One would be Luger, who lost his title match in the middle of WrestleMania 10 and never got to the main event level in WWE again, or Shinsuke Nakamura who seems on a similar track, but at least these two enjoyed greater longevity with the company. John William Minton (February 19, 1948 - March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. The following year, Studd was part of another great WrestleMania moment when he competed in the WWE/NFL Battle Royal at WrestleMania 2. His rivalry with wrestlers like Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan became legendary within the WWF sphere. He underwent emergency surgery and was told there was only a 7% chance that it would work. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He went through rounds of chemotherapy and was reportedly unwilling to give up. During the match, Studd was noticeably wrestling stiff and showing contempt for someone he saw as nothing more than a weightlifter with no wrestling skills who had no business being in a professional wrestling ring. John William Minton (February 19, 1948 - March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. John Minton (February 19, 1948 - March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor . Unlike modern times, the Rumble winner was not granted a world title shot or a chance to main event WrestleMania. In his most famous match, he took on Andre in a 15,000 dollar bodyslam challenge at the first _Wrestlemania (1985)_. Despite leaving the WWF, Studd's presence was still made known in a WWF Magazine article published shortly before WrestleMania III, where he supported Andr in his upcoming match against Hogan (contending that Hogan's friendship with Andr was a ruse, to duck him as a potential challenger to the title). Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. Three children: John Robert, Janelle, and Sean. Andr was definitely dominant in the ring, but his long list ofaccomplishments don't scratch the surface of how much of an impact he had on the wrestling world. He started He appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s and wrestled in the main event of . His career included successful runs with the WWE, WCW and TNA, and includedbeing a six-time world champion and a 12-timeworld tag team champion. [8] By 1984, with his feud with Andre still raging, Studd was challenging then-new champion Hulk Hogan for the title; Hogan was also successful on several occasions in slamming Studd. La rivalit durera jusqu'en 1986. During his long career, he was most successful as Diesel and Big Sexy. Luckily for Nash, Shawn Michaels gave his career some new life with his new character, Diesel, HBK's bodyguard. John Minton, or Big John Studd as he would eventually be known, was born on February 19th, 1948, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Big John Studd was a talented giant, who can go overlooked for having few titles to his name and for most of his career happening in an era before WWEs national expansion. Between WWE and WCW, Big Showhas held 23 total championships. Manager Captain Lou Albano protested by claiming it was an "optical illusion". He performed in the World Wrestling Federation. The Studd-Bundy alliance and Andr continued to feud for the rest of that year and into 1986, with Andre often recruiting faces such as Hogan, Tony Atlas, Junkyard Dog and Hillbilly Jim to team with him. He also won WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Executioner #1 at the World Wide Wrestling Federation. http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/04/the-complete-history-of-dead-wrestlemania-personalities/big-john-studd-john-minton-47, http://www.wwe.com/superstars/bigjohnstudd, https://www.celebheights.com/s/Big-John-Studd-49526.html. Around September 1994, Minton's lungs collapsed and he went back to the hospital. [8], In late 1984, Studd was also paired with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, who helped take the Andr-Studd feud to new heights. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and 1980s. Thankfully, his legacy now has an opportunity to live on through his son, John Minton Jr . In 1993, he was training to fight wrestler Killer Kowalski in a special match. Le 25 mai 1980, Masked Superstar fut dmasqu aprs un match contre [Blackjack Mulligan] Toronto. The invitational battle royale also featured stars from the National Football league. The match ended by disqualification after persistent rulebreaking by Studd and Patera, who attacked Andr afterwards and cut his hair. 007APP"" . Big John Studd was an actor too, and starred in a few movies. Royal Rumble: Big John Studd defeats Akeem and Andre The Giant and Arn Anderson and Ax and Bad News Brown and Brutus Beefcake and Butch and Greg Valentine and Hercules and Hulk Hogan and Jake Roberts and Koko B. Ware and Luke and Marty Jannetty and Mr. Winning this match furthered Studds credibility. He married Donna Conklin in 1978 with whom he had three children Janelle Minton, John Minton Jr., and Sean Minton. Determined to be one of the biggest wrestlers in the WWF, Big John Studd began taking human growth hormones back when he was actively facing off against Andre the Giant in the ring. Despite this, Studd began declaring himself the "True Giant of Wrestling," all while continuing to insist he could not (and had never been) slammed. Minton, Jr. also participated in the fourth season of WWE Tough Enough. He has held theWorld Heavyweight Championship seven times and is the only person to have held the ECW, WWE (both) and WCW world heavyweight championships. The Rumble would take on the prize of a WrestleMania title shot in 1993. Sadly, however, John Minton passed away on March 20, 1995, due to complications from liver cancer and Hodgkin's disease. He was 47 years old and left behind a wife and three children, John Jr., Janelle and Sean. Follow him on Twitter @miketchin. Studd was forced to retire due to some personal reasons involving his health, and died in 1995. Minton died from liver cancer and Hodgkin's disease on March 20, 1995. John Minton, or Big John Studd as he would eventually be known, was born on February 19th, 1948, in Butler, Pennsylvania. He then made a transition to New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he stayed for a few years. He won the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship, along with Buddy Rose. He was best known for being a Wrestler. Free shipping. Minton was also an actor in both . Retired. The only thing Khali brought to the WWE was his height, which he took back to India in 2014. Studd jumped to the World Wrestling Federation in late 1982, and was paired with manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Jones. He also dabbled in Hollywood, appearing in episodes of "The A-Team" and "Hunter," as well as in movies such as "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man." ~~~Blassie went on a mission to prove that John Studd was the 'biggest' man in wrestling. His most famous match was the "Body Slam Match" which he lost to Andre the Giant. John William Minton, better known as Big John Studd, was a well-known American professional wrestler and actor. Big John Studd fut entrain par le catcheur canadien Killer Kowalski. Yes, these guys even at normal height are huge due to muscle build, but imagine being a kid watching, 7' sounds like a real live giant; Hogan bring 6'6, 300 lbs (as he was billed when he first went to WCW or late in his WWF run) seems just incredible; even fudging Rey's height to . He currently wrestles for MCW. Andre iconically turned heel to challenge Hulk Hogan in 1987, and when Studd returned to WWE, it was as a supersized hero to stand up to Andre as he took a step back from the main event picture. When wrestling fans reflect on the winners of the Royal Rumble, certain names tend to come up. If you add very little charisma to a bad wrestler and you get The "Great" Khali. He is survived by his daughter Janelle Minton and sons Sean Minton and John Minton, Jr., the latter, who accepted his plaque upon his posthumous inductions to both the WCW Hall of Fame in 1995 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. Studd was also paired with Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, who helped take the Andre-Studd feud to new heights. The Big John Studd death story began long before the stars date of death in 1995. In 1974, Studd joined Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, where he wrestled as "Chuck O Connor". From 1975 to 1976, Studd performed for the American Wrestling Association. Unfortunately, Big John Studds death occurred much too soon at the age of 47, leaving fans and the wrestling community deeply saddened. Later that month at Showdown at Shea, Studd lost to El Olympico by disqualification. When looking back at some of the greatest Goliaths in WWE history, the name Big John Studd ranks right up there with the best. At the first Wrestlemania event in 1985, Studd announced a $15000 Body Slam Challenge. Andr won the match (although Studd protested), and the highlight of Andr bodyslamming Studd to win the match is one of the most iconic images in wrestling history. Although he wrestled under the names Captain USA, Chuck O'Connor, the Executioner #2 and The Giant Stud, he is most popularly known . Big John Studd: The Royal Rumble Winner Nobody Ever Remembers, the greatest Royal Rumble performers of all time, arguably the greatest Royal Rumble in 1992, Andre iconically turned heel to challenge Hulk Hogan in 1987, 8 Things About Andr The Giant's Career That Make No Sense, win the Rumble from the number 27 position. Studd, along with Bundy and Heenan, insisted that Andre and the Giant Machine were one and the same, and set out to prove their point by vowing to unmask the Giant Machine during a series of tag team matches; the Giant Machine's partners included Blackjack Mulligan (as "Big Machine") and Bill Eadie (as "Super Machine"), with Studd and Bundy saying in interviews that they knew who The Machines were and that they had never heard of Japanese wrestlers with a South-Texas accent (Mulligan/Big Machine) or a South-Florida accent (Eadie/Super Machine), while Bobby Heenan repeatedly claimed that no Japanese wrestler or person was 7'4" and over 500lbs and spoke with a French accent. He is known for competing in the World Wrestling Federation from 1982 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989. Studd however rejected the offer and ran Heenan off the Brother Love set, thus turning face. 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