A dying breed - big men in the WWE

In pro wrestling, one of the main attractions were/are the big guys, who use their strength to overpower their opponents. The concept of big men in professional wrestling dates back to centuries, and ever since professional wrestling took the form of a circus, they have become a special attraction.

Andre the Giant going up against Hulk Hogan

When professional wrestling garnered main stream attention, it was the likes of Andre the Giant who made the most impact, becoming one of the most famous professional wrestlers and personalities in the world! Even before Hulkamania took off, it was Andre the Giant who was the most popular professional athlete in the world, and one can say that Hogan’s biggest adversary in his storied career was Andre, who gave credibility to Hogan when he needed it the most.

In every inspiring story, there has to be an obstacle. If there was no Goliath, then David wouldn’t have become a tale of inspiration to the people. Right from Andre to The Undertaker and Kane, these mammoth superstars have created an impact on the business like no other. When you think about the Vaders and The Big Shows, they even executed moonsaults with ease!

Fast forward to today’s scenario in professional wrestling, and you cannot find many big men with such agility and talent. It is true that the art of being “big” and still being a performer is a dying art in professional wrestling. Today, these big guys are few and far between, and even they are mediocre at best when it comes to in–ring talent and understanding the psychology of the business.

There used to be a time when the promoters/bookers knew how to use a certain performer. It used to be a methodical approach to storylines and feuds; the bigger guys used to dominate the smaller guys until finally the smaller guys get their retribution. There used to be a pattern of psychology and meaning to everything that happened.

In the WWE, that has been replaced by guys like The Great Khali dancing with Hornswoggle! The once great “art” of the performers has been reduced to a form of ridicule, for the amusement of the bosses and to get a giggle out of the fans. Will the credibility of Khali ever be restored? That is hard to imagine at this point, and the fact that WWE has been doing that with other guys as well (Tons of Funk anyone?) just proves the point that WWE doesn’t understand how to use these giants properly.

These super heavyweights with good in–ring abilities are hard to find. Other than The Undertaker, Mark Henry, Kane and the Big Show, there aren’t any good big men left in the WWE. There are guys such as Big E Langston, who are still green, and with time can improve their in–ring abilities and style to complement their size; but with very less options remaining, WWE needs to build some stars who can replace The Undertakers and Kanes in the long run. With Undertaker not performing regularly any more, that leaves a huge void in the big man department.

In the next 3 – 4 years, all the good big guys who can work will be gone. The likes of Henry, Show and Kane will retire, and the old school story of “David vs Goliath” match will be all but over in the WWE. Pro wrestling will always need an underdog story, and will always have a place for the David – Goliath esque storyline.

Big Show in action

Ryback can be an alternative in the future, but he’s very green in the ring, and although he can be considered an option in a storyline, he cannot work well with a smaller guy. WWE and pro wrestling in general will always need big men, even just for story purposes, and with the lack of quality big men in the current scenario, they need to find some people who will fill the void left by the current legends who’re on the brink of retirement.

Erick Rowan from the Wyatt Family can be one such guy who can become the next legit monster; also, with the rumours of Matt Morgan returning to the WWE flying around, he can be a good option in the future. In the end, one has to agree that good big men are a dying breed in pro wrestling, and something has to be done to change that.