famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60snoise ordinance greenfield, wi
The original Arena Mexico had a capacity for a little more than 4 thousand attendees. The Baron enjoyed a great career with the WWWF in the '60s and in the '70s as one of the top heels. Fans were enthralled by him, curious to watch a man his size and perhaps were pulled in by his larger-than-life aura. Together this dynamic trio keep law and order in small town of Wileyville, Arizona. It was here that he tagged with Kevin Nash, who was known then as Vinnie Vegas. However, he was not alone and this top 25 is the proof. After a stint in World Class Championship Wrestling, Bundy made a name for himself in WWE, squashing opponents with his Avalanche Splash. At nearly eight years long, it is the longest World Championship reign in pro wrestling history. King Kong Bundy was one of many giants Hulk Hogan was asked to slay during his dominant run in the '80s. Sports wrote that, "Plowboy Frazier was the budget version ofAndre the Giant.". Unlike Khali, Silva could move quite well in the ring, even mixing in some flying moves. It was Big Daddy who served as his biggest rival. 10 Wrestling Legends You Didn't Know Competed In The 1960s, certainly included professional wrestling, as names like Gorgeous George became commonplace, John Cena's Career Told In Photos, Through The Years, New Zealand before traversing the globe as the ultra violent Sheepherders in the late 1970s, Every Wrestler To Body Slam Andre The Giant, the former baseball player met the Rising Suns first legend, Rikidozan, that was it for Baba, and he, former NWA World Champion Jack and the former Stooge Jerry both began in the late '60s, Antonio Inoki: The WWE Champion The Company Doesn't Recognize, ripping off Tosh Togo later in his career, The Devious One was a fearsome competitor, winning tag team gold several times during his career with Professor, one of the most feared men to walk on "Gods Green Earth. His wrestling career didn't last long. 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. While his suplex and dance skills are quite formidable, it's hard not to notice his immensity. Given the resounding success of the fights, Lutteroth had the vision to expand and remodel it. Top 10 Buddy Cops on TV. If he was officially undefeated for over 15 years, he never touched any WWWF gold in the '70s, proving there's no need to win championships to become a legend. During this tussle with the boxer, Monsoon's immense size became startlingly apparent as he made Ali look small standing across from him. From 1970 to 1973, Pedro Morales left a permanent mark on WWE. As the wresting worlds first ever global superstar, Andre the Giant has been wrestling since the '60s as well. Standing behind his partners in Fortune, Morgan made James Storm and Ric Flair look tiny. Known as Colossus the Gladiator or Giant Warrior, Bearden had hisfirst match in 1987 and wrestled for decades. Bearden won several championships throughout his career, particularly in South Africa, where he made his home in the early '90s. to these sites/people. . Think about Yokozuna or Big Daddy V but wearing a farmer boy outfit and carrying a horseshoe necklace from 1955 to the late '70s. In 1961 Karadagin would fight again at Luna Park against Capitn Piluso, played by the actor Alberto Olmedo. The original Arena Mexico had a capacity for a little more than 4 thousand attendees. Policy. He was a top draw in Australia and in Europe when he headed to America to join the company. 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. His reign only lasted 21 days, but with only six different WWWF Champions in the '70s, it means a lot. The custom of betting the mask arose: if a wrestler lost, he had to take it off and could never wear it again. 23. Giant Baba became one of the key figures in all of Japanese wrestling. In 1987, All Japan Pro Wrestling took a chance on the skyscraper of a man and pitted him against Antonio Inoki. ( 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]) This was his most successful endeavor. You probably noticed that the name of Bruno Sammartino was repeated often and was featured in many videos. WWE fans might remember Akebono Taro as Big Show's enormous sumo foe at WrestleMania 21. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . He could've been a world champion in any promotion, but he preferred the freedom of travelling all over the USA thus becoming the most popular wrestler in the country. Nothing could be further from the truth for The Undertaker. He, like Giant Baba, started out under the tutelage of Rikidozan and perhaps is best known for his greatest gift to wrestling - starting New Japan. He headlined many Madison Square Garden supercards, mainly in two or three-men tag team action, and in 1973, he had a 105-day WWWF World Tag Team Championship reign along with Tony Garea. 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 Fabulous Moolah is the longest reigning champion in pro wrestling history. A former NWA and ECW World Champion, and a violent hardcore wrestler. Billed at 7'7'', his actual height is debated. The Original Sheik portrayed a rich and brutal Syrian who brought a new level of violence in pro wrestling. Giant Baba. Widely respected for his integrity and personal principles, Sammartino was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 60's and 70's. Born and raised in a small Italian town, Bruno Sammartino's childhood was quite tough. In 1978 DeNucci enjoyed his second reign with Dino Bravo as his partner, and they held the belt for 104 days. Judging by looks alone, few fans would peg Vader for an athlete. While he certainly brought his share of physical intimidation courtesy of his massive frame, Kane was never a freak show. 47. Heavyweight: He began his WWE career as one-half of the Headshrinkers in a crowded tag team division. Considering his height, it's not surprising that Cottonwood (real name: Kipp Christianson) played basketball at St. John's (Minn.) as well as for the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks during the summer league. Free shipping for many products! Dwarfing a man the size of Mason Ryan is accomplishment a rare few can claim. Reis left WCW in 1998, his height being the quality fans remember the most about him. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. 1961-09-29 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) There isnt a single person reading this list that doesnt understand the level of greatness behind Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The original Nature Boy was the total package back in the day, and he directly inspired Ric Flair with his flamboyant gimmick. * Championships in parentheses ( ) are noted according to the approximate date of the information, usually three or four months prior to the publishing date, in order to give a better idea of why the wrestlers may be ranked. Before wrestling, Reis played basketball at Santa Clara University. Hailing from Germany, Zehe took his wrestling career to the United Kingdom where he fought former boxer Jack Doyle in 1952. His first reign, in 1975, lasted 105 days, and he teamed up with Victor Rivera who was later replaced by Pat Barrett. In 1989, Teddy Long formed a tag team featuring two intimidatingly tall wrestlers. 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. Related: The Reason Lucha Underground Went Out Of Business Explained. He left that match bloodied and without the WWE title. - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (2011), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. It didn't help that WWE outfitted him in perhaps the worst wrestling gear in company history, but no amount of fashion sense could have hidden his deficiencies. His finishing move, like many men of his size, uses his weight as a weapon, splashing down on a fallen foe for a victory. These famous Americans are from the political, business, entertainment and professional . Ray Stevens. Eddie Graham. 60. You can also click here to watch another poor quality video (Sammartino defeating Stasiak for the WWWF Title). 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. Back in the days, most wrestlers moved from one territory to another, or in other words, there was no promotion exclusivity. Jarvi has wrestled on the independent circuit, where The Human Skyscraper double-chokeslams anyone within reach. His profile on thetallestman.com lists him at "only" 7'3'' but anything between that range is super tall. Following that, he made sporadic appearances in various territories to eventually retire for good in the late '70s. 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. In 1933, while Adolf Hitler was taking power in Germany, Lutteroth founded the Mexican Wrestling Company, today known as the World Wrestling Council. Ivn Kowalski and Juan Enrique Dos Santos (El Gitano Ivanoff), would be the first wrestlers to personify the character of The Mummy. 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 was a rigid wrestler on redwood-like legs. The 1974 PWI Rookie of the year was trained and introduced to the WWWF by Bruno Sammartino. Had things worked out with WWE, he could have towered over fellow Irishman Sheamus. Big Show has been big for a long time. 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. Top 10 Wrestlers Blacklisted By WWE. Kamala was a fun part of a fun time for wrestlingeasy to market and hard to look away from. Those I ranked are only the tip of the iceberg because other legends and pioneers existed before them. Spivey wouldn't make much noise in his career without Vicious. Pro wrestling has been home to its share of giants, enormous men who forced our necks to tilt upward and rings to strain. Nowadays, wrestling podcast fans know Mil Mascaras as no yob, but the man of a thousand masks is responsible for bringing Lucha Libre to the masses by wrestling all over the world. 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. The interesting career of The Bushwhackers began as cousin Luke and cousin Butch started out as The Kiwis in their native New Zealand before traversing the globe as the ultra violent Sheepherders in the late 1970s. 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. 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. As his nickname "Crazy" suggests, he portrayed a deranged persona who covered his ears and claimed he was not insane when someone made allusion to his craziness. In a familiar story for men his size, Jorge Gonzalez's height was both his greatest asset and biggest weakness. Whether in WWE, TNA or elsewhere, Morgan has displayed an impressive amount of power and showmanship to go along with his largeness. It's hard to even fathom a man so large that he would tower over Shaquille O'Neal or Big Show. Fuji's tag team partner at the time. Gorilla Monsoon is not just that face commentator known by the younger fans in the '80s and '90s. Kowalski, who opened a pro wrestling school after he retired in 1977, trained none other than Triple H and many others. At one point, he ballooned to nearly 800 lbs. 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. Just like Hogan or Stone Cold, he could not do it all by himself. Antonio Posa - World Champion Wrestler Mick McManus ( Image: Mirrorpix) Mick McManus Former printer William Matthews' nickname, Rugged South London Tough Guy, was hardly catchy yet he was one of the sport's biggest draws. This soon turned into the uncomfortable "Love Machine" angle where Viscera wouldhump his opponents. Bigelow wrestled with WWE, ECW and WCW as well as in Japan. Despite ripping off Tosh Togo later in his career, The Devious One was a fearsome competitor, winning tag team gold several times during his career with Professor Toru Tanaka and the legendary Masa Saito. He did it so often that he was named the PWI Most Hated Wrestler in 1977. 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. * Continued to exist after the National Wrestling Alliance was founded in 1948. 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. Never the most skilled wrestler, Frazier, for much of his career, was a major draw. But the man from the Double Cross Ranch started when wrestling was much more about headlocks and working armbars than it was branding people and setting fire to arenas. For many of his matches, Jeff Bearden had to bend down awkwardly in order to get a proper hold on his opponent. English wrestler Martin Ruane made opponents as large as Big Daddy look like children. They experimented with a few gimmicks for him, including the poorly conceived Sultan, who resided in mid-card status. 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.". Top 25 1950's Westerns. Once fans figured out that Khali's wrestling skills were on the level of Giant Gonzalez's, interest began to taper off. He had the strength, the technical abilities, the charisma and that mythic "it" factor to draw the audiences. 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. 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. Other Links > Pro Wrestling > Top Ranked Pro Wrestlers by Decade . 48. He was a master user of foreign objects and one of the best ever to sell opponents' moves. Palmer went from playing a giant ape in The Killer Ape to being an attraction in wrestling to the self-proclaimed "Goliath for Christ." He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. Aired January 7, 1962. Bruno Sammartino is one of the most famous and popular faces ever to wrestle for the McMahon machine. 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. The enemies-turned-allies carried on the tradition of wrestling's oversized pairings. 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. Ron Reis will always be remembered most for being the large man in the ridiculous costume as The Yeti, who attacked Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1995. Khali is as stiff as a mannequin. Robert "Jeep" Swenson resembled the sturdy girth of his namesake. Honorable mention: Verne Gagne, Bill Miller, Karl Gotch, Dick the Bruiser, Reggie Lisowski, Wilbur Snyder, Buddy Austin, Bobo Brazil, Sailor Art Thomas, Lorenzo Parente, Light Heavyweight (Mexico): Kurt Zehe made men look like boys when he stood next to them. Vader was once known as Baby Bull or Little Bull though there was nothing little about him. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) 'Once Upon A Time in the West' follows a rail baron named Morton who is seeking to take possession of a piece of land near the town of Flagstone. Ruben Juarez - National Champion, Middleweight (Mexico): 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.". Jones certainly had Undertaker's size and an impressive physique, but never did much more than tread water with the company. Maillet was a powerhouse with decent mobility, but never caught a ton of momentum. Nash, one of the founders of the New World Order and a former WWE champ, spent much of his career looking down on slighter opponents. Angelo Savoldi - World Champion, Light Heavyweight: Not as agile as Bam Bam Bigelow or Vader, Nash was still surprisingly quick and deft in the ring. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. Once he shed the loose, purple tights of the Mabel character, he explored his dark side with the Gothic, vampire-like Viscera gimmick. He won three WWWF Titles in the tag team division with three different partners from 1971 to 1978. As the wresting world's first ever global superstar, Andre the Giant has been wrestling since the '60s as well. He built his reputation with a hardcore side that disappeared in the early '80s due to health issues. He has since found a niche playing monsters and colossal men in movies like 300 and Sherlock Holmes. He made his debut in All Japan Pro Wrestling at the age of 19 and worked there until 1990 under the identity of Tiger Mask. Copyright 1995-2023 puroresu.com. He crushed foes by landing his near-400 lb frame on them, sailor stripes and all. Possessing an impressive blend of power and speed, Rikishi spent a good part of two decades entertaining WWE fans. 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. Gori Guerrero - World Champion The world may be most familiar with Silo Sam for his role as Andy in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. His girth made most moves impossible for both Humphrey and his opponent. 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. Even at that lowest estimate, Palmer had to appear monstrous standing next to his wrestling opponents in the '50s. top 10 wrestlers from the 50s and 60s. He once was a fierce wrestler, with a heel character back in the '60s. Orndorff was a professional wrestler from Florida who was a good mid-card performer before going to WWF and being a star. In 1971, he and Bruno Sammartino put the hand on the short-lived WWWF International Tag Team Championship, a secondary Title. I started to watch wrestling around the age of nine, and it was in the middle of the '80s so I had to do extensive research to complete the following slideshow. Click here to watch Pedro Morales defeating Ivan Koloff for the WWWF Championship. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Ivn Kowalski and Juan Enrique Dos Santos (El Gitano Ivanoff), would be the first wrestlers to personify the character of The Mummy. Policy. Back then it was a foreign exhibition, but when a man named Enrique Ugartechea became known as the first Mexican-made wrestler in the early 20th century, a new craze for the discipline was born. It wouldnt be before long that he too had a career that turned him into his own mythic legend. 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 built a reputation just meeting him in the ring. 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. 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. When he left New Zealand after he signed with the WWWF in 1972, he quickly became a big star, earning the 1973 PWI Rookie of the Year. He flies through the air like a much smaller man. I found no WWWF footage of The Sheik, but you can click here to see the hardcore legend in action against Dusty Rhodes in the '70s; or, if you're curious, click here for a match between him and Chief White Eagle in the late '50s or early '60s. He bumbled about the ring worse than Giant Gonzales or The Great Khali ever did. 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. His size wasn't enough to capture all the fans he did, though. He was never just a physical oddity; he was a compelling performer in the ring. Mane wrestled for UWF, WCW and in Canada, Japan and Puerto Rico. Logos are registered trademarks of respective organizations. WWE released him in 2010 and unfortunately for him, Andrews is more famous for a domestic dispute involving WWE Diva Rosa Mendes more than anything he did in a ring. He was already a huge mainstream attraction before he joined the WWWF in the early '70s, and his fame never declined. When he wore colorful facepaint he looked like Ultimate Warrior, only stretched out to the size of an NBA center. 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. to these sites/people. There have been wrestlers well over 7 tall and some well beyond 400 lbs. 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. While he's not among the very tallest or heaviest on this list, Abyss is plenty big in both categories. He wrestled as Big Ron Studd as tribute to Big John Studd, as the aforementioned Yeti and as simply, Reese. And, with his trademark war dance, the fans went as crazy as when Hogan was "Hulking" up in the '80s. Larry Chene, Mike Clancy, Jack Curtis, Mike DiBiase, Pepper Gomez, Red McKim, Sonny Myers, Angelo Savoldi, Joe Scarpello, Oni Wiki Wiki. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. El Show de Renny (a musical program) had only 32 rating points. 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. When he was not embracing success in the tag team division, he had some memorable feuds in singles against the likes of Billy Graham and Ken Patera. As for any similar list, I considered many factors to rank the wrestlers. Darren Matthews Actor | WWE: OMG! Goldust. 1. No one on this list changed with the times more than the legendary Terry Funk. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. While wrestling reached 96, 98 points, says Jorge Battah. Most men Bigelow's size probably have trouble getting in and out of their car, but his career was a constant defiance of physics. 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 was a real animal in the ring, and his brutality was matched by only few other hardcore legends. So I decided to explore an unknown zone for me and to tackle an era I didn't witness, the '60s and the '70s. Giant Baba would have been big as an American wrestler, but in Japan he was simply massive. He only spent one year with the company in the '70s, but what a year it was! Even when he was Paul Wight, he was taller than most everyone else. Pat O'Connor - World Champion, Jr. Heavyweight: The longevity of his career, his multiple title runs and great matches have him considered by some to be wrestling's best big man ever. His nickname is used by today's wrestlers as a tribute to his legacy, and they are now known as Superstars. In 1994, Bundy returned from a long hiatus, only to become The Undertaker's fourth victim during his famed WrestleMania undefeated streak. In real life Ricki Starr was also an accomplished ballet dancer which comes into play during the episode as his character Tiger Davis takes up ballet .
