TSC Evaluation #47: Bam Bam Bigelow

[mrken12]

In the last evaluation, Tully Blanchard got a score of 7.41.

TSC Evaluation #46: Tully Blanchard

Spoiler: Leaderboard

Kurt Angle: 9.78 TSC Evaluation #40: Kurt Angle
Eddie Guerrero: 9.60 TSC Evaluation #35: Eddie Guerrero
Rick Rude: 9.14 TSC Evaluation #21: Rick Rude
Sting: 9.00 TSC Evaluation #20: Sting
Ricky Steamboat: 8.88 TSC Evaluation #32: Ricky Steamboat
Rey Mysterio Jr.: 8.78 TSC Evaluation #15: Rey Mysterio Jr
Mr. Perfect: 8.64 TSC Evaluation #45: Mr. Perfect
Scott Steiner: 8.60 TSC Evaluation #2: Scott Steiner
Booker T: 8.53 TSC Evaluation #25: Booker T
Terry Funk: 8.40 TSC Evaluation #11: Terry Funk
Vader: 8.27 TSC Evaluation #12: Vader
Andre The Giant: 8.14 TSC Evaluation #18: Andre The Giant
Rob Van Dam: 8.14 TSC Evaluation #9: Rob Van Dam
DDP: 7.95 TSC Evaluation #16: Diamond Dallas Page
CM Punk: 7.92 TSC Evaluation #7: CM Punk
Harley Race: 7.89 TSC Evaluation #37: Harley Race
Brian Pillman: 7.84 TSC Evaluation #38: Brian Pillman
Owen Hart: 7.80 TSC Evaluation #30: Owen Hart
Arn Anderson: 7.75 TSC Evaluation #33: Arn Anderson
Raven: 7.71 TSC Evaluation #19: Raven
Batista: 7.69 TSC Evaluation #28: Batista
Edge: 7.59 TSC Evaluation #44: Edge
Ron Simmons: 7.57 TSC Evaluation #26: Ron Simmons
Roddy Piper: 7.56 TSC Evaluation #6: Roddy Piper
Shelton Benjamin: 7.50 TSC Evaluation #31: Shelton Benjamin
2 Cold Scorpio: 7.36 TSC Evaluation #23: 2 Cold Scorpio
Goldberg: 7.19 TSC Evaluation #3: Goldberg
Sycho Sid: 7.02 TSC Evaluation #4: Sycho Sid / Sid Vicious
Junkyard Dog: 6.92 TSC Evaluation #24: Junkyard Dog
Rick Martel: 6.92 TSC Evaluation #42: Rick Martel
Ultimate Warrior: 6.79 TSC Evaluation #10: The Ultimate Warrior
X-Pac: 6.66 TSC Evaluation #34: X-Pac
MVP: 6.64 TSC Evaluation #27: Montel Vontavious Porter
Stevie Richards: 6.60 TSC Evaluation #43: Stevie Richards
D'Lo Brown: 6.48 TSC Evaluation #13: D'Lo Brown
Chris Kanyon: 6.38 TSC Evaluation #41: Chris Kanyon
Sabu: 6.12 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-22-sabu.505387/
Lex Luger: 6.03 TSC Evaluation #8: Lex Luger
Tazz: 6.02 TSC Evaluation #5: Tazz
Mike Awesome: 5.94 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-29-mike-awesome.520524/
Chyna: 5.74 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-17-chyna.495012/
Billy Gunn: 4.76 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-39-billy-gunn.541299/
Jeff Jarrett: 4.49 TSC Evaluation: Jeff Jarrett
Sandman: 4.03 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-36-the-sandman.535530/
Tommy Dreamer: 4.02 http://www.thecoli.com/threads/tsc-evaluation-14-tommy-dreamer.488448/

If people have any requests for future wrestlers you want to see evaluated, let me know. I'll have one wrestler evaluated for each week every Wednesday.

For #48 it will be Val Venis.

Pending requests: Ted DiBiase, Jake The Snake Roberts, Kane, Undertaker, Big Show, Rikishi, The Godfather, Big Boss Man, Stan Hansen, Christian Cage, Goldust, William Regal, Eddie Gilbert, Barry Windham, Bobby Eaton, Rick Steiner, Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash

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Major accomplishments

Continental Wrestling Association
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (1x)

Extreme Championship Wrestling
ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1x)
ECW World Television Championship (1x)

NWA Northeast
NWA Northeast Heavyweight Championship (1x)

New Japan Pro Wrestling
IWGP Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Big Van Vader

Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked #24 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1994
Ranked #68 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
Ranked #36 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Big Van Vader in 2003

Universal Superstars of America
USA Heavyweight Championship (1x)

USA Pro Wrestling / USA Xtreme Wrestling
USA Pro/UXW Heavyweight Championship (2x)

World Championship Wrestling
WCW Hardcore Championship (1x)
WCW World Tag Team Championship (2x) – with Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon

World Class Wrestling Association
WCWA Television Championship (1x)

World Wrestling Federation
Slammy Award (1x)
-Best Head (1987) with Gene Okerlund

Wrestle Association R
WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1x) – with Hiromichi Fuyuki and Yoji Anjo
Six Man Tag Team Tournament (1994) – with Genichiro Tenryu and Atsushi Onita

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards
Rookie of the Year (1986)


With a scale of 1-10 how would you rate Bam Bam Bigelow in these categories:

-Mic work/promos

-Personality/gimmicks

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds)

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores

 

[Mack de la Rocha]

Bam is a 7 for me. The epitome of a what-if pick and a lot of ways, I feel like he would've been a true legend without injuries and with the right push.

Solid mic work, but his gimmick didn't rely on talking to get over. Suited him just fine to be a bit silent. 6
Great gimmick that he lived. Sadly, the role was a bit too ahead of it's time. 8
One of the true big men studs in the ring. 8

 

[Heelish]

The Beast from the East

He was one of my New Generation favorites when I first started watching wrestling. He was the first agile/flying big man I saw in wrestling and still remains one of the GOATs. I even enjoyed his Hardcore run in the dying WCW days fueling with Raven and Hak. His matches with RVD and Taz in ECW had me obsessed with finding more stuff from the promotion, the matches were that dope. Definitely should have been a bigger deal in wrestling.

I'll give BBB an 8.

 

[ZEB WALTON]

10.

Legendary wrestler. Looked like a wrestler. Id put him up there with the elite class of bigmen like taker, brody, vader etc

His early wwe work with hogan and others was eh but he moved to japan after that and became one of the elite there.

By the time he was back in wwf in early 90s dude was already legend status.

His ecw work put him over the top on a purist perspective. Classic matches there.

AND he headlined wm11 and carried LT to a match.

Used him poorly in wcw.. very poorly. Always wished he had come back to the E but he died before that.

Plus he saved some kids from a burning house so dude deserves extra props.

Dude had a look that just screamed wrestler to me. Like in an alternate reality bam bam would still be here covered in flames. Dare i say, the tats on his head made it almost "real"..

You can tell dude was not to be fukked with.

 

[patscorpio]

-Mic work/promos - Nothing that stands out from what I can remember. Your typical monster heel-ish promos typical of someone who debuted in the 80s. Dug the cameo in Major Payne though - 6

-Personality/gimmicks - Big man with flaming tattoo head with matching attire. I mean you can just say that and most will know who youre talking about. 7

-Ring work (along with some of your favorite matches/feuds) - one the greatest agile big men in wrestling. I use to mark out for the picture perfect cartwheel he did in the ring Bam Bam was Vader without the gigantic push (until he got to ECW although I thought he was pushed well in Japan). Favorite match of all vs Bret Hart..those 2 had crazy chemistry in the ring. He had great matches with Taz and the GOAT celebrity match vs LT (which I was there for). I enjoyed watching him wrestle. I just wished he had more high profile matches in his prime because he could really go. 8

-Overall rating (which doesn't have to be an average of the above scores - I give Bam Bam a 7.5. For all intents and purposes he was a solid guy in and out the ring and didnt tolerate alot of bullshyt. My favorite story on him was him stiffing a wrestler on an indy card because said wrestler disrespected a vendor who was selling food and didnt bother to pay for it. So Bam Bam whooped him in the ring and that wrestler came and overpaid for the food. It's a shame politics and bullshyt fukked up the momentum of his career in the WWE and even more of a shame on how he went out. One day though I hope I see him get some much overdue recognition in the WWE..hopefully HOF.

 

[Hey_zeus]

I really liked Bam Bam but I don't think his career matches his ability.

Gimmick: Classic wrestling persona. Where his gimmick was him being a dude that looked and acted the part. Didn't have to have a fake occupation or football background to elevate. Just a big, bad and talented dude.

Mic work: Nothing to write home about. Was beast added by a manager, but not a glaring weakness either.

Ring work: Super talented big man worker. Extremely agile and could perform aerial moves. Capable of delivering incredible power moves to sell his beast gimmick. Likely the one of the better sellers of size in the history of the business. Could carry lesser talents to work they shouldn't have been capable of.

Impact/Legacy: Probably the most talented 300lb worker ever ability wise(Vader maybe). Not sure what stopped him from being pushed more. Maybe he didn't care or have the clout to garner higher status in the places he worked. You never hear about him causing issues so maybe he just preferred to play the background. Whatever the case, I can't help but feel there was a lot left on the table for Bam Bam.

7.

 

[ChuckTaylor84]

Bam Bam Bigelow one of my all time favorites

Can't say more than what hasn't been already said about the man

His ring work was phenomenal and very agile for a man of his size.

He is truly missed

Plus he played a part in one of my all time favorite childhood movies

 

[mrken12]

A 5?

I'd like to hear the explanation for that score.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Giving him a 7 based on what he could have done instead of what he actually did. Dude had a distinct look, was a very agile big man, could talk good enough, and overall just carried himself as a badass. That shyt writes itself, but for some reason, it wasn't fully capitalized. he was very identifiable in the early 90's, a total badass in ECW, and was decent in WCW. Him calling out Goldberg was the perfect way to introduce him then, cause it was totally believable. They just didn't do anything past that. Loved the Jersey Triad too, a highly underrated stable that should have lasted longer. Would bump him up higher had they let him reach what I thought could have been a very high ceiling.

 

[mrken12]

-Mic work/promos: 6
Not amazing but he was passable. Probably one of his only noticeable flaws as a wrestler.

Personality/gimmicks: 9
Like someone mentioned earlier, he had a great wrestling look. The tattoo on his head, the menacing appearance, and the imposing super heavyweight build. He just looked like a guy that you didn't want to piss off.

Ring work: 10
Matches/feuds: vs Barry Windham, vs Taz, vs Bret Hart, vs RVD, vs Shane Douglas, vs Lawrence Taylor

Easily one of the best super heavyweight workers that I've ever seen. He had ridiculous agility for someone who was well over 300 pounds and he was extremely versatile. He was having great NWA matches with Barry Windham in the 80s, great matches with a technical master like Bret Hart, captivating hardcore matches with Taz and RVD in ECW, and even carried Lawrence Taylor to a good match at Wrestlemania.

Overall rating: 9

More like 8.5 but I bumped it up to 9. Bam Bam is another wrestler that I developed a greater appreciation for thanks to the WWE Network. I only wish that he had a better resume in WCW or WWE because he definitely had main event talent for either of those companies. Outside of the ring he seemed like a good guy who wasn't afraid to call out bullshyt. The story about saving 3 children from a burning building was commendable.

 

[stro]

I give him a 7. He was a terrible, terrible promo at all stages of his career. As a performer, it's hard to say how far he could have gone, as he really never got much of a sustained chance to do much until ECW, which was at the end of his prime and probably a bit past it. Plus it was ECW, and being competent was enough to make you look great there. People always blame the Kliq for ruining his career and shyt, but he seemed pretty flaky, bouncing back and forth between WWF/WCW multiple times, plus NJ and ECW. As soon as it seemed like he was about to get the big push, he ended up leaving whatever company he was in, years before the Kliq ruined his WWF run.

He probably could have been a Vader-tier big man talent, but for whatever reason, he never got to that level anywhere he worked.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Solid 8. Would be a title holder if he was around today

 

[mrken12]

Spoiler: Matches

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Taz for the World Television Title, ECW Living Dangerously 1998


Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor, Wrestlemania 11



Andre the Giant vs Bam Bam Bigelow, MSG 6/25/1988


Bam Bam Bigelow vs Bret Hart, 1993 King of the Ring Final


Bam Bam Bigelow vs Rob Van Dam, 4/03/1998


Bam Bam Bigelow vs Taz for the FTW Heavyweight Title in a Falls Count Anywhere match, ECW Heat Wave 1998


Bam Bam Bigelow vs Shane Douglas for ECW World Title, November to Remember


Barry Windham vs Bam Bam Bigelow for the NWA US Title, NWA Starrcade 1988


Bam Bam Bigelow and Vader vs Steiner Brothers, New Japan 6/26/1992


Bam Bam Bigelow and Yokozuna vs Steiner Brothers for Tag Team Titles, 8/12/1993

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

7 for me.

Bam Bam is one of those wrestlers that worked well outside of the United States sadly. Overseas, dude was a real life anime character, but over here...eh(with the exception of his ECW run). His quick and agile performance was bar none, but he just seemed like a midcarder in the worst way possible. The promos he would cut just didn't cut it for me since I heard it all before with the tough guy persona. Beyond that, his matches were simply sensational. His KOTR 93 match with Bret Hart and his feud with Tazz were some of my favorite matches featuring Bam Bam. Bottom line, good wrestler, shytty booking involving the good wrestler.

 

[Doctor Wily]

Hes an 8 to me.
He was the legit #2 face in the wwf post wrestlemania 3 to right around the end of 1987.