, by a cowardly, murderous attack by Invader I (Jose Huertas Gonzalez), Brody would have likely been an equal to Undertaker. Feuds with Abdullah the Butcher were bloody and brutal. Brody teamed with legends Stan Hansen and Jimmy Snuka to take tag team gold in Japan. He also held every single title in the World Class territory. Brody is still hailed as a hero and legend in Japan and loved and respected by fans around the world. He is my absolute favorite wrestler of all time.
Grade: A
Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash started out with some silly gimmicks. Steel, Oz and Vinnie Vegas were all cartoonish identities that Nash laughs at these days. When Nash entered the WWF, he was teamed with Shawn Michaels to learn more about the industry. The high-profile position as Shawn’s bodyguard eventually led to top-level matches. Diesel, as Nash was then known, took the WWE title from Bob Backlund in one of the shortest title matches in history (9 seconds). Nash also held the Intercontinental title and tag team title before jumping ship with Scott Hall (Razor Ramon) to WCW.
In WCW, Nash was an original member of the nWo (with Hall and Hulk Hogan). He was also one of the most decorated WCW champions with 5 runs as WCW World Champ and 9 runs as tag team champion.
Since the demise of WCW, Nash has gone into semi-retirement. He has worked closely with TNA as a mentor/manager to many stars. It was Nash who, story-wise, created Jay Lethal’s Black Machismo character (based, of course, on Randy Savage). He has also mentored Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe.
Nash has used his in-ring success to elevate himself in the main stream entertainment world, appearing in numerous films and television shows. Nash has also invested his wrestling earnings wisely, so he is pretty much set for life. He is an example for today’s and tomorrow’s generations of stars.
Grade: A
Kane (Glenn Jacobs)
Jacobs, like Nash, has gone through a series of identity changes. After working the southern territories, Jacobs was brought in for the infamously bad gimmick of “New Diesel”. He was supposed to replace Kevin Nash. It failed miserably and is seen as one of the worst gimmicks in the history of wrestling. Diesel v.2 quickly disappeared and came back as Issac Yankem, DDS. This psycho dentist was brought in by Jerry Lawler to assist in Lawler’s feud with Bret Hart. Crowds instantly hated him. That character struck a nerve with all fans who had ever dealt with a sadistic dental surgeon (Dr. P in Carson City comes to mind for me).
After a run with Lawler, Jacobs was repackaged into his current form. The story was that Kane was the half-brother of the Undertaker. He was brought in by Paul Bearer to battle ‘Taker. It was later revealed that Bearer was the father of both ‘Taker and Kane. That story is currently being re-hashed in TNA with Abyss and Judas Mesias in the ‘Taker/Kane roles. Kane began as a masked man with a tortured past. A fire that had killed the Undertaker’s parents had also burned and scarred Kane. Kane had actually started the fire, but blamed his brother.
Other the years, Kane has mellowed as a competitor. He lost the mask and just became a bald brute that powered over his opponents. At least he used to. He has gone from the unstoppable juggernaut to a mid-carder who has jobbed to numerous up-and-coming stars, such as Great Khali. Kane holds the distinction of being the only man to face Undertaker, twice, at Wrestlemania. At one time, Kane would have gotten an A grade, but due to his recent losses, his grade has slipped.
Grade: B-
Abyss
He is the TNA equivalent of the Undertaker. Beginning as a heel, Abyss has converted from the dark side. He is currently embroiled in a bitter feud with his father and half-brother. He is loved and cheered by fans. He has one of the most devastating finishers in the sport, today. He has won several regional titles, as well as the TNA World and World Tag title. He is one of the most successful stars in TNA history.
Grade: A-
In Conclusion:
Wrestling has always been a big man’s sport. While the cruiserweights might be exciting, the big men are the heart and soul of wrestling. Andre vs Hogan would not have been quite the legendary match it was if Hogan were the size of Rey Mysterio and Andre was more the size of Jeff Hardy. The world of wrestling needs its larger than life super-heavyweights.
–Jay Shannon
JayofPWD@SBCGlobal.net
(2/20/08)
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