Burst
El Dandy
*inarticulate squawking*
Posts: 8,573
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Post by Burst on Feb 1, 2011 14:59:33 GMT -5
As an American fan whose exposure has been limited to YouTube videos and Wikipedia articles, I'd really like to know. Seems in terms of famous British wrestlers it always seems to be either him or Giant Haystacks coming up. I get the fact that he had what was it, the world's largest chest or whatever, but it doesn't even seem as if he was mobile muscle shrouded in fat like Vader or Bam Bam. He just seems like a carnival sideshow-sized fat guy in the right place at the right time.
I apologize if I'm committing blasphemy from saying this, but seriously, half of the matches of his on YouTube I've attempted to watch have seemed like ten-odd minutes of belly-bopping and heavy breathing.
That last bit sounded wrong.
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FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,428 
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Post by FinalGwen on Feb 1, 2011 15:06:49 GMT -5
I think it is mainly the spectacle (particularly when most of the wrestlers were smaller, something that's really stood out as I've got into the old British stuff when compared to today), but we can't overlook that he was incredibly good at the showmanship. Not the most talented wrestler, but how many times is the most talented wrestler the biggest name in the company? He knew how to carry himself (even if other wrestlers had to carry him too!) and got good promotion from the company.
(Also, wouldn't Kendo Nagasaki be up there with Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks when it comes to the most memorable names?)
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Post by Milkman Norm on Feb 1, 2011 15:09:43 GMT -5
This reminds me of my dream to start a no-athletes allowed, all fat guys doing rest holds promotion.
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Post by B'Cup x on Feb 1, 2011 16:01:10 GMT -5
tbh I dont know if there is anyone on this board from England who was watching at the time that he was over and could answer that for you. Anyone under 30 would pretty much have to take an educated guess
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Post by lemonyellowson on Feb 1, 2011 20:23:04 GMT -5
it was because big daddy and giant haystacks were huge men. They dwarfed all the other guys that wrestled in England at the time, and were basically special attractions based on how big they were. Kinda like two less talented andres, people didn't care if they could work either, they just wanted to see them based on their size.
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Post by i.Sarita.com on Feb 1, 2011 20:27:21 GMT -5
I've never even heard of the guy, googled him (sorry Otunga), and then laughed at how unimposing the guy was.
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Post by lemonyellowson on Feb 1, 2011 20:33:27 GMT -5
I've never even heard of the guy, googled him (sorry Otunga), and then laughed at how unimposing the guy was. yeah looking back on it, it is quite hard to believe that he was basically our hulk hogan.... but it's all relative to the time and the audience i suppose. but hey, at least we gave you dynamite kid. |
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Post by rnrk supports BLM on Feb 1, 2011 20:45:21 GMT -5
I love this. Three minutes of two fat, middle-aged guys hugging each other, a few forearms, and some running belly smashes leading to a countout finish...
...and it's getting more heat than some Wrestlemania main events.
The right sort of promotion can do more for a match than all the workrate in the world.
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Post by strykerdarksilence on Feb 1, 2011 20:48:29 GMT -5
Bit of shameless self promotion that might help this thread a bit. www.angrymarks.com/index.php?ArticleID=3096That's an article I wrote years ago about Big Daddy for Angry Marks. Might explain things a bit more to people unfamiliar with him. |
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coleminor
Trap-Jaw
"Undefeated in mortal combat."
Posts: 431
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Post by coleminor on Feb 1, 2011 20:54:50 GMT -5
Being 30 plus and British I have some perspective.
Big Daddy was very much a larger than life character whose popularity far transcended his wrestling ability - there are Hoganesque comparisons in that he knew how have the crowd bend to his will - the "Easy! Easy! Easy!" chant was a staple that was mimicked down from the wrestling halls to the playground.
He was loved by children and old dears (most notably by the Queen Mother, and who can argue with that?) and probably when you look at his matches on youtube you may not get the full context. At the time he was a British icon very much in the same league as Frank Bruno.
In essence, Shirley Crabtree was seen as a hero.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Feb 1, 2011 21:28:49 GMT -5
Old women and kids loved him as he was larger than life, and he was the brother of the promoter so was guaranteed a spot as the centerpiece of what was the only televised wrestling on in the UK at the time, despite being well past his prime.
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Post by humanoid on Feb 2, 2011 1:28:38 GMT -5
Bit of shameless self promotion that might help this thread a bit. www.angrymarks.com/index.php?ArticleID=3096That's an article I wrote years ago about Big Daddy for Angry Marks. Might explain things a bit more to people unfamiliar with him. Thank you, that was a really good article. |
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Post by DrBackflipsHoffman on Feb 2, 2011 1:55:49 GMT -5
I think I speak for us all when I say his most appealing feature was his  GrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAT AAAAAAAAAAASSSSSS |
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HRH The KING
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
Posts: 15,079
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Post by HRH The KING on Feb 2, 2011 2:22:08 GMT -5
Showmanship and a larger than life character.
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Post by Citizen Zero on Feb 2, 2011 5:12:39 GMT -5
The same reason Kevin Nash got one of the biggest pops of the night for showing up at the Royal Rumble in his old Diesel gimmick, I'd imagine.
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,049
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Post by Mozenrath on Feb 2, 2011 5:33:17 GMT -5
The same reason Kevin Nash got one of the biggest pops of the night for showing up at the Royal Rumble in his old Diesel gimmick, I'd imagine. Eh. Nash is actually in pretty good shape nowadays, considering his age, and while he's not a man of a ton of variety, his offense actually looks like it'd put a guy down for the count. Big Daddy, not so much. |
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Post by boiledewokthe3rd on Feb 2, 2011 6:00:12 GMT -5
I couldn't stand the fat oaf. His brother was also the booker, that explains much of his prominence.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2011 8:16:52 GMT -5
Pretty much he and Giant Haystacks happened to be the big guys when wrestling got it's first slot on British TV.
Before that, wrestling wasn't popular or well know outside of the north west sideshow scene, the UK is too small and pro wrestling was too obscure to have territories, at the time there were 3 tv stations in the UK and wrestling was never on them, no cable or regional TV (aside from the news).
So in the early 80s when a wrestling show finally got onto TV (ITV from memory) the main eventers of the time were for 95% of the UK the first wrestlers they had seen so I guess they stick in the memory. Thesedays even UK fans who remember the era view that time as rubbish compared to overseas wrestling and the era only lasted a few years before cable/satellite serivces arrived exposing those of us who weren't into tape trading to Hogan and co..
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Post by strykerdarksilence on Feb 2, 2011 10:29:55 GMT -5
Bit of shameless self promotion that might help this thread a bit. www.angrymarks.com/index.php?ArticleID=3096That's an article I wrote years ago about Big Daddy for Angry Marks. Might explain things a bit more to people unfamiliar with him. Thank you, that was a really good article. Thanks  |
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Post by Cretinous Humanoid on Feb 2, 2011 10:53:16 GMT -5
The right sort of promotion can do more for a match than all the workrate in the world. This might be one of the smartest things i have ever read on this forum. |
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