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If there is one thing that the WWE is notoriously famous for, it is for their obsession with 'big men'. Over the years, if you look at the roster, McMahon and company have favored bringing in the big guys as impact players. This is a love story that has stood the test of time with Braun Strowman being the latest example.
Throughout history, professional wrestlers have tended to be larger than the average person. This is true even in cases of men like Adam Cole, whose 220 pound frame is still on the average seventy pounds heavier than the average healthy weight for a man.
But then there are those massive scale tippers, those anomalies of nature that defy description. These men literally have to be seen to be believed. Their gigantic frames lend and extra special quality to their appearances, both on and off the mat.
WWE has been the home of the some of the most famous big men in the history of the pro wrestling game. Some of them made indelible marks upon the business, and some seemed to disappear without making any positive impact at all.
In this week's edition of WWE History, journey back to look at the cream of the crop of the promotion's big men wrestlers. These are not ALL of the big men who laced up the boots for WWE, but they are the ones who are the most memorable.
#1 The Big Show
Real Name: Paul Wight
Active years: 1995-2018
Height and Weight: 7' 0" 383 lbs (Billed at 7'2" and 450 lbs.)
Signature Move: Chokeslam
Paul Wight was brought in as a 'secret weapon' to defeat Hulk Hogan in a charity basketball game in 1995. Hogan told Wight he 'had a hundred dollar bill stuck to his forehead,' and signed him up for WCW.
Initially, he was billed as the son of Andre the Giant (who only had a daughter), but over time this angle was dropped without explanation. Despite some good showings and great agility for a big man he never got much momentum in WCW, constantly flipping between face and heel roles.
Then he joined the WWE, and enjoyed an immediate push. Though some fans complained about his slow, plodding style, the newly christened Big Show would go on to become the twelfth grand slam champion in WWE history, and left an indelible imprint upon the WWE.
For his size and build, he was agile and has been one of the mainstays of the WWE for over two decades.
#2 Mark Henry
Real Name: Mark Henry
Active years: 1996-2017
Height and Weight: 6' 3" 360 lbs (Billed at six five and 400 lbs.)
Signature Move: World's Strongest Slam
Mark Henry was a decorated power lifter, a strong man competitor and an Olympian, before his debut with the WWE.
Henry legit held the title of 'world's strongest man' at several points in his life, and WWE used this for his initial gimmick. He quickly betrayed friend Ahmed Johnson and joined the heel faction Nation of Domination.
When the group split up, Henry was repackaged as the sexual chocolate character. Affairs with senior citizens and silly theme music couldn't derail his career, however.
He would be sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to improve his in ring technique, and when he returned, he was meaner if not leaner. Henry became the World's Strongest Man again, and eventually wore the WWE World Championship.
Mark Henry is officially retired now, and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
Henry is best known for his kayfabe retirement speech, which should ideally have earned him an academy award.
#3 Rikishi Fatu
Real Name: Solofa Fatu, Jr.
Active years: 1985-still active on the indie scene.
Height and Weight: 6' 1" 380 lbs (Billed at six foot four and 425 lbs.)
Signature Move: Technically, the Rikishi driver (fire thunder driver) was his finisher, but he's more well known for the dreaded Stink Face.
Rikishi Fatu got his start in the great white north of Canada, working for Dino Bravo's wrestling promotion. Believe it or not, in his youth, Rikishi used a lot of offense off the turnbuckle and was considered a high flying babyface.
Then he began teaming with his cousin, Samu, as the Samoan Swat Team. They enjoyed feuds with such luminaries as the Steiner Brothers and the Road Warriors before heading to WWE. There, the SST became known as the Headshrinkers for several years before Samu was let go from the company.
After that, Rikishi was 'make a difference' Fatu, a baby face street preacher, before being repackaged again as the Sultan. In his final repackaging, he was at last known as Rikishi, in an attempt at an homage to Yokozuna.
No one much cared about Rikishi until he started dancing with Too Cool. Then he became a true babyface, and enjoyed a ton of popularity until the infamous "I did it for the people" promo in which he admitted to running over Stone Cold Steve Austin in an infamous incident.
The move was supposed to elevate Rikishi to the main event, but instead it derailed his momentum. He eventually would be released from his WWE contract and work the indie scene, which he still does today. However, he is now under a legends contract and a member of the WWE Hall Of Fame as recognition of his contributions to the sport.
#4 Earthquake
Real Name: John Tenta
Active years: 1987-2001
Height and Weight: 6' 5" 425 lbs (Billed at six foot ten and 468 lbs.)
Signature Move: Earthquake splash.
John Tenta was a decorated amateur wrestler in his native Canada, before developing an interest in the Japanese art of Sumo wrestling. He won all twenty four bouts in his active Sumo career, attaining the rank of Rikishi in the sport. However, a combination of the heavy physical toll Sumo took on his body and the fact that he could not advance because of a tattoo meant that Tenta switched careers to pro wrestling.
He wrestled in Japan for several years before making the jump to the North American market. Tenta was brought in as the Canadian Earthquake, and tag teamed with Dino Bravo. Eventually Earthquake lost the "Canadian" part of his name, and became a babyface, where he teamed up with fellow big man Tugboat/Typhoon in the Natural Disasters.
After earning tag team gold in WWE, Earthquake joined WCW but didn't do much in the promotion other than gang up on Hogan along with the rest of his Dungeon of Doom cohorts. He returned to the WWE under a mask as Golga, but again failed to make an impact. Other than a few one off appearances in the early 2000 and 2001 as Earthquake, his career effectively ended.
Tenta passed away in 2004, but his legacy will never be forgotten.
#5 Vader
Real Name: Leon White
Active years: 1986-2017
Height and Weight: 6' 5" 420 lbs (Billed at his legit height and weight.)
Signature Move: Powerbomb.
Had it not been for a ruptured patella, Leon White, better known to wrestling fans as Big Van Vader, might have had a successful NFL career and never entered a wrestling ring.
Fate intervened, and he was soon a dominant force on the pro wrestling circuit in the south west. Dubbed Baby Bull, he was considered too handsome by promoters to be the monster heel he would eventually become.
But when he went to Japan, Vader became the true beast we all know and love. He demolished Antonio Inoki at Sumo Hall, which led to a riot and pro wrestling being banned from the building for almost twenty years. Vader headed to WCW and dominated there as well, capturing the WCW World title.
When Vader joined WWE, he was aging out of his prime and wasn't the monster he used to be. Still, he managed to go on a couple of main event runs, though he never captured the world title. Vader is fondly remembered for his contributions to the sport.
He was as tough as they come.
#6 Yokozuna
Real Name: Rodney Anoa'i
Active years: 1984-2000
Height and Weight: 6' 2" 480 lbs (Billed at six five and 583 lbs.)
Signature Move: Banzai Drop
Yokozuna is a member of the famous Anoa'i Samoan family who also count The Rock and Roman Reigns among their members.
He wrestled under a variety of gimmicks, such as Kokina Maximus, and Wild Samoan Kokina all over the world, particularly in Japan.
Eventually, he made his way to the WWE in 1992 by a personal invitation from Vince McMahon. He wanted a foreign monster heel to pit against his all American baby faces, and thus rechristened Kokina as Yokozuna.
As Yokozuna, he was billed as being from Japan and wrestled under the Japanese flag. He's the only wrestler in history to have back-to-back pay-per-view victories over Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan. Yokozuna captured the WWE World Championship and was one of the most successful heels of the New Generation era.
Yokozuna also won the tag team titles with Owen Hart. The duo is considered one of the most underrated tag team combinations in WWE history due to their experience and mix of power and speed.
In 1996, Yokozuna was released by the WWE, and he spent the next several years competing on the indie circuit before his death in 2000. Yokozuna was well-loved backstage as a gentle giant, and even today many fans and wrestlers look back fondly upon his reign as champion.
#7 One Man Gang/Akeem the African Dream
Real Name: George Gray
Active years: 1977-still active on the indie scene.
Height and Weight: 6' 6" 380lbs (Billed at six foot nine and 450 lbs.)
Signature Move: As Gang: Gordbuster. As Akeem: 747 Splash.
George Gray got his start in the pro wrestling business in the late 1970s. Working his way up through the indies, he replaced an injured Terry Gordy in a match and won the UWF World Heavyweight championship. At one time, the UWF was considered a rival for both the NWA and WWE, making this an elite wrestling accolade.
It took Gray nearly ten years to make it to WWE, but when he did he made an instant splash. He was disqualified from the WWE World title tournament at Wrestlemania IV, and then went on an extensive feud with Bam Bam Bigelow.
Over time, his manager Slick claimed that Gang was secretly of African descent, and he was repackaged as Akeem the African Dream. Ironically, he was more visible and successful as the new character, even though many fans and critics didn't care much for it.
He eventually joined WCW as One Man Gang, but didn't accomplish much there other than jobbing to Hulk Hogan. However, wrestling as Akeem, he still has a presence on the indie scene and is one of the most cheerful and sociable wrestling legends you'd care to meet.
Gang isn't in the WWE Hall of Fame yet, but his contributions to the wrestling world seem to make his inclusion inevitable.
#8 Bam Bam Bigelow
Real Name: Scott Bigelow
Active years: 1986-2007
Height and Weight: 6' 3" 325 lbs (Billed at six foot six and 400 lbs.)
Signature Move: Greetings from Asbury Park; Nuclear Splash
The Beast from the East was a proud New Jersey native and a product of the world famous Monster Factory wrestling school. He feuded with such notables as Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett early in his career, before undergoing a gimmick change as Russian Crusher Yerkof.
He joined WWE and was christened Bam Bam Bigelow. With flames tattooed on his skull and on his tights, he certainly stood out. However, it was Bigelow's tremendous and surprising agility that truly made fans stand up and take notice.
He was a successful mid-card baby face in WWE, but also worked literally all over the world for a variety of promotions, including WCW and ECW. ECW is where he earned his only major world title belt.
Bigelow wrestled right up until his untimely death in 2007. Bigelow is remembered as being one of the best, most athletic big men to ever lace up a pair of boots.
#9 Big John Studd
Real Name: John Minton
Active years: 1972-1989
Height and Weight: 6'10" 360 lbs (Billed at Seven feet and 400 lbs.)
Signature Move: Reverse Bearhug, back breaker
John Minton was trained by the legendary Killer Kowalski, the same man who trained Triple H and Chyna. The towering Minton became a major draw in every promotion he wrestled in, based upon his massive size.
However, Minton wasn't just a big lug. He could wrestle a much more scientific style than many men half his size, and often performed moves more associated with luchadores like the Victory Roll. He joined the WWE in 1982 as a heel, and had a gimmick where he would bring $15000 US for any wrestler who could manage to body slam him. Famously, Andre the Giant was the one to finally get Studd off of his feet, and proceeded to distribute the money to fans at ringside.
Studd held over twenty titles in the course of his career, including the WWE World Tag Team titles and was a Royal Rumble winner. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
#10 Andre the Giant
Real Name: Andre Roussimoff
Active years: 1966-1992
Height and Weight: 7' 4" 520 lbs (Billed at his legit height and weight..)
Signature Move: Scoop Slam, Tombstone piledriver
Andre the Giant was born with Acromegaly, a condition which caused him to grow unimpeded to well over seven feet tall. He performed well in school, but dropped out in the eighth grade to become a farm laborer and support his family. He was discovered by wrestling scouts and soon became a 'lumberjack' character in his native France.
Eventually known as Andre the Giant, he would wrestle all over the world, but became especially well loved in Japan and the USA. When he joined the WWE in 1982, he was probably the most famous pro wrestler on the planet, having also appeared in film and television roles.
Andre's most famous feud in WWE was against Hulk Hogan, with whom he main evented Wrestlemania III. Despite his massive size and appeal, Andre only held the WWE world title once, and that was for less than a minute before he 'surrendered' the belt to Ted Dibiase.
Andre was forced to retire due to health concerns, but is remembered as the most famous and popular 'big man' wrestler to ever compete. He was the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame when it was conceived, and rightfully so.
Who was/is your favorite big man in WWE? Please comment and let us know. Thank you for coming with us in our journey through WWE History once again, and we'll see you next week!
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
