Jim Cornette on His Top 5 Wrestlers Over 350 Pounds
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- Опубліковано 30 січ 2025
- From Episode 289 of the Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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Crash Holly. Allegedly well over 400 pounds! Yet he moved like a cat.
Forget Great Khali. He was the original Ultra Heavyweight
Well done sir
😅
@@James-th4rn Trash.
Crash was the first true Super Heavyweight
My all-time favorite "big man" was One Man Gang. When Vince turned him into Akeem The African Dream, a piece of my childhood died.
Vince gonna Vince.
Totally agree, when the One Man Gang was in the UWF he was awesome
@@nolongerblocked6210 Hell yeah! His matches with Bam Bam are still some of the best "big man" matches I've ever seen.
Dude tuned into his heritage, it's racialism to pick on him.
@@marlondaniels7912 Ironic considering it didn't make anyone else tune in
Bam Bam and Vader were both incredible.
First time I saw Vader do a moonsault i was like W.T.F is he doing on the top rope. Vader has to be my favorite big guy of all time.
Both guys, like the Undertaker (who is sub-350lbs) had no business being as athletic as they were lol. They not only had camera presence, but they could go better than some 200lbs guys.
bigalow could do it all when he was young.
When someone says "greatest big man" I immediately think to Earthquake. He had his ups and downs with gimmicks and storylines, but he had some amazing matches, was incredibly skilled at working safe, was legit tough, and yet was also a super personable gentle giant for real. John Tenta deserves so much more respect than he gets.
Yep dude crazy athletic a personal fav of mine
Agreed, Tenta was a beast. He was an amateur, sumo, and pro wrestler. Not many people can do all three
Check out his match with the Warlord in Japan in the mid-1990s. Anyone who can get a match like that out of Warlord (good follower, but zero wrestling instincts) is a great wrestler.
Big Leon, I spent some time with him many years ago, lovely guy outside the ring, F**king terrifying inside. Never been a better monster heel. Intimidation, power, athleticism and with Race in his corner, his WCW run was stellar. Bam Bam could do both Heel & Babyface, incredibly agile for a guy his size and could have a match with anyone. His ECW run was brilliant.
Leon White once said that a double-knee surgery took 3 inches off his height. So, he was actually closer to 6'8" than 6'5" peak.
Vader is a monster, the Big Show is a giant. Yoko is a monster, Undertaker is a giant. That’s how I always viewed it
Undertaker was a monster if you watched from the beginning... As a kid you literally thought he was a zombie and would ask Santa for an Undertaker action figure
Undertaker was a Tweener he was a Monster & a Giant
nobody cares thoooo....🤣🤣
@AN you are the coolest man on the Internet.
@@honchodamenace1179 Being a tweener is not a gimmick
I've been randomly watching a lot of Earthquake matches, and the way he ran the ropes was terrifying. I'm glad Brian brought him up.
Yeah, John Tenta was mistreated by the sumo association in Japan. Pro wrestling was a suitable alternative for him, that he ended up enjoying more than sumo competition.
I'll never forget when Yokozuna broke the turnbuckle going for the bomb on Vader. The forklift was struggling to get him to the ambulance.
The turnbuckle didn't break during that Vader match where they had to use a forklift to get Yoko out of the ring. Yoko broke the turnbuckle vs Steve Austin during the Summer Slam 1996 Free For All (pre-show)
@@SonOfMuta Thanks man. Gotta lay off the smoke lol
@@SonOfMuta I can search on the Google machine too
Yokozuna was way too heavy, and Vince McMahon should have never allowed Yoko gain so much weight. When he arrived in the WWF, he was billed at 505 lbs. From that point forward, he should have been required to lose weight. Instead, Vince waited until Yoko got to over 620 lbs, and his performance in the ring began to suffer. It was only then that Yoko was required to lose over a hundred pounds. However, by then, it was too little, too late. Yoko ended up dying not long after he dropped all that weight. Vince McMahon has always cared more about the "spectacle" of pro wrestling than he has about the health of his wrestlers.
@@bronsontolliver9027 what about Gorilla Monsoon
You don't hear Crusher Jerry Blackwell mentioned very often.
One of the first wrestlers I remember.
AWA
Crusher Jerry Blackwell could do a standing drop kick. For a big guy his size it was crazy!
The comments and Jim talking about Vader is making me think of the classic moment of Nikki Bella not knowing Vader’s dead.
One Man Gang... Total big man 80s icon character. Got to work with him in a indy show in houma louisiana. Seen him on the news once after the big Baton Rouge la floods n 2016 or 17. Hope he has a place to call home again. Real nice guy.
Hard to narrow it down, so many great monsters. Andre, Big Show, Vader, Bam Bam, Studd, Earthquake, Yoko, Abdullah, Kamala, Jerry Blackwell, Haystack Calhoun, Gorilla Monsoon, Bundy, if you go international you're also talking Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy Crabtree, lot of big men.
Rikishi
Mark Henry 🤨
big john studd.
Not enough people bring up Kamala.
Kamala would bring children to tears in fear. In his day, Kamala was as good as a big man and a gimmick as there ever was.
I think that the "worst" monster wrestler was probably Giant Gonzalez. His matches were the drizzling sh*ts. He was put in main event spots because of his size alone, but he couldn't work his way out of a wet paper bag. Undertaker could carry most of his green opponents in the ring, but _nobody_ could carry Giant Gonzalez because his work was so crude and sloppy. Unfortunately, Jorge Gonzalez had a lackluster basketball career in Argentina, and some promoter thought he could successfully transition into pro wrestling, but Gonzalez was dreadful in the ring.
Bam Bam was my absolute favorite in the 90s, besides Bret Hart. He was so agile and dangerous because of that. And how he sold the Lawrence Taylor match was amazing. What a worker! It annoys me to this day that he never was a WWF/E Champion.
What was particularly impressive to me about Bam Bam Bigelow is that he performed many of the same moves at 390 lbs, that Dynamite Kid was doing at 230 lbs. Just like Dynamite, Bam Bam was able to do cartwheels and top rope flips and splashes. He also had the coolest ring gear I had ever scene; the flame-covered bodysuit that complemented his tattooed bald head. He looked like a real-life bad ass, and he was. To this day, I have never seen another wrestler Bam Bam's size work with the same level of skill and finesse that he did.
I was gonna say Big Bubba Rogers/Big Boss Man. That angle with he and the Midnight Express beating up Dusty Rhodes with the belt around his neck was awesome.
That knee drop off the rope followed by Cornette whacking him with the racket was done very well.
Problem with Bubba was he started at about 350 but slimmed down quite a bit as Bossman.
@@FerretJohn When he came back in 98 he wasn't even a big man anymore.
@FerretJohn well when he first entered WWF he had to be over 350, probably over 400.
Bubba was always underrated, no matter his weight.
@@desisdosis473 He was still hovering around 300, which is pretty sizeable by most standards. Still one of the heaviest guys in the company in that era
One thing to take into account is how these guys were to work with. Not many people have nice things to say about working with Vader yet Bam Bam and Yokozuna were apparently very safe in the ring despite their size.
Bam Bam was super smooth to watch in the ring that it made you forget he was nearly 400 lbs
Vader was notoriously stiff. Ultra-safe Bret Hart is on record saying that he admired Bam Bam and Yoko always protected him in the ring despite the Banzai Drop looking as brutal as it did.
Bam Bam, Baba, Mark Henry, OMG, Abdullah, Studd, Boss Man, Gorilla, Andre, Vader, Yoko and many more. It would be hard to define a top 5 without using specific metrics.
Thanks for mentioning Giant Baba. Cornette isn't real big on international wrestlers.
If I had to say who the best all-around big man over 350 lbs was, I would choose Bam Bam Bigelow, because he did the same cartwheels and high-flying stunts that the 230-lb. Dynamite Kid was doing.
The answer to this is obvious..Mass Transit...
New Jack agrees! 😂
Best seller in the business and not scared to shed a bit of blood 😅
Mass Transit is on the Mt. Rushmore of backyard wrestlers. 😆
Weighed 349 at the end of match.
Bigelow Vader analysis was spot on omfg rofl
This might be the hardest question ever
Vader, Mark Henry, Umaga, Kamala, Big Boss Man, etc. are personal faves
It's still to believe that:
1) Umaga, Vader and Big Boss Man were over 350 pounds but moved like cats
2) Only Mark Henry is still with us
If we base it on youtube views It's the Shock Master...
First guy that came to mind for me is Bossman/Big Bubba, he was a beast.
Really underrated doesn't get enough credit
Never over 350
Big Boss Man looked amazing at a billed weight of 305 pounds back in 1999 during his feud with The Big Show. Very few wrestlers over 350 ever lost as much weight as the Big Boss Man did.
1. Bam Bam Bigelow
2. Vader
3. Jerry Blackwell
4. Earthquake
5. Andre
I'm surprised Rikishi wasn't mentioned, that inside out bump of his always got me. Definitely one of the better workers that size.
Rikishi was flexible for size too, never saw another big guy sell a clothesline like he did.
That spot he did off the cage against val venis was insane for someone his size
He wasnt 350+
Meh
Seeing crusher Blackwell standing drop kick somebody was impressive
Was waiting for someone to mention Jerry crusher Blackwell.
One Man Gang and Kamala were my favorite big guys, never forget when Akeem took Michaels head off with a clothes line at Wrestlemania 5 lol, classic. And Kamala's leap frog was always a spectacle. Two legends
Myyyyyy maaaaaan!!
Earthquake, Bossman, Vader, Bam Bam and Yoko.
As a kid aside from Andre and Earthquake, Hilly Billy Jim always loooked like a monster to me
He had a great look and was agile for his height. He was slim like Taker and was never as big as even Hogan, though.
Add one more fellas... One Man Gang AKA Akeem the dream
Damn right. They forgot the white African man who danced with the master of style slick
I'm pretty sure the reason One Man Gang didn't make their list is because Vince turned him into Akeem.
@@huh8662 Yeah, the One Man Gang gimmick was infinitely better than the Akeem gimmick. Vince McMahon didn't own the name One Man Gang, so he made George Gray use the WWF-licensed Akeem. What a sh*t fest that was for George Gray. As a little kid, I was entertained by Akeem dancing, but I had no idea that George Gray had gotten screwed over by Vince.
Bammer, Vader, Umaga, Yoko.. I struggle to think of a fifth that I absolutely loved. Warlord was billed at like 330 but that's probably a worked number
@puroTV yeah I dig me some Quake.
No one asked you bud
It really wasn't a worked number - Warlord was 320 legit as a single, may have gone as high as 340. In the Powers of Pain, he was a little lighter
Moose Cherlok was the first big agile guy I could remember.He had to be close to 400.
Glad Jim mentioned Jerry Blackwell,watched him in the AWA in the 80's,a very good worker,very active,drop kicks, taking bumps etc
Playboy Buddy Rose at his heaviest, he could bump like no other remember! Jerry Blackwell was equal in bumping and could flip himself like when Da Crusher gave him the Bolo Punch in the AWA in their matches which looked tremendous!
Big Show, Bam Bam, Vader, Yokozuna, Umaga, Keith Lee
He was way before my time but I'll throw One Man Gang out there.
Booooo!
Glad someone mentioned One Man Gang. I dare say he's one of the more underappreciated big guys of the wwf. Yeah, he wasn't the best worker but he had a great presence and look to him. And his run as Akeem will forever be on my list of memorable "so bad it's sports-entertaining" gimmicks.
Vader was always my favorite big guy. He was just this awesome force of nature. I loved how he would bark at the fans and grab the barricade and chuck it to scare the fans. Then he would just hammer his opponent and hit a moonsault. There was no one else like Vader in 1992.
Did he ever talk about Mark Henry, because he was one of the first people I thought of.
BAM BAM was the best. When Big Show was the Giant in WCW he was amazing throwing drop kicks
You can’t forget Rikishi. Usually billed at 420+ in the Attitude Era but could work and bump like a guy half his size. Insane agility for a man that big.
Other top big guys for me include Big Show and Andre obviously, Yoko, Vader, and Henry.
Abdullah the butcher was a huge draw in my local territory. Always loved Kamala and the One Man Gang
Just watched the A&E Bio on Yoko. What an amazing human being. RIP big guy.
Repping the English lads Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy
Listening to English and irish/Scottish wrestlers talk big daddy was over rated
@@bigdaddyroy5382 His wrestling was horrible, but he was a gigantic household name in the UK - everyone knew who he was. It's a joke he's not in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, but I understand the resentments held against him by the voters for the UK region.
@@james2651 wasn't his brother or brother in law the promoter also? And are you the James from Cafe de rene?
@@bigdaddyroy5382 totally!!! as a wrestler, dreadful! but such a huge name in the UK at one point in time
@@bigdaddyroy5382 also heard an episode where Cornette said that Big Daddy basically killed the UK wrestiling business
One of the most underrated matches in WWE was Bam Bam vs. Boss Man at the RR '93. They almost stole the show.
It will always start and end with Andre the Giant. There was no one like him before or since. The real phenom. Yeah, yeah, not agile like some of these guys, but he just seemed otherworldly like no one else when I first saw his pic and bio in a magazine.
Looking up some of his matches in the 70s before his back got really bad, Andre was incredibly agile.
Was it Jake the Snake that said Andre could do a top rope moonsault in his earlier days? I know I remember someone saying that...
Even though Andre didn't move as well and couldn't do as much in his later years, when he went heel and was choking out Hogan on that one Saturday nights main event where Duggan had to hit him with the 2 × 4, Andre's face scared the crap out of young me. He looked like some kind of insane giant monster that had snapped. What a presence.
Jerry Blackwell doing a standing dropkick CRAZY!
Gotta shout out One Man Gang.
Umaga was one of my favorite wrestlers. Dude looked awesome and had all the coolest moves.
Watching Omos or Zippy the Giant PinHead in AEW makes me appreciate the Big Show so much
If you go back and listen to WWE in the early 2000's, Big Shows weight and height changed constantly. Sometimes he was 7'4 550 and other times he was 7'1 475.. LOL
Earthquake & Typhoon, Tugboat
Avalanche and the Shockmaster
Matt Bloom aka A-Train!
I will go with Andre the Giant, Kamala, King Kong Bundy, Gorilla Monsoon, and One Man Gang.
I can hear Vince on commentary now “Here come The Arsonist Bam Bam Bigelow!”
Thats a tough one. Everyone I thought of (Vader, Bam-bam, Yoko, John Tenta, Boss man) were all mentioned. All were great and some of my favorite big men.
Vader paralyzed a jobber opponent named Joey Thurman with a botched power bomb. So, Vader would not be in my personal Top 5 big men wrestlers over 350.
@@magazineretriever9036 After looking it up, Vader said this is one of the matches that he most regrets in shoot interviews. Also, it does have a happy ending for Joey Thurman. He not only recovered from his injury but became a police officer and when he retired from the force, he became an actor. I didn't know about this until just now.
Bam Bam in ECW was a Monster
Bret Hart would have looked like a giant in ECW
For me, it's (in no particular order) Vader, Bigelow, Boss Man, Andre and John Tenta.
The way bam bam could move around the ring for the size he was was something to behold
Kamala has always been underrated
Yeah. Kamala was given the short end of the stick in the WWE. He never earned more than $30,000 per year -- even with the royalties from his merch. Tragically, Kamala developed type 2 diabetes which led to both of his legs being amputated. Worse yet, the anesthesia wasn't adequate, and when he awakened from surgery the pain in his leg stumps was intense.
1.Yoko 2.Andre 3.Big John Stud 4.Earthquake 5.Big Show... just my list, don't kill me for it
Bam! Bam!
I will find you. 💀
Personally I’d take out Earthquake and put Bam in there.
Mark Henry, the hall of pain was awesome
@Jay_ 12 looking at the move set and overall resume you've made more than a convincing argument for bam to be pushed to 3, big John stud to 4, and big show rounding out the list
Abdullah and Big Jos Leduc had some awesome matches, both great workers.
Ploughboy Frasier, Haystacks Calhoun, The Maguire Twins. Never saw any of them myself.
If this was brought down to 325 you cant tell me vintage taker wouldnt have been top of the list lol
Well the way Cornette is discussing this, he looks at Taker as a Tall guy rather than a big guy.
He can be billed at whatever weight, he wasn't that heavy
Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow were my 2 favorite big men Yokozuna was impressive for his size. Bossman was good too. Maybe Big Show or King Kong Bundy for my 5th pick
Vader, Norton, Big show, Yokozuna, Earthquake
Before I even listen to this, Andre the Giant, Big Show Paul Wight, Big Van Vader, Yokozuna, Earthquake John Tenta
Each one of these guys was such a walking attraction that it didn't matter who was across the ring from them, they were a sight to behold.
I can't wait to hear what Jim says.
Remember when Earthquake *squashed* the unstoppable Ultimate Warrior? You couldn't just throw anybody into that role.
BIG RED! I absolutely LOVED it when he'd show up in Memphis and Georgia.
Earthquake John Tenta was awesome for a couple of years there.
Chris Taylor -- prior to having his career derailed by serious health problems....Verne Gagne believed the former Olympian was going to be his next AWA star.
?! In no way should be placed on any list involving pro wrestling
I wonder how many times Jim said Bam Bam ha
Earnie the Cat Ladd is someone I don't see people talking about for some odd reason.
I think Ernie was just short of 350
He was very tall, but not "plus-sized" like Bigelow and Yokozuna.
Ernie was around 325 lbs.
1- Andre the Giant
2- Yokozuna
3- Big Show
4- Earthquake
5- Big Van Vader
Who can forget guys like Umaga and Kamala as well. Both very different looks and styles, and agile and quick for their size too.
My list; Road Block, The Yeti, Giant Gonzales and the McGuire Twins.
My list : Bastian Booger, Man Mountain Rock, Malice, 9-1-1 and a shout out to Mass Transit 😅
@@dno8212 I suppose we have to give an honorable mention to The Shockmaster? 🤣
If I excluded giants and bigmen (separate categorises for me), I'd pop in; Vader, Bam Bam, Earthquake, Rikishi and Bossman (since he was 350 at the very start).
No Omosapians? 😔 ✊
Vader was a beast especially in wcw and Japan 🇯🇵
Did Vince and WWF just flat out screw this up or Vader just didn't fit in the WWF?
@@BUPMY1 hbk killed his push. too stiff in the ring
@@deandreharrison9558 Was that the case during his WCW/Japan run?
@BUPMY1 summerslam 96. sid got the belt insead at survivor series 96. vader run was over soon after. jim cornette talks about it
What about the Bastion Booger?🤣🤣🤣🤣
Jim forgot his own team, The Headhunters AKA The Samoan Squat Team
Bastion Booger was the GOAT 😮
Mine would be 1. Yokozuna for my money my favorite. 2. Vader - no other one had a better moonsault 3. Andre the Giant - best Giant In the business ever imo 5. Happy Humphrey - the heaviest wrestler ever
I've always wondered how Yokozuna didn't stay at the same size when he was wrestling so many days a week.
He wrestled for 5 mins a day while eating 5 hours a day
@TheRustedShackleford lol... funny, but I don't think that is the case. 5 minutes a day of HIIT cardio burns a lot of calories.
listen to stories from other wrestlers including his family about Yoko's food addiction and you will understand.
@@AlSween doesn't burn that many calories. For real though, there plenty of stories out there about his food addiction. The man had a problem and it eventually killed him
Andre,Yoko,earthquake,big show,vader.
Honorable mention: bam bam,bundy,bossman
Umaga wasn't bad either and he was good in 2 minute warning. As far as talents he was always believable and agile.
3 minute morning. It's easy to misremember it as 2 minute warning because of American football.
@@lo1bo2 you know I put three minute warning because I originally knew it was that but I thought I was wrong so I changed it to 2 minute . That's why it's edited lol. Guess I was right the first time.
@@HunterJohnson-yc5zr Now I see I made a mistake, too! Don't know where "morning" came from.
@@lo1bo2 lmao ...still.... Umaga...🧐
my grandmas family lived/lives on a small farm out side of Bath NC and she tells me stories all the time about how my great grandfather (her dad) would have her brother as a kid climb on their roof and mess around with the antenna just so he could catch his haystacks Calhoun matches
1 Andre the Giant
2 Yokozuna
3 Bam Bam
4 Vader
5 Big Show
I have this in two categories: giants and big men
Giants were the guys that were almost 7’ tall and taller
Big guys would be the heavy guys
So the big guys that I thought were just awesome were Bam Bam, Big Boss Man, Yoko, Vader, King Kong Bundy, Earthquake
Oh my god, I forgot to mention Mark Henry especially he got better each year
Vader, Big Show, Andre, Rikishi, Yokozuna, Bam Bam,Big John Studd, Umaga, Mark Henry, Earthquake, King Kong Bundy
1. Yokozuna
2. John Tenta
3. Bam Bam
4. Vader
5. Big Boss Man
Yokozuna, Andre The Giant, Big John Studd,
BIG VAN Vader
BAM BAM NO ORDER ALL 🐐
Definitely Ray traylor very underrated
Mcguire twins from the past.. Many great big talents in the history of wrasslin. Abdullah can be added, Giant Haystacks {Loch Ness}. Happy Humphrey was great lol.
Does Crash Holly Count lol
😂🤣 good one Ben. I was going to suggest someone else, One Man Gang AKA Akeem
@@williammitchell4417 lol I Agree 100%
My top 5(in no particular order):
-Bam bam
-Yoko
-Vader
-Andre
-One Man Gang
King Kong Bundy?
Haystacks Calhoun was so enormous and just sometimes was sucking wind so badly...I remember thinking he may end up dying in the ring
Vader, Bam Bam, Yoko, Mark Henry, Earthquake, Bossman, King Kong Bundy, Rioishi, One Man Gang, Kamala.
Vader, Bam Bam, Bundy, Andre & Earth Quake. I gave up watching before Big Show started but as I got back into the sport the last few years I watched some YT clips and he's up there for sure. The only time I saw Big Show when he was active was Water Boy (Captain Insano) which was after I stopped watching in 92 or 93...
Before I listen, my own list. Vader, Bam Bam, Earthquake, Rikishi and André.
1. Andre, 2. Big Show 3. Earthquake, 4. Bossman, 5. Vader, 6. Bigelow
None of these guys mentioned got high ratings from Meltzer except for Vader, right ?
Meltzer is a turnip
@@dno8212 Well a lot of these big guys drew money but weren't great wrasslers except for Bam Bam and Vader and he seems to care more about workrate than drawing money which is why he and his fanbase are nerds
1. Vader
2. Andre
3. Yokozuna
4. Mark Henry
5. Blackjack Mulligan