Blast From The Past...The Giant Gonzalez

[Mr. Old School™]

Hey,

I am back again with another old-school classic and this time I am going to feature the nearly 8-foot tall Giant Gonzalez.



He originally made his debut in WCW as El Gigante. Here's a clip of him teaming up with Big Josh a.k.a. "Maniac" Matt Borne to take on the duo of The One Man Gang and Black Blood a.k.a. Billy Jack Haynes.



Here's another clip featuring his WCW entrance theme, but it's a clip of him taking on two men, The One Man Gang and I believe Kevin Sullivan. He is accompanied by 3 midget wrestlers and I believe the one he has on his shoulder is Tiger Jackson a.k.a. Dink the Clown.



Here's two clips of a 15-man Battle Royal in WCW featuring the likes of "The Z-Man" Tom Zenk, "Wildfire" Tommy Rich, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, Ranger Ross, "Young Pistol" Tracey Smothers, "The Incredible" Oz, "The Rapmaster" P.N. News, what appears to be the biggest rip-off of The Big Boss Man I've ever seen, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, "Stunning" Steve Austin, "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes, "Former Red Rooster" Terrance Taylor, Big Josh, "Former Widowmaker" Barry Windham, The One Man Gang, and the final 15th man, El Gigante.





Here's a classic WCW squash-match when took on long-time jobber Bob Cook.



He also had 2 different action figures while he was in WCW. Here they are:





After floundering in WCW as a side-show, then then burst onto the scene in the WWF at the 1993 Royal Rumble along with Harvey Whippleman as his manager. Here's a clip of it, however the announcing is in Spanish I believe.



Here's Update with "Mean" Gene Okerlund:



Here's another clip of The Giant Gonzalez in action in a classic WWF squash-match against Jim Powers.



He then ditched the fur on his outfit and went on to WrestleMania IX at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to take on The Undertaker.





Their score wasn't settled there, so they met once again at SummerSlam in 1993 in a "Rest in Peace" match.





After he lost to The Undertaker in the "Rest in Peace" match, be became a babyface and the crowd actually started to get behind him.

Here's a clip of a squash match between Adam Bomb vs. Mike Davis and at the end of the match, The Giant Gonzalez came out and confronted Bomb much to the delight of the crowd.



After that, I am not too sure what happened to The Giant Gonzalez. I am not sure if he started a feud with Adam Bomb or not. I don't believe he ever did.

He did, however, have his very own WWF Hasbro action figure:



I think he left the WWF due to health issues and retired from wrestling and headed back to his homeland of Argentina.

Recent reports have stated that Gonzales, who lives back in his native Argentina, is now facing serious health issues due to his size. He is reportedly unable to stand without support, and spends much of his time in a wheelchair.

Here is a fairly recent picture of Jorge Gonzales:



Thanks to Jakks, they did track him down and sign him to the WWE Classic series giving us a single figure and a 2-pack with his manager, Harvey Whippleman.





Giants like Jorge Gonzales unfortunately don't live a long life. Thankfully, he is still with us and has provided us with many memorable moments in the history of wrestling.

There you have it. Another "Blast From The Past" in the history books. As awlays, feel free to share your comments and memories on The Giant Gonzalez right here.

[Grumpyoldman]

He was originally drafted to play basketball for the Atlanta Hawks, but couldn't handle the speed of the NBA. So Ted Turner (owner of the Hawks & WCW) decided to make him a wrestler.
I remember him teaming with P.N. News on a few occasions. As News would rap, Gigante would dance. It was as bad as watching a white guy dance.
Then he'd cut promos and would only say "Flair, I want the belt!" and point to his hand. (He was using the claw for a short time as a finishing move).
He also had a short feud with Vader, where Vader once held Gigante's head over his helmet/shoulderpads ring gear, blasting him in the face with the white smoke (probably compressed air) and blinding Gigante for a few months (storyline).
He also had his head shaved in a feud with the One Man Gang.

I remember him making his debut at the 1993 Royal Rumble. I took one look at his outfit & got a good laugh.

Even though his career was a short one, I hope he made enough money to live comfortably in Argentina.

He will be making an ultra rare appearance on May 15, 2010 at Legends of the Ring X at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Monroe, NJ! (legendsofthering.com)

[Mr. Old School™]

Jan 16, 2010 12:06:34 GMT -5 Grumpyoldman said:

He will be making an ultra rare appearance on May 15, 2010 at Legends of the Ring X at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Monroe, NJ! (legendsofthering.com)

That is great news. I certainly wish I could go because I would love to meet the man.

I just checked the site and The Mean Street Posse, Brother Love, Tiger Jackson, Sean Mooney, Mike McGuirk, Moondog Rex and Mantaur are all going to be there as well.

Man, I would love to go to this event.

[Deleted]

I remember him as El Gigante and having title matches with Flair in WCW....and I remember being excited when he came to WWF as Giant Gonzales.

in my Hasbro fed he was a dominant Champ fr a long time ;D

[Hammersmith Hardman]

That was an awesome read.

I didn't know he turned babyface in the WWF at all, I thought he disappeared as soon as he lost to Undertaker.

[Ldeow]

Thanks for doing these Mr. Old School. They are really fun to read.

[Mr. Old School™]

Jan 16, 2010 18:56:23 GMT -5 Ldeow said:

Thanks for doing these Mr. Old School. They are really fun to read.

You're welcome. I'm glad you guys enjoy them as much as I do.

These guys that I've been featuring may not have been the best wrestlers around, but they all made their mark and helped pave the way for many of the Superstars we see today. I just don't want them to be forgotten, that's all.

Some of the newer fans of today's wrestling need a reminder of who was there first and I'll be more than happy to do it. ;D

[Juba]

worst big man imo

[Mr. Old School™]

Jan 16, 2010 19:28:52 GMT -5 Juba said:

worst big man imo

I don't know about that. Sure, he slowed down alot when he came to the WWF, but he was alot quicker and agile when he was in WCW. You can tell just by watching those clips.

I think The Great Khali might be worse than Gonzalez ever was.

[Ldeow]

Great Khali was most definitely worse then Gonzalez.

[Burger Lad]

Thanks - always enjoy reading the blast from the past. Still remember liking his debut and his feud with the Undertaker.

[Deleted]

Jan 17, 2010 0:04:56 GMT -5 Ldeow said:

Great Khali was most definitely worse then Gonzalez.

yup he sure was.GG didnt get blown up walking to the ring.......

[LeighD]

Jan 16, 2010 19:26:07 GMT -5 Mr. Old School™ said:

Jan 16, 2010 18:56:23 GMT -5 Ldeow said:

Thanks for doing these Mr. Old School. They are really fun to read.

You're welcome. I'm glad you guys enjoy them as much as I do.

These guys that I've been featuring may not have been the best wrestlers around, but they all made their mark and helped pave the way for many of the Superstars we see today. I just don't want them to be forgotten, that's all.

Some of the newer fans of today's wrestling need a reminder of who was there first and I'll be more than happy to do it. ;D

Thank you also as these "Blast for the Past" threads are great and they give off a nostalgic feeling!

On topic, I wish the feud between Bomb and Gonzalez came to surface as ti would've been interesting to say the least. I wish Gonzales had been given a stronger push, but maybe the fans were not behind him as WWF had hoped.

[Deleted]

Thanks again Mr Old School, you really put a lot of effort into these, cheers!

I never saw much of Gonzalez I must admit, but know his place as one of the 'big men' in wrestling.

[Emerald Enthusiast]

To be honest, he is one of my least favorite wrestlers. He didn't have much athletic ability and he was booked horribly in both WCW and WWF.

That being said, the man behind the character seems like a good dude. I've seen a couple of interviews with him. He's friendly and soft-spoken. I certainly hope he can manage his health problems and live a long life.

[June]

I loved his feud with the Four Horsemen. I was no enthused by his WWF run. Am I the only person who is saddened by how badly OMG was booked in WCW?

[Mr. Old School™]

Man, this has been a terrible year for wrestling deaths. Who would've thought a few months after I wrote this article, we would lose Lance Cade, Luna Vachon, Kanyon, Jack Brisco, Ludvig Borga, Bastion Booger and now The Giant Gonzalez.

It is so depressing being an old-school fan because SO many of the guys and ladies I grew up watching are gone....

[slappy]

Here are all the other wrestlers who have died this year.

Skandor Akbar
Tony Borne (Matt Borne's dad)
Grizzly Smith (Jake Robert's dad)
JC Bailey
La Fiera
Herb Larson
Rauno Mäkinen
Steve Stanlee
Trent Acid
El Supremo
Kinji Shibuya
Mr. Hito
Gene Kiniski
Tom Burton
Max Steyne
Baron Mikel Scicluna
Corsica Joe
Jerry Valiant
Sandy Scott
Ida Mae Martinez
Jim White
Angelo Poffo

[Kick Your Face]

Here's a complete list, via Gary Will.

2010 Necrology:
Jim White, Ludvig Borga, Ed Chuman, Katsuhisa Shibata, Ida Mae Martinez, Jack Brisco, Charles Baillargeon, George Eakin, Angelo Poffo, Sandy Scott, Stomper Guy Mitchell, Corsica Joe, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Tom Burton, Chris Kanyon, Gene Kiniski, Mr. Hito, George Grant, Kinji Shibuya, El Supremo, Rusher Kimura, Jet Monroe, Rocket Monroe, Grizzly Smith, Trent Acid, Toni Adams, Lance Cade, Ted Allen, Skandor Akbar, Tony Borne, Luna Vachon, Anton Geesink, J.C. Bailey, Mike Shaw, Giant Gonzalez

[Deleted]

RIP Giant.

harsh year for wrestling deaths.......no doubt about it