The Think Tank: The Plight of the Oversized Wrestler

By Pete Ellis

Wrestling promoters would have you believe that the days when professionals were given a shot based on size rather then talent are long gone.

But the truth is, fans, we still manage to find ourselves spending our hard-earned money on the occasional freak show.

It wasn't more that a year or two ago that we watched the Big Show grapple with Japan's Grand Sumo Champion in a Wrestlemania bout that was about as much fun as watching old people hump.

As wrestling fans, we grew up with the sport, not only following with passion but always demanding more from the program we love. More speed, more impact, better story lines, and so forth.

Yet here we are, on the cusp of watching Kane duke it out with The Great Khali (pictured) - a man who can't talk, can't walk, and features less than 10 moves; seriously, I counted them. Overhand chop, punch, standing clothesline, head butt, choke slam, double-handed choke slam, standing boot, elbow smash. The end.

This is not to suggest that we haven't seen some remarkable figures along the way at 300-plus pounds. Bam Bam Bigalow, The Boss Man in his prime, and Vader spring to mind.

But as long as we are going to watch Vince make fun of his own past (and WCW's) we are also going to have to accept the fact that Khali, Viscera, and Umaga bear striking resemblances to Giant Gonzalez, Typhoon, and Rakishi: Three guys generally looked back on as mistakes.

Remember the Stink Face? What the hell was that all about?

From the desk of a wrestling fanatic with too much time on his hands, thanks for reading.