What is it we love about certain giant wrestlers?

[The Legend Killer]

Think of the names that come to mind when you think of some big wrestlers. The Big Show, Andre the Giant, Bam Bam Bigelow, Giant Gonzalez, King Kong Bundy, Vader, etc. Some giant wrestlers have been legends, some of them have been..............huh? When you think of the greats, and the not so greats, what is it that was so special? What was so memorable about some of them, and so forgetful about some of them? You could argue that at the time Andre the Giant was a unique athlete as far as his size, and people were amazed by him. What about after him though? Legends like Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, Earthquake, Yokozuna, etc.? Aren't all of them mostly the same as far as wrestling ability? A bodyslam, a giant boot to the face, maybe a jump off the turnbuckle, a hard smack across the chest?

Think to wrestlers of today like The Big Show, and then think of someone like Yokozuna. Who was more memorable? I'm sure alot of us would say Yokozuna, but, why? For me, I think it comes down to the same thing as, "why are some managers good? And why are some boring?" I don't think anyone can truly have an answer, it might just be luck. Honestly, I couldn't even tell you 5 ways that Andre the Giant is better than The Big Show, but I like him alot better. So again, why are some great, and why are some not so great? I'll even talk about Kane. I don't think anyone would disagree that he was better back when he first appeared in the WWE, but, forget the gimmick, and just look at Kane himself. Why do so many people love Kane? He's just another huge wrestler, but, somehow he seems better.

I guess you could argue that a gimmick helps, but, then again, look at someone like Andre the Giant, and then someone like The Big Show. Both of them both have the gimmick of just being a huge athlete, but, why do so many people choose Andre the Giant over The Big Show? What's funnier, I remember when people liked The Big Show back when he was in WCW as The Giant. Why did he seem better back then? He was still the same guy mostly. I do believe some of them stand out more than others as far as wrestling talent; like Bam Bam Bigelow for example. He's a huge guy, but, for a big guy, he could still move very well. I was watching his match against LT last night, and couldn't help but just see how he moved. No, the match itself isn't great, fun, but, whatever. What stood out was just his talent. Seeing him do some of those throws and flips was amazing. For a big guy, you wouldn't really see him doing that. Yeah, he's a bigger heavyweight, but, he was moving like he was someone around Triple H's size or something. You didn't really just see him as "just another big wrestler".

So again, why are some of them great, and why are some not so great? Bam Bam Bigelow is the only one I could really give an argument for because of his in-ring talent. Alot of the others, I do like them, definitely, but, I still don't see what it is about some of them that stands out. When I watch wrestling today, and someone like The Big Show comes out, I can't help but think, "oh great". Even someone like The Great Khali. Alot of people can't stand him, they see nothing there. Why? I'm sure you would cheer for Vader over him (imagining of course that Vader wasn't known as a legend yet, just someone else on the WWE roster), but why? Again, I believe it's the same argument as "why are some managers great, and some not so great?". I think it's just something special that you just feel. I'm sure a gimmick does help, but again., why do we love Andre the Giant so much, but, can't stand The Big Show or The Great Khali?

In conclusion, I don't really have an answer for why are some of these big wrestlers great, and why some aren't. Even a gimmick. Being a big wrestler is a gimmick, but, I still don't know why it works sometimes, and why it doesn't work other times. Maybe it's something complex like just magic or something. In their time, they are all memorable, but, there are only a few that we will always remember. I'm sure being a big wrestler isn't easy, or even being a wrestler in general, so, tip of the hat to all of them who can do it, and a tip of the hat that become legends at it.

For now, TLK out. Thanks for reading.

[Goldie79]

Interesting read. Though we've had these Andre vs Big Show debates before.
Many people only seem to remember the past his prime Andre who was bodyslammed by Hulk at WM3.... at which point his acromegolgy condition had set in... and weight had balooned to 520 pounds, moving in slow motion.
The young Andre of the 70s was a much trimmer 350 pounds and he was even known to throw a dropkick.

However... Andre was the biggest star in wrestling in the post-Bruno pre-Hogan era.... and was perhaps the best known sportsmen in the world at his peak (with the exception of Muhammad Ali). Andre was a big big deal in the 70s and early 80s. Sure he was soft spoken... but so was Bruno Sammartino. Mic work and ring work didn't matter so much back then. Andre had a presenece... he was the beloved super-babyface friendly giant.
He was already a legend by the time Hogan slammed him.... even Hogan was awestruck by Andre, and considered it a huge deal that Andre would agree to job for him in the first place. How many wrestlers have commended this kind of respect from Hogan of all people?

With Andre very very few people actually beat him in his prime. With the exception of rare defeats to fellow wrestling royalty (such as Antionia Inoki).... Andre was sold as being unbeaten (in the WWF that is) for 15 years till Hogan beat him.... in what is still considered the biggest match in wrestling history.
Andre built up a legacy... you read in all wrestling biographies when they talk about Andre... he was the guy in the lockeroom that commanded the most respect amongst his fellow wrestlers.
Have a done a good sell job on Andre?

Big Show is one of the better big guys in the post Andre era... but he has lost too many times to meek opposition... that you just can't take him seriously when comparing him to Andre. Yeah Show is a better talker... and a better worker than the ancient Andre that people most remember.... but Andre had an aura that Show doesn't have. People wanted to watch him... he was a huge draw... the biggest draw in wrestling for a time.... and of course going unbeaten for so long built him up... he was unstoppable to WWF fans. His legacy was already in tact by the time his body was falling apart in the late 80s

Imagine if Big Show wasn't beaten for 15 years on WWE or WCW television, imagine if Show was as big as Austin or Rock... then there could be a case.
I think its harder to build legends in the current era... because the fans really bought what was presented to them in the kayfabe era.
Would andre be as big a star in the current era... no he wouldn't. But neither would Bruno Sammartino. You can't fault him for being big in the time he was.

[The Legend Killer]

I know I did alot of Andre The Giant VS Big Show in this column, and I didn't mean it to be a Andre The Giant VS The Big Show topic. I talked alot about Andre because he's an icon for giant wrestlers, and I talked alot about Big Show because he's the easiest to compare. He's also been in wrestling for many years. I don't know how many exactly, I know he's been around since at least when WCW was the number 1 wrestling show, so, he's definitely been doing this for years. That's why I liked using him as an example because he's already had the time to be known as an icon, or just another wrestler. I'm not trying to take away anything he's accomplished, I know what he does ain't easy, but, I just mean on the memorable thing you know? I didn't want to talk alot about Kane because he has a great gimmick, so, I was focusing mostly on the giant gimmick. Or at least where the giant thing is almost a gimmick. For example, someone like Brodus Clay, I think people would consider him a giant wrestler, but, that's not really his gimmick you know? Sorry if that didn't make much sense. I know i'm not the main guy that needs to be doing this kinds of columns, i've never said I have the greatest wrestling knowledge on here, or even one of the more better ones, I know alot of people on here know alot more than I do, and you seem like you do.

I knew Andre was already a big deal before his Wrestlemania match. I didn't know he was already an icon, but, I did know he was a popular guy before. I'll admit that there's probably someone on here that can do much better at writing this column than I did, I even debated against myself about writing it because I don't know a ton about wrestling. I did the best I could, and I thank you for enjoying it, and I always welcome someone to tell me what I don't know. On here, as far as where i'd put myself as far as how much I know wrestling, i'd never say i'm one of the better ones. If there were only 20 people on here that knew their stuff and I was going to givem myself a ranking, i'd put myse;lf at like number 22 or something. I am glad you enjoyed it though.

[WWE Gary]

I think a lot of the reason people watch wrestling , particularly when it comes to mainstream casual fans , is because of the awe inspired by the size of huge , giant athletes going at it . I remember , as a kid , turning on the TV one day and seeing El Gigante in the ring . I thought it was unreal . I couldn't believe a guy his size actually existed . I found it amazing . I think that having big guys like Show and even The Great Khali in the ring , to someone who isn't that familiar with the sport makes it fun to watch. It's always an added bonus when they, like in the case of Bam Bam Bigelow , can wrestle a decent match as well . We all know that in the 80s and 90 s , Vinnie Mac only pushed monsters . Guys like Diesel and Hulk Hogan were always favourites of his . Nowadays , thanks to the legacy of guys like Shawn , Bret and Flair , thats changed a bit .

[kingzak13]

Nice column

I think the reason we like some big men is partly by mobility (If they can do something impressive then it is more noteworthy)

But the main reason is something i am going to call the "Mark Henry effect"
Think back to 2010, He sucked and was a jobber in every way.

Then in 2011 he was probably the second most interesting thing to happen throughout the year. (first being punk)

With a big man it all boils down to build and how much you can make them seem a unstoppable force.
The big men have always been at there best when they are built as a potentially unstoppable monster
Even Khali was at his best in 2007 when he was seeming more like a unstoppable giant

[The Legend Killer]

I think the hardest part with the giant wrestlers is how many of them can you really have as an unstoppable giant? Really, would you want to see The Big Show VS The Great Khali 200000000 times with the exact same gimmick behind it every time? Someone like Shawn Michaels size, Bret Hart, John Cena, Randy Orton, Hulk Hogan, etc., you can think of a billion different things. All of them are big guys as far as muscle, but, would you really want all of them to always have a Lex Luger or a Mr. Perfect gimmick? So, I imagine it's not easy to really have a gimmick for a giant wrestler when people would almost always assume they'll just be an unstoppable giant. I do think at this point that it's even more difficult because now we have a picture of what a giant wrestler should be. Andre the Giant was the one that gave us that picture. (as far as I understand at least)

Every icon gave us the picture of what should be. For example, look at someone like Chris Masters and MR. Perfect. Mr. Perfect was the one that told us "this is how the gimmick should be". Chris Masters would have been good, but, he wasn't Mr. Perfect. We just wanted him. I guess the same gimmick can work more than once, people loved Rick Rude (I don't know if he was before Mr. Perfect, so, I apologize if I got the time wrong). I will say though, some of the giant wrestlers really can put on a good match without just being the unstoppable giant. Bam Bam Bigelow could move very well for a big guy. Some of them now just seem boring and bland. I'm sure someday we will have that next unstoppable giant wrestler that everybody loves and respects, but for now, it seems like it's just "same crap, different day". I'm not trying to take away from any of them, what they do isn't easy.

And i'm glad you enjoyed my column Zak!

[Bridgewater]

I think it's extremely difficult for a giant to learn his or her wrestling. Normally you start at the bottom, lose most of your matches, gain experience and move your way up. But when you're gigantic, people expect you to dominate the competion. And if you can't, you're a failure.

Back in the day, you could travel the territories and be a special attraction everywhere. But today's indy fans will find out your limitations via youtube. "You had a good match with XY? So what, XY can have a good match with crash test dummy or a broom stick!"
And if you happen to be in WWE, you can't start at the bottom and move your way up. They will probably let you start at the top and move your way down.

These days, it takes really good booking to put a giant over.

[WWE Gary]

Fully agree with Bridgewater and thumbs up because I never thought of it that way . It's like when Andre the Giant was demoted to the tag team division with Haku . Look at Yokozuna . He went from been WWE champ to a jobber in the space of a few years . WWE more or less did he same thing with Vader aswell . Good observation .

[The Legend Killer]

These days, it takes really good booking to put a giant over.

You know, I actually think The Big Show has alot of promise, but, WWE has just made him so boring. I remember being entertained as crap by him in WCW. I don't remember his actual in-ring talent, but, I remember his gimmick actually worked. Now he's just treated like a regular superstar who just happens to be a giant. His mic skills are one of the things he really needs to work on. Paul Heymna would have worked good with him. Paul Heyman has good mic skills, he could have actually helped The Big Show. I am curious though, is there anyone out there that you think could have alot of promise as a giant wrestler?

[Goldie79]

You know, I actually think The Big Show has alot of promise, but, WWE has just made him so boring. I remember being entertained as crap by him in WCW. I don't remember his actual in-ring talent, but, I remember his gimmick actually worked. Now he's just treated like a regular superstar who just happens to be a giant. His mic skills are one of the things he really needs to work on. Paul Heymna would have worked good with him. Paul Heyman has good mic skills, he could have actually helped The Big Show. I am curious though, is there anyone out there that you think could have alot of promise as a giant wrestler?

This is what I was getting at earlier... in that Big Show has lost too many times to meagre opposition to be treated seriously.
He has never been booked as a dominant giant because of his spotty win loss record.
Every now and again the WWE decide to give Paul Wight 'another monster evil giant push'.... which lasts a month, the next thing hes back in the midcard losing to guys a third of his size.
Of course people don't take him as a bad-ass unstoppable ogre if they have seen him lose and lose and lose for years and years.

In his prime Andre seldom ever lost.... if people keep seeing a guy win and win and win, of course they think hes invincible, and that helped build up Andre's aura. Andre also had a gimmick where he never lost a Battle Royal.

Now imagine if Big Show went undefeated for 15 years and won every Royal Rumble he ever took part in.
Then people would believe he was an unstoppable giant... right??

In the modern era booking is done at a much faster pace. I don't think we will ever see an 8 year Bruno title reign or a 4 year Hogan title reign ever again. Andre was from that era where booking was slow.... he was built to look unstoppable because thats exacty what the bookers made him

[The Legend Killer]

Oh yeah, no doubt. Then again though, why was The Great Khali never taken seriously? It's not just Andre The Giant, people loved Yokozuna, Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and they weren't undefeated for over a decade.

[Bridgewater]

Vader was booked as an undefeatable monster in WCW. I think, the main reason for giving him a manager was to let outside interference backfire. So he could lose without being devalued. In WWF, he had health problems and they didn't really know what to do with him anyway, so he went downhill.
Yokozuna was similar, I think he was demoted for getting too fat.
Bam Bam Bigelow was a special attraction, but never really pushed to the main event. He could make people look really good and ended up doing it, but get lost himself.
I don't really remember King Kong Bundy, except his Wrestlemania matches.

One that comes to mind is El Gigante. WCW had to make him challenger for Ric Flair as soon as possible, so they could use his impressive size before his lack of wrestling ability became too obvious. Later he was just another odd guy who had a programm with the Undertaker. There was no way to use him as a regular wrestler.

[Maximo]

Its always agility and brutality.

Its like when a train comes towards you, its huge and you can see it from a long distance so you should be able to avoid it but when it gets you trapped in a tunnel at full speed, your dust.

Andre the Giant, Vader, Bam Bam, The Undertaker, Kane, Kevin Nash all had unexpected agility to the point where it amplified their talent ten fold.

People like King Kong Bundy, Abdullah the Butcher, Hulk Hogan (I'm also talking about his time in Japan), Scott Hall, The Giant/Big Show (think Hardcore division), were merciless to the point you where people feared for their opponents lives.

It boils down to fear, whether they have natural charisma or not, you feel you need to listen to them otherwise they will come after you. And once they catch you, say good bye to mamma.

In this era, being merciless doesn't mean squat in the WWE because it just means your going to get suspended.
Fear means nothing in todays world because everyday we can see atrocitys thanks to the web and before you could avoid that if you avoided the news and horror films.

Edit: Also when a giant/unstoppable monster becomes a good guy it pulls on your ladies heart strings because it isn't expected and some of them ie the Big Show and Kane can be legitimately nice and funny.
Humility has also died when today's world makes you hate and compete all the time, people being nice to each other is ts foreign to today's kids, its just not special to them.

[Goldie79]

Oh yeah, no doubt. Then again though, why was The Great Khali never taken seriously? It's not just Andre The Giant, people loved Yokozuna, Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and they weren't undefeated for over a decade.

Yes they are popular wrestlers... well Big Show is still popular isn't he? but none are seen as being as big a LEGEND as Andre.
At one point Andre was the biggest star in all of wrestling.... none of those other guys have come close
Thats the difference. Its the legacy they left

[Shockage]

I love what a clever giant wrestler can do for a smaller opponent. I also like how very little they do in the ring can make a big difference. Only an idiot would go to the ring and waste 50 moves and not think ahead to next week or next month's match.

There was this group of sisters from South Auckland who sang R&B, very talented trio, but the problem was that they screamed, improvised showed off their impressive range on every song. They had no one in their corner telling them to preserve the goods for future performances. The group eventually split up and 2 of the girls moved over to Australia where one of them auditioned for Australian Idol ... and what do you know, the judges pointed out the girl's unnecessary need to sing trills up and down the voice register. If they were told this during their local days, then they would've saved themselves the humiliation of being told off on national TV on more then one occasion (yeah! the uppity cow didn't listen the first time to the judges). Back to wrestling, the big men make the smaller wrestlers pace themselves, think with their heads and do moves that are necessary to take down a giant.