Bam Bam Bigelow

[Mr Badguy]

Former WWE wrestler Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, who was known for his tattoed head, beard and flame emblazoned attire and co main evented Wretlemania XI against Lawrence Taylor, has died.

The cause of his death is as yet unknown.

He retired form wrestling in 2004 and was involved in a motorcycle accident shortly after that almost killed him and his girlfriend.

He was 45.

He joins the growing list of pro wrestlers who never lived to an old age.

[Mr Badguy]

BTW, I saw your post in the WWE thread, Full Bug, but thought this deserved a thread of it`s own as noone seems to bother with the WWE thread much anymore.

[bueno bob]

Damn it.

Always loved that guy...had a great turn in Major Payne...

Here's to you, Chief! Rest easy...

[Matt White]

PEACE OUT BAM BAM

[PumpedUpMidget]

One of the great big men, along with Vader, One Man Gang, and Bundy

[Full Bug]

Here are some comments from some of the wrestlers who knew him....

Rob Van Dam:
“I’ve never seen anyone of Bam Bam’s size move the way he did. He’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever been in the ring with. In the old ECW, he was the big star that added credibility to our cause. It was an honor to work with him and to know him. One of the favorite moments of my career was the night in Buffalo where I beat him for the ECW Television Title; I got the biggest rub of my career that night, and that match turned me into a Superstar. Everything from there has been uphill, and I’ve always been seen with a different perception and higher respect from the fans. I’ve always enjoyed bragging when I show off the old ECW Television Title to the fans that I beat Bam Bam for that title. He was a true Superstar, I enjoyed watching him as a fan, working with him and wrestling him. In and out of the ring he was a tremendous professional and I have a lot of respect for him.”

Tazz:
"I’m really saddened about this. I had the opportunity to wrestle Bam Bam several times in ECW, and I learned a lot from being in the ring with him. He was one of the toughest S.O.B.’s you could ever, ever, face in that ring. This is horrible news. He was too young to go."

Paul Heyman:
“Scott Bigelow got a lot more out of life than he ever imagined possible.”

“Bam Bam had a level of raw, unrefined talent that no one had ever seen before. He broke the mold. He clearly broke the mold. When else could a guy that size do picture perfect drop kicks and do moves off the top rope? Later on, Bam Bam settled down in his career to just do the splash from the top. But, there was nothing he couldn’t do if he wanted to. He was a like a prodigy in that if he watched someone do something in the ring, he could emulate it in the ring instantly.”

Jerry Saggs of the Nasty Boys:
"Bam Bam needs to be remembered in a positive light for all the contributions he had to this business. He was a good friend to me, and everyone."

Tommy Dreamer:
“It’s a definite loss to the wrestling business and the world. I knew Bam Bam very well; I had many great matches with him, and I loved watching his matches with Rob Van Dam. Bam Bam was a major star that really helped put ECW on the map. He’ll be missed.”

Ted Dibiase:
“He was a joy to work with in those years that I managed him. I was in his corner when he had the match against LT, and he was all business then. He was a real likeable guy and he was all into his family. In my dealing, he was a good guy and a businessman and a pleasure to work with.”

Mean Gene:
“I’m very, very, sorry to hear that. About the only thing I can say is it’s a real shocker to me. Here was a guy that in my opinion enjoyed life to the Nth degree. He was a great fisherman, I don’t think a lot of people knew that. He really enjoyed fishing. I went fishing with him before out on the Atlantic Ocean, and he was the best. Im going to miss the guy, not only from his wrestling exploits, but also because this guy was a human being. He was one of us, and he liked to get out and enjoy life, and he did enjoy life. I’m just very sorry to hear he’s passed on.”
Howard Finkel:
“He was a big man who could move, which was an amazing feat. He was unique in his style and appearance, and never left the ring without leaving everything he had out there. He was a very talented performer and will be missed.”

Jimmy Hart:
“I was actually on a radio show this morning, and when I got off the show I found out about Bam Bam. This is such a terrible, terrible loss for the wrestling world. Bam Bam was so unique and so different, and what a heck of a worker, just tremendous. Wow, this is just a total shock.”

Jake Roberts:
"He was a funny guy, a great guy to be around. He was a man. He was one of the best big men we ever had in this business. All I can say is that I wish the best for his family."

Joey Styles:
“As a wrestling fan, the visual of Tazz and Bam Bam Bigelow crashing through the ring in Bam Bam Bigelow’s home town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, is forever burned into my mind. Bam Bam Bigelow was a great performer and more importantly he was a father. He will be missed by everybody who knew him.”

Gregory Helms:
“I can’t recall ever wrestling him in WCW, but I can say that he was always in good spirits in the locker room. He seemed like a happy-go-lucky guy. He was one of the few guys that you never heard anyone say a bad thing about which is rare, because everybody has bad days in this business.”

Steve "Brooklyn Brawler" Lombardi:
"I actually traveled with Bam Bam for many years. He’s always been a good guy and a true professional. I wrestled him several times as well. I have nothing bad to say about Bam Bam. He was a great person."

Viscera
“Bam Bam Bigelow and Andre the Giant were the two guys who inspired me to get into wrestling. Whenever I saw Bam Bam wrestle, I just had so much respect for him. I had never seen a guy of his girth move with such agility. We wrestled together in matches all around the world, and he taught me so much. I think he was an ambassador of big men in wrestling; he showed the world that we’re also athletes, not just guys who little guys can bounce off of. I’m very saddened about Scott’s death, and I want his family to know that they’re in my heart and prayers. Scott Bigelow will live forever. He will never die.”

Jim Ross

I remember Bam Bam as one of the top super heavyweights ever. For a man who topped the scales at nearly 400 pounds and with his shaved, tattooed skull Bam Bam was an extraordinary athlete with a million dollar look. Few men I have ever seen on any athletic field of Bigelow’s size were as agile and athletically gifted as the New Jersey native.

It seems like only a few days ago when Larry Sharpe, who trained Bigelow in the Monster Factory, was making calls to many of the promoters around the country about this big monster that he was training. Bam Bam’s first publicity photos were damn impressive.

Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow made significant contributions in the WWE, WCW, ECW and in New Japan Pro Wrestling to name a few of the places he worked in a career that began in the early 80’s.

I will always have the greatest respect for the amazing match Bigelow had with NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor at Wrestlemania 11 in Hartford, Connecticut. Bam Bam spent hours working with Pat Patterson, who refereed the match at ‘Mania, preparing to perform in the main event at the biggest wrestling event in the world against a man who was having his FIRST match. Bigelow came through with flying colors.

Bam Bam was very proud of his efforts with LT at ‘Mania 11 and was genuinely touched and had tear filled eyes from the outpouring of congratulations and kind words in the locker room from his peers after the LT match. The big guy who looked like a killer had a kind and gentle heart.

I can never remember having a cross word with Bam Bam in all the years I knew him which was the bulk of his tenure in the business. If you treated Scott like a man and was honest and respectful to him he reciprocated. It was that simple.

Bigelow did some of his most entertaining work after Wrestlemania 11 in ECW and had a memorable run with Tazz.

Bam Bam had a variety of ring injuries and survived a near fatal motorcycle accident and those injuries and other issues plagued the big guy off and on for years.

Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow will be remembered as an extraordinary athlete and one of the great “big men” of all time much akin to Ernie Ladd, Don Leo Jonathan, Gorilla Monsoon, Vader, and Andre the Giant, among others I am sure I have inadvertently neglected.

We will miss you big fella. God Bless You. Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow.

[Dan]

R.I.P. Bam.

[DLRdelight!]

i will always remember him from the game i played on the original nintendo (nes) when i was round 5 or 6. he was the guy who could do the cartwheels!!!!

rip

[BottomLine65]

RIP BAM BAM

[ULTRAMAN VH]

I don't recall ever seeing a man of his size and stature move like a light weight. He was incredibly agile for his size and a joy to watch in the ring. Rest In Peace Bam Bam.

[WARF]

He was definately one of the most gifted athletic big men of all time!

[frets5150]

Originally posted by ULTRAMAN VH
I don't recall ever seeing a man of his size and stature move like a light weight. He was incredibly agile for his size and a joy to watch in the ring. Rest In Peace Bam Bam.

Gorilla Monsoon Moved like a light weight also.
RIP Bam Bam

[Full Bug]

Mourners recall "gentle giant"

Friends: Wrestler Scott Bigelow was a big man with a big heart
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/27/07


NEPTUNE — Even in death, Scott Bigelow was larger than life.

Hundreds of family, friends and fans of the massive wrestler known the world over as "Bam Bam" paid their final respects to Bigelow on Friday, a week after the 45-year-old was found dead in a home in Hudson, Fla.

"He was a gentle giant," said Anthony Mistretta of Belmar, Bigelow's cousin. "There was a compassionate side to him that people who were close to him got to see."

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has ruled out foul play, although no cause of death has been determined. According to family members, Bigelow was a diabetic and had been battling a staph infection that had moved from his legs to an arm.

A Neptune native, Bigelow quickly developed a reputation in the ring for agility and speed that belied his 400-pound frame during a golden era for professional wrestling, beginning in the mid-1980s. He was easily identified everywhere he went by the flames tattooed on his shaved head.

"I was a huge fan of his right from the start of his career," said Robert Dennis of Asbury Park. "I loved his moves, and I loved his tattoos, especially the one on the head. He made it fun to watch."

While life had become more difficult for Bigelow over the past few years since the end of his wrestling career and a divorce, combined with legal and health problems stemming from a 2005 motorcycle accident in Florida, it was his time in the ring and the friendships he made along the way that were celebrated on this day. He reached the height of his fame in 1995, when his rivalry with former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor ended with their meeting in the main event at WrestleMania XI.

"We'd be walking through an airport, and maybe because of the travel schedule he might not have slept for 28 hours," recalled Ray Liccachelli of Rockaway, N.Y., who was Bigelow's main adversary for several years in his role as Doink the Clown. "I was always very fortunate because people didn't recognize me. I was always under a costume. But poor Scott. It was like the circus was in town. And he always tried to be as gracious as he could. "Could I have an autograph? Sign my shirt? Sign my back, sign my leg?' He was always nice to them.

"One year I wrestled 297 days, and I know Scott did at least that or more, with 13 overseas trips thrown in there. At one point I wrestled Scott every day for seven months, in what seemed like every town across America, and the world."

A standout wrestler at Neptune High School, where he also played football, Bigelow finished among the top eight wrestlers in the state for two straight years during the late 1970s. He began training for a career in professional wrestling in the early 1980s at the Monster Factory in Bellmawr, and went on to achieve success with several different organizations.

Todd Bigelow, 46, of Springhill, Fla., would often spend time with his younger brother when he was on the road performing.

"We weren't like brothers, we were like bookends," he said. "You know how they say you can only count your friends on one hand? He had hundreds of good friends, and everybody has their own little story about how he did something for them."

"He was one of those people who would do anything for you if he was your friend," added Joseph Teresi Jr., a former Ocean Township resident who lived near Bigelow in Hudson, Fla.

In addition to his wrestling career, Bigelow appeared in three movies, including the 1995 release "Major Payne," along with guest appearances on several television shows.

"Over the last few years he wanted everyone to know he was Scott, not just Bam Bam," said his mother, Diana Bigelow of Manchester. "He wanted people to know who he really was, not just as the wrestler."

[Full Bug]

Check out the video of his wake, pretty sad....

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070127/VIDEO01/301270002

[WARF]

As long as Deuce Bigalow is still alive...