famous wrestlers from the 50s and 60s

50. It's difficult to determine some wrestlers' true size with a business so famous for twisting the truth and exaggerating reality. Click here to watch Andre The Giant winning a battle royal in the mid-70s. Frazier, even at his leanest, was a rotund man, a whale among fish. Judging by looks alone, few fans would peg Vader for an athlete. Fuji's tag team partner at the time. Simply being a giant doesn't afford one that kind of legacy. Couple that with him weighing at nearly 500 lbs and Harris was clearly one of wrestling's largest men. Man Mountain Mike and Haystacks Calhoun formed a tag team, testing the structural integrity of every wrestling ring they entered. 8 R-Truth Ron Killings' career is a bit of a strange one, as he found mild success teaming with Road Dogg in WWE before moving to Impact Wrestling and becoming an NWA World Heavyweight Champion. It's hard to forget his most bizarre one, the repugnant Bastion Booger. 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. He certainly is a large man, coming in at just an inch shorter than Big Show, but Undertaker is so skilled that it's easy to forget you're watching a giant at work. Gori Guerrero - World Champion More than his tree-like stature, more than anything else in his career, fans will think of mustaches when they think of Eli Cottonwood. When he tag-teamed with The Sheik of Araby and took on the big, bad Lisowski brothers, he was my hero. He left that match bloodied and without the WWE title. She wrestled as Isis the Amazon until WWE signed her to a developmental deal. Unable to continue as a wrestler, Stevens took to acting. Click here to see Patera injuring Billy White Wolf after the match and click here to see the strongman clashing with Bob Backlund. In fact, he was more than a pro wrestling top draw; he was, with his size, an attraction wherever he went. Click here to watch a classic match from the mid-70s between Spiros Arion and Bruno Sammartino. He was an instant top babyface who battled Gorilla Monsoon and The Sheik among others. Many of these famous wrestlers have attributed their success in their fields to the sport of wrestling. Kevin Nash has rolled back the years as of late, putting himself in fantastic shape. Karloff Largarde - World & National Champion. 41 of 100. Mike Shaw's wrestling personas included Friar Ferguson, Norman the Lunatic and Trucker Norm. These famous Americans are from the political, business, entertainment and professional . The Top Ranked Pro Wrestlers of the 1950s Mane wrestled for UWF, WCW and in Canada, Japan and Puerto Rico. Wrestlers in the 6 . His wrestling career didn't last long. According to the Chronicle-Telegram, Zehe "won several matches simply because his opponents couldn't get his arms around him.". As The Shockmaster, Typhoon or the ridiculously dressed Tugboat, Ottman was a powerful, wide mass. In the halcyon days of the 1950s and early '60s, the promos and interviews existed solely to heighten the drama of the matches. Bruno Sammartino. He is a former WWWF United States Tag Team Champion, and his biggest achievement was to win the WWWF World Tag Team Title along with King Curtis Iaukea. 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. All rights reserved. In 1933, while Adolf Hitler was taking power in Germany, Lutteroth founded the Mexican Wrestling Company, today known as the World Wrestling Council. Heavyweight: Quite possibly, the first ever Japanese born WWE Champion, Antonio Inoki might win the award for being the most prolific wrestler of all time. So, I took in consideration the impact, the popularity, the legacy and the "it" factor when I could. 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. Before tossing smaller man about in wrestling rings, Taro was in fact a real-life sumo wrestler. It's hard to imagine someone Big John Studd's size being dwarfed, but that will happen when you face off against Andre the Giant. The Twin Towers, as they were called, came in at a combined weight of over 760 lbs. Titanes also had a cheating referee Hctor Oscar Brea as William Boo. In 1971, he and Bruno Sammartino put the hand on the short-lived WWWF International Tag Team Championship, a secondary Title. Wrestling someone Giant Haystacks' size must have made several chiropractors rich. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Many icons paved the way to what would become an empire in the world of wrestling. ( 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]) I hope you enjoyed that ride back to the old school universe, and as usual, your comments are more than welcomeespecially if I missed anyone on the list and/or if you disagree with the order. He won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in 1976 with one of his students, Big John Studd. In two reigns, one with Jimmy and one with Jerry, he was Tag Team Champion for a total of 600 days. Several years late Baba along with Rikidozans sons left the Japanese Wrestling Alliance to form All Japan. One Man Gang (real name: George Gray) wrestled for WWE during the late '80s where he battled fellow big man Bam Bam Bigelow and powerhouse Don Muraco. The original Nature Boy was the total package back in the day, and he directly inspired Ric Flair with his flamboyant gimmick. All are heavyweight unless otherwise noted. It's normal because he was like the main attraction for all those years. Posted below are the 50 best wrestlers of all time, according to fans. Kurt Zehe made men look like boys when he stood next to them. 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. 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. and the fake Diesel, WWE found the perfect fit for Glenn Jacobs. To make things more even for his foes, Bundy insisted on winning his matches with a five-count rather than the standard three-count. Click here to watch Mr. Fuji in rare singles action taking on Pedro Morales and click here to see him in some tag team action. 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.". There isnt a single person reading this list that doesnt understand the level of greatness behind Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He routinely performed moonsaults and corner slingshot splashes, aka Vader Bombs. The Russian Bear was with the WWWF for only two years, but he claimed the most shocking world championship victory of all times when he defeated Bruno Sammartino on January 18, 1971. Many greats, including Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Ric Flair and Triple H, were inspired by him to forge their characters. The deranged villain held his opponents in the backbreaker rack or splashed his weight on their prone bodies. During his heyday in the '60s, Calhoun feuded with Dick the Bruiser and battled Bruno Sammartino. 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. 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. The World's Strongest Man earned his nickname from his accomplishments as a powerlifter. He has spent much of his career with TNA, delivering Black Hole Slams and overpowering many of his foes. The Fabulous Moolah is the longest reigning champion in pro wrestling history. He gave us classics against Bret Hart and Taz. In a familiar story for men his size, Jorge Gonzalez's height was both his greatest asset and biggest weakness. Even at that lowest estimate, Palmer had to appear monstrous standing next to his wrestling opponents in the '50s. Discover 100 Greatest 50s & 60s Hits by Various Artists released in 2011. He also was part of a wrestling family that gave us Paul "Butcher" Vachon, Vivian Vachon and Luna Vachon. Ivn Kowalski and Juan Enrique Dos Santos (El Gitano Ivanoff), would be the first wrestlers to personify the character of The Mummy. He became one of the most infamous heels ever in the late '70s when he injured many babyface wrestlers with his signature swinging full nelson he didn't release after the bell. 1959-11 - National Wrestling Association (source: LegacyOfWrestling.com) 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. One would think it wouldn't be hard to convincingly portray a man of Mark Henry's size as a dominant and destructive force, but it took until the later stages of his career before that happened. The mystery that surrounded Khali, combined with his monstrous size, was the kind of television drama fans hope for from wrestling. His impressive reign lasted until December 1, 1973 when Stan "The Man" Stasiak defeated him for the title in a shocking moment. Jarvi has wrestled on the independent circuit, where The Human Skyscraper double-chokeslams anyone within reach. Maillet was a powerhouse with decent mobility, but never caught a ton of momentum. Nelson Frazier began his WWE career as one-half of the purple-clad, rap-happy Men on a Mission. His size wasn't enough to capture all the fans he did, though. That certainly included professional wrestling, as names like Gorgeous George became commonplace. He didn't fail to bring his aggressive style with him when he joined the WWWF in the mid-60s. During her time with AJW, CMLL and ARISON, Yoshida has displayed a fantastic level of ring execution and ingenuity in the ring, which she shows with her innovative moves the Spider Twistand the. Goldust. Throughout his whole career, Killer Kowalski was a top heel everywhere he wrestled, and he cemented his status when he ripped off an opponent's ear in the ring. The masked monster known as Abyss is an intimidating figure even disregarding his size. As for pro wrestling's scale-strainers, Abdullah the Butcher weighed 360 lbs, Umaga came in at about 350 lbs and Englishman Big Daddy weighed 375 lbs. Killer Kowalski must have stunned many a crowd at 6'7'' and nearly 300 lbs in the '50s and '60s. The duo, called The Executioners, holds the distinction to have not actually lost the belts since they were stripped after a third Executioner interfered in a match. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . For most Bleacher Report readers, Mr. Fuji is that iconic manager of the '80s and '90s who led Yokozuna and Demolition to the gold. Even without the name, it's clear that Jarvi is a large man. Can you imagine if Cena held the WWE title that long nowadays? He made matches like his battle vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III an unforgettable experience. The . It was that physique that helped him land the role of Bane in Batman and Robin. Click here to watch Bruno Sammartino in a WWWF Title defense against Ernie Ladd, a wrestler who barely made the cut on the current list. Billed at 7'7'', his actual height is debated. We'll likely never see such a combination of greatness and size again. He eventually became a three-time WWWF United States Tag Team Championship. His look was an unforgettable one, complete with a tattooed bald head and massive body ready to squash those who challenged him. 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