Professional wrestling started as a carny or (carnival) act many years ago. As with the traditions of the carnival, there were odd and bizarre shows held to keep the customers entertained. One of the carnivals most popular acts was the freakshow. Freakshows featured mainstays like The Bearded Lady, Wolf Boy, the Two Headed Man, and always featured the tiniest person and the giant. Pro Wrestling brought that carny mentality to television in the 1950′s and featured many midget matches and the wondrous giants of the squared circle. There have been many giants of the ring and we feature many of the familiar ones that were in the prominent territorial wrestling companies and popular brands like WWE and WCW.
Giant Gonzalez, El Gigante
Jorge Gonzalez
7 ft. 7 in.
Jorge Gonzalez was the real name of the tallest “known” professional wrestler in history. Going by the names “El Gigante” and “Giant Gonzalez”, Gonzalez was probably the worst giant in the wrestling ring. He was slow and lazy and never really seemed to care. As many times as he was pushed into main events with wrestlers such as Ric Flair and Undertaker, Gonzalez definitely showed he didn’t belong. Sadly, Jorge Gonzalez passed away in 2010.
Andre The Giant
Andre’ Rene’ Roussimoff
7 ft. 2 in.
Billed as the 8th Wonder of the World by the WWF (WWE) and the first WWE Hall of Fame inductee. Andre The Giant was the first “real” giant that people recognized as a true wrestler and talent. In the 1980′s, Andre was a huge fan favorite until turning his back on the ultra-popular Hulk Hogan. Andre ripped the shirt and cross from Hulk’s chest on Piper’s Pit talk segment to set up their Wrestlemania 3 main event. The dominating giant was, in real life, quickly deteriorating and passed the torch to Hulk Hogan when he was pinned after a monstrous bodyslam and leg drop by Hogan to give the good guy the win! Andre left soon after and passed away in 1993. Andre has big part in the movie “Princess Bride”.
The Great Khali is a current WWE talent. He is popular with the kids and dances around the ring with a little person named Hornswoggle. Khali is the tallest wrestler on the WWE roster and is always the tallest or second tallest active wrestler in the United States in any given time. His in-ring action consists of a chop and a kick once in awhile and his finisher is…The Brain Chop! Yes. A hand chop to the top of his opponents head. Yes. This is a true statement. Khali is probably most known for killing wrestler-in-training Brian Ong a few years ago during a wrestling class. To Khali’s credit, he wasn’t at fault in Ong’s death as he was told to perform his moves to the concussed Ong as Ong said he could continue. Khali is considered a superstar and is doing very well for himself in the WWE as he has a solid (yet small) fanbase and his fellow wrestlers like him immensely.
This video shows how insane Jeb Corliss and the rest of the crowd that jumps off mountains with “Squirrel” suits are. You could get me to jump out of a plane. But not this. Not hang gliding, not bungee jumping, and definitely not wing suiting. You need around 200 jumps with your standard parachute before your allowed to try one of these out, so go knock yourself out if you have an itch to try this out. If Icarus could only see humans now, he probably wouldn’t have flown in to the sun! And this song kicks ass as well!
As we head into the New Year, we’re all looking for ways to improve our lives. Whether we need to lose weight, get healthier, eat cleaner, get more rest, or move more during the day, we all have room to get better. Spartan Race has always been in the business of ripping people off their couches and getting them out leading healthier lives. So, how can you make some positive changes heading into the New Year? Here are a few tips to get you started.
Well this is embarrassing. Nothing like the first game jitters, eh? Great 58 yard return there, chief. I love how he still is hyped after the play. Takes him ten seconds to comprehend he just moved the offense back 25 yards.
Hugh Herr rock climbs with his prosthetic legs and believes that, ’It’s really sad to have biological limbs, you’re constrained by nature and you can upgrade. The artificial parts of our body are immortal.’ Herr isn’t just a double amputee, he’s also an MIT Professor specializing in Prosthetics. He uses different prosthetics for climbing than for hiking or running. So can prosthetic legs be an advantage?
Fake Better Than Real?
There are some pretty interesting conversations going on out there about an unfair competitive advantage for those that have artificial limbs. It’s actually quite impressive that technology has come so far that a double amputee can make it to the Olympics using artificial running prosthetics (blades) called “Cheetahs”. South African Oscar Pistorius ran in the 400m Olympic Finals yesterday as the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic games.
Artificial Limbs, Unfair Advantage
Oscar was kept out of the 2008 Olympics because his artificial limbs were considered an unfair technological advantage. For the 2012 Olympics, however, Pistorius was able to compete. His Olympic debut was a 7th place finish in his 400 meter heat.
Check out the video below for why this isn’t an advantage:
Technology Provides Unfair Advantage in Olympics
Artificial limbs are not the only technology being debated. In the 2008 Olympics, the LZR Racer swim suits were allowed and 90% of races were won by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer Swim Suit. The 2012 Olympics did not allow those suits, determining that they provided an unfair advantage to swimmers. Still the 2012 swim suits take advantage of technology as well. Bicycle advances may also provide an unfair technological advantage for specific riders and teams. What other technologies may be providing unfair advantages? Do you think fake legs constitute an unfair advantage?
