Should Bam Bam Bigelow have been champion?

[MINISTRYrising]

bam bam bigalow was one of my fav wrestlers when i was growing up. but the one thing that surprised me is that he never one a world title in one of the big two.(wwe wcw) i know he one the world title in ecw. but i always thought he should have acheived this in one of the other two companys in my opinion. is there anybody else who feels the same way

 

[Ding_Dong_#2]

Most definitely, yes.

Some wrestlers, like Jake Roberts, Ted Dibiase and The Undertaker, don't need the strap. With someone like Mr Bigelow, it would have elevated him to main event level, which he deserved a shot at.

Vince McMahon actually had him in mind for the WWF title around Wrestlemania IV but he sadly suffered a serious knee injury - if this was the case, i'm sure he would have entered into a program with Hogan.

He will never be forgotten but I wish he would have a better and more distinguished legacy. He had a great look, had amazing agility, good on the mic and was very versatile - very sad that he passed away aged 45 also.

If he had won the belt in NWA/WCW, he could have worked with Flair which would have been an amazing series, or Sting. I always thought that Vader took the role and position within the company that should have been his by rights, even though Vader full deserved his own legacy.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I'm surprised Bam Bam Bigelow never even won A title in the WWE. He could have at least won the Intercontinental and Tag Team titles. He had the look and the in-ring agility. He was also one of the most easily recognizable talents on the roster at the time or any time thanks to his tattooed head. A rare breed of the big man that can climb the top turnbuckle. However, I do believe he was a Main Eventer for a major part of his WWE career and he is another reminder next to Jake Roberts of a guy that has been at the top without a title. That never happens in today's WWE.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I personally would've liked to have seen Bam Bam Bigelow get the run with the WWE Championship that Yokozuna got in 1993. Yokozuna was a great athlete for a guy his size and a legend, but truthfully Bam Bam was a better worker, a much better athlete, and someone who could've had way better matches. The only problem is that the Luger/Yokozuna American hero/unstoppable foreign monster angle was a good one (just with a bad ending), so Luger wouldn't have had as good a feud chasing Bam Bam for the title like he did Yoko.

But I think they could've made it work. I think Bam Bam would've been a great monster champion in that era where he could beat Bret for the title, and then drop it back to him at Wrestlemania X.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The mistake made with Bam Bam was making him face so early in his WWF career, during that first run he could have leaped straight into a feud with Hogan or Savage, beaten them and carried the belt for them to chase (yes, ahead of Andre and DiBiase). The fans would have responded to this big guy with the unique look and skill set...

But they gave him Humperdinck and made him Hogan's buddy... now to me it smells of classic Hogan politicking, keep him on his side of the fence so he wasn't a threat to his spot.

When he came back in 92-93 he was a breath of fresh air. All he needed was to have had Heenan instead of Luna as a manager, those two just never worked. Had Heenan managed him especially after Flair had lost the title to Savage, he could easily have been the top man for 93-94.

Sadly, it's the same old story for a lot of these guys from that era... They would have made great champions (DiBiase, Rude, Perfect) but Hogan would never allow it... and by the time he was gone, they were gone too...

 

[Animal30]

Personally I agree back in the early 90's was WWF chance on making him a champion. But the same though on his run in WCW. Either way for him not being a Champion He had one of the Best Careers.. Creating Stars and that means more in my opinion I personally favriote feud was him a Bret is a great example of what kind of Ring General he was.

 

[Pedigree1]

Well for one thing RIP Bam Bam!! Now on to the topic at hand!! Absolutely hell yes he should have been champion while in the E! Bam Bam had the look speed and amazing agility for someone his size. He was already over at that point kids loved him adults also liked him. But instead of being pushed to the moon at least for a little bit,hogan somehow got butthurt and all of a sudden bam bam was his buddy.

Also the fact that oliver humperdink was Bams Bams manager hurt him too. Those two just didnt click IMO Bam Bam needed a Heenan manager not some bum named oliver. But for whatever reason,hogan saw Bam Bam as a threat so Hogan flexed his creative muscles and next thing you know Bam Bam was gone.

When He came back around 93 i believe,Luna was his manager by the time WWE figured this out Bam Bams time in the sun was over and hogan was gone at this point as well. Its too bad, i think Bam Bam would have made a fine champion even for a short period of time

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Bam Bam was one of the best big men in the business ever IMO. When he debuted I thought for sure he was going to be the WWF champion some day. But Bam Bam had some major demons which is why he was never given the strap in the WWF.

I can't believe that someone called John Sutton a bum. Some people need a history lesson.

 

[HBsam31]

I think he definitely should have been champ, and I agree that him being made face in his early WWE days hurt him. Would have loved to see Bigelow vs. Hogan/Savage. He had a great career anyway, but he definitely should have been WWE champion.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Bam Bam was always the victim of politics, first Hogan then the Kliq... Some might say Bret would have refused to lose to him instead of Yoko but I disagree as Bigelow could clearly work, had Hogan not stuck his oar in we could have seen it.

I felt bad for Bigelow when he left WWE, it was clear the Kliq had screwed him in their power play, only for Nash and Hall to f-off only weeks later. That was the nature of the Kliq, it didn't matter if they were staying or not, they would still screw your career...

 

[fenfool]

I was a huge fan of Bam Bam, take my bias into consideration, but I say absolutely. For a big man, he was very agile, he had a unique look, could work and was very charismatic. I remember that Survivor Series where Hogan was eliminated, leaving Bam Bam against One Man Gang, Bundy & Andre...he took out Gang & Bundy before Andre finished him off, but I instantly became a big fan at that moment. If he weren't in the Hogan era, he probably would have been champ.

 

[theBec2101]

Of course. Big Men his size wish they could of done the stuff he could do in the ring. He was a great worker, and decent on the mic. To bad people with rank got in his way.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

In his second run in WWE they definitely should've gave him a bigger push. Even without the title he still main evented KOTR 93 and WM 11. He could've had some money making main events against the likes of Deisel, Sid, HBK, Bret, Razor Ramon, Undertaker. They definitely missed the boat with Bam Bam.

 

[Lowdown]

I'll say yeah. Bam Bam was very talented in the ring and had charisma. As big as he was, you didn't see cats his size do half the stuff he did in the ring. Hell at the very least he could've been IC champ.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

I personally would've liked to have seen Bam Bam Bigelow get the run with the WWE Championship that Yokozuna got in 1993. Yokozuna was a great athlete for a guy his size and a legend, but truthfully Bam Bam was a better worker, a much better athlete, and someone who could've had way better matches. The only problem is that the Luger/Yokozuna American hero/unstoppable foreign monster angle was a good one (just with a bad ending), so Luger wouldn't have had as good a feud chasing Bam Bam for the title like he did Yoko.

But I think they could've made it work. I think Bam Bam would've been a great monster champion in that era where he could beat Bret for the title, and then drop it back to him at Wrestlemania X.

My thoughts exactly. Bam Bam would have been much better in my opinion. Also in 1995 with Diesel in the Summer. Bam Bam would have been a much better option than Mabel. Bam Bam should have gotten a better push from 93 to 95 because he was much better than the big guys that did in my opinion. Loved his runs in ECW with the TV title.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Well for one thing RIP Bam Bam!! Now on to the topic at hand!! Absolutely hell yes he should have been champion while in the E! Bam Bam had the look speed and amazing agility for someone his size. He was already over at that point kids loved him adults also liked him. But instead of being pushed to the moon at least for a little bit,hogan somehow got butthurt and all of a sudden bam bam was his buddy.

Also the fact that oliver humperdink was Bams Bams manager hurt him too. Those two just didnt click IMO Bam Bam needed a Heenan manager not some bum named oliver. But for whatever reason,hogan saw Bam Bam as a threat so Hogan flexed his creative muscles and next thing you know Bam Bam was gone.

When He came back around 93 i believe,Luna was his manager by the time WWE figured this out Bam Bams time in the sun was over and hogan was gone at this point as well. Its too bad, i think Bam Bam would have made a fine champion even for a short period of time

Well to be fair, the WWF also dropped the ball with Humperdink at that time too.

They took a lifelong heel manager (and a damn good one too), made him a face and changed everything about him. Imagine if they gave Heenan the Coach John Tolos gimmick, instead of letting Heenan be who he'd always been? I doubt Heenan would have even stuck around long enough to make the gimmick work before going back to the AWA and Bockwinkel.

Bringing Bigalow in as a face was dumb too. It's the late 80's, and you have a 300+ pound guy with a fireball tattooed on his skull. Everything about him screamed bad ass heel, and to top it off, he could move like few big men ever had before, which screams credible bad ass heel. Bring him in as a heel, with Humperdink playing the same gimmick he'd perfected in Florida, and you have money with the two of them causing Hogan and Savage fits. Bigalow can easily be built up into a big enough monster heel that Hogan can have a huge run with him culminating in a huge PPV buy, or even multiple PPV buys if Hogan's willing to be vulnerable to Bigalow and let him go over in the beginning.

Bam Bam wasn't a guy that you'd make a long term champ, but coming in as a heel, he absolutely could have been a longish term (for a heel) transitional champ... and as heels, him and Humperdink would have made an amazing team.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

Bam Bam was always the victim of politics, first Hogan then the Kliq... Some might say Bret would have refused to lose to him instead of Yoko but I disagree as Bigelow could clearly work, had Hogan not stuck his oar in we could have seen it.

I felt bad for Bigelow when he left WWE, it was clear the Kliq had screwed him in their power play, only for Nash and Hall to f-off only weeks later. That was the nature of the Kliq, it didn't matter if they were staying or not, they would still screw your career...

I don't think Bret would've had any issues whatsoever in dropping the title to Bam Bam. Bret has stated in numerous interviews that Bam Bam was one of his favorite opponents and he even stated that he felt Bam Bam was the best superheavyweight worker in the history of the business. Plus they were friends and liked each other outside the ring (Bam Bam also confirmed this in his shoot interview). So I think Bret would've had even less issues in dropping the title to Bam Bam than Yoko. Especially if the two worked a big program with Bam BAm dropping it back.

 

[Owen 3:16 says I just stole your Slammy!!]

I like Bam Bam but I don't think he should been World Champion. He was a great heel, he should of got an IC title. I do think he deserved the belt more then Yokozuna.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think it was fine that Bam Bam never won a world championship. As many times as we heard him praised as a great worker "for a man his size," that size got in the way of his becoming a main eventer.

Face it, he wasn't just a big man.....he was a fat man, a very fat man..... more of a throwback to the pot-bellied, slow moving mammoths of pro wrestling in the 40's, 50's and 60's than today's sleek, athletic wrestlers. Those old guys knew how to work a match too, but can you imagine today's fan sitting still for a 45-minute match between two guys who did their training in bars? Bam Bam was the progeny of these guys.....a fact that was always going to hold him back.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching him work. That Survivor Series match in which he took out three huge bad guys before falling to Andre the Giant was one of my favorite PPVs ever. Talk about a grind-it-out old style wrestling match featuring behemoths.

Still, when the pro wrestling people needed a representative to lose to a pro football player at WM, whom did they pick? Bam Bam. Did you ever wonder why? I say it was because if the wrestlers needed to put up a sacrifice, they'd pick the guy who looked like the fat, out of shape man that most non-wrestling fans would think of as a prototype wrestler. The concept worked, too. Bam Bam was enough of a pro to lead Taylor to a surprisingly entertaining match; it wasn't LT who made it look good, y'know.

Bam Bam was good at what he did but his flabby physique is what kept him from world class status, imo. If Brodus Clay is the reincarnation of Bam Bam Bigelow, we'll understand why Brodus ain't winning no world championship, either. These kinds of guys can only go so far.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

I think it was fine that Bam Bam never won a world championship. As many times as we heard him praised as a great worker "for a man his size," that size got in the way of his becoming a main eventer.

Face it, he wasn't just a big man.....he was a fat man, a very fat man..... more of a throwback to the pot-bellied, slow moving mammoths of pro wrestling in the 40's, 50's and 60's than today's sleek, athletic wrestlers. Those old guys knew how to work a match too, but can you imagine today's fan sitting still for a 45-minute match between two guys who did their training in bars? Bam Bam was the progeny of these guys.....a fact that was always going to hold him back.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching him work. That Survivor Series match in which he took out three huge bad guys before falling to Andre the Giant was one of my favorite PPVs ever. Talk about a grind-it-out old style wrestling match featuring behemoths.

Still, when the pro wrestling people needed a representative to lose to a pro football player at WM, whom did they pick? Bam Bam. Did you ever wonder why? I say it was because if the wrestlers needed to put up a sacrifice, they'd pick the guy who looked like the fat, out of shape man that most non-wrestling fans would think of as a prototype wrestler. The concept worked, too. Bam Bam was enough of a pro to lead Taylor to a surprisingly entertaining match; it wasn't LT who made it look good, y'know.

Bam Bam was good at what he did but his flabby physique is what kept him from world class status, imo. If Brodus Clay is the reincarnation of Bam Bam Bigelow, we'll understand why Brodus ain't winning no world championship, either. These kinds of guys can only go so far.

If that is the case, then why in the world did Yokozuna have one of the longest runs as a heel world champion in the company's history? Yoko was 10X more our of shape than Bam Bam, wasn't as athletic (though amazingly athletic for a guy his size), and didn't frankly have as good of matches.

I think you have an interesting point that wrestling was moving away from old-school out of shape wrestlers that looked like they trained in bars and not in gyms, but that argument goes out the window when you bring up Yokozuna, who again was way more out of shape and had inferior matches to Bam Bam. Unless I'm missing something here?

 

[original1316]

Bam Bam should have been WWE champion at least once in his career. im my opinion he was one of the best big men WWE ever had and it's crazy to think that he never won a single title with the company. Bam Bam had a unique look and had amazing agilitie for a guy his size. Its these qualitys that make me believe that Bam Bam could have gone on and won the title. The perfect time for this to have happened is when Bam Bam returned in 92. I would have built him up as a monster in the lead up to wrestlemania where I would have had him win the title off bret instead of yoko.