I rarely write much about what is in the current wrestling news. Many times I prefer to write about what has happened in the past and the things that I miss about wrestling when it was in its prime. However, after a rare visit to WWE.com today, I felt that I had to write about something that shocked the hell out of me. I can not believe that Bam Bam Bigelow passed away.
In this day and age, I see tons of people writing about who they feel is the best wrestler to never hold the World Heavyweight title from any organization. It’s very subjective and most of the articles are not worth anyone’s time. More often than not, a fan is just upset that their favorite wrestler never got to hold the world bet. Now, although I would never make a claim that someone is the best wrestler to never hold the World Title, I would mention that there are several wrestlers who deserved to do so more than once. Bam Bam Bigelow would be one of them.
There’s no way to remember how I felt when Bigelow first came to the WWF in the 80’s. I recall him trying to find a manager, and every manager in the WWF tried to court him. That was a neat segment and seemed to mean a lot to me when I was a kid. It gave me the impression that this was definitely someone to be reckoned with, and I was right.
Bam Bam Bigelow would go back and forth from a heel to a face without ever really changing his attitude or style. It was impressive to me then and now. Often, when someone makes such a change, they become almost a different wrestler. Too many times I have lamented the way a face has to become a rule breaker when he makes a heel turn. The only thing worse is when a heel turns face and becomes such a goody two shoes that he no longer uses his best moves to win a match. Bam Bam never did these things. He remained consistent. That is something rare in the wrestling world.
Bam Bam went back and forth from WCW, to ECW and to WWF. Each time, his potential was rarely realized. A man who weighs approximately 400 pounds and can perform moonsaults and other technical moves is not a man to be ignored. However, he was ignored. In spite of having all of the charisma and talent it takes to be number one in the sport, he never even made it to number two. That was bizarre to me. Rather than having wonderful matches with the best wrestlers in the world, he was stuck mired in terrible feuds with the likes of Tatanka and Doink.
Wrestling is a world where children are taught to cheer for the good guy and boo the bad guy. More often than not, Bam Bam Bigelow was always the bad guy. However, he played the bad guy so well and rarely ever cheated in a match that he made it difficult not to cheer for him. I found no reason to ever boo the man in the twenty years that I watched him wrestle.
But I don’t want to get too down about this. Any wrestler passing away is a bad thing, but it’s not that we should mourn the passing of his life, but celebrate the life that he had. I think that everyone who is a fan of this sport, regardless of what the general populace thinks of it, should celebrate the loss of one of the greatest professional wrestlers to ever enter a ring.
As far as I go, I want to remember the matches. Bigelow is one of the few wrestlers that has ever caused me to cheer against Bret “The Hitman” Hart. In the finals of the 1993 King of the Ring tournament, I found myself hoping Bam Bam would win. He ended up being pinned due to a victory roll, but he put on a match that was well worth watching. Bret Hart would go on to remark afterwards on how great of a wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow was. I found that to be high praise from a man who rarely talks about anyone but himself.
The first Survivor Series is another one of Bam Bam’s greatest accomplishments. In a match that pit Hulk Hogan’s team versus Andre the Giant’s, Bam Bam came out with the most impressive performance. He lost, and Andre the Giant was the sole survivor of that match, but Bigelow’s performance put him down as one of the most promising up and coming wrestlers.
Maybe the moment that modern fans will remember Bam Bam the most by is his amazing match with Tazz at the Living Dangerously event. It was a great moment and a great match, and there is little that can really be told about it. I would suggest that everyone out there who is a fan of wrestling should watch this match and remember one of the greatest wrestlers to even don the tights.
I find myself very saddened by the news of his passing. I won’t lie about that. I am also sure there are hundreds of people who will want to write an article because this is what is in the news. But none of that matters to me at this moment. For everyone out there who has never realized the great potential of this wrestler, I hope you will get a hold of as many tapes of his matches as possible. Look at him regarding the great talent he had. I don’t care that he only held one World Title and that it was ECW, not WWE or WCW or NWA. Bam Bam Bigelow brought me a lot of happiness. Instead of pictures of girls and cars on my wall as a child, I always put up pictures of wrestlers. I am proud to tell you that Bam Bam Bigelow was one of the first and he will always hold a place in my memory and heart.
I hope Bam Bam Bigelow rests in peace, but continues to wrestle in my memory at least.
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