Big John Studd, Sid Vicious, Kamala, King Kong Bundy, One Man Gang, Diesel, Giant Baba, Big Boss Man, BlackJack Mulligan, Gorilla Monsoon, Yokozuna, Kane, The Undertaker and of course, Andre The Giant... these are just a few examples of wrestling giants that were successful at some point in their career.
There are a few more that were not mentioned, but once you get beyond that, there are not many big men who achieved a very high level of success inside the squared circle.
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There was a time when professional wrestling was ruled by these larger than life personas. However, as time went on and the sport evolved, the industry shifted and things began to shift more towards the smaller wrestlers. Instead of the big men getting all of the attention, we soon started seeing the smaller, high-risk taking performers move into the spotlight.
With that said, there will always be a special place within the business for the big men. These monstrous brutes are what helped define, and at one point, bring the sport into the mainstream. Needless to say, they were indeed the anchors of moving professional wrestling into the spotlight where it remains today.
If you look at today's product, there are a few remaining wrestling giants that are doing very well for themselves and also continue to hold a prominent spot with the company. Mark Henry, Kane, Braun Strowman, Big Cass and Big Show are perfect examples of wrestling giants who continue to carry the torch for the big men of the industry.
Now that we have mentioned a number of wrestling's big men who have done so well, its time to turn our attention to the wrestling giants that did not fare so well. Here's a look at seven wrestling giants who failed in the WWE.
#7 The Berzerker
After receiving his training from the legendary wrestling trainer Eddie Sharkey, John Nord went on to make his professional wrestling debut in 1984, with Mid-South Wrestling, as “The Barbarian.” The 6’8”, 325-pound beast from Minnesota could easily pass for a Viking or even a Barbarian-type of character.
After bouncing around from promotion-to-promotion, he finally landed a spot on the WWF roster in 1991, which is when he was dubbed as The Berzerker. This was a character that seemed like a Viking and barbarian, so one would think this one would be perfect for Nord. Unfortunately, his time in WWF was nothing to write home about.
The Berzerker lasted less than two years in the WWE until he was let go in early 1993. Despite having legendary manager Mr. Fuji in his corner, The Berzerker never caught the momentum that some may have expected.
#6 Kurrgan
In 1991 the 7-foot tall “Cajun Giant” made his WWF debut in a dark match victory in Utica, NY. After that, Rob Maillet spent some time in Japan before eventually coming back to the WWF in 1998, when he was billed as Kurrgan, a member of a new stable known as The Oddities and odd they were indeed.
This faction consisted of several freakshow characters that ranged from two giants, to a guy in a mask who carried a Carman plush doll around. Needless to say, The Oddities were ridiculous.
The Oddities were bad, very bad. In fact, less than one year after their inception, not only were The Oddities disbanded, but all the members were subsequently released as well.
#5 Giant Silva
Coming in at number 5 is yet another member of the infamous Oddities faction. Giant Silva is without question one of the tallest people to ever wrestle, standing 7’2” and weighing nearly 400 pounds.
A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Giant Silva took the obvious course as he got older and became a basketball player at a young age. In fact, Silva went on to play for the Brazilian National team in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
With very little experience, Silva was signed by WWE in late 1997 and made his debut as a member of The Oddities. For the most part, Silva only served as a cornerman for the stable, but would eventually make the occasional tag team appearance with another Oddities member.
After one year with the company, Silva was released with the other Oddities in 1999. He then spent some time with New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as various independent appearances, before finally going into the professional Mixed Martial Arts industry.
#4 Big Daddy V (Viscera, Mabel)
After a brief stint with the United States Wrestling Association, Nelson Frazier made his debut as one-half of the tag team known as Men on a Mission. He and his partner, Mo, had previously worked together in the USWA under the name “The Harlem Knights”.
Fans did not really get behind this interesting duo, despite the efforts of WWE officials to make Men on a Mission appear as an uplifting, fan-friendly babyface squad. The team was disbanded within a year’s time but Men on a Mission did, however, win the WWF Tag Team Titles, which they went on to lose two days later at a house show to The Quebecers.
For the remainder of Frazier's career, he went on the singles route, aside from his time spent with The Ministry. As Mabel, he would win the 1995 King of the Ring. However, most of his other angles were short-lived and only used sparingly.
Sadly, Nelson Frazier passed away in 2014, after suffering a heart attack. He was only 43 years old.
#3 Bastion Booger
With a name that includes the word “Booger,” he must be destined for success, right? Not so fast, my friends! Mike Shaw was a character just as he was, but throughout his career, he adopted a plethora of gimmicks, most notably Bastion Booger.
When he originally made his WWF debut in 1993, he wrestled as “Friar Ferguson”, which was a mad monk type of character. However, the Catholic Church did not appreciate the gesture and they made it known, so then is when the world was introduced to Bastion Booger. Bastion was infamously known as “the jobber to the stars” during his brief time with the company, with his debut match being a loss to Virgil.
During his time with the company, the only accolade Bastion would ever receive would be a Slammy Award for “most likely to see Jenny Craig". In 1993, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Bastion "The Most Embarrassing Wrestler”.
Throughout his career, Shaw wrestled under nearly 20 different aliases, with Bastion Booger and Norman The Lunatic being the only true notable personas that fans may remember. During his stint with WCW, Shaw worked as Norman the Lunatic, which was just as it sounds, a lunatic. With Teddy Long as his manager, Norman would walk to the ring carrying a teddy bear and wearing a big key around his neck.
Sadly, Mike Shaw died in 2010 at only 53 years old. His cause of death was related to issues stemming from blocked arteries.
#2 Brodus Clay
Our number 2 pick on the list is someone relatively newer, that all fans probably recognise, Brodus Clay.
Following a four-year run as the personal bodyguard for hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg, Brodus Clay signed his WWE developmental contract in 2006. At the time of his signing, Clay was assigned to Deep South Wrestling, which was one of WWE’s developmental territories at the time. He would first debut as “G-Rilla”. He was initially released in early 2008 but was soon brought back and sent to FCW, which would eventually become NXT.
While his first experience on the main roster was as Alberto Del Rio’s bodyguard, Brodus changed gimmicks in 2012 and then the Funkasaurus era was upon us. Brodus was joined with Cameron and Naomi, who worked as his dancers throughout his time on the main roster.
Despite being a fun, kid-friendly gimmick, Brodus Clay never evolved and seemed to be stuck somewhere in the lower card, with seemingly no intentions on improving. In mid-2014, Brodus Clay was released by WWE.
It is worth noting that since leaving WWE, Brodus was picked up by TNA and renamed Tyrus. Since arriving in Impact Wrestling, it does, in fact, appear that he is being utilised much better than he was with WWE.
#1 Giant Gonzalez
Before making his professional wrestling debut with WCW in 1989, Jorge Gonzalez was a very successful basketball player in his native country of Argentina. At the time he was signed, Ted Turner was the owner of the Atlanta Hawks, which was the team Jorge played for at the time. Turner saw some sort of potential in Gonzalez and offered him a contract with WCW.
His time with WCW was spent in various feuds, including a nearly two-year rivalry against Ric Flair. However, his lack of experience and overall wrestling knowledge was extremely evident in his performances.
In 1993, Jorge debuted as Giant Gonzalez in the WWE. As Giant Gonzalez, his lone highlight was a loss to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania IX.
Unfortunately, Jorge passed away in 2010, after complications from diabetes.
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