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A star wherever he
wrestled, Bam Bam Bigelow was one of the pioneers of the
agile big man later popularized by Vader. His career saw
him work in several of the territories and eventually all of
the major wrestling organizations of the last fifteen years
including WCW, WWF, and ECW. Bigelow’s size and skill also
made him much wanted overseas where he had a lengthy as well
as successful run in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bigelow was
probably best remembered by fans for his remarkable agility
(given his size) and the flame tattoo that adorned his
skull.
After training at Larry Sharpe’s Monster Factory in New
Jersey, Bigelow competed in Memphis before moving to Fritz
Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling where he
achieved some success as Crusher Yurkov, a Russian heel
managed by Larry Sharpe. Bigelow made an instant impression
on the wrestling world both for his exotic look (chief among
it, the flame tattooed on his skull) and his remarkable
agility for such a big man. Despite his height and weight
of 6’3”, 350 pounds, he executed dropkicks and cartwheels
with ease. Bigelow became the darling of fans and wrestling
magazines as they predicted big things for Bigelow.
After returning to Memphis, he was rechristened “Bam Bam
Bigelow” and he became part of the white-hot feud between
Jerry Lawler and the heel team of
Austin Idol and
Tommy Rich. Working alongside
Lawler in the main event program against Idol and Rich,
Bigelow quickly caught the eye of the World Wrestling
Federation’s (WWF) Vince McMahon. In 1987, Bigelow began
working in the WWF where heel managers courted him, much as
they had done when Randy “Macho Man” Savage had entered the
federation just a few years earlier. Bigelow stunned the
heels and won the fans’ hearts when he wrestled as a
babyface.
When a knee injury sidelined his career temporarily,
Bigelow took time off to get surgery and he opted for a new
work environment. After a brief run in Jim Crockett
Promotions, Bigelow headed to Japan where he formed a
successful team with Van Vader in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
The two would go on to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship
and enjoy much success in Japan over the next several years.
Following his success in Japan, Bigelow returned to the
WWF where he wrestled as a heel, first under the managerial
guidance of Luna Vachon and later on as a member of
Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar
Corporation. It was during his time in the Corporation that
Bigelow achieved his biggest mainstream exposure in North
America, wrestling former NFL great Lawrence Taylor at
Wrestlemania XI. After losing to Taylor, Bigelow was
kicked out of the Corporation after which he resumed
wrestling as a babyface.
One of Bigelow’s most memorable campaigns was his run in
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) where his size and
power led him to a reign as ECW Television Champion and ECW
World Heavyweight Champion. Bigelow had several memorable
matches in ECW including one in which he threw Spike Dudley
out of the ring and into the crowd and another where he
slammed Taz so hard into the ring that Taz actually went
through the ring.
During the Monday Night War, Bigelow worked for World
Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he feuded with Bill
Goldberg and Mike Awesome. In WCW he was part of the
faction known as the Jersey Triad, teaming with Diamond
Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon and going on to win the WCW Tag
Team Championship. After the demise of WCW, Bigelow sat out
his contract before he announced his retirement in 2002.
Like many wrestlers before him, the lure of the ring called
him back and he worked several dates for USA Pro Wrestling
before retiring again in 2004. After retiring from
wrestling, Bigelow tried his hand at running a restaurant
named after his wrestling name. Bam Bam Bigelow was forty
five years old.
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BAM BAM BIGELOW
