Big John Studd. His Royal Rumble win sadly faces similar limitations to the man himself, for happening before fans put so much weight on the Rumble and before it had a prize attached to it. Studd won the 1989 Royal Rumble in Houston, which many consider to be the crowning achievement in his WWF career. He first worked for the WWF (then the WWWF) under the name Chuck O'Connor, then as one of the Masked Executioners in 1976 . The Studd-Bundy alliance and Andr continued to feud for the rest of that year and into 1986, with Andre often recruiting faces such as Hogan, Tony Atlas, Junkyard Dog and Hillbilly Jim to team with him. Ronald Allen Reis (born April 26, 1970) is an American professional wrestler. World Wide Wrestling Federation (19721973), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (19741983), World Wide Wrestling Federation (19761977), American Wrestling Association (19751976, 19801981), World Wrestling Federation (19821986, 19881989), Independent circuit and retirement (19891993), Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 18:00, World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation, sitdown splash from the top rope onto his chest, NWA North American Heavyweight Championship, NWA Tennessee Southern Heavyweight Championship, World (Wide) Wrestling Federation/Entertainment, List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "Sean Studd Following In His Father's Huge Footsteps", "Big John Studds Battle Over", by Mike Mooneyham, "Sports; Furthermore; Obituary: John Minton", "NWA United States Heavyweight Title (19671968/05) American Heavyweight Title (1968/051986/02)", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years", "W.W.A. From 1982 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989, John Minton was one of the most well known wrestlers in the WWF. Aside from the point of trivia that he was the first to win the Rumble from the number 27 positionwhich would become a lucky number in Rumble lore thereafter (Yokozuna, Lex Luger, and Steve Austin would win it from the 27th entry spot as well), Studds big win hardly meant a thing. The two attacked Andr at a WWF TV card in Toronto in the summer of 1985, injuring Andre's sternum. In December 1984, Studd, along with Patera and Heenan, cut Andre's hair during a tag team match. Following the match, Andre took the bag containing the $15,000 and threw it in the air before being recovered by Studd and Heenan. at the age of 18. Uncle Elmer was more of a gimmick then a real wrestler, and his height just added to his character. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Donna Conklin The "Machines" angle began when Andre failed to show up for a tag team match against Bundy-Studd at a television taping. Big John Studd: Bio. Robert Maillet was working asa bouncer in New Brunswick, when he got the call from Bret Hart with an offer tobecome a WWE wrestler. An elated Bobby Heenan appeared on the set to welcome Studd back to the Heenan family. Giant Silva was known as another part of The Oddities after making his WWE debut. Sign up for Peacock to watch. Man" Ted Dibiase, 1978 - March 20, 1995 (his death, 3 children), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991). The match ended by disqualification after persistent rulebreaking by Studd and Patera, who attacked Andr afterwards and cut his hair with Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino claiming on commentary that they were robbing Andr of his dignity. No BS. 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. John William Minton, better known as Big John Studd, was a well-known American professional wrestler and actor. Another great giant, Big Show, inducted Studd into the Hall, and son John Minton Jr. accepted the Hall of Fame plaque on behalf of his dad. Winning the Royal Rumble was a major feather in Studds cap, particularly given that winning battle royals was such a central part of Andres legacy. (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_937032466")}). When Big John Studd teamed up with King Kong Bundy, they really were a force to be reckoned with. After several wrestlers were unsuccessful in answering Studd's challenge, Andre accepted and was about to slam Studd before Blassie attacked Andre from behind (as Studd grabbed the ring ropes to prevent himself from being slammed). 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. Later that month at Showdown at Shea, Studd lost to El Olympico by disqualification. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The big man wound up leaving WWE before he ever might have had a PPV blow off with the Eighth Wonder of the World. 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. As a wrestler, The Great Khali turned out to benot so great after all. The only thing Khali brought to the WWE was his height, which he took back to India in 2014. 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). He died from lymphoma cancer on March 20, 1995. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. Kane's mask has haunted young WWE fans for years but he has established himself as a lot more thanjust a scary gimmick in the wrestling world. When the rare combination of size and skill come together in the same package that is when legends are made. While other lists of this nature have pointed to the girth of wrestlers, this one will be focusing strictly on their height. He first worked for the WWF (then the WWWF) under the name Chuck O'Connor, then as one of the Masked Executioners in 1976, . His career was capped with a HOF induction in 2015. 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 spent 20 weeks in the hospital in 1994 (during which time he admitted under oath that he used steriods in the 80s during the WWF's steroid trial), and died from liver cancer on March 20th, 1995. Studd left WWE shortly after, but returned two years later and once again rekindled his rivalry with Andre. According to wrestling stats database cagematch.net, Andre the Giant and Big John Studd were involved in 166 matches together between 1979 and 1989.A total of 11 singles matches took place on . He returned to WWWF in 1982, which was now known as World Wrestling Federation or simply WWF. Soon, his rivalry with Andre the Giant turned fairly popular among the viewers. As is often the case with Hodgkins disease, Big John Studds cancer returned and spread to his liver in 1994. 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. He made his WWWF debut with Kowalski as his tag team partner. He was then known as Chuck O'Connor and he feuded with El Olympico. Studd was also paired with Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, who helped take the Andre-Studd feud to new heights. Three children: John Robert, Janelle, and Sean. In perhaps the crowning achievement in his WWE career, Studd entered the 1989 Royal Rumble Match at No. When looking back at some of the greatest Goliaths in WWE history, the name Big John Studd ranks right up there with the best. The Undertaker is also an eight-timeworld champion, having held the WWE Championship four times, the World Heavyweight Championship three timesand the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship one time as well. There were no stakes attached to his victory, and it wasnt all that well incorporated into any new or ongoing storyline. The plot is located at New Saxonburg, Section 2 North. What fandoesn't love seeing these towering beasts totally destroy a smaller opponent in a wrestling match? Brought from Argentinato America to play basketball for the Atlanta Hawks, it was soon apparent that this 7'6" giant could not compete in the NBA. 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. For all of these wrestlers in the conversation of the greatest Royal Rumble performers of all time, one name that tends to go overlooked, is Big John Studd, who quietly won the second ever Rumble. Vintage 1985 WWF LJN Titan Sports Big John Studd Superstar Wrestlers Figure. En 1978, Studd fait quipe avec Ken Patera pour gagner les titres de champions par quipe de la Mid-Atlantic. Perry then extended his hand to Studd, but when the giant reached out to shake it, Perry pulled him over the top rope to eliminate him as well. Despite leaving the WWF, Studd's presence was still made known in a WWF Magazine article published shortly before WrestleMania III, where he supported Andre in his upcoming match against Hogan (contending that Hogan's friendship with Andre was a ruse, to duck him as a potential challenger to the title). 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. Anonymous, Other Works As he grew older, he lost interest until some years later, attended a wrestling . He passed away in 1995 due to Hodgkins disease and liver cancer. Studd claimed that he was the true giant in professional wrestling and actually angered Andre in real life as he adopted the practice of stepping over the top rope when entering the ring. He is another case that height doesn't automaticallywin you many matches in professional wrestling, skill does, and Silo Sam was not a skilled athlete. He also had a brief MMA career with the Japanese promotion PRIDE, but finished his MMA career with a 2-6 record. He had won various wrestling championships during the course of his wrestling career. Ils eurent une chance pour le titre, mais ne le gagnrent pas face aux anglais. Originally managed by Freddie Blassie, Studd later became a member of the Heenan Family, engaging in a long and storied rivalry with Andre the Giant over who was the "true giant" of WWE. He retired from wrestling in the late 70s, but was talked into coming back as Ron Reis' tag team partner in The Giants tag team. 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. During his time in the WWF in 1986, Arcidi wrestled veteran Big John Studd at the Boston Garden. 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. He was best known for being a Wrestler. His last match in WWF was supposed to be held on June 4, 1989, but he did not show up for the match and was replaced by Hillbilly Jim. From the beginning, it looked asthough he was going to have one of the best careers ever. Minton grew up with a love for professional wrestling. 2. 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. In the early 1980s, Studd spent time in Florida, the AWA and NWA before returning to WWE. Sign up for BINGE to watch. 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. He went on to win the Tag Team Championship with his partner and together, they came to be known as The Executioners. 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: The Royal Rumble Winner Nobody Ever Remembers, the greatest Royal Rumble performers of all time, arguably the greatest Royal Rumble in 1992, Andre iconically turned heel to challenge Hulk Hogan in 1987, 8 Things About Andr The Giant's Career That Make No Sense, win the Rumble from the number 27 position. He was the 1989 Royal Rumble Winner and held many titles as well: WWF Tag-Team Champion, NWA North American Champion, NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag-Team Champion(3), NWA Canadian Champion, NWA Texas Tag-Team Champion, NWA Hawaii Tag-Team Champion, EWU Super-Heavyweight Champion, 1976 PWI . Between WWE and WCW, Big Showhas held 23 total championships. After WrestleMania, Studd formed an alliance with the 468lbs (212kg) King Kong Bundy. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and 1980s.[1][2][3]. 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