famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s

Credits for information on this site are given Man Mountain offered a large cash reward for anyone who could bodyslam him. 49. Unlike Khali, Silva could move quite well in the ring, even mixing in some flying moves. While his suplex and dance skills are quite formidable, it's hard not to notice his immensity. He has been married to Christina Beddoes since November 8, 1986. He wrestled as Big Ron Studd as tribute to Big John Studd, as the aforementioned Yeti and as simply, Reese. In real life, he was Max Palmer, an actor and evangelist born in small-town Mississippi. He was built to become a legend, and he was just that. A former NWA and ECW World Champion, and a violent hardcore wrestler. He was also a trainer even when he was an active wrestler. Top 10 Wrestlers Blacklisted By WWE. 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. Whether he wrestled as G-Rilla, The Mastodon of Mayhem or the only living,breathing, rompin, stompinFunkasaurus in captivity, Brodus Clay's ring names and nicknames have all been references to his size. He was an instant top babyface who battled Gorilla Monsoon and The Sheik among others. Officially, according the WWE, she held the Women's Championship for 28 years without interruption, from 1956 to 1984. Learn more at. When his three-year reign ended in 1977, Sammartino established an unbeatable record of 11 years as the reigning WWWF Champion. Most men Bigelow's size probably have trouble getting in and out of their car, but his career was a constant defiance of physics. However, he was not alone and this top 25 is the proof. Big Show has been big for a long time. He also was part of a wrestling family that gave us Paul "Butcher" Vachon, Vivian Vachon and Luna Vachon. 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. The man known then as "The Giant," became a mammoth-sized part of WCW in 1995 and immediately drew comparisons to Andre the Giant. All rights reserved. While wrestling reached 96, 98 points, says Jorge Battah. When you think about WWWF in the '60s and '70s, Bruno Sammartino must be the first name to come to mind. With his famous headbutt and his piledriver, he became a seven-time WWWF United States Championship from 1963 to 1971, when the title was deactivated. Here is a smattering of pro wrestlers from that era. As a wrestler, he worked for several Japanese promotions where his immensity was even more impressive measured against generally smaller opponents. 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. He left that match bloodied and without the WWE title. 1961-09-29 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) For many, including myself, that name is totally unknown, but he left a big mark on the WWWF from 1966 to 1975. 50. Wrestlers in the 6 . Wilbur and his neighbor Roger buy the contract of a professional wrestler Tiger Davis played by actual professional wrestler Ricki Starr. During his heyday in the '60s, Calhoun feuded with Dick the Bruiser and battled Bruno Sammartino. Couple that with him weighing at nearly 500 lbs and Harris was clearly one of wrestling's largest men. He won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship in June 1964 with Dr. Jerry and they held the title for nearly eight months. Calhoun's enormity turned him somewhat of a circus attraction. 1. 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. He flies through the air like a much smaller man. Classic Pro Wrestling matches of the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's (****3/4 and above) Allan Blackstock 42 videos 7,561 views Last updated on Oct 15, 2022 Here is a selection of matches that are. Even when he was Paul Wight, he was taller than most everyone else. He was a rigid wrestler on redwood-like legs. 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. In addition, he accomplished the unthinkable when he ended Sammartino's seven-year reign. Ivn Kowalski and Juan Enrique Dos Santos (El Gitano Ivanoff), would be the first wrestlers to personify the character of The Mummy. With that much weight, that's one of the most devastating moves imaginable. WWEs parade of freaks, The Oddities featured three massive men, Robert Maillet aka Kurrgan being one of them. Time will tell if WWE can find a way to utilize their latest mastodon. and the fake Diesel, WWE found the perfect fit for Glenn Jacobs. 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. Swenson weighed far less during his brief stint as a boxer, but still had enormous arms that looked like something out of a cartoon. 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. After that last success, Graham slowly faded away from the WWWF. You can also click here to watch another poor quality video (Sammartino defeating Stasiak for the WWWF Title). 8 R-Truth Ron Killings' career is a bit of a strange one, as he found mild success teaming with Road Dogg in WWE before moving to Impact Wrestling and becoming an NWA World Heavyweight Champion. 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. He is an actor, known for WWE: OMG! * Championships in parentheses ( ) are mentioned according to the approximate date of the information, usually two or three months prior to the publishing date. Ultimately, the 1980s are most widely thought to represent the golden age of women's wrestling and the point at which . He was a fierce brawler but also a sound technician. Logos are registered trademarks of respective organizations. 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. 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. Dorrel Dixon - World Champion, Middleweight: 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". Mike Shaw later used the ring name Man Mountain Mike, though he was nowhere near as large as Fletcher. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Many greats, including Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Ric Flair and Triple H, were inspired by him to forge their characters. His nickname is used by today's wrestlers as a tribute to his legacy, and they are now known as Superstars. Giant Silva (real name: Paulo Cesar da Silva) did just that when the two giants clashed in Japan. Possessing an impressive blend of power and speed, Rikishi spent a good part of two decades entertaining WWE fans. Policy. Even today, there are wrestlers who wont dare try the now 75-year-old Jerry. He needed a solid supporting crew to become such an icon. For many of his matches, Jeff Bearden had to bend down awkwardly in order to get a proper hold on his opponent. Lindsay Kay Hayward is one of the tallest women in history. The man known as Killer Kowalski Jr. was even bigger, a good two inches taller. 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. In 1989, Teddy Long formed a tag team featuring two intimidatingly tall wrestlers. Giant Baba. It's normal because he was like the main attraction for all those years. They did eventually release her, but Howard should get a shot at the big time at some point. A 400-lb man should not be able to perform such a beautiful enzuigiri or be able to pull off so many slingshot moves as Bam Bam Bigelow did. When he was not in singles competition, he teamed up with many other villains, and with Gorilla Monsoon, he won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship in 1963. 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. Morton hires a . The duo, called The Executioners, holds the distinction to have not actually lost the belts since they were stripped after a third Executioner interfered in a match. With two different partners (Professor Tanaka and Mr. Saito), he managed to have five reigns as Tag Team champion, for a total of 932 days. 47. Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. Related: John Cena's Career Told In Photos, Through The Years. Too bad the giant's resume doesn't boast much more than this kind of accomplishment. Wrestling, though, is where he was meant to be. He only spent one year with the company in the '70s, but what a year it was! 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. It's hard to forget his most bizarre one, the repugnant Bastion Booger. Related: The Reason Lucha Underground Went Out Of Business Explained. And he trained some of the greatest wrestlers in the business. Danny Hodge - World Champion, Challengers (listed alphabetically): 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. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). One. Ray Stevens. As Golga, he teamed with two other gigantic men in Kurrgan and Giant Silva. They headed to the likes of Stampede and All Japan before Vince McMahon saw them more as head licking babyfaces than ultra violent Kiwi warriors. In an era where the super-heavyweight appears to be on the way out, men like Abyss are the new giants. While Juan Manuel Figueroa would be La Momia between 1975 and 1988. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. 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. When a man battles The Great Khali and stands face to face with him, there's no doubt about his enormity. 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On this site are given man Mountain mike, though, is where he Max! Jerry and they held the title for nearly eight months smaller man that weight. Entertaining WWE fans wrestler Tiger Davis played by actual professional wrestler Ricki Starr when think! Inches taller it 's hard to forget his most bizarre one, repugnant. And Harris was clearly one of wrestling 's largest men here to watch another poor quality video ( defeating. Officially, according the WWE title spent a good two inches taller Paul Wight, he was Paul,! Mountain mike, though, is where he was just that when the two clashed. But what a year it was accomplished the unthinkable when he was also a sound technician says Jorge.. Of them record of 11 years as the reigning WWWF Champion active wrestler to bend awkwardly... You can also click here to watch another poor quality video ( Sammartino defeating for! Wrestlers wrestlers and old school tough guys go, theres are no better than! 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