The Wasted WWF Career of Bam Bam Bigelow (wrestling documentary) 

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!!

Bam Bam is a real hero. He rescued kids from house fire.

Crazy how they tried to push Mabel as a main eventer but not bam bam🤦

Bret Hart says the most flattering things about Bam Bam. He was a real pro who didn’t hurt u esp for his size

Bam Bam was one of the best.. always will be. RIP

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.

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.

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 😢

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.

Bam Bam should be in the WWE Hall of Fame

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 may not have had the best career, but he is a house hold name up there with Hulk Hogan.

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.

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.

One of the greatest underrated wrestlers in history I hope they give him a hall of fame spot

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.

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)

BAM BAM was such an Underrated Pro Wrestler!!!! RIP BAM BAM!!!!!🙏🙏🙏

Politics held him back

It is sad how wwe and wcw never gave him a proper push.

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 is always a name ill remember from wrestling. I loved early 90s wrestling as a kid

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

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

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 😊

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.

Bam Bam was used to his potential. He was an awesome wrestler with an insane look.

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

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.

Saw him live. Watching him was like watching a magic trick, it males no sense someone that big could move like that.

Hey! It’s that guy from Major Payne!

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

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.

Great video glad i found your channel

Bam Bam Bigelow should have been much bigger for the WWF/E just like Lex Luger whom was featured in your last video

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.

Way ahead of his team, amazing skill set

As one of my favorites....I ALWAYS felt he deserved more!! 🔥🔥🔥

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!

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

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!!!!

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.

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

Yeah you nailed it, Bam Bam was the most fumbled talent… maybe ever? Him or Terry Taylor.

I think the WWF's putting Bigelow with Humperdink instead of a well-known manager was probably a disappointment for some fans.

Bam bam was one of my favorites growing up. Didn’t matter what the result was. I knew it wasn’t going to easy

Good job on your video my British bro

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.

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.

One of my faves, bam is super underrated.

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.

Was he in the boy meets world episode?

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

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.

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

After what he seen them do to Candido he was out like peace! Ya'll not doing that to me. Candido was his friend

He should’ve joined the Bones Street Krew.

He main evented Wrestlemania, wouldn’t say that’s a waste

BamBam could move like a cruiserweight! Not to mention he was the nicest dude you would ever wanna meet!

GREAT VIDEO for SURE.... but TBH it sounds like BAM BAM is doing JUST FINE The WWF and McMahon' s loss for sure

R. I. P Bam Bam. Thank u for the memories

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...

Greatest big man ever. Closely followed by yoko and big van vader

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.

Did Bam Bam ever wrestle Vader?? 🤔 Some of the greatest big men to move like cruiserweights 😮 scary as hell hahaha. RIP to them both 💪🏽💯

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!

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!

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

Growing up bam bam was a known name in the playground. His look and moves were unique

Bam Bam Bigelow arrived in the WWF in 1987. That _could_ have been a huge run for him as a heel. However, one must consider that by this stage, Hogan had already ripped through Bundy (similar look and size as Bigelow), was in a programme with Andre (much bigger than Bigelow), and had slammed and pinned Andre at WM III (see above). Hogan's opponents needed to either have a strong storyline to sell the feud (e.g. the explosion of The Mega Powers that set up Hogan vs Savage at WM V, the foreign menace angle that set up Hogan vs Slaughter at WM VII) or be seen as a physical match for Hogan (e.g The Warrior at WM VI, Sid at WM VIII). The Warrior and Sid weren't heavier than Bigelow, yet they were man mountains of muscle who could seemingly overpower Hogan. When faced with Hogan, Bigelow would have been seen by many as just another heel to be vanquished quickly. Bigelow was neither taller than Hogan nor extremely muscular. So, the best option for Bam Bam was to become a face to clash with other super heavyweights--and as a face, he was never going to take Hogan's place in the WWF.

🤔............... 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😕

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.

One of my all time favorites!

If it was a wasted career you wouldnt be talking about him.

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

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 would love to see his runs in Japan❤

Bigelow is ECW! One of the big names that gave them credibility.

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".

I think the problem for Bam Bam was that there were always guys ahead of him in the pecking order. When he first arrived in WWF, it was Hulk Hogan's world, along with Andre and later, Ultimate Warrior and then Undertaker. It wasn't until the late 90s when Vince finally decided to just start pushing guys who got over with fans because he had to. The only times McMahon has really listened to fans to any great degree was when he had to. When it was either that or another company could put him out of business. By the time Hogan left, I believe Bigalow was in Japan, ECW or WCW. So he was guilty of bad circumstances as well as bad booking. Watching his match with Bret Hart at King of the Ring 1993, I could have easily seen a solid feud between them that drew money. Bret has said complimentary things about him in the past. By the time he arrived in WCW, Hogan was already there and unless you were Goldberg or an established guy like Sting, you weren't getting near the main event picture.

Another victim of WWE's habit of walking away from a potential star

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.

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

Bam Bam is a trailblazer

always remember seeing him on a few movies when i was a kid

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...

His speed impressed me. Bigger dudes are usually a bit slower and depend on their size to slow others down but Bam Bam was like a rabbit.

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

Wwe did the same with King Kong Bundy. Pity.

Sounds like Andre fixed Bam Bams attitude and he turned out to be a solid guy with integrity and honor.

Andre the giant and the kliq ruined his wwf run

Bam Bam should’ve had the Wwf title and Razor Ramon should’ve had the wwf titles on their waists for a period of times . Such a shame. Incredible wrestlers Incredible Minds

I remember he scared the shit out of me as a kid 😂 love the guy 💪

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.

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.

I love it great job Bam Bam you went out on your own terms, like Sinatra said you did it your way!

Bam Bam was a legit tough guy and always came across really well in his promos. I think Vince made a mistake going with the babyface angle on his debut, Bigelow is NOT a babyface, he should have been pushed as a heel against Hogan and they could have slowly built him up that way. As I understand it, Andre The Giant basically scared and bullied Bam Bam out of his first run by choking him to near unconsciousness in a shoot in one of their matches according to a documentary I saw (can't remember which one), so it wasn't just a matter of "roughing him up a bit". That is an out and out assault if that's true. Seeing how over Bam Bam was and then suddenly seeing him being phased out, I have no reason to believe that account wasn't true. I really don't like any form of bullying. But yeah, Bam Bam was one the best big guys in the business, I always enjoyed watching him wrestle.

Bam Bam belongs without a doubt in the WWE HOF

The cliq ruined so much.