The Wasted WWF Career of Bam Bam Bigelow (wrestling documentary)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- When Bam Bam Bigelow debuted in the WWF in 1987. Hulk Hogan was by his side and Vince McMahon initially gave him a big push. By 1988 Andre The Giant had taken a disliking to Bam Bam and so he was out. Bigelow went to WCW and became a legend in Japan, before the WWF came calling again. Unfortunately Bigelow's second WWF run was a disaster. Bam Bam Bigelow should have gone down as a legend in WWE history. In this wrestling documentary we explore why he didn't.
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Bam Bam is a real hero. He rescued kids from house fire.
he's a tragic hero
The man was amazing
An old neighbor of mine as a kid were friends with him and his mother. At that time he had a Caprice station wagon with having behind the rear seats chopped to look like a truck bed. He was Santa for us 1 year I was maybe 6yrs old and he was enormous. I remember my dad who was 6' 1" and Bam Bam towered him but my dad asked him "would Santa like a drink?" To which Bam Bam replied "Santa would love a beer!" Was a really really mellow guy very respectful.. I still have the pics of him being Santa for us as kids that year!!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing that story. 👍
I love hearing about this.
Ho Ho Bigelow 🎅 comes with a diving headbutt through the chimney
Oh, that's bada**!!
61 😂
Crazy how they tried to push Mabel as a main eventer but not bam bam🤦
They did one match, bam bam main evented wrestlemania
@@bloodinbloodoutdidnt he main event survivor series with Hogan
Vince heard about “hip hop” and he was like “this is HUGE”. It was all downhill from there…
Exactly
Mabel was a desperate attempt to win over the black crowd at a time when most white people stopped watching the WWF because of all the scandals. It's as simple as that.
And Bigelow would've bombed just the same. He never was a valid main eventer.
Bam Bam was one of the best.. always will be.
RIP
I got to watch more bam bam bigelow Rip bam bam bigelow he died 2007 45 45 years old is young man
Bret Hart says the most flattering things about Bam Bam. He was a real pro who didn’t hurt u esp for his size
How big of a star was Bam Bam Bigalow? He's in the first ever WWF video game, along with Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Randy Savage, Honky Tonk Man, and Million Dollar Man.
I remember buying the WWF magazine that had him on the cover as a kid. His character was just so cool looking and so badass.
Had Vince pushed him properly and made him the top guy in WWF after Hogan, Bam Bam would be seen as an all-time great.
Yep. What hurt his career was leaving WWF at the peak of his popularity, just like Ricky Steamboat did. Both guys REALLY hurt their careers by leaving the WWF during the height of its golden age. @@jameschristenbury2625
I remember that game. Bam Bam could do this cartwheel move, which was deadly
I loved using him on that game
I remember thinking he looked like a big mean biker as a little kid.
I always thought Bam Bam was very underrated. With his night at 1993 King of the Ring and carrying Lawrence Taylor in a main event match at Wrestlemania XI, he really should've been a top level heel.
And he should have been a top level face during his first run in the WWF. He started out as a top level face during his first 9 months in the company or so, but then he fizzled out and then left the company soon afterwards.
Very underrated wrestler. He was supposed to get a push in the mid 90s but the kliq fucked him over so he left.
He wasn't willing to play politics and didn't worship vince like most of those guys do. He treated him like his boss and when his boss didn't do what he promised he found another boss
BAm Bam was beating football star Lawrence Taylor, but had pressure to ‘finish’ by taking a dive.
I always thought bam bam was a goat. Everyone I know thought the same thing, but I'm also from Jersey haha
Bam Bam should be in the WWE Hall of Fame
Bam Bam with super athletic abilities for his massive size & to be able to work safely with his opponents speaks volumes of his dedication towards wrestling. Why was not he an ITC Champ or Tag Champ or even a WWF Champion is beyond me whereas the likes of Diesel & Sid with barely 10 moves between them became WWF Champions ; Its a JOKE ! Ditto for Crush 😢
He opened a burger shack 10 min from my childhood home after he retired. It didnt last long and i never made it there to try the food but I loved the fact someone famous invested into the area. Wish i got to meet him
Bam Bam bigelow is my favourite big man in wrestling. He looked great, and had great in ring skills. Bam Bam may not have gotten a huge push in wwf, he was already a big star.
He was in the main event of WM, one year before Shawn Michaels, and before other iconic wrestlers like Stone Cold, hhh, Undertaker, Rock, Cena and Daniel Bryan. His run in NJPW was great, and he found more success in ECW.
Big Boss Man > Bam Bam
Charlie Minn. 8:48. Whatever happened to that guy?
@BileDuctBalderdash Bossman was good, but Bam Bam bigelow was amazing.
He was talented but his gut in tights looked ridiculous. Though he was an athlete he really didn’t look like one.
Respect the dead
Bam Bam may not have had the best career, but he is a house hold name up there with Hulk Hogan.
Many rungs below Hulk Hogan in the household name category.
@@terminat1 No doubt but still he is a name that most non wrestling fans have heard of. He had a look that stuck out. He was no Hulk Hogan, but he was well known.
@@magilla2282 I don't know that I agree. Most non-wrestling fans have heard of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Bigelow, not so much.
@@terminat1 they at least know him as the dude with flames on his head. Bam Bam Bigalow is an easy name to remember also. He was also in Major Payne with Damon Wayan. He was more well known than a lot of the wrestlers back in the day. He wasn't Hulk Hogan , but his look was well known. Not too many guys back then with a head full of flames.
@@magilla2282 I agree. He was certainly popular.
ECW used him correctly.
As an absolute Beast.
And he put on some INCREDIBLE matches in that company.
I was a teenage ECW mark and saw more shows in person than I can remember. Much of it during Bigelows ECW run. What a great time.
hey where was ECW located from?
@@eatassonthefirstdatePhilly
One of the greatest underrated wrestlers in history I hope they give him a hall of fame spot
The Kliq buried him. The WWF was all about politics in the mid-late 90’s. He was a huge threat to them… a big guy who could work and get over.
It is sad how wwe and wcw never gave him a proper push.
It was the Kliq that got him ousted from WWF
@@jimshannononsoundsand Andre the giant
@@dwaynejpeterkin That match with Andre the Giant in 1988 was the Rubicon that Bam bam didn't want to cross. Thanks for the reply.
Because he never was more than a midcarder.
@@ShadowAngel18606 Tell that to the Japanese fanbase, who might have other opinions
BAM BAM was such an Underrated Pro Wrestler!!!! RIP BAM BAM!!!!!🙏🙏🙏
Politics held him back
Shawn Michaels and his KLIQ buddies got the better of him.
y’all would have 5 world champions in a month, you don’t think bam bam played politics ?
@bloodinbloodout Of course not. From what I have heard of him, he was not a selfish jerk, unlike the Klique
@@bloodinbloodoutthe dude suffered 2nd degree burns over 40% of his body after saving kids from a fire... that doesnt exactly scream politicking asshole to me.
Exactly.
Its funny everyone talks about how Vince loves big guys, but there are a lot of big guys that he completely dropped the ball with only for them to go on to Japan to do great things. Vadar, Bigalow, Dr. Death just to name a few. Personally I think the New Generation would be looked back at alot fonder if Bigalow, Razor Roman and later Vader and Shamrock (even though they came in at the end) were elevated to the top of the card. Instead we got Mable, Desiel and Taker. Don't get me wrong I liked Nash and Taker but they weren't really known for their work rate back then, and suprise, suprise the booking of these big guys didn't help at all.
"Vadar", "Bigalow" lol learn to spell their names first, kiddo.
@@ShadowAngel18606 You're focusing on the wrong thing, here.
I loved watching him as a kid, he didn't move like a big man, he moved like a Ninja. Last I saw of him was in the movie Major Payne
Bam Bam Bigelow was a beast. Loved him. I remember his original WWF run when I was a kid and he was on the original Wrestlemania game on Nintendo and also his last match versus Andre The Giant and after that asking my big brother what happened to him after that, then he came back in 92 and I followed him all the wasy after that. (RIP Bam Bam)
It's outrageous that Bam Bam Bigelow didn't win any titles in WWF/E. They wasted him and Big Van Vader as well.
Bam Bam was used to his potential. He was an awesome wrestler with an insane look.
Naw. He was supposed to get ic belt sometime in 1995 but the kliq got involved. So his exit was jobbing to goldust in the fall of 1995. Sucks. Goldust got there in the fall and in 6 months captured ic belt. Was facing warrior and taker and defeating four time ic champ razor Ramon. Sometimes life isn't fair man
I love Bam Bam Bigelow one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time, with the most Talent of anyone in that size Ever! he was a breakthrough wrestler amazing agility , a great salesman a true professional a Hall of Famer for sure one of the greatest characters ever created
One of my faves, bam is super underrated.
Another fab video....Bam Bam was one of my favorite in the 90's, i loved his look it was so different from everyone else, i use to love playingvas him on the RAW game for the mega drive 😊
I think the WWF's putting Bigelow with Humperdink instead of a well-known manager was probably a disappointment for some fans.
Not known in wwf
Everyone in the wrestling world especially those of us from NJ knew Bam as one of the nicest and most professional wrestlers ever and even at his biggest peak in popularity he was still that dude
Saw him live. Watching him was like watching a magic trick, it males no sense someone that big could move like that.
My grandfather loved wrestling and we watched everything together, weekdays or pay-per-view. He always talked about Bam Bam, DDP, and Roddy Piper. I was young and really liked Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and RVD. Now I see what he saw.
Hey! It’s that guy from Major Payne!
Yeah he was in Major Payne
Way ahead of his team, amazing skill set
Bam Bam Bigelow should have been much bigger for the WWF/E just like Lex Luger whom was featured in your last video
One of my favorite heels and jobber killa guys with high athleticism!
Even his real persona behind the curtain was loved by his Colleges and staffmembers what I heard so far.
But like you said he was someone who wouldn't trust easily but he must made with his work ethic win over the hearts of people with his Talent and caracter as a human!
Poor bammer was never over after his 1988 run sadly. He just languished in the mid card for years in the 90s in WWF and WCW even though he had a decent run in ECW. His mic skills left a lot to be desired but he was probably the best worker in his weight category. RIP
BamBam could move like a cruiserweight! Not to mention he was the nicest dude you would ever wanna meet!
I remember it like it was yesterday when Bam Bam first appeared in wwf as it was known for at the time, all the managers were fighting over him and he went with Paul orndorfs manager humperdink.
That's still one of my favourite angles ever. It was so simple yet so effective, it kept you watching with great anticipation every week to see which manager would be eliminated, and who would ultimately procure his services. It gave us kids the chance to talk about it with one another, trying to correctly predict what would happen.
Remember like yesterday when you came back to ECW R.I.P
As a kid, I fucking loved Bam Bam.. I loved to hate him, but as an adult I really learned to appreciate how talented the man was.
One of my favourites!! What a Beast!
Growing up bam bam was a known name in the playground. His look and moves were unique
R. I. P Bam Bam. Thank u for the memories
As one of my favorites....I ALWAYS felt he deserved more!! 🔥🔥🔥
He use to come to my gym in the late 90’s in Ocean Twp NJ on his Harley Blowed out of his mind. And never felt the need to pay for any shakes, etc that he ever got.
This dude was a total unicorn. There are guys half his size who couldn't pull off the acrobatics Bam Bam could. Outside of Vader and Yokozuna, I'm not sure I've ever seen a super heavyweight with the kind of quickness, dexterity, athleticism and explosiveness Bigelow had. I loved being a fan of his. He could cut a promo and have a great match with a high work rate with nearly anyone. He looked like the baddest MF on the planet too, but yet wasn't a total dbag like Hogan and The Kliq were. I miss Bam Bam, idk if we'll ever see another like him again.
Great news because he was one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. I'm happy that he still did well in other places. As a matter of fact my nickname is Bam Bam
He should’ve joined the Bones Street Krew.
Bam bam Bigelow has a good run in ecw becoming ecw world heavyweight champion and tv champion,in wcw,became hardcore champion and wcw tag team champions
I quit watching wwe at age 12 when ufc1 took place. But looking back bam bam was in my top 3 favorites. Dude was super intimidating
He main evented Wrestlemania, wouldn’t say that’s a waste
And Survivor Series 1987.
Bam bam was one of my favorites growing up. Didn’t matter what the result was. I knew it wasn’t going to easy
His first run it was clear that he was being positioned as a Hogan opponent for down the road once the Andre and Ted DiBiase feud had ended (then they decided to go with Savage).... his second run is odd as its pretty stale for the most part as he does very little one way or another, and probably the KoTR match with Bret the high point by some distance.
If it was a wasted career you wouldnt be talking about him.
He should have been at least IC champion during his debut. Or be tag team champions w/Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff when they were managed by Oliver Humperdink.
Bigelow is ECW! One of the big names that gave them credibility.
When he went to ECW, he also changed his finisher to the awesome-looking "Greetings from Asbury Park" pile driver, and was used as a monster heel in the main event.
Yeah you nailed it, Bam Bam was the most fumbled talent… maybe ever? Him or Terry Taylor.
Bam Bam was in all the video games. He was a real life action figure. But he wasn’t “sexy” so Vince didn’t care about him.
I always felt he could have easily been a main event guy. His pairing with Luna was brilliant too. I personally would have used him as sort of an honorary 3rd Road Warrior in a feud against Demolition, to even out the numbers.
I was just a newb trying to get into wwf but never could I only remember a few but somehow bam bam stood out to me and still remember him.
A lot of people citing WMXI as the point of no return... The problem wasn't the loss to LT (he carried that match as best he could) - it was the aftermath... His departure from the Million Dollar Corporation was a good move as he never really fitted in with the likes of Tatanka and King Kong Bundy, who he had previously feuded with... Sadly, Vince McMahon unfortunately failed to notice that he had the perfect "big guy" heel monster to feud with Diesel, and relegated him to the mid-card... Instead, Vince pushed Mabel - forcing Bigelow to job to Mabel in the process - despite Mabel being a mediocre wrestler at best, possessing next to no promo-cutting / mic skills, and having a reputation as a poor - and clumsy - worker who didn't care about injuring others... Many have said that Bigelow should have got Mabel's push that year - and that's hard to argue, as Bigelow wasn't just a far better wrestler then Mabel; he also undeniably had far superior mic skills, could cut excellent promo's, and was a much more solid, harder worker than Mabel. Rather than turning him face, they should have kept him as a heel - if he had stayed as a heel with an angry, raging, humiliated / "wounded animal" gimmick, wrestling with a new-found intensity and ruthlessness, redeeming his reputation as a wrestler after the embarrassing loss to LT by claiming the KOTR crown, it would have been a far more natural, believable angle than Mabel's sudden, unexpected heel turn and very rushed push at KOTR after he didn't play any part in WMXI at all! You can even see from Mabel's promos in that era that he knew full well that he had no business being at the top of the card at all (Mabel himself later admitted that they pushed him too quickly and too soon, and he was too green and wasn't ready for such a big push at that time)... The Diesel. - Mabel match at Summerslam 95 was - predictably - a complete bust; however, Diesel - Bigelow would have been a much better main event, as Bigelow had shown earlier in the year that he could work a good match with Diesel... Unfortunately, through a combination of bad luck, backstage politics (Bigelow wasn't in with The Kliq, and it's well-known that Shawn Michaels had McMahon's ear backstage at the time), missed opportunities, and and poor decision-making, Bigelow was pushed down the card as a face, when he could - and should - have been pushed to the top as a heel...
🤔............... Bam Bam Bigelow always said interviews b4 he died that he, and Ander The Giant was good! They never had a problem😕! Well Bam Bam said that, and he never needed a belt to be the biggest star of WWF or WWE😕
I'll never forget his first promo....with him just breathing staring at the Camara, I looked at that tattoo on his head and said " wtf?" He was agile for his size, underrated!!!!
Dang didn’t even realize bam bam was a baby face when his first run happened didn’t know he teamed with hogan and all that
Greatest big man ever. Closely followed by yoko and big van vader
Great video glad i found your channel
GREAT VIDEO for SURE.... but TBH it sounds like BAM BAM is doing JUST FINE
The WWF and McMahon' s loss for sure
Did Bam Bam ever wrestle Vader?? 🤔 Some of the greatest big men to move like cruiserweights 😮 scary as hell hahaha. RIP to them both 💪🏽💯
always remember seeing him on a few movies when i was a kid
Was he in the boy meets world episode?
One of my all time favorites!
After what he seen them do to Candido he was out like peace! Ya'll not doing that to me. Candido was his friend
Why didn't you even mention his time as the anchor of the triple threat in the REAL ECW w/ Douglas and Candido, Francine and Tammy?!
When I was a little kid, there were only a handful of wrestlers that I knew, Bam, Bam Bigelow “Macho Man” Randy Savage Andre, the giant Jake the snake, hulk hogan and Roddy rowdy Piper
BamBam always stuck out always enjoyed watching him
Most younger people don't understand just how big of an event Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam really was.
When Tyson was the second ref in Austin vs HBK it made sense because Tyson had just been suspended for "the bite fight" and was a lifetime wrestling fan.
Lawrence Taylor multiple time pro bowler and owner of a Super Bowl ring is going to wrestle a huge guy with flames tattooed on his skull? This was a HUGE deal ESPN SI and even shows like GMA The Tonight Show David Letterman and others that wouldn't report on wrestling at gunpoint were talking about LT vs Bam Bam.
I would love to see his runs in Japan❤
Sounds like Andre fixed Bam Bams attitude and he turned out to be a solid guy with integrity and honor.
Good job on your video my British bro
Bam Bam has a PERMANENT home in my boy stable (OSW Review reference). I'm not sure how many 350+ pounders can do a moonsault, but the list has to be very small. His athleticism for his size, and his cardio was insane. I feel like if they gave him better entrance music he would have been more over, because my GOD that "Bam...Bam.......Bam" song is just shite. Im glad he got treated like a mega star in Japan, he deserved better than what companies in the US gave him. RIP BamBam, hope you're still running the ropes in the afterlife.
Not a wasted career at all. He had an amazing career and he did what he loved. Just because it's not up to your high standards it's certainly not wasted.
Bam Bam belongs without a doubt in the WWE HOF
i have been watching a bunch of old matches lately and saw a couple where he was against One Man Gang , and all i could think while watching them was those two could have been a huge tag team "no pun intended".
Bam Bam is a trailblazer
And a methblazer
Gene did those tats. Scott was literally my babysitter from time to time in long branch. Later he lived in Hudson fl and we lived in Port Richey. Him, my dad and my uncle Tony were Close. All passed away too young...
When I was young, I thought BB sucked when Taylor had his way with him. Go Cowboys!
Once I understood the magic, I was way more impressed with that match than most others.
Obviously, other problems can derail a career, but pulling off that miracle should have kept him as a top guy barring injury until the end.
I wouldn’t say wasted more like underutilized he never needed to win the world heavyweight championship but I do agree he should have won the Intercontinental Championship at least or have a run with the tag team championship but he never won a belt in the FED from what I remember
Bam Bam without a doubt on the Mount Rushmore of Big Men wrestlers and on my personal Mount Rushmore of greatest of all time the fact you had someone like him and wasted him is a tragedy of note
As big as he was and how cool he looked and how well he worked for his size makes u wonder ok on the mic he had it all
Andre the giant and the kliq ruined his wwf run
I thought Vader and bam bam was the same person
Were you not alive or too young to remember the difference? Bam Bam was very recognizable because he had flames tattooed on his head and on his ring gear and Vader wore a leather mask when he wrestled.
Another victim of WWE's habit of walking away from a potential star
Too many people got buried by Hogan & Ultimate Warrior. Having Hogan go untouched for so many years was bad enough but then to have him dethroned by a new character who fit the same mold as Hogan (body type, lack of ring skill, finish by magical "hulk up" god mode) ruined what young fans saw a top tier.
After hearing of that incident with the Mexican gang members that 7/11 in Sacramento. It’s not a shocker how he faded into obscurity.
The fact that Bam Bam Bigelow has main evented more WresteMania than CM Punk will never surprise me 😂
Who gave BamBam a black eye in mid 1995 when he got kicked out of the corporation by Ted Dibiase?
Hardcore Holly
I was a fan. Bam Bam was in video games. Then he disappeared. When he was on ecw I was surprised, cause I thought he was a big name. I thought maybe he was too much of a badass for WWF
I remember when Bigelow came on the scene. Read about him in the Apter mags and then he shows up in WWF. Was definitely wasted.
I used to wrestle with Bambam, back in the WCW. My name in the ring was cuddly Ivan. We used to snuggle together, before and after the match. Sensual moments!
I remember he scared the shit out of me as a kid 😂 love the guy 💪
The best Vince just never gave him a chance one of the best big man's rest in BAM BAM
Researching this guy last year has given me yet another reason y I take a personal dislike to everyone in the kliq. Triple h, Micheal’s and overrated Nash being the most hated.
R.I.P. Bam Bam!
Agreed 100%. Idc how many people Michaels helps now, he's a total bitch in my book because of his past. Sean Waltman can suck it too, he enabled Chyna late in her life and was MIA when she died. The Kliq are economy sized bags of douche.