Big John Studd was a talented giant, who can go overlooked for having few titles to his name and for most of his career happening in an era before WWEs national expansion. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. Sign up for Peacock to watch. In early 1982, Studd gained several unsuccessful title shots at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which was held by "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair at the time. Minton, Jr. also participated in the fourth season of WWE Tough Enough. Later in 1985, Studd and fellow Heenan Family member King Kong Bundy formed a regular tag team, clashing with the likes of Andre & Hulk Hogan on a regular basis. Almost 2 years before their match at WrestleMania, this is the first meeting and the beginning of the "BodySlam Challange" between Andre & Studd. He is known for competing in the World Wrestling Federation from 1982 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989. Michael Chin is a writer based in Las Vegas, He writes about pro wrestling for The Sportster and has followed WWE and other promotions for over 30 years. His rivalry with wrestlers like Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan became legendary within the WWF sphere. He exhibited his wrestling skills at World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1970s and 1980s. He first worked for the WWF (then the WWWF) under the name Chuck O'Connor, then as one of the Masked Executioners in 1976 . He left Mid-Atlantic Wrestling to make a comeback in WWWF. The general opinion of his physicians was that the use of human growth hormone years before had led to the development of the cancer. ), though he did not provide his own voice. While other lists of this nature have pointed to the girth of wrestlers, this one will be focusing strictly on their height. During a televised match in late 1986, Studd and Bundy began arguing after they lost a match to the Bulldogs, and although that seemed to foreshadow a feud between the two, nothing ever came of it. Every generation of wrestlers will have a few giantsbecause there will always be a needfora monster of a man in the ring. Professional Wrestler/Entertainer. Although he wrestled under the names Captain USA, Chuck OConnor, the Executioner #2 and The Giant Stud, he is most popularly known as Big John Studd. Studd's last match during his original 1980s WWF run came on the November 15, 1986, episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, where he teamed with Bundy to defeat The Machines (a match that did not involve the Giant Machine). | Minton was also an actor in both . photo: wwe.com. Big John Studd was an actor too, and starred in a few movies. From 1982 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989, John Minton was one of the most well known wrestlers in the WWF. He currently wrestles for MCW. Nash accomplished all this while being 6 feet 9 inches tall. Big John Studd was born John William Minton on February 19, 1948 in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA. Studd quickly became a monster heel, adopting a gimmick of bringing a stretcher to the ring and beating his opponents so badly they would be taken out on the stretcher. Big John Studd: Bio. Within 6 years he would be dead. He was posthumously inducted into the WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) Hall of Fame in 1995 and 2004 respectively. When Big John Studd teamed up with King Kong Bundy, they really were a force to be reckoned with. Big John Studd signed with the World Wrestling Federation and took on Fred Blassie as his manager. Although the Big John Studd death is now two decades in the past, his memory lives on amongst fans and friends. Possiblythe tallest man to ever wrestler as a pro, Paul Bunyan will forever be remembered as a wrestling giant. Sign up for BINGE to watch. Even though Big John Studd was a towering 6'10", he was usually just played second fiddle to the 7'4" Andre the Giant for the duration oftheir wrestling careers. Manager Captain Lou Albano protested by claiming it was an "optical illusion". By Patricia Brennan. It remitted after chemotherapy, and he was told he might wrestle again in six months, but it returned in 1994. John William Minton (February 19, 1948 - March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor who was born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. But pro wrestling has also been filled with cherished giants loved by fans for years. Studd then took a two year break. He started The Battle Royal was during the Chicago portion of the show, and Studd drew the crowd's ire when he eliminated Chicago Bears great (and future fellow Hall of Famer) William "The Refrigerator" Perry from the Battle Royal. 27 and last eliminated Ted DiBiase to win the match. He received several title shots at AWA champ Verne Gagne, but was unable to win the coveted strap. Big John Studd was an actor too, and starred in a few movies. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and 1980s. Later that month at Showdown at Shea, Studd lost to El Olympico by disqualification. Even when he was admitted to the hospital for the final time, he told close friend, wrestler Billy Graham, that he would be out in a few days; however, he would never be released from the hospital. In Wrestlemania 2, Studd and Andre participated in a 20 men royal rumble match which was eventually won by Andre. Gender Male Real Name John William Minton Ring Names. Robert Maillet was working asa bouncer in New Brunswick, when he got the call from Bret Hart with an offer tobecome a WWE wrestler. This was an offer he did not refuse. Big John Studd. The wresting star had complained that he was feeling more tired than usual, and at first chalked it up to fatigue from getting back into the ring. [1] [2] [3] World Tag Team Title (Indianapolis)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_John_Studd&oldid=1140967140, Episode: "Bad Company" or "Bad Companions", EWU World Super Heavyweight Championship (1 time), This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 18:00. Andre iconically turned heel to challenge Hulk Hogan in 1987, and when Studd returned to WWE, it was as a supersized hero to stand up to Andre as he took a step back from the main event picture. Le dernier match de Studd, avant son premier dpart, eu lieu lors d'un pisode de WWF Superstars o lui et Bundy ont battu The Machiners. He debuted in 1972 under the ring name "The Mighty Minton", wrestling on the Los Angeles NWA Hollywood Wrestling, where he formed a tag team with "Superstar" Billy Graham.[5][4]. La dernire modification de cette page a t faite le 26 fvrier 2023 15:27. If you would like to support the channel and my work, please consider becoming a channel member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIf44toFAHLORJ8dwEQkh9g/joi. Heart Punch (un coup de poing pouvant arrter le cur de son adversaire). However, it only went so far, as Studd actually became an incredibly rare Royal Rumble winner who did not even have a match at the WrestleMania to follow (only Vince McMahon would replicate this feat in the years to follow). Perfect and Randy Savage and Rick Martel and Ron Bass and Ronnie Garvin and Shawn Michaels . Have a comment about BigJohn Studd? Undertaker definitely uses his height to his advantage as he is widely considered one of the scariest wrestlers ever. In addition to the match still being a new concept, its worth nothing that it didnt have any official stakes until arguably the greatest Royal Rumble in 1992, when a vacant WWE Championship was on the line. Thankfully, his legacy now has an opportunity to live on through his son, John Minton Jr . At 7'0", 475 pounds, Uncle Elmer was really something else. In 1993, he was training to fight wrestler Killer Kowalski in a special match. In 1978, Studd teamed with Ken Patera to win the Mid-Atlantic Tag Team titles. The Big John Studd death story shows another well respected star, gone before age 50. The Heenan family had joined hands with his nemesis, Andre the Giant. Ronald Allen Reis (born April 26, 1970) is an American professional wrestler. Although he wrestled under the names Captain USA, Chuck O'Connor, the Executioner #2 and The Giant Stud, he is most popularly known . He was always near the top of the card, feuding with the likes of Hulk Hogan and teaming with Ken Patera to cut off Andre's hair. All these men are known for their shear strength and size, in the WWE that is always theshow stopper, the one thing that no one can take their eyes off of. During the match, Studd was noticeably wrestling stiff and showing contempt for someone he saw as nothing more than a weightlifter with no wrestling skills who had no business being in a professional wrestling ring. Todd Pettengill announces the death of Big John Studd on the March 26, 1995 episode of Action Zone, Big John Studd guest referees for Andre the Giant and Jake The Snakes match at WrestleMania V. It doesnt take long for Andre and Studd to come to blows. In the early 1980s, Studd spent time in Florida, the AWA and NWA before returning to WWE. After his short stint as a wrestler ended he traveledall over the countryas a preachercalling himself "Goliath for Christ". Minton grew up with a love for professional wrestling. [12] In February 1995, Minton returned for another round of chemotherapy, and it was found that the tumor had spread widely. Studd, along with Bundy and Heenan, insisted that Andre and the Giant Machine were one and the same, and set out to prove their point by vowing to unmask the Giant Machine during a series of tag team matches; the Giant Machine's partners included Blackjack Mulligan (as "Big Machine") and Bill Eadie (as "Super Machine"). An elated Bobby Heenan appeared on the set to welcome Studd back to the Heenan family. Vintage Big John Studd WWF WWE Titan Sports Wrestling Action Figure LJN 1985. Unlike modern times, the Rumble winner was not granted a world title shot or a chance to main event WrestleMania. From 1982 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989, John Minton was one of the most well known wrestlers in the WWF. He was also winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble. But pro wrestling has also been filled with cherished giants loved by fans for years. Being from India, he spoke very little English, which may explain whyhe couldn't win over many fans. Ric Flair won the match in 1992 to capture the WWE Championship. Like several others on the list, the Brazilian giant has a background in basketball, having played for the Brazilian national team in the preliminary rounds for the 1988 Olympics. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan devient son manager et il se lance dans une rivalit contre Andr the Giant, ce qui amnera a un Body Slam contest (organis par Andre The Giant et o le vainqueur est celui qui arrive porter un bodyslam son adversaire) au premier Wrestlemania avec 15000$ en jeu. He then left the federation in February 1973. In December 1984, Studd, along with Patera and Heenan, cut Andre's hair during a tag team match. By the late 1980s, the tables had turned. The "Machines" angle began when Andr failed to show up for a number of tag team matches against Bundy and Studd. Bobby Heenan successfully campaigned to get Andr suspended, only for Andr to reappear shortly thereafter in a mask and billing himself as a Japanese wrestler called the Giant Machine. When wrestling fans reflect on the winners of the Royal Rumble, certain names tend to come up. Amazingly, it did, and the wrestlers cancer went into remission. Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991), https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/big-john-studd-35149.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. became the masked Captain America, feuding with, TV commercial for the Wild One roller coaster at Wild World Amusement Park in Maryland (1986), Winner of the 1989 WWF Royal Rumble, last eliminating "Million Dollar Initially managed by Classy Freddie Blassie before joining Bobby Heenan and the Heenan Family, Big John Studd would help megastars such as Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant continue on their paths of superstardom. born on February 19th, 1948, in Butler, Pennsylvania. John became an instant crowd-puller and, along with Killer Kowalski, went on to win the Tag Team Championship. Rather than reprising Studd vs. Andre at WrestleMania 5, Studd was instead the guest referee when Andre wrestled Jake Roberts. The Undertaker debuted 32 years ago and is still going strong today. Big John Studd fut entrain par le catcheur canadien Killer Kowalski.Ils sont mme devenus Champions par quipe de la WWF en 1976 en tant que l'quipe masqus des Executioners.. Aprs avoir quitt la WWWF, Studd deviendra connu sous le nom de Chuck O'Connor, Captain USA, et The Masked Superstar II certains endroits du Mid-Atlantic.En 1978, Studd fait quipe avec Ken Patera pour . He later went to Texas and Retired. | Big John Studd won the second ever Royal Rumble, but was gone from WWE six months later, without even a WrestleMania match in between. Big John Studd Dead at 47 from liver cancer and Hodgkins disease. Ils eurent une chance pour le titre, mais ne le gagnrent pas face aux anglais. Andr set out for revenge and accepted Studd's challenge to a "$15,000 Bodyslam Challenge" match at the first WrestleMania, whereby if Andre failed to slam Studd before the time limit (or Studd managed to slam Andre), Andr would be forced to retire from wrestling. He was also known as the masked executioner as he sported a mask while making his appearance with Kowalski. When wrestling fans reflect on the winners of the Royal Rumble, certain names tend to come up. He started training to be a professional wrestler under 'Walter 'Killer' Kowalski' at the age of 18. While Studd became a top challenger for the WWF World Championship, held by Bob Backlund, it was his feud with 7'4" (224cm), 520 pounds (240kg) Andr the Giant over who was professional wrestling's 'true giant' that earned him main event status. After the inaugural one was a hit as a TV special, where Jim Duggan won the battle royal main event, Big John Studd took home this second victory at the first Rumble PPV. But at the same time, the whole purpose of professional wrestling was to give it all a larger than real life feel. John started his training at the age of 18. Big John Studd shows up Saturday as Petit Pierre, a mountain of a man who helps Lt. Danko and his "Dirty Dozen" team of soldier-spies in their weekly effort to . At 7 feet tall, Kane isa monster of a man in the ring and has used his dominating height to his advantage in every match. His rivalry with Andre the Giant became intense when he gave Andre a haircut during a tag team match in 1984. When looking back at some of the greatest Goliaths in WWE history, the name Big John Studd ranks right up there with the best. Sound off in the comments below! Upon his return to WWE, Big John Studd was paired with "Classy" Freddie Blassie, who aided Studd in his feud with Andre the Giant, which lasted for years. Then, he discovered a lump under his armpit while he was hitting the showers. Andr was definitely dominant in the ring, but his long list ofaccomplishments don't scratch the surface of how much of an impact he had on the wrestling world. Man" Ted Dibiase, 1978 - March 20, 1995 (his death, 3 children), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991). 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