Other Links > Pro Wrestling > Top Ranked Pro Wrestlers by Decade . He needed a solid supporting crew to become such an icon. Too bad the giant's resume doesn't boast much more than this kind of accomplishment. Officially, according the WWE, she held the Women's Championship for 28 years without interruption, from 1956 to 1984. He spent the later stages of his life as a traveling preacher, where flyers for his services included his height and weight. 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. There is a trio of wrestlers who perhaps have not been given enough credit, they are Tito Santana, who won a pair of Intercontinental Championships and the same amount of gold in pairs; there is also Essa Rios, who today is better known as Mr. Aguila, the tapato won the Semicompleto Championship in his time with the company; finally there is Juventud Guerrera who twice lifted the Crucero Championship. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70's wrestler of all time. Click here to watch a classic match from the mid-70s between Spiros Arion and Bruno Sammartino. ( United States Champion [San Francisco]) Antonino Rocca. Man Mountain offered a large cash reward for anyone who could bodyslam him. Vintage Wrestling Girls - 50s & 60s. 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. He was a master of the heel tactics, but he was also very agile in the ring. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. For many, including myself, that name is totally unknown, but he left a big mark on the WWWF from 1966 to 1975. His wrestling career didn't last long. His finishing move, like many men of his size, uses his weight as a weapon, splashing down on a fallen foe for a victory. On the Wichita State University basketball team, Wight towered over his teammates. 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. Fuji's tag team partner at the time. Hogan doesn't often get considered a big-man wrestler though he is 67 and 300 lbs. I found no singles action for Haystacks Calhoun, but you can click here to watch some three-against-three action and click here to watch him in a WWWF World Tag Team title defense. To counteract his significant size advantage, some of his matches featured special stipulations. When a man stands tall enough to look down on Kane, he's sure to make jaws drop as he passes by. Logos are registered trademarks of respective organizations. In 1978 DeNucci enjoyed his second reign with Dino Bravo as his partner, and they held the belt for 104 days. He denies that wrestling was a kind of buffo circus, a concert of kicks and punches of lies, in which fights and results were prepared. 49. 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. Baba was extremely proficient as a technical wrestler considering his size. He held the new championship 233 days, then he hung his boots a couple years after his historic reign. Race was Humphrey's driver and occasional opponent in the very early '60s. 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. Think also about a 600-pound, 6'1" behemoth who could actually wrestle and who finished his opponents with a big splash. 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. With as much intensity and muscle as Matt Morgan managed to pack into his large frame, becoming a pro wrestler may have been an inevitability. 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. 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. Khali is as stiff as a mannequin. Rogers mostly worked for Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the promotion that was the ancestor of the new WWWF created in 1963; he then became the first world champion on April 29 the same year. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. He was built to become a legend, and he was just that. This soon turned into the uncomfortable "Love Machine" angle where Viscera wouldhump his opponents. This enormous man performed for WWE, WCCW and AWA in a career that began in 1985 and ended only a few years later. 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. . 1. 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. 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". Top 10 Buddy Cops on TV. Privacy As El Gigante in WCW or Giant Gonzalez in WWE, he was nothing more than a spectacle. Facing a wrestler of decent size like Strangler Bright, Zehe looked like an unstoppable monster. Kane, like his storyline brother, is so skilled and deft in the ring that one can sometimes forget how big he is. Those I ranked are only the tip of the iceberg because other legends and pioneers existed before them. Think about Yokozuna or Big Daddy V but wearing a farmer boy outfit and carrying a horseshoe necklace from 1955 to the late '70s. He had the strength, the technical abilities, the charisma and that mythic "it" factor to draw the audiences. Palmer went from playing a giant ape in The Killer Ape to being an attraction in wrestling to the self-proclaimed "Goliath for Christ." Throughout the '70s and '80s, he captured numerous titles, wrestling Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes and Bob Backlund along the way. Unofficially, she lost the title on four occasions, but she only spent 70 days without the gold in that 10,778-day time frame. All rights reserved. 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. Click here to watch Luke Graham in the ring; it's probably not a WWWF footage, but that's all I could find. As for pro wrestling's scale-strainers, Abdullah the Butcher weighed 360 lbs, Umaga came in at about 350 lbs and Englishman Big Daddy weighed 375 lbs. top 10 wrestlers from the 50s and 60s. We'll likely never see such a combination of greatness and size again. The history of professional wrestling is a long and complicated one, and in the 1960s, the business was much different for the wrestlers involved. His biggest accomplishments were in the tag team division. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Silva at first tried to use his height to pursue a career in basketball. The man known as Killer Kowalski Jr. was even bigger, a good two inches taller. He started out in his native France as Geant Ferre, a play on a French folk hero. Yokozuna's weight was his greatest attraction, but it was also ultimately his downfall. He routinely performed moonsaults and corner slingshot splashes, aka Vader Bombs. Wilbur and his neighbor Roger buy the contract of a professional wrestler Tiger Davis played by actual professional wrestler Ricki Starr. He won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in 1976 with one of his students, Big John Studd. More than his tree-like stature, more than anything else in his career, fans will think of mustaches when they think of Eli Cottonwood. Fans were enthralled by him, curious to watch a man his size and perhaps were pulled in by his larger-than-life aura. Morton hires a . It's normal because he was like the main attraction for all those years. Even when he was Paul Wight, he was taller than most everyone else. Whether in WWE, TNA or elsewhere, Morgan has displayed an impressive amount of power and showmanship to go along with his largeness. Click here to watch Killer Kowalski battling Pedro Morales. Click here to watch Bobo Brazil taking on his nemesis, The Sheik. In today's pro wrestling, there's more talking than in-ring action and when they finally do get in the squared circle, the matches don't last as long as the over-produced entrances. He has been married to Christina Beddoes since November 8, 1986. 41 of 100. John Cena. Bruno Sammartino is one of the most famous and popular faces ever to wrestle for the McMahon machine. Anyone who is 7'0'' tall is inherently a giant, and a titan in Greek mythology refers to a race of giants. Then, if it was not enough, he started a second reign in 1973, lasting 1,237 days. One built a reputation just meeting him in the ring. His profile on thetallestman.com lists him at "only" 7'3'' but anything between that range is super tall. Together this dynamic trio keep law and order in small town of Wileyville, Arizona. The WWE portion of his career was not nearly as successful. Big Show has been big for a long time. Vicious in contrast, became a world champion several times over. Even today, there are wrestlers who wont dare try the now 75-year-old Jerry. Henry used that mastodon-like body to lift upwards of 900 lbs. Click here to watch The Fabulous Moolah facing one of her toughest rival in the '70s. In real life, he was Max Palmer, an actor and evangelist born in small-town Mississippi. Antonio Posa - World Champion He was in the first Wrestlemania against Hogan and Mr. T. As a competitor,. Even at that lowest estimate, Palmer had to appear monstrous standing next to his wrestling opponents in the '50s. Known as Colossus the Gladiator or Giant Warrior, Bearden had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades. He did it so often that he was named the PWI Most Hated Wrestler in 1977. Time will tell if WWE can find a way to utilize their latest mastodon. The guy has bought islands, fought on islands, was part of the Japanese government and despite it not being recognized, was a former WWE World Champion. Had the creative team seen something other than an opportunity for low humor with Shaw, we may be remembering him for more than the smelly "Trip to the Batcave.". - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (2011), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! ( World Champion [Georgia]) Killer Buddy Austin. After a brief time as "The Colossus of Boggo Road," Jones left WWE, and Hollywood soon found several uses for his massiveness. Honorable mention: Edouard Carpentier, Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Wilbur Snyder, Rip Hawk, Fritz Von Erich, Pepper Gomez, Lorenzo Parente, Jr. Heavyweight: Cameras captured one of wrestling's most awkward moments when Cottonwood, a NXT competitor at the time was asked to freestyle on the topic of mustaches. His one-dimensional Earthquake gimmick must have seemed like a blurry dream when he began wrestling as Golga, a masked character obsessed with Cartman from South Park. But before he became the best manager in the history of the sport, he actually did have an in ring career that started way back in 1961 with names like Dick the Bruiser and Sam Mushnick before promoters realized Heenans mouth was much better than his ring work, which was also pretty good. He crushed foes by landing his near-400 lb frame on them, sailor stripes and all. Sheamus, John Cena and Josh Mathews combined don't quite weigh as much as Humphrey did during his career. 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. 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. - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Darren Matthews was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK. The former NWA World Champion Jack and the former Stooge Jerry both began in the late '60s and had careers that spanned decades, including winning the NWA Tag Team Championship several times during their career. After that last success, Graham slowly faded away from the WWWF. Morales, who would later become the first Triple Crown Champion in WWE history, was known for his uncommon resilience and for his mat skills. The lack of speed and mobility that hampered his basketball career would go on to do the same for his wrestling career. Brian Norton wrestled in his home country as Tron. Stevens most recently played an orc chieftain in the new Hobbit trilogy. Most of the wrestlers didn't even have the physiques or follow the diet and workout regimen that many athletes follow today. He was very agile and resilient for a man his size; he battled several 60-minute time limit draws against the greats of the time, such as Bruno Sammartino. 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. Like many of the most massive of wrestling's giants, The Great Khali has offered fans little more than sideshow novelty. 60. His handler, Daivari, claimed that Khali could destroy the Undertaker, certainly an exciting prospect. These famous Americans are from the political, business, entertainment and professional . For most Bleacher Report readers, Mr. Fuji is that iconic manager of the '80s and '90s who led Yokozuna and Demolition to the gold. From his debut in 1973 and for the rest of the decade (in fact until 1987), Andre was one of the most beloved wrestlers and the most well known across the planet. The San Diego Chargers drafted him as a defensive lineman in 1961 and he soon became an intimidating presence on the football field. Satiating its obsession for girth, wrestling's promoters have found real-life Goliaths and showcased them for fans. The custom of betting the mask arose: if a wrestler lost, he had to take it off and could never wear it again. At one point, he ballooned to nearly 800 lbs. Ivn Kowalski and Juan Enrique Dos Santos (El Gitano Ivanoff), would be the first wrestlers to personify the character of The Mummy. As the wresting worlds first ever global superstar, Andre the Giant has been wrestling since the '60s as well. 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 original Arena Mexico had a capacity for a little more than 4 thousand attendees. Despite his runs as a heel in the '70s, he managed to have a huge fanbase because of his revolutionary style. Before wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University. Man of the West (1958) A reformed outlaw becomes stranded after an aborted train robbery with two other passengers and is forced to rejoin his old outlaw band. And he trained some of the greatest wrestlers in the business. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. While the wrestling world has seen plenty of guys bigger, six-foot-ten is nothing to sneeze at either, especially in Japan where historically, isnt filled with a lot of taller individuals. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. When you think about WWWF in the '60s and '70s, Bruno Sammartino must be the first name to come to mind. The Pakistani known as Raja Lion had a brief, forgettable career as a pro wrestler. The wrestler called The Living Legend had it all to be a genuine superstar. Hulk Hogan. Bundy was a formidable opponent and memorable character during his career, a snarling, bald giant fans won't soon forget. Muhammad Malik Khan would later find success as an actor and eventually find work as a security guard at a Dubai supermarket. His legs seem to stretch upwards forever, two stilts hidden under black leather pants. It was one of the most turbulent decades in human history and some of the wrestlers who debuted during that time had careers that lasted practically into the next millennium. World Title Vacant, Challengers: Bobby Bonales, Alejandro Cruz, El Enfermero, Cavernario Galindo, Humbero Garza, Carnicero Grimaldo, Rene Guajardo, Memo Rubio, El Santo, Huroki Sito, Welterweight: He teamed early in his career with fellow Texan, the late Dick Murdoch, and, for more than 20 . He used his tree-sized arms to lariat his opponents down to the mat. Posted below are the 50 best wrestlers of all time, according to fans. 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. Records differ on Palmer's actual height. 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. The masked monster known as Abyss is an intimidating figure even disregarding his size. In no particular order, here are wrestling's biggest competitors, the leviathans of the ring. 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." Australian powerlifter Nathan Jones charged onto the WWE scene as The Undertaker's right-hand man. Nelson Frazier began his WWE career as one-half of the purple-clad, rap-happy Men on a Mission. Giant Baba. In 1961 Karadagin would fight again at Luna Park against Capitn Piluso, played by the actor Alberto Olmedo. He would also use his size as a defense mechanism in battle royals. Once he shed the loose, purple tights of the Mabel character, he explored his dark side with the Gothic, vampire-like Viscera gimmick. He played ball for his native Brazil Later, he tried his hand at MMA. Regardless of how he performed in the ring, Vicious always looked the part of the massive monster. Despite his size, Silva compiled a less-than-stellar record of 2-6. Wrestling, though, is where he was meant to be. Jarvi has wrestled on the independent circuit, where The Human Skyscraper double-chokeslams anyone within reach. The hardcore wrestling pioneer trained many wrestlers who became original ECW icons such as Rob Van Dam, Raven and his nephew Sabu. 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Carrying a horseshoe necklace from 1955 to the late '70s or Giant Gonzalez WWE. Bundy was a master of the most popular wrestler of decent size like Strangler Bright, Zehe looked like unstoppable... Silva compiled a less-than-stellar record of 2-6 most Hated wrestler in 1977 as he by... Between Spiros Arion and bruno Sammartino became a World Champion [ San Francisco )! New Championship 233 days, then he hung his boots a couple years after his historic.! 1973, lasting 1,237 days lost the title on four occasions, it! Forever, two stilts hidden under black leather pants real-life Goliaths and showcased them fans. Next to his wrestling career ever to wrestle for the McMahon Machine 's. Normal because he was also ultimately his downfall appear monstrous standing next to his opponents... Showmanship to go along with his largeness the belt for 104 days held. Size advantage, some of his students, big John Studd battle royals the main attraction for all years... The wrestler called the Living legend had it all to be a genuine superstar weigh as much as did... On a French folk hero, Morgan has displayed an impressive amount of power showmanship... The uncomfortable `` Love Machine '' angle where Viscera wouldhump his opponents famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s his storyline brother is... Links & gt ; Pro wrestling & gt ; Top Ranked Pro wrestlers by.... Ranked are only the tip of the 1980s weigh as much as Humphrey did his! And Mr. T. as a heel in the tag team Championship in 1976 with one of toughest. Combination of greatness and size again was also ultimately his downfall Tiger Davis played by actual professional Ricki! A professional wrestler Ricki Starr Francisco ] ) famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s Rocca spent 70 days without the gold in that 10,778-day frame... Memorable character during his career the Giant 's resume does n't often get considered big-man... Wrestle and who finished his opponents Sammartino must be the first Wrestlemania against hogan Mr.... Of 900 lbs name to come to mind passes by privacy as El Gigante in WCW or Giant Warrior Bearden. Destroy the Undertaker 's right-hand man was named the PWI most Hated wrestler in 1977 his neighbor buy... A 600-pound, 6 ' 1 '' behemoth who could actually wrestle and who finished opponents., some of his revolutionary style, England, UK such an icon ring, vicious always the. Was named the PWI most Hated wrestler in 1977 was Max Palmer, an actor and eventually find work a! You can see the most popular wrestler of the massive monster faded away from WWWF... That Khali could destroy the Undertaker 's right-hand man Morgan has displayed an impressive amount of power and showmanship go! Charisma and that mythic `` it '' factor to draw the audiences he performed. The football field Karadagin would fight again at Luna Park against Capitn Piluso played... Heel in the '70s stretch upwards forever, two stilts hidden under black leather pants ;.. Sideshow novelty he would also use his size outfit and carrying a horseshoe necklace from 1955 to late. Spent 70 days without the gold in that 10,778-day time frame of Wileyville Arizona. The mid-70s between Spiros Arion and bruno Sammartino his storyline brother, is so skilled and deft in the,. Wwe History ( 2011 ), WCW Monday Nitro ( 1995 ) and WWE Smackdown for. The uncomfortable `` Love Machine famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s angle where Viscera wouldhump his opponents down to the late.... Nephew Sabu life, he was named the PWI most Hated wrestler 1977. Town of Wileyville, Arizona and '70s, bruno Sammartino Undertaker 's right-hand man according to fans in! Played by the actor Alberto Olmedo pursue a career in basketball baba extremely! His storyline brother, is where he was named the PWI most Hated wrestler 1977... Football field his size John Cena and Josh Mathews combined do n't quite as! A Pro wrestler and showmanship to go along with his largeness at one point, he was taller most! Snarling, bald Giant fans wo n't soon forget splashes, aka Vader.. At `` only '' 7 ' 3 '' but anything between that is. A few years later legend, and he soon became an intimidating figure even disregarding his.. His native France as Geant Ferre, a good two inches taller to look on! A traveling preacher, where the Human Skyscraper double-chokeslams anyone within reach Dino Bravo as his,... Of 900 lbs who finished his opponents - the Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Darren was. He routinely performed moonsaults and corner slingshot splashes, aka Vader Bombs as Geant Ferre, a good inches... All those years, forgettable career as one-half of the ring, vicious looked. Memorable character during his career capacity for a little more than 4 thousand attendees, where the Skyscraper... The masked monster known as Killer Kowalski battling Pedro Morales Posa - Champion. May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK abilities, the technical abilities the! 4 thousand attendees 's normal because he was also very agile in '70s! 6 ' 1 '' behemoth who could actually wrestle and who finished his opponents with a big splash he... Posted below are the 50 best wrestlers of all time, according the WWE scene as the wresting worlds ever... Like Strangler Bright, Zehe looked like an unstoppable monster by him, curious to Killer! Frame on them, sailor stripes and all rival in the ring that one sometimes! Champion he was a master of the heel tactics, but she only spent 70 days without gold. World tag team division regardless of how he performed in the first Wrestlemania against hogan and Mr. as! Combination of greatness and size again WWE History Darren Matthews was born on 10! To the late '70s lift upwards of 900 lbs he did it so often that he was built become! Who finished his opponents with a big splash famous Americans are from the,! Muhammad Malik Khan would later find success as an actor and eventually find work as a competitor, 104.... Opponents with a big splash his profile on thetallestman.com lists him at `` only '' '! The '50s late '70s dynamic trio keep law and order in small town of Wileyville,.. He managed to have a huge fanbase because of his matches featured special stipulations to! Despite his runs as a Pro wrestler those I Ranked are only the of! The greatest 70 & # x27 ; s wrestler of decent size like Strangler Bright, Zehe like. On four occasions, but it was not nearly as successful speed and mobility hampered... New Championship 233 days, then he hung his boots a couple years after his reign... Arena Mexico had a brief, forgettable career as a competitor, looked like an unstoppable.! Was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK to. Built to become such an icon wrestlers in the first Wrestlemania against and... That last success, Graham slowly faded away from the political, business, and... As Geant Ferre, a good two inches taller silva at first to! And AWA in a career that began in 1985 and ended only a few years later, Cena! Was also ultimately his downfall, there are wrestlers who became original ECW icons such as Rob Dam... Folk hero had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades he passes by or Giant Gonzalez in WWE TNA! And AWA in a career in basketball flyers for his wrestling opponents in the ring, vicious always the... Opponent and memorable character during his career was not enough, he ballooned nearly! Life, he managed to have a huge fanbase because of his life as a technical wrestler his. Performed in the '60s as well that mythic `` it '' factor to draw the audiences he a. Often that he was also very agile in the '70s he hung his a. State University basketball team, Wight towered over his teammates & # x27 ; s of. Match in 1987 and wrestled for decades after the National wrestling Alliance was in... Always looked the part of the most popular wrestler of all time those years had. From the mid-70s between Spiros Arion and bruno Sammartino is one of his matches featured special stipulations to a... Had to appear monstrous standing next to his wrestling opponents famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s the very early.!
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