Wrestling's Big Men: A Look at the Best and Worst in History

Yokozuna made his in-ring debut in 1984. He first started in the business overseas in Japan and Mexico.

He would eventually make his way to the AWA, where he would get his first taste of exposure and success.

In 1992 he would find himself in the WWF. He was, in his early stage of his career, a very mobile big man.

Yokozuna would soon find success feuding with the likes of the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and many others.

In 1993, he would go on to win the title a couple of times. Also later in his career with the WWF he would win tag gold with Owen Hart.

His own weight though would be his own undoing. He was released from the company in 1998.

At the time of his departure it was said that he weighed over 500 pounds.

In the year 2000, Yokozuna passed away due to heart problems. At the time of his death he topped 600 pounds.

This former standout basketball player made his in ring debut in 1989 with WCW.

He would go on to have some minor success there, feuding with guys like Flair and a couple others.

He never was able to achieve any ring savvy though. This would be his ultimate demise in wrestling.

In 1993 he found a new home with the WWF. It was here he would ultimately be exposed as a failure in the ring.

Also what made Gonzalez stand out besides his enormous size, was his costume that made him look like Bigfoot.

His most notable match in the WWF was his loss to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania IX.

Although he would be a failure in wrestling, he still managed to put in a staple in its history.

This lovable figure in wrestling history started in the 70s in Memphis.

His claim to fame, though, came in the 80s when he was in the WWF. Although Hillbilly Jim never won any titles, he did feud with and beat the top heels.

He was a fan favorite thoughout his career, and he would always put a smile on the faces of the fans when he came out.

What was often overlooked was Hillbilly Jims strength and ring skills. He was quick and agile for a big man.

His most notable match was at Wrestlemania III when he fought King Kong Bundy.

He was also Hogan's right hand man for a while. He later teamed up with Uncle Elmer, who had a gimmick close to his.

He wrestled all through the 80s and retired in 1990.

Its hard to find anyone who had a bad thing to say about this iconic figure in the WWF's heyday.

I still find my self humming "Don't Go Messing with a Country Boy" every so often.

The Great Khali made his debut in the year 2000.

He was a weightlifter before that and won Mr. India in 1995 and 1996.

He started his wrestling career in Japan, where he wouldn't get his first loss until 2002.

In 2006 he came over to the WWE, where he still wrestles today. That year, he won the World heavyweight title.

His most prominent feud to date has probably been with the Undertaker.

The Punjabi Playboy mainly has moved from brand to brand with mild success.

He us now a face, and is probably more over with the fans since his debut with the company.

When all is said and done, who knows where Khali will end up in the archives of wrestling?

Many, including myself, think he can't wrestle worth a lick of salt. His lack of English speaking skills is something less then desired also.

When he is on the stick, I'm not sure what is more painful: listening to him talk or watching him wrestle.

It would seem though, that he is going to be here a while, so I guess we just have to deal with it.

At least his "kiss camera" skit can be entertaining once in a while.

This monster of a wrestler started his career in 1987. Everywhere he has gone he has been a force to reckon with.

Sid has wrestled in the WWF, WCW, ECW, and the USWA. He has won heavyweight gold at just about every stop he has made.

He has held the major titles three times over the years. He has also won countless heavyweight titles in the NWA and the indies.

Sid was a absolute monster who would dominate his opponents.

He has wrestled against, and has beaten most of the top names in the business.

Sid has feuded with the likes of HBK, Undertaker, Kevin Nash, and Bret Hart.

Sid Vicious may not go down as one of the best ever in history when all is said and done. Although, he is one of the more memorable big men in recent times.

This big man would go on to have some success in his career.It was mainly overseas though.

He not only won a few heavyweight titles, he was also a somewhat of a successful sumo wrestler.

What we remember most about John Tenta, is his time in the WWE in the 90s, when he wrestled under the name Earthquake.

To say he was terrible in the ring would be wrong. He was a decent big man at the time.

Tenta had decent power and speed in his day. Like a lot of big men, though, he lost the battle of the bulge.

Tenta's real major down fall was being slapped with a bad gimmick, lousy entrance music, and a cheesy costume to boot.

His promos he cut were border line god awful. He often had to depend on Jimmy Hart.

He did have some success in the bigs though. He feuded with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Jake Roberts.

Tenta even won tag gold once when he was with the Natural Disasters.They would go on to beat Money Inc. in 1992 to get the belts.

It is fair to say that he was looked at more like a clown than a terror in the ring.

Kane made his WWF debut in 1995 and was a instant hit.

He wouldn't start off as the big red machine that we know, though. Jacobs would start of as everyone's favorite dentist "Dr. Isaac Yankem."

That didn't work out too well for Jacobs, and was later brought back by Paul Bearer as Undertakers half-bro, Kane.

Over the years, Kane has gone on to have epic battles with everyone in the WWE.

Some of his more stand out ones were with Undertaker, Stone Cold, Mankind, HHH, and The Rock.

He has also gone on to win gold over a dozen times in the WWE. His most noted win was when he beat Stone Cold for the heavyweight title.

Combined with speed, power, and agility he was a very successful big man over the years.

Not to long ago he was finally unmasked, due to his gimmick getting a little stale.

This brought some new life into "the Big Red Machine," as he has gone onto have some prominent feuds since the unmasking.

He is still wrestling today on the Smackdown brand.

Who knows what lies ahead for Kane, but when he does hang up his boots it will be hard to argue how great he was.

This goofball made his debut in the WWF in the 90s.

His career in professional wrestling can be summed up in one word: "rubbish."

Whether you want to refer to him as Tugboat, Typhoon, or the Shockmaster he has done nothing but make a fool of himself.

I still have nightmares over his god-awful entrance music. when he wrestled as the Tugboat.

It only got worse from there, folks.

He later tagged with Earthquake to form the Natural Disasters. This could be possibly the worst tag team in wrestling history.

I do have to add though to be fair, they did win the tag team titles once.

He then went to WCW in 1993 where he was introduced as the Shockmaster.

It is still remembered today, as one of the biggest botches in wrestling history when he came out.

The Shockmaster fell down and then his helmet came off. This was all live, folks, and it was funny as hell.

He was wearing a Star Wars helmet, which just made it a seem all the worse.

Fred Ottman aka the Shockmaster, Tugboat, or if you prefer Typhoon just couldn't cut it.

At least we got a few laughs out of the deal, though.

This big man made his debut in WCW in 1990.He was tagged early on with some bad gimmicks his worst probably being OZ.

He made his way over to the WWF in 1993 as a body guard for HBK named Diesel.

Nash, soon went off on his own and quickly became a stand out for the for the WWF.

He would go on to win the IC title and heavyweight title. Nash would hold this title for almost a year.

He brought to the WWF a style and appeal that was rarely seen by big guys back then.

Kevin Nash was also a key member of the popular faction the Kliq.

He would later jump ship over to WCW, and it is there where his career really picked up.

He would become a key member in the NWO. He also was a mainstay in one of WCW's most popular tag teams, The Outsiders.

Throughout Nash's career, he would hold the heavyweight title a total of six times and the tag titles nine times.

Nash has feuded with just about every big name in the wrestling world during his time.

Some of his biggest feuds were with guys like Sting, Bret Hart, Lex Luger and Goldberg just to name a few.

His biggest set back that can be mentioned, is that he was very injury prone.

That being said, I think it is safe to say that Kevin Nash will be remembered as one of wrestling's most charismatic and popular big men.

I have to say I have seen Vince ruin a lot of careers with bad gimmicks.What they did to this poor man was just wrong, though.

Let me just say this for the record, Mike Shaw was not a bad wrestler.He was successful in Stampede Wrestling, WCW, and the NWA.

In 1993 he made the horrible mistake coming over to the WWF.

I'm not sure what he did to Vince to get the treatment he did.He must have done something, though.

They portrayed this man to be a overweight, unwashed, and uncouth slob.

They gave him the name Bastion Booger; that says it all, my friends.

If that wasn't bad enough, he wore this awful wrestling outfit that left little to the imagination.

The commentators would often speak of the mans hygiene and odor. I just felt awful for this dude.

Thank god they put him out of his misery early. He went on to leave the WWF a year later.

I apologize for unintentionally leaving off the Big Show.This was a overlook on my part.

So without further adieu, it's the Big Show

Billed as the worlds largest athlete, the Big Show made his in-ring debut in 1995.

Paul started his career in WCW and made a instant impact on the roster.

He quickly started feuding with Hogan and would win his first heavyweight title in 1995.

He also would get a more notable title win later when he went on to beat Ric Flair for the belt.

Paul would go on to fight and beat most of the WCW roster, during his four-year stay there.

In 1999, he would come to the WWE, where he would further his career.

He went on to fight the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold, HHH, and many more in the WWE.

What made the Big Show so special was his athletic ability for such a big man.

In fact in his earlier days he would often do spots of the ropes.These types of moves were seldom seen by a wrestler his size.

The Big Show has captured the WWF title twice since coming over.

That would make him a four-time heavyweight champ in total. It would be five times if you count his reign as ECW champ.

He also went on to win most every other title the company has had to offer.

He many not be as mobile these days, but he still moves pretty good.

He is on Raw, where he is still playing key parts in the WWE's story lines. This larger-than-life athlete can still put on a good match.

I'm sure once he does decide to retire he will be remembered as one of the WWE's top big men.

There isn't much to say that hasn't been said already about the Dead Man.

Since the Undertaker's debut in 1990 with the WWF, he has been a wrecking machine.

He was first portrayed as unstoppable phenom with Paul Bearer at his side. He would soon go on a warpath through the entire roster.

He would capture WWF gold in 1991 by beating Hulk Hogan. Although that reign was short-lived, it was just the beginning for the Dead Man.

He has won the heavyweight title six times.He also went on to become a multiple tag team champ over the years.

The list of opponents he has taken down is just too long to list.

He has helped matches like the Hell in the Cell, Buried Alive, and casket matches a household name.

He brings to the ring a style rarely seen by big men. He had speed, agility and technical skills not often seen by guys his size.

Just to show how much respect Vince has for this man, the Undertaker has never lost at Wrestlemania.

This record will probably never be matched by anyone again.

These days he has slowed down and often takes time off, which in my opinion he has every right to do.

He still has though as seen as his match in WM25, where he and HBK put on one of the best matches in Wrestlemania history.

I will go on the record as saying that the Undertaker will go down as one of the best big men ever to step into the ring.

Andre the Giant made his debut in the early 60s.

He was a instant draw right out of the gate. He has wrestled all over the world, many times over through out his career.

Most people, these days remember him as a large slow athlete in the ring during his time in the WWF.

If you saw any of his early matches from the 70s, though you would know differently.

He traveled all the territories and wrestled all the top names at the time.

Andre has had classic matches with guys like Gorilla Monsoon, Hulk Hogan, Harley Race, King Kong Bundy...the list is endless.

Andre wasn't showered in gold like he might have been in the present day.

It does not take away from how great this man really was.He was one of the big players who helped make wrestling what it is today.

He was always a presence in the locker room, and he was respected by just about everyone he has met or wrestled.

He is considered by most as the most prominent big man in the history of pro wrestling even today.

Outside of the ring he was known as a true class act. He always made time for the fans.

When Andre passed away, we lost a true gentleman.