Top 10 Super Heavyweights in WWE History: Part 1

The Super Heavyweight division of WWE has been for long the most fascinating one in the company. Fans always were and are thrilled to see huge 450 pound monsters get into the ring and perform. Irrespective of their ability inside the ring, their sheer size managed to impress the crowd.

We all know how fascinated the McMahon family are with big men in WWE and hence we have been fortunate to see a lot of super heavyweights perform and enthrall us inside the ring. However, there have been a few who have managed to become a larger than life character thanks to their feats and their persona inside the ring. Here we will have a look at the greatest super heavyweights to have stepped inside the ring in WWE history.

Note: The list is based on wrestlers who manage to meet the credentials of being super heavyweight which means they need to weigh anything greater than 350 pounds. Plus other factors such as fame, in ring ability & matches, legacy and of course size is taken into account for this list.

10. Earthquake (John Tenta)

Earthquake

Back in the 1980′s witnessing a man as big as John Tenta was a miracle of its own kind. Not often had people come across such a big man in the ring. John was well known for his feud against Hulk Hogan in the 90′s and also a few great matches against Typhoon and Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Earthquake was known as an unstoppable monster-heel in WWE who sent wrestlers on a stretcher after hitting them with his signature sitdown splash. The fact that he ran all the way across the ring and jumped on the opponents chest made people shiver in fear.

After his memorable run in WWE for almost 5 years, financial situations forced Tenta to move to WCW. Here he was introduced as Avalanche and had memorable feuds with Sting and Randy Savage. He was then repackaged and brought in as The Shark. His influence slowly started fading as he was made to change gimmicks far too often. However, he had a great feud against Big Bubba Rogers who we know better as the Big Boss Man.

His career saw a slump after that as Tenta had lost a lot of weight, WWE repackaged him as Golga and put him in small feuds but none of them stuck. He then made sporadic appearances in WWE. His last appearance was in Wrestlemania 17.9. Rikishi

Rikishi

For fans who thought big men fighting in the ring was fascinating enough, Vince McMahon had something better to show. He wanted big men to do much more than squash smaller wrestlers and brought out Rikishi (Solofa Fatu Jr.). This big samoan was mainly known for his dancing moves inside the ring. He became an instant sensation as he danced after each of his match. This was something no one had seen a big man do in the ring. His finisher stink face was something fans adored and fellow wrestlers loathed.

Fatu started his career in WWE as a part of the Headshrikers where he helped his cousin Yokozuna. He then held the Tag Title and was involved several storylines before losing the title to Shawn Michaels and Diesel. He was then reintroduced as a singles star. He took up several gimmicks during his initial stint as a singles wrestler. WWE gave him the Fatu and the Sultan gimmick where he even challenged Rocky Mavia for the Intercontinental Title.

After taking some time off for training, he returned to WWE and took up the Rikishi gimmick which meant sumo wrestler in Japanese. He was paired along with Too Cool comprising of Scotty 2 Hotty and Grand Master Sexay. It was during this time that Rikishi gained immense popularity. His dance routines during the end of each match made fans go crazy. Rikishi then went on to turn heel and be strongly involved in the corporation storyline. He then returned from an injury and was drafted to SmackDown. He was then released in 2004.

8. Akeem/One Man Gang (George Gray)

Akeem

Any list without Akeem in it is incomplete. Better known as One Man Gang, Gray had a lot of memorable moments in WWE. His early life had him work in several independent circuits where he gained a lot of popularity for his size. His One Man Gang gimmick is considered one of the ridiculous gimmicks in WWE.

His career in WWE generally saw him on the losing side. But having faced the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage one can say he had a memorable run. He was also part of the first Survivor Series PPV that saw Andre The Giant’s team take on Hulk Hogan’s. He was also part of the first Royal Rumble where he made his entry at 19 and was one of the last two to remain in the ring. He then was repackaged as Akeem and teamed with Big Boss Man to form the Twin Towers which lasted for about two years. He then went to WCW where he continued the One Man Gang gimmick.

Akeem was one of the most talked about big men in WWE mainly because of his gimmicks. He is also known for his famous controversial promo as Akeem which involved him speaking in a typical black accent and dancing like an American.7. Umaga

Umaga

Without doubt one of the most memorable Samoan wrestlers to have worked in WWE. Umaga can be considered one of the most exciting characters that WWE has given a big man in the company. Despite starting with a comparatively stale character named Jamal, he was then repackaged as Umaga that made it possible for him to live up to his family’s name.

Umaga a.k.a Edward Fatu began his career in WWE as Jamal where he was paired with his cousin as Rosey. The duo were named 3-minute warning and lasted close to a year. Fatu then was released from WWE and he worked in All Japan Pro-Wrestling. Following a brief stint there he returned back to WWE and was introduced as Umaga which was reminiscent of Rikishi’s Headshirker gimmick. Fatu gained a lot of popularity as Umaga as he was right away introduced as a moster. He remained unbeaten for over a year and this streak was finally broken by John Cena. Umaga then had a memorable last man standing match against John Cena.

He was then chosen as Vince McMahon’s representative for the ‘Battle of Billionare’ match where he fought against Bobby Lashley who represented Donald Trump. After losing this match, Umaga went on to feud with Lashley. Santino Marella defeating Umaga for the Intercontinental title was one of the most exciting matches of his career. Sadly Umaga lost his life due to a overdose in 2009.

6. Vader

Vader

For a man of his size, it was almost impossible to imagine the moves he managed to pull out in the ring. at 450 pounds Vader managed to moonsault from the top of the ring which till date remains one of the most shocking move from a giant. Vader was worked with a lot of organizations in Japan, Mexico and was a strong part of WCW. Though his run with WWE wasn’t very impressive his abilities in the ring alone have earned him a spot in this list.

His most memorable stint was with WCW which lasted 5 years. He feuded with top stars like Mick Foley, Psycho Sid and Hulk Hogan. He made his WWE debut in 1996 and was involved in small feuds The British Bulldog and Yokozuna. He then went on to feud against Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker which lasted for a year. After this he was put in several feuds against Goldust, Kane etc. He was then relegated to being a jobber for a while after which Vader felt it right to quit the company.