famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60sfamous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s

Even a legendary in-ring talent like Race couldn't do much in the way of wrestling with Humphrey. And, in those years, he often fought in 60-minute time limit draws. The man known as Killer Kowalski Jr. was even bigger, a good two inches taller. More than his tree-like stature, more than anything else in his career, fans will think of mustaches when they think of Eli Cottonwood. Jobbers soon found out what a chokeslam felt like from an incredible height. The deranged villain held his opponents in the backbreaker rack or splashed his weight on their prone bodies. He only spent one year with the company in the '70s, but what a year it was! He made matches like his battle vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III an unforgettable experience. Vintage Wrestling Girls - 50s & 60s. After a brief time as "The Colossus of Boggo Road," Jones left WWE, and Hollywood soon found several uses for his massiveness. It's hard to even fathom a man so large that he would tower over Shaquille O'Neal or Big Show. Masks to hide the identity of the fighters became popular. Kane, like his storyline brother, is so skilled and deft in the ring that one can sometimes forget how big he is. Giant Baba became one of the key figures in all of Japanese wrestling. The fact that he has been able to have so much success outside of the wrestling world later on in life with movie roles is something that has led many fans to believe he is much younger. Together this dynamic trio keep law and order in small town of Wileyville, Arizona. While the Ugandan portion of his character was all show, the giant part was not. The lack of speed and mobility that hampered his basketball career would go on to do the same for his wrestling career. Morgan played college basketball for the Monmouth Hawks and later appeared on American Gladiators as Beast. This soon turned into the uncomfortable "Love Machine" angle where Viscera wouldhump his opponents. Click here to watch Luke Graham in the ring; it's probably not a WWWF footage, but that's all I could find. Graham, one of the greatest brawlers ever, won three different tag team championships during his runs with the company. He was a master of the heel tactics, but he was also very agile in the ring. 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. In 1971, he and Bruno Sammartino put the hand on the short-lived WWWF International Tag Team Championship, a secondary Title. It seems that if there is a lack of ideas for a large wrestler, he is inevitably dressed in overalls and asked to play an oversized country bumpkin. Wrestlers in the 6 . Zbyszko slowly climbed the ladder in singles competition until he won the WWWF Tag Team Championship along with Tony Garea, for a 105-day reign. Known as Colossus the Gladiator or Giant Warrior, Bearden had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades. 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. After some forgettable gimmicks in Isaac Yankem D.D.S. 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. Frazier, even at his leanest, was a rotund man, a whale among fish. Eddie Graham. A former lieutenant during the Revolution, Lutteroth had a deep fascination with wrestling. Monsoon lost the match, but he once again proved he could hold his own against the largest wrestlers in the business at the time, being himself a 6'5", 400-pounder. 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. 47. Scars line his arms. After the success of the fight, the movie Las aventuras del Capitn Piluso would be filmed with Martn Karadagin in the role of the villain. The Skyscrapers, as they were called, battled the Road Warriors, the Steiner Brothers, among others. Before wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University. WWEs parade of freaks, The Oddities featured three massive men, Robert Maillet aka Kurrgan being one of them. 19 Stan Hansen. Humphrey weighed around 750 lbs in his heyday, but according to Harley Race in King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story, Humphrey, "at one point, topped 1,000 pounds.". His moves are limited to swats, chops and awkward slams. Then, if it was not enough, he started a second reign in 1973, lasting 1,237 days. Top 25 1950's Westerns. If there were some great female wrestlers back in the '60s and in the '70s, none of them could overshadow her, and that's why she's the only woman featured on the current list. According to the Chronicle-Telegram, Zehe "won several matches simply because his opponents couldn't get his arms around him.". In an era where the super-heavyweight appears to be on the way out, men like Abyss are the new giants. Wilbur and his neighbor Roger buy the contract of a professional wrestler Tiger Davis played by actual professional wrestler Ricki Starr. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. 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. If it was not really his fault, it was still the birth of a legend. 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. Iron Sheik. Mike Shaw later used the ring name Man Mountain Mike, though he was nowhere near as large as Fletcher. He was also a trainer even when he was an active wrestler. 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. 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. Related: Every Wrestler To Body Slam Andre The Giant. On an interesting side note, Santino Marella's name is a tribute to Monsoon, who's real name is Robert Marella. 1962-08-10 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) Buffalo Bill, Jr. (1955-1956) Buffalo Bill Jr. and his kid sister Calamity are raised under the watchful eye of Judge Ben 'Fair and Square" Wiley. 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. Click here to watch the 1977 PWI Match of the YearGraham defeated Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Title. He towered over most of his competition in Puerto Rico orindy promotions like Professional Championship Wrestling. 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. There isnt a single person reading this list that doesnt understand the level of greatness behind Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. 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. He certainly had the size to make it. For so many men on this list, their size is their only asset. Esta web utiliza cookies propias para su correcto funcionamiento. 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. Learn more at. Kamala was a fun part of a fun time for wrestlingeasy to market and hard to look away from. The wrestler called The Living Legend had it all to be a genuine superstar. On his way to seven NWA titles, Race actually worked for local St. Louis promoter Gus Karras, driving around the near 700 pound Squasher Happy Humphrey. The masked monster known as Abyss is an intimidating figure even disregarding his size. Garea made his mark in the tag team division by winning the gold on three occasions, with three different partners, for a total of 384 days with the title in the '70s. 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. Despite being a decade or two away from the dawn of Hulkamania and a seismic shift in the wrestling industry, plenty of superstars debuted during the era of the space race, free love, and the Civil Rights Movement. Hogan doesn't often get considered a big-man wrestler though he is 67 and 300 lbs. Ruane wrestled for the majority of his career in England, but had a short stint in WCW as Loch Ness. Strongbow will probably be most remembered for his Native American gimmick, with the complete outfit, including his famous traditional headdress than for his achievements. After I completed my previous top 25 lists covering the 1990s and the 2000s, I thought about doing one more list with the '80s, but there are already two of those that have been published recently. Posted below are the 50 best wrestlers of all time, according to fans. 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. Ruben Juarez - National Champion, Middleweight (Mexico): Nelson Frazier began his WWE career as one-half of the purple-clad, rap-happy Men on a Mission. 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. Click here to watch The Baron teaming up with Frand "The Moose" to face Jay Strongbow and Peter Maivia. Brian Norton wrestled in his home country as Tron. On the top of all that, if that means anything, he was the PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1973 and the Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year in 1979. He crushed foes by landing his near-400 lb frame on them, sailor stripes and all. His weight fluctuated throughout his career. He won three WWWF Titles in the tag team division with three different partners from 1971 to 1978. While Juan Manuel Figueroa would be La Momia between 1975 and 1988. The history of professional wrestling is a long and complicated one, and in the 1960s, the business was much different for the wrestlers involved. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. Unable to continue as a wrestler, Stevens took to acting. He managed to win two Tag Team Championships in the '70s, once with Sonny King and once with Billy White Wolf. Click here to watch Killer Kowalski battling Pedro Morales. 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. Most of the wrestlers didn't even have the physiques or follow the diet and workout regimen that many athletes follow today. It was here that he tagged with Kevin Nash, who was known then as Vinnie Vegas. Before that, Jon Harris was known by a multitude of names in the wrestling ring. 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. Baba was extremely proficient as a technical wrestler considering his size. Like many of the most massive of wrestling's giants, The Great Khali has offered fans little more than sideshow novelty. He can also brag to. A monster heel, Studd brought a stretcher to the ring as a means of intimidation. Season 2 Episode 12 The Wrestler. He was a master user of foreign objects and one of the best ever to sell opponents' moves. Darren Matthews Actor | WWE: OMG! Born in Montreal, WWE Hall of Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was one of the top heels in the AWA in the 1960s and 1970s, capturing that promotion's World Heavyweight Championship five times. He built his reputation with a hardcore side that disappeared in the early '80s due to health issues. Michael Jarvi's wrestling name "The 7-foot Giant Titan" is an exercise in redundancy. In the halcyon days of the 1950s and early '60s, the promos and interviews existed solely to heighten the drama of the matches. There have been wrestlers well over 7 tall and some well beyond 400 lbs. Brazil was the Jackie Robinson of wrestling, opening the door to future generations of African-American wrestlers. 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. 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. The Big Red Machine has developed a resume worthy of the Hall of Fame. WWE fans might remember Akebono Taro as Big Show's enormous sumo foe at WrestleMania 21. He gave us classics against Bret Hart and Taz. As you could see, pro wrestling didn't start with Hulk Hogan in the '80s. He was a tough brawler and a solid performer who unfortunately spent much of his career in the shadow of a bigger giant. Yokozuna's weight was his greatest attraction, but it was also ultimately his downfall. Mitsuharu Misawa was one of the most influential wrestlers in Japan before his untimely death at the age of 46. - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Darren Matthews was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK. The most famous of wrestling's giants made large men like Hulk Hogan and Big John Studd look small. He bumbled about the ring worse than Giant Gonzales or The Great Khali ever did. When he joined the WWWF in 1977, he quickly made his way into the world championship picture as a top heel. His wrestling career didn't last long. Policy. 60. Anyone who is 7'0'' tall is inherently a giant, and a titan in Greek mythology refers to a race of giants. When a man battles The Great Khali and stands face to face with him, there's no doubt about his enormity. 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. The team were actually a bloody hardcore tag team. Top 10 Worst Buddy Cop Films. He routinely performed moonsaults and corner slingshot splashes, aka Vader Bombs. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. As the wresting worlds first ever global superstar, Andre the Giant has been wrestling since the '60s as well. 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. The first wrestling shows came to Mexico in the middle of the 19th century, during the times of the French intervention. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. As for any similar list, I considered many factors to rank the wrestlers. However, on many occasions, he was caught at his own game, and it ended in a bloodbath after his rival returned the illegal object against him. 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. With wrestlers not wrestling exclusively for one promotion, Andre became the most popular wrestler of the decade. Even if there are a few non-existent inches added here or a few pounds added to one's weight, there's no denying just how gigantic these men are. Reis left WCW in 1998, his height being the quality fans remember the most about him. One built a reputation just meeting him in the ring. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. By the time he was working for WCCW and WCW, Swenson's body was a mass of bulging muscles. Norton signed a developmental deal at age 26, but apparently WWE officials didn't see enough from the 7'0'' giant. Hulk Hogan. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. King Kong Bundy was one of many giants Hulk Hogan was asked to slay during his dominant run in the '80s. Here is a smattering of pro wrestlers from that era. 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. Patera made a name for himself as a dominant strongman wrestler who had a successful weightlifting career behind him. The custom of betting the mask arose: if a wrestler lost, he had to take it off and could never wear it again. Steve Reeves was the first bodybuilder to put . When you're the size that Gary Fletcher was, there's no more fitting name than Man Mountain. 1. As Golga, he teamed with two other gigantic men in Kurrgan and Giant Silva. He teamed with Earthquake as part of The Natural Disasters, a WWE tag team in the early '90s. 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. (1999). ( United States Champions) Mark Lewin & Don Curtis Antonino Rocca & Miguel Perez Fabulous Kangaroos ( International Champions) Ben Sharpe & Mike Sharpe ( World Champions [San Francisco]) Jackie Fargo & Don Fargo Reggie Lisowski & Stan Lisowski Bill Miller & Dan Miller Ivan Kalmikoff & Karol Kalmikoff ( World Champions [Minneapolis]) The Master of the Heart Punch had one of the shortest reigns as world champion in WWE history, but he holds the unique distinction to have ended Pedro Morales' 1,027-day reign. He was a rigid wrestler on redwood-like legs. Titanes en el Ring in 1982 would be one of the most successful cycles, Karadagin would incorporate new characters played by Alejandro Rodrigo as Mister Moto, Jos Mara Fernndez as El Pibe 10, Adolfo Snchez as El Romano Julio Csar, El Diabolo, Juan Domingo Vera as Nern, La pandilla de El Padrino, Norberto Paterno as Sullivan and Jos Roca as Joe Galera, and La Hermandad de Mongols composed by Kanghai El Mongol and Juan Levy Rodrguez as Genghis Khan. Baba s famous steak & lemonade menu Golden age of old Mexican wrestlers 10 Wrestlers Who Tragically Died In The Ring. Strong Female Characters That Are Unforgettable! 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. He was an instant top babyface who battled Gorilla Monsoon and The Sheik among others. Lance Storm The original Arena Mexico had a capacity for a little more than 4 thousand attendees. Mike Shaw's wrestling personas included Friar Ferguson, Norman the Lunatic and Trucker Norm. 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. He was a master of in-ring psychology and an ace on the mic who could generate heat like no others. The man known then as "The Giant," became a mammoth-sized part of WCW in 1995 and immediately drew comparisons to Andre the Giant. 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.

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