Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, better known by the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most of his bald head, Bigelow was hailed by Ryan Murphy (a writer for Bigelow's former employer

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

) as "the most natural, agile and physically remarkable big man of the past quarter century", while former co-worker

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

described him as "possibly the best working big man in the business." Bigelow is best known for his appearances with promotions

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

, the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

(WWF),

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

(WCW), and

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

(ECW) between 1987 and 2001. Over the course of his career, he held championships including the

ECW World Heavyweight Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...

, the

ECW World Television Championship The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in 1992 as part of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Champio ...

, the

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

, the

WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The is a six-man tag team title contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Tenryu Project. The title was established in Wrestle Association R (WAR) in 1994. There have been a total of twenty reigns shared among sixteen team ...

, and the

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). ...

. Bigelow headlined seven pay-per-views: the first Survivor Series in 1987, Beach Brawl in 1991, King of the Ring in 1993 and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

WrestleMania XI WrestleMania XI was the 11th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 2, 1995, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. A t ...

in 1995, and

November to Remember November to Remember (commonly abbreviated to N2R) was a professional wrestling List of ECW supercards and pay-per-view events, event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was held during the month of November from 1993 to 2000. Star ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

and 1998.

Early life

Bigelow was born on September 1, 1961 in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the South Jersey region. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of 1 ...

, United States. He attended

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townsh ...

Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 from the 2010 census enumeration of 27,935, in turn an increase of 245 (+ ...

. While he did not graduate, he earned

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. He placed third in the 1979 New Jersey state wrestling tournament in his sophomore year, but missed his senior season due to a cyst in his lower back. In his late teens, Bigelow competed in

arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The s ...

tournaments. After dropping out of high school, Bigelow held various jobs including a bodyguard, a bouncer, and a

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

. Bigelow stated that while working as a bounty hunter in Mexico, he was shot in the back by a fugitive and imprisoned for six months in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1985–1987)

After being released from prison in Mexico, Bigelow decided to train as a professional wrestler, reasoning "there wasn't much else I was qualified for." In May 1985, he began training at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory wrestling school in

Clementon, New Jersey Clementon is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,000, with Sharpe regarding him as his prize student. He made his professional wrestling debut on August 23, 1985 at a show held at the

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...

nightclub that was promoted by

Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...

. In mid-1986, Bigelow began wrestling for the

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

-based

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ref ...

under the ring name "Bam Bam Bigelow", with Sharpe acting as his manager. He was quickly established as a "monster", competing in multiple

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

es and regularly being disqualified for illegally jumping off the top rope. Bigelow won his first championship on July 28, 1986, being crowned the new AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion after winning a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

. He lost the championship to

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Apr ...

on September 8, 1986 in a

Texas Death Match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Following the loss, Bigelow departed the CWA for several months before returning to form a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with Lawler and feud with Austin Idol and

Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...

. Bigelow continued regularly appearing with the CWA until March 1987. He made brief returns to the CWA and its successor, the

United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...

, in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1994. In late-1986, Bigelow wrestled for the Texas-based

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed ...

promotion using the ring name "Crusher Yurkov", portraying a Russian. During his run, he won the WCWA Television Championship. Readers of the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' voted Bigelow " Rookie of the Year" for 1986.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1987–1992)

Beginning in January 1987, Bigelow began making lengthy tours of Japan with

(NJPW) under the ring name "Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow", with Larry Sharpe again serving as his manager, reuniting the trainer with Bigelow. Bigelow became a very popular monster heel thanks to his amazing agility and unusual aerial moves, and scored huge victories over the likes of

Tatsumi Fujinami (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...

on April 13 and

Akira Maeda (born Go Il-myeong (Hangul: 고일명, Hanja: 高日明), January 24, 1959) is a Japanese mixed martial arts promoter, writer and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist of Korean descent. Maeda was also known by the ring name K ...

in April 20. In January 1989, he formed a

with

Big Van Vader Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 – June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestli ...

known as "Big, Bad, and Dangerous" which lasted until May 1989. He unsuccessfully challenged for the

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IWG ...

on several occasions, including a bout against incumbent champion Vader in September 1989 billed as the "Super Power Battle In

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

". Bigelow and Vader reformed their tag team in 1990. In June 1990, Bigelow also appeared with

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, ...

, competing in its Super Power Series against opponents such as "Dr. Death" Steve Williams,

Terry Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Sr. (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. Gordy appeared in the United States with promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim ...

Toshiaki Kawada (born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...

, and

Kenta Kobashi is a Japanese former professional wrestler. He started his career in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1988, where he became one of the promotion's top stars, holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship three times, and winning the Champ ...

. In March 1991, Bigelow and Vader defeated

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

in the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

as part of the

WCW/New Japan Supershow I WCW/New Japan Supershow I, (known as Starrcade in Tokyo Dome in Japan) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event that took place on March 21, 1991, in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was co-promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW ...

. In March 1992, Bigelow and Vader defeated

Hiroshi Hase is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also ser ...

and

Keiji Muto is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his work as in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Ne ...

for the

. Their reign lasted until June 1992, when they were defeated by

The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...

. Bigelow made his final appearances with NJPW in October 1992, participating in the Super Grade Tag League with Keiji Muto, before leaving Japan to return to the WWF. Bigelow was unable to return to NJPW later in his career due to an exclusivity agreement signed between NJPW and

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1988)

Bigelow debuted in the

(WWF) in May 1987 as "Bam Bam Bigelow". He spent several months wrestling exclusively in

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

es and on

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

s before making his televised debut. Upon his debut, Bigelow featured in a storyline in which various

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

managers such as

Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation ...

Jimmy Hart James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World ...

, and Slick vied to have him as their client in what was dubbed "The Battle for Bam Bam". The storyline culminated in August 1987 when Bigelow denounced the heel managers and announced that his manager would be Oliver Humperdink, establishing him as a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

. In September and October 1987, Bigelow won a series of battle royals. He made his pay-per-view debut at the inaugural

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

, teaming with

Don Muraco Don Muraco (born September 10, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestler and podcaster. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1981 to 1988, where he held the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Cha ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

Ken Patera Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

, and

Paul Orndorff Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Cham ...

in a loss to

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...

King Kong Bundy Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...

Butch Reed Bruce Franklin Reed (July 11, 1954 – February 5, 2021) was an American professional wrestler and football player, better known by the ring name Butch Reed. He played college football at the University of Central Missouri, was a star in Mid-So ...

One Man Gang George Gray (born February 12, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, (The) One Man Gang. For two years in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he was Akeem "The African Dream". Prior to this, he w ...

, and

Rick Rude Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling ...

; Bigelow was the last man eliminated for his team. Following the bout, he faced One Man Gang in a series of matches. At the

Slammy Awards The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 edi ...

in December 1987, he received an award for "Best Head"; later in the evening, he joined the rest of the WWF roster to sing " If You Only Knew". He began feuding with

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

in January 1988, on several occasions teaming with Hogan to face DiBiase and André the Giant. At

WrestleMania IV WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 27, 1988, at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in Atl ...

in March 1988, Bigelow took part in the tournament for the vacant

WWF World Heavyweight Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...

, losing to One Man Gang in the first round. Bigelow went on to face One Man Gang in a further series of matches throughout mid-1988. In June 1988, Bigelow lost to André the Giant in a

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

bout airing on ''

WWF on MSG Network ''WWF on MSG Network'' (also advertised as ''WWF from Madison Square Garden'') was a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was a monthly television special that aired live from Madison Squ ...

'' in which

stated that André "practically killed him" by working stiff due to tension between them; immediately following the match, Bigelow returned to the locker room, collected his bag, and left the Garden. Bigelow left the WWF in July 1988 due to a combination of knee injuries (tears to both

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

s) and

heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

from other members of the roster resentful of the

push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...

he had received despite being a rookie.

World Championship Wrestling (1988–1989, 1990)

Bigelow debuted in

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

in September 1988, shortly before its rebranding as

. He was managed by Oliver Humperdink who had also joined the promotion. Bigelow quickly began feuding with

The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand th ...

. In November 1988, he unsuccessfully challenged

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

, the leader of The Four Horsemen, for the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...

in a

in the

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum (which was called Charlott ...

. In late-1988, he began challenging Horseman

Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...

over the

NWA United States Heavyweight Championship The NWA United States Heavyweight Championship is a name used for several secondary championships used by various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) members since 1953. At least twelve different versions of the NWA United States Heavyweight Champions ...

; he lost to Windham by count-out at

Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1 ...

in December 1988 after being attacked by the Horsemen's manager,

J. J. Dillon James Morrison (born June 26, 1942) is an American retired professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, J. J. Dillon. Professional wrestling career J. J. Dillon had an extensive wrestling career. He broke into wrestling at th ...

. Bigelow was unwilling to sign an exclusive contract with WCW due to his touring commitments with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and he left the company in January 1989. Bigelow returned to WCW in April 1990, once again reuniting with Oliver Humperdink. He joined the villainous " Sullivan's Slaughterhouse"

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

with Kevin Sullivan and Cactus Jack. At the

Capital Combat Capital Combat: Return of RoboCop was a one-time professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) held under the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) name. Capital Combat took place on Saturday, May 19, 19 ...

pay-per-view in May 1990, Bigelow teamed with Sullivan and Cactus Jack in a loss to Norman the Lunatic and

the Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Warriors" in th ...

. At Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush, he lost to

via disqualification after refusing to break a choke. Bigelow's second stint with WCW lasted until August 1990 when he once again returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1991)

Bigelow joined the fledgling Universal Wrestling Federation in March 1991, making several appearances on ''

UWF Fury Hour ''UWF Fury Hour'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on SportsChannel America from October 1, 1990, to September 23, 1991. The show was ...

''. During his time in the promotion, he had a short feud with "Cowboy" Bob Orton. His final appearance with the UWF was in June 1991 at the

Beach Brawl Beach Brawl was the only live professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). The event took place on June 9, 1991 at the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida. Eight professional wr ...

pay-per-view, where he lost to Steve Williams in a main event bout to determine the inaugural UWF SportsChannel Television Champion.

Universal Wrestling Association (1992)

In February 1992, Bigelow began wrestling in Mexico for the

Universal Wrestling Association The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Lucha Libre Internacional (LLI) ...

, appearing on its ''UWA TV'' program. He primarily wrestled in

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

es, with his regular allies including André the Giant (with who he reconciled following their altercation in 1988), The Samoan SWAT Team, and

Rambo Rambo is a surname with Norwegian (Vestfold) and Swedish origins. It possibly originated with '' ramn'' + '' bo'', meaning "raven's nest". It has variants in French (''Rambeau'', ''Rambaut'', and ''Rimbaud'') and German (''Rambow''). It is now best ...

and his opponents including

El Canek Felipe Estrada (born June 19, 1952), known as El Canek or simply Canek, is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' or masked professional wrestler best known for the 20 years he worked for the Universal Wrestling Association where he held the UWA Wo ...

, Fishman, and Villanos III, IV, and V. He was one of a series of foreign challengers to face El Canek. Bigelow did not enjoy working in Mexico, and he left the UWA in May 1992.

World Wrestling Federation (1992–1995)

Alliance with Luna Vachon (1992–1994)

Bigelow returned to the World Wrestling Federation in October 1992, scoring a series of wins on ''

WWF Superstars is a wrestling video game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released for arcades in 1989. It is the first WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the same title were released by LJN for the original Game Boy. Techn� ...

'' and ''

WWF Wrestling Challenge ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'' is a professional wrestling television show that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as ''WWF Cha ...

''. He made his pay-per-view return in January 1993, decisively defeating Big Boss Man at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...

. Throughout early-1993, Bigelow wrestled primarily on

s, including tours of Europe in February and April. He repeatedly unsuccessfully challenged

for the

. A scheduled match between Bigelow and Kamala at

WrestleMania IX WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on April 4, 1993, at Caesars Pa ...

in April was cancelled due to time constraints. In June 1993,

Luna Vachon Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon ( ; January 12, 1962 – August 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon.Lisa S. Davis,Ex-wrestler Luna Vachon, 48, found dead", ''Tampa Bay Online'' (August 31, 2010). Over ...

was introduced as Bigelow's

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "vale ...

and "main squeeze" (love interest). Bigelow defeated

Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

on the May 10 episode of ''

Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' to qualify for the first-ever televised

King of the Ring tournament The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don M ...

; at the

King of the Ring King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotio ...

pay-per-view on June 13, Bigelow defeated

Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...

in the quarter-finals and received a bye in the semi-finals, but lost to Bret Hart in the tournament final in what was his third pay-per-view main event. Following King of the Ring, Bigelow began feuding with Tatanka. In July and August, Bigelow toured Europe with the WWF Later in August, Bigelow teamed with

Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

to unsuccessfully challenge

for the

WWF World Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

. At

SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...

on August 30, Bigelow and The Headshrinkers lost to Tatanka and

The Smoking Gunns The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. As a team, the Smoking Gunns ...

. In October 1993, Bigelow and Luna Vachon began feuding with

Doink the Clown Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling persona originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Osborne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992. Doink is a clown (or evil clown) wearing traditional clo ...

;

The Brooklyn Brawler Steven Kenneth Lombardi (born April 18, 1961) is an American professional wrestler and road agent, better known by his ring name, The Brooklyn Brawler. He worked for the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, as well as several independent promot ...

substituted for Bigelow in some matches after he took a brief leave of absence in early November to care for his pregnant wife. A match was scheduled for

pitting Bigelow,

Bastion Booger Michael Paul Shaw (May 9, 1957 – September 11, 2010) was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation (W ...

, and The Headshrinkers against four Doinks; at Survivor Series the four Doinks were revealed as being

The Bushwhackers The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

and

Men on a Mission Men on a Mission was a professional wrestling tag team composed of Mabel (Nelson Frazier) and Mo (Robert Horne), best known for its appearances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. Career Harlem Knights The team that wou ...

. Bigelow was defeated by Mabel. The match was poorly critically received, being named " Worst Worked Match of the Year" by the ''

''. In January 1994, Bigelow had a short feud with

after Booger kissed Vachon. At the

on January 22, 1994, Bigelow lost to Tatanka, substituting for

Ludvig Borga Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007, representing the True Finns party as an independent politician ...

. During the Royal Rumble match itself, Bigelow eliminated Tatanka, Doink, and several other wrestlers before being eliminated by

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...

. Bigelow was also one of multiple villainous wrestlers to interfere in WWF World Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna's title defence against

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

, helping Yokozuna retain the Championship. Following the Royal Rumble, Bigelow continued his feud with Doink, culminating in a tag team match at

WrestleMania X WrestleMania X was the 10th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 20, 1994, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The cen ...

where Bigelow and Vachon defeated Doink and his ally

Dink "DINK" is an acronym that stands for "double income, no kids" or "dual income, no kids". It describes a couple without children living together while both partners are receiving an income; because both of their wages are coming into the same house ...

to end their rivalry. Following WrestleMania X, Bigelow took part in the WWF's tour of Europe and Israel. An April 24, 1993 bout between Bigelow and Bret Hart in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain was included on the 2005 DVD

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

'' Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be'' at Hart's request. On the May 16, 1994 episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', Bigelow defeated Sparky Plugg to qualify for that year's

. The following month, he lost to

Razor Ramon Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

in the quarter-final at

Million Dollar Corporation (1994–1995)

On the June 27, 1994 episode of ''

'', Bigelow broke ties with Luna Vachon, with

subsequently announcing that he had bought Bigelow's contract. Bigelow became a member of DiBiase's new

The Million Dollar Corporation The Million Dollar Corporation was a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from April 1994 to May 1996 and was led and managed by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Di ...

. Throughout the summer, Bigelow had a series of matches with Mabel; the two faced each other during the "Summer Fest" and "Hart Attack" tours of Europe. In July 1994, while under WWF contract, Bigelow returned to Japan to work for

Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...

Wrestle Association R Wrestle Association R (formerly known as Wrestle and Romance and abbreviated as WAR) was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 200 ...

as "Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow". Teaming with Tenryu and

Atsushi Onita is a Japanese actor, politician, and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and is credited with introducing Japan to the deathmatch style of professional wrestling. He founded ...

, he won the " Super Battle of 6 Men" tournament. At

on August 29, Bigelow and fellow Million Dollar Corporation member Irwin R. Schyster defeated The Headshrinkers by disqualification. At

on November 23, "The Million Dollar Team" (Bigelow,

, Tatanka, and

The Heavenly Bodies The Heavenly Bodies is a professional wrestling tag team famous for having worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and various independent promotions. Over the years, there have been multiple variations of the team, ...

) defeated "Guts and Glory" ( Adam Bomb,

, Mabel, and

). In November 1994, Bigelow and fellow Million Dollar Corporation member Tatanka entered a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

for the vacant

. They defeated

in the quarter-finals and The Headshrinkers in the semi-finals. Bigelow made another appearance with Wrestle Association R in Japan in December 1994, winning a round robin challenge match at the WAR MEGA-POWER event. On January 22, 1995 at the

, Bigelow and Tatanka lost to

The 1-2-3 Kid Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2– ...

and

Bob Holly Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former auto racer and wrestling trainer/host, better known by the ring name Hardcore Holly or Bob Holly. He is best known for his 16-year career wit ...

in the WWF Tag Team Championship tournament final. The World Wrestling Federation had approached former

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981–1993) in the National Football League (NF ...

about performing at

in an attempt to generate interest. After Taylor agreed to wrestle a match, Bigelow was selected as his opponent. The storyline saw Taylor introduced at the Royal Rumble, where he was sitting in the audience at ringside. After Bigelow was pinned by The 1-2-3 Kid, Bigelow took umbrage after noticing Taylor laughing. Upon Bigelow confronting Taylor at ringside, he offered Bigelow a handshake, but Bigelow instead shoved him to the ground. On the following episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', it was announced that Bigelow had been temporarily suspended. During an interview segment with

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

, Bigelow declined to apologize to Taylor, instead challenging him to a match "any time, anyplace." Taylor initially declined the match, but after repeated insults from Bigelow, he accepted the challenge on February 27, 1995 at the WrestleMania XI press conference. The build up to the match included Taylor staging a public workout in a ring that had been erected in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

at which he was confronted by Bigelow, resulting in a brawl. On April 2, 1995, Taylor defeated Bigelow in the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

of WrestleMania XI. The storyline garnered significant media coverage, with outlets such as ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'', ''

SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...

'', and ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' featuring it. Bigelow was credited as having carried the inexperienced Taylor. Following WrestleMania, Bigelow participated in the "WWF in High Gear" tour of Europe. Upon his return to the United States, he challenged

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

for the

WWF Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...

on the April 24, 1995 episode of ''Monday Night Raw''. After Diesel defeated Bigelow, Ted DiBiase announced that he was firing Bigelow. After Bigelow retaliated, the other members of The Million Dollar Corporation attacked him until he was saved by Diesel, thus turning Bigelow

. In the main event of

on June 25, 1995, Bigelow and Diesel teamed together to defeat Million Dollar Corporation members Sid and Tatanka. Following King of the Ring, Bigelow faced Million Dollar Corporation members Sid, Tatanka, King Kong Bundy, and

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

in a series of matches. At

In Your House 2 In Your House 2 (retroactively titled In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks) was the second In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on July 23, 1995, at the ...

, he defeated

Henry Godwinn Mark Canterbury (born March 16, 1964) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the mid to late 1990s under the ring name Henry O. Godwinn. He is also ...

, who was auditioning to join the Corporation. At

In Your House 3 In Your House 3 (retroactively titled In Your House 3: Triple Header) was the third In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on September 24, 1995, at t ...

, he lost to British Bulldog. In October 1995, he took part in the "Full Metal" tour, marking his final tour of Europe with the WWF. In late-1995, Bigelow negotiated an early release from his contract with WWF chairman

after becoming disillusioned by the creative influence of

The Kliq The Kliq was a backstage group in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during the mid-1990s, composed of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. Michaels, Nash, and Hall wielded a considerable amount of power ...

. He made his final appearance with the WWF on November 19, 1995 at

, losing to the recently debuted

Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...

United States independent circuit; Japanese tours (1995–1998)

After leaving the World Wrestling Federation in late-1995, Bigelow began working on the United States independent circuit. In March 1996, Bigelow became the inaugural NWA Northeast Heavyweight Champion of the newly founded NWA Northeast promotion, defeating

Jim Neidhart James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag T ...

in a tournament final. Although Bigelow only made a handful of appearances with the promotion, his reign officially lasted until October 1998 when the title was vacated. In May 1996, Bigelow defeated

to win the vacant Universal Superstars of America Heavyweight Championship. In July 1996, he defeated

at NWA New Jersey. Bigelow returned to Wrestle Association R in August 1996 for a tour that lasted until the end of the year. He briefly held the

with

Hiromichi Fuyuki (May 11, 1960 – March 19, 2003) was a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter better known by his ring name best known for his time in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), ...

and

Yoji Anjo (born March 28, 1967) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Professional wrestling career Universal Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1985–1988) A former practitioner of judo, sumo and muay th ...

in October 1996. In 1997, Bigelow was named as the inaugural

Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, thou ...

of the newly founded World Star Wrestling Federation. In June 1997, Bigelow appeared at the

World Wrestling Peace Festival The World Wrestling Peace Festival was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, which took place on June 1, 1996 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The event ...

, an inter-promotional supercard staged at the

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...

, where he faced

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

and

Konnan Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...

in a three way dance. In April 1998, Bigelow wrestled two bouts for the Japanese promotion

Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989, by Atsushi Onita as (FMW). The promotion specializes in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their ...

, participating in the "Fighting Creation" event.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996, 1997–1998)

Initial appearances (1996)

Bigelow debuted in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania-based

promotion in February 1996 at Big Apple Blizzard Blast, confronting Tazz, Taz. Later that month at ECW Just Another Night, Just Another Night he defeated Cactus Jack in an impromptu match after Jack mocked him for his loss to Lawrence Taylor. In March 1996 at Big Ass Extreme Bash he again confronted Taz. Bigelow made a further appearance in October 1996, defeating Terry Gordy, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy at Ultimate Jeopardy (1996), Ultimate Jeopardy in what was dubbed "The Battle of the Bam Bams".

The Triple Threat (1997–1998)

Bigelow began appearing regularly with ECW in May 1997. He was reintroduced at ECW Chapter 2, Chapter 2, being named the new member of The Triple Threat#Second incarnation, The Triple Threat alongside Shane Douglas, Chris Candido, and Francine (wrestling), Francine. He was undefeated until August 1997, when he suffered an upset loss to the diminutive Spike Dudley at Born to be Wired. Bigelow made his ECW pay-per-view debut at Hardcore Heaven (1997), Hardcore Heaven later that month, decisively defeating Dudley in a rematch. During the match, Bigelow Professional wrestling throws#Gorilla press, pressed Dudley above his head and hurled him into the ECW Arena audience. Bigelow went on to defeat Dudley in a series of further matches over the following months. On the October 20, 1997 episode of ''ECW Hardcore TV'',

selected Bigelow as challenger for Shane Douglas'

. Bigelow accepted the match and went on to win the Championship, renouncing his membership in The Triple Threat as a result. Over the course of his reign, Bigelow successfully retained the Championship in bouts with challengers including Al Snow, Chris Candido, Mikey Whipwreck, and Paul Diamond. He began feuding with Douglas, on one occasion accidentally breaking the pelvis of Douglas' valet Francine while performing a gorilla press slam on her. In the main event of November to Remember (1997), November to Remember on November 30, 1997, Douglas defeated Bigelow to regain the Championship. Bigelow continued feuding with Douglas and the rest of The Triple Threat, allying with Tazz, Taz. At Hostile City Showdown (1998), Hostile City Showdown in January 1998, Bigelow and Taz faced The Triple Threat in a Professional wrestling match types#Handicap match, handicap match; during the match, Bigelow betrayed Taz, rejoining The Triple Threat. At Living Dangerously (1998), Living Dangerously on March 1, 1998, Bigelow defeated Taz for the

in the Asbury Park Convention Hall in his adopted hometown. During the match, Bigelow collapsed backwards while Taz was applying his ''Professional wrestling holds#Half nelson choke, Tazmission'' hold, driving both men through the ring canvas. Bigelow's reign lasted until the April 4, 1998 episode of ''ECW Hardcore TV'' where he lost the Championship to Rob Van Dam. After defeating New Jack at Wrestlepalooza (1998), Wrestlepalooza, Axl Rotten at It Ain't Seinfeld, It Ain't ''Seinfeld'', and Al Snow at A Matter of Respect (1998), A Matter of Respect, Bigelow unsuccessfully challenged Taz for the ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship in a Professional wrestling match types#Falls Count Anywhere match, falls count anywhere match at Heat Wave (1998), Heat Wave after both men fell through the entrance ramp. Bigelow subsequently teamed with Candido and then Douglas to unsuccessfully challenge Rob Van Dam and Sabu (wrestler), Sabu for the ECW World Tag Team Championship. The feud between The Triple Threat and Taz, Van Dam, and Sabu culminated in a

in the main event of November to Remember (1998), November to Remember, in which Sabu pinned Douglas. This marked Bigelow's final appearance with ECW as he left the promotion to rejoin World Championship Wrestling immediately thereafter.

World Championship Wrestling (1998–2001)

Early appearances (1998–1999)

In November 1998, Bigelow abruptly left ECW after experiencing bounced checks, signing what Brian Fitz and Christopher Murray described as a "lucrative" two-year contract with World Championship Wrestling. He made his return on the November 16, 1998 episode of ''WCW Monday Nitro, Monday Nitro'', interrupting a match between Scott Putski and Chavo Guerrero Jr. After attacking both competitors, Bigelow called out WCW World Heavyweight Championship, World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg, Goldberg and brawled with him in the ring. At World War 3 (1998), World War 3 on November 22, Bigelow interfered in the WCW World War 3, titular match, attacking Goldberg. In his first match back with the company, he wrestled Goldberg to a no contest on the December 7 episode of ''Monday Nitro''. At Starrcade (1998), Starrcade on December 27, Bigelow was one of several wrestlers to interfere in the main event bout between Goldberg and Kevin Nash, helping Nash pin Goldberg for the first time in his career and win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. After defeating Bryan Clark, Wrath at Souled Out (1999), Souled Out in January 1999, Bigelow lost to Goldberg at SuperBrawl IX the following month. In March 1999, Bigelow lost to Rey Mysterio Jr., helping establish him as a "giant killer". Later that month, he entered a tournament for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, losing to Meng (wrestler), Meng in the first round. He began competing in WCW's nascent Hardcore wrestling, hardcore division, including a Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches, triple threat Professional wrestling match types#Falls Count Anywhere match, falls count anywhere match against fellow ECW alumni Raven (wrestler), Raven and The Sandman (wrestler), Hardcore Hak at Uncensored (1999), Uncensored, a hardcore match against Hak at Spring Stampede (1999), Spring Stampede, a kendo stick match against Hugh Morrus on ''Monday Nitro'', and a hardcore match against Brian Knobbs at Slamboree (1999), Slamboree.

The Jersey Triad (1999)

On the May 31, 1999 episode of ''Monday Nitro'', Bigelow and Diamond Dallas Page challenged Raven (wrestler), Raven and Perry Saturn for the

. After Bigelow and Page attacked Raven prior to the match, Saturn faced them alone until Chris Kanyon joined the match as a substitute for Raven; however, Bigelow and Page pinned Kanyon to win the Championship. The following week on ''Nitro'', Kanyon joined Page and Bigelow to form a List of professional wrestling terms#S, stable, The Jersey Triad. Page and Bigelow lost the WCW World Tag Team Championship to Saturn and Chris Benoit on the June 10 episode of ''WCW Thunder, Thunder''. At The Great American Bash (1999), The Great American Bash later that month, Page and Kanyon defeated Benoit and Saturn for the Championship following interference from Bigelow; subsequently, they enacted the "Freebird Rule", meaning Bigelow was also recognized as champion and any two members of The Jersey Triad could defend the Championship. At Bash at the Beach 1999, Bash at the Beach, The Jersey Triad successfully defended the Championship against Saturn and Benoit in a

. Their reign lasted until Road Wild 1999, Road Wild in August 1999, when they lost to Harlem Heat. The Jersey Triad disbanded the following month.

Hardcore division; final appearances (1999–2001)

After a short absence, Bigelow returned to WCW television on the October 25 episode of ''Monday Nitro'', losing to Norman Smiley in the first round of a tournament for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He then returned to the hardcore division. On the February 7, 2000 episode of ''Monday Nitro'', Bigelow defeated Brian Knobbs for the WCW Hardcore Championship. He lost the championship back to Knobbs later that month at SuperBrawl X. In March 2000, Bigelow participated in WCW's "Millennium Tour" of the United Kingdom. Later that month, he began feuding with Jerry Tuite, The Wall after he developed a sadistic streak and attacked various younger wrestlers, including David Flair and Crowbar (wrestler), Crowbar. The feud culminated in a bout at Uncensored (2000), Uncensored which Bigelow won by Professional wrestling#Disqualification, disqualification. In June 2000, Bigelow briefly reunited with his former Triple Threat stablemates Shane Douglas and Chris Candido, after which he was inactive for several months due to severe burns he had sustained in a fire. Bigelow returned to WCW television once more in October 2000. In November, he was paired with Mike Awesome in a "Lethal Lottery" tournament to determine the number one contender to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. After Bigelow and Awesome lost to Scott Steiner and Sting (wrestler), Sting, they began feuding. After Bigelow attacked Awesome prior to a scheduled match between them at Mayhem 2000, Mayhem in November, Bigelow defeated Awesome's substitute, Jerry Tuite, Sgt. A.W.O.L. The feud culminated in an ambulance match at Starrcade 2000, Starrcade in December which was won by Awesome after Bigelow fell through the roof of the ambulance. Over the following months, Bigelow primarily wrestled on ''Thunder''. In early-2001, Bigelow began feuding with Shawn Stasiak, losing to him at WCW's final pay-per-view, WCW Greed, Greed. The feud culminated in a match on the final episode of ''Monday Nitro'' on March 26 in which Stasiak defeated Bigelow.

Late career (2001–2006)

After World Championship Wrestling was purchased by the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001, Bigelow opted not to accept a buy-out on his contract with Time Warner (the parent company of WCW). He was one of the performers considered by the newly-formed NWA Total Nonstop Action promotion in early-2002 but was unavailable due to his contract. After his contract expired in June 2002, Bigelow returned to the independent circuit. He wrestled sporadically, mainly appearing with promotions in the Northeastern United States. In September 2002, Bigelow wrestled in Germany for the European Wrestling Promotion. He made several appearances for USA Pro Wrestling, winning the USA Pro Heavyweight Championship twice during 2002. In 2004, Bigelow announced he would no longer take major bump (professional wrestling), bumps or chair shots for fear of exacerbating his health problems. He wrestled his final match on November 7, 2006 (10 weeks before his death) for the Florida-based American Combat Wrestling promotion, teaming with Ralph Mosca as "The Syndicate" to defeat Overkill (Legion Cage and Marcus Hall) for the ACW Tag Team Championship; the titles were vacated later that month.

Professional wrestling style and persona

Bigelow was noted for what Michael McAvennie described as "uncanny nimbleness" given his height and weight. Capable of executing cartwheels, forward rolls, and dropkicks, he was described by Jake Black as "a powerful giant who could move like a Cruiserweight (professional wrestling), cruiserweight". Journalist Dave Meltzer commented "Bigelow was something of a phenomenon when he came into pro wrestling in 1986." He was nicknamed "The Beast from the East". His character was described by Michael Ball as a "Punk subculture, punk". Bigelow had a distinctive appearance, with a large frame, shaved head, 19 tattoos (including various animals and mythical creatures on his arms and a fireball on the top of his head), goatee, missing front tooth, and what journalist Jon Gelberg described as "perpetually narrowed" eyes. Initially wrestling in black cut-off shorts and a cut-off t-shirt with "I Am Monster" written on the back, after joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1987 he began wearing clothes illustrated with flames, a theme he continued throughout the remainder of his career. At the outset of his career, Bigelow used the ''Nuclear Splash'' (a diving splash) as his finisher. He later used a Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Slingshot, slingshot Diving splash, splash and an Reverse piledriver, over-the-shoulder reverse piledriver that he named ''Greetings From Asbury Park'' in reference to his adopted hometown and the Bruce Springsteen Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., album. Deceptively agile, Bigelow also used aerial maneuvers such as moonsaults and diving headbutts.

Mixed martial arts career

On November 17, 1996, Bigelow faced Kimo Leopoldo in a mixed martial arts bout promoted by U-Japan in Tokyo. Bigelow was dominated through the bout, submitting to a rear naked choke in the first round. In a 1998 interview, Bigelow claimed that he had been asked to Match fixing, throw the fight and that he had been paid $100,000 () for the fight.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0-1 , Kimo Leopoldo , Submission (rear naked choke) , U-Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 , Tokyo, Japan ,

Acting career

During his professional wrestling career, Bigelow took on a number of acting roles, generally playing menacing villainous characters. He also appeared in a commercial for Slim Jim (snack food), Slim Jim beef jerky. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Filmography

Personal life

As a young man, Bigelow was repeatedly arrested on charges including aggravated assault, attempted kidnapping, criminal restraint, drug possession, robbery, and sexual assault. He spent nine months in the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility as a teenager, and was later imprisoned for six months in

for illegally acting as a bounty hunter in Mexico. Bigelow married Asbury Park native Dana Fisher in 1987. The couple had three children before divorcing in 2000. Following the divorce, Fisher sued Bigelow for non-payment of child support. On July 4, 2000, Bigelow received second degree burns on 40% of his body while rescuing three children from a fire in Wayside, New Jersey. He spent 10 days in a hospital after the incident. In 2004, Bigelow opened a deli in Hamlin, Wayne County, Pennsylvania that sold a two pound "Beast Burger". The restaurant later folded. Bigelow later relocated to Florida in hope that the warm weather would help with his chronic pain. In May 2004, Bigelow was charged with endangering the welfare of a child through reckless driving. He attributed the incident to a seizure he had suffered, and the charges were dropped two months later. In August 2004, Bigelow was convicted of Cannabis in Florida, possession of marijuana. On October 2, 2005, Bigelow was hospitalized with a broken nose and several lacerations after crashing his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Florida State Road 50 in Hernando County, Florida. Bigelow's girlfriend was his passenger at the time of the crash; she suffered severe injuries, but eventually made a complete recovery and remained with Bigelow until his death. For much of his professional wrestling career, Bigelow suffered from an addiction to OxyContin. By the end of his life, Bigelow was suffering from multiple health issues and receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, Social Security Disability Benefits. He had a heart problem (arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease), diabetes, and a persistent infection. He also had severe back problems; back surgeries had reduced his height by .

Death

Bigelow's girlfriend found him dead in his home in Hudson, Florida at approximately 10a.m. Eastern Time Zone, EST on the morning of January 19, 2007. He was 45 years old. An autopsy found that Bigelow's death was due to multiple drugs found in his system including toxic levels of cocaine and anti-anxiety drugs benzodiazepines. A contributing factor in Bigelow's passing was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, narrowing of small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. His death was ruled an accident by the Pasco County, Florida, Pasco-Pinellas County, Florida, Pinellas Medical Examiner.

Championships and accomplishments

*American Combat Wrestling **ACW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Ralph Mosca *

**AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *

(List of ECW Champions, 1 time) **

(List of ECW World Television Champions, 1 time) * NWA Northeast **Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, NWA Northeast Heavyweight Championship (Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Championship#Title History, 1 time, first) *

(List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with

*''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **Ranked No. 24 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 1994 *Universal Superstars of America **USA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *USA Pro Wrestling **USA Pro Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *

**WCW Hardcore Championship (List of WCW Hardcore Champions, 1 time) **

(List of WCW World Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with Diamond Dallas Page (1 time) and with Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon (1 time) *World Class Championship Wrestling, World Class Wrestling Association ** WCWA Television Championship (WCCW Television Championship#Title history, 1 time) *World Xtreme Wrestling, World Star Wrestling Federation **WXW Heavyweight Championship, WSWF Heavyweight Championship (WXW Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time, first) *

**Slammy Award for Best Head (Slammy Award#1987 Slammy Awards, 1987) *

(WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with

and

**List of WAR tournaments#Six Man Tag Team Tournament, Six Man Tag Team Tournament (1994) – with

and

*''

'' ** Rookie of the Year (1986)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Bam Bam 1961 births 2007 deaths 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers American arm wrestlers American male film actors American male mixed martial artists American male professional wrestlers Bounty hunters Cocaine-related deaths in Florida ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions ECW World Television Champions Faux Russian professional wrestlers IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Neptune High School alumni People from Mount Laurel, New Jersey Professional wrestlers from New Jersey Tenryu Project World 6-Man Tag Team Champions The Million Dollar Corporation members WCW World Tag Team Champions

Early life

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1985–1987)

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1987–1992)

World Wrestling Federation (1987–1988)

World Championship Wrestling (1988–1989, 1990)

Universal Wrestling Federation (1991)

Universal Wrestling Association (1992)

World Wrestling Federation (1992–1995)

Alliance with Luna Vachon (1992–1994)

Million Dollar Corporation (1994–1995)

United States independent circuit; Japanese tours (1995–1998)

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996, 1997–1998)

Initial appearances (1996)

The Triple Threat (1997–1998)

World Championship Wrestling (1998–2001)

Early appearances (1998–1999)

The Jersey Triad (1999)

Hardcore division; final appearances (1999–2001)

Late career (2001–2006)

Professional wrestling style and persona

Mixed martial arts career

Mixed martial arts record

Acting career

Filmography

Personal life

Death

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

External links