The Figure Four - ALL Things ECW-WWF-NJPW-TNA-ROH-AEW

[Gallen5862]

RIP Bam Bam Bigelow!

[Commander_N_Chief]

Rest in Peace Bam Bam, thanks for all the memories. Your family and friend will be in my thoughts and prayers.

This brings back really fun memories of Wrestlemania the Arcade Game for the NES where Bam Bam would jump off the top rope onto the other wrestler and turn them both into flames.

[bleedbng86]

Damn, rest in peace bam bam.... I just saw him in Major Payne the other day too

[praise_gibbs]

Damn! That is such a shame.. It seems the wrestling business is far more a tougher life than any of the other 'sports'. It just seems that the higher percentage of depression which leads to drug/alcohol/substance abuse and later, death, is from retired wrestlers. Such a young age.. Queen Elizabeth, Crash Holly, Eddie Guerrero, The British Bulldog, Chris Candido, Hawk, Ray "The Big Bossman" Traylor, Brian Pillman, Rick Rude, Mr Perfect.. That is all I can think of just off the tope of my head. I am sure there is a handful or two more to add to this list.

I had the time and the opportunity to meet Bigelow-- just never pulled through. I wish I did now, though.

RIP Bam Bam--The Beast from the East and fellow New Jerseyan.

[G-Prime]

RIP Bam Bam.. I'll never forget the first Survivor Series you were in.. Man what a match

[Spaceman Spiff]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRPTbCizuC8

Old Bam Bam clip

[Jaded-Dragon]

Wow... Don't even know what to say to that.

I was just watching some old ECW the other day, thinking about what a big time player Bigelow was in the company. Very sad...

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Wrestlers seem to go younger than 'em all. Thanks for the memories Bam Bam. Here's a story I found On Wikipedia about the man:

In 2000, a story was floated that Bigelow had heroically saved children from a burning home. Bigelow had been returning home from an ECW show in Japan and discovered a house on fire near his home. Hearing children screaming inside, he burst into the house and rescued three kids, burning 40% of his body with second degree burns in the process. He spent two months recovering in a hospital.

Here's Bam Bam's interview where he talks about the incident: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12530023&BRD=2228&PAG=461&dept_id=447976&rfi=6

From that interview, Bigelow states: "Anybody that needs help with children's charities or fire and paramedics ... I'll do anything. Golf, dinners, anything to raise money. Whatever my schedule will permit me to do. It's for free, and I'd be happy to help. If the community is giving me their support, than I'll give my support. I just want to become part of Pennsylvania. I like kids and I like doing things for kids. Not all of us are as fortunate. There are children out there who just need a smile on their face. It goes a long way. I feel good about it, and there's a spot in heaven for me, and I don't ask anything for it."

Well I'm sure you're up there my friend, thanks for the memories. RIP.

[Enter Apotheosis]

Pretty sure the fire rescue story was proven to be false.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Pretty sure the fire rescue story was proven to be false.

Hmm...that's sad, if it's false I'll take it down.

[Mooka]

RIP Bam Bam

[TradeTheBeal!]

I'm surprised he lived this long.

How's Jake "The Snake" Roberts doing?

[Chump Bailey]

Well I'm sure you're up there my friend, thanks for the memories. RIP.

Indeed - true gentle giant...

[SkinsOrlando]

Pretty sure the fire rescue story was proven to be false.

http//bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=1&PAG=461&BRD=2228&LOCALPCT=50&AREA=401&VERT=12341&NAREA=471&RULE=0&barnd=2478"]http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=1&PAG=461&BRD=2228&LOCALPCT=50&AREA=401&VERT=12341&NAREA=471&RULE=0&barnd=2478 Up Close & Personal

UpClose & Personal

Meet Burger King Bam Bam Bigelow

By: Gene Padden 07/29/2004Email to a friendPrinter-friendly

PHOTO BY BOB URBAN

For 25 years, Bam Bam Bigelow made his living wrecking people. During his time at each of the big three pro wrestling companies (WWF, WCW, and ECW), the 6-foot-3, near 400-pounder became one of the most respected workers in the business. Fans would pay their hard-earned money to see the big man do cartwheels and backflips to the chants of "F' em up Bam Bam, F' em up," and he would oblige by throwing his foes through tables, chairs, rings, floors.

Now 42, the "Beast from the East" is still benching 595 pounds, but he's started a new chapter in his life with the opening of the Bam Bam Bigelow deli in Hamlin. This is no Subway. Bam Bam likes to eat fresh, but he also eats big. Like, two-pound burger big (see picture). He's retired from the ring, and he's here to stay. Next time you're up for more food than you can handle, head to Route 590 and meet the area's friendliest carnivore (and real-life hero) Bam Bam Bigelow ...

Dude, why Hamlin?

A lot of people ask why. The past 24-25 years has been on the go. It's been traveling, rental cars, hotels, gyms, arenas ... every day. It's like the life of a rockstar.

They might have it easier.

Yeah, that kind of life is not an easy job. It's so demanding on your body. I'm in the first generation of extreme wrestlers that did all the craziness. What you see in me is what you'll see in Mick Foley. We were the big guys who put our bodies before ourselves, and we're beat to hell, like hamburger. Some mornings, it's hard for me to get out of bed. I can't walk straight. What I'm trying to do is adapt to a new lifestyle and try to keep the Bam Bam personality in my life. I just want to have a good time. I want to be Scott Bigelow but keep Bam Bam Bigelow and be more even keel. It's hard to do.

Advertisement

http//oascentral.zwire.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.poweronemedia.com/300X250.html/@Topx[/img]"] [/img]"]http//bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=4000&PAG=461&BRD=2228&LOCALPCT=50&AREA=401&VERT=12341&NAREA=471&barnd=9002[/img]"]

So you're officially retired?

I might do charity shows, but I'm not taking the bumps. You're not going to see the moonsaults. I'm not crashing through tables. I'm not taking chairs. The past 25 years have been great, but the next 25 years are going to be rough. I have chronic back pain, and a surgery every year for 22 years. The doctor told me one more wrong fall and I can be paralyzed for life. It's either try and get healthy, or keep wrestling and be crippled. This is it for me. I want to kick back and enjoy the countryside. I don't miss the traffic and hustle and bustle of Jersey.

Any regrets?

It was the best job I ever had. After Vince (McMahon) bought WCW, the only reason I didn't go back to WWE is because I had three more years paid on my contract. So I sat at home and got paid. I wasn't going to give up $80,000 a month to take a different deal and work for them.

Right.

I always worked hurt. I always wanted to give people their money's worth. And I did a good job. But enough is enough. It's time to enjoy life, to face reality. The ride is over. Time to move on. There comes a point where you just can't perform at a level you're comfortable with. You either go out on top or you can just destroy yourself. I had respect when I bowed out.

I agree.

But I'm fortunate, because my name is well-known, it puts me in a position to help a lot of people. I can do a lot of good things for people and a lot of children. That's why I came to Hamlin. Back home, it was just non-stop with that. It was a rat race and people were trying to make money off of me instead of it going to charity and it made me angry.

Do you have relatives here?

I have really good friends here. Eddie and Patty, who work at the store with me - I love those people so much. We've been talking about opening a store up here for 15 years. I came up one day and found a location and I fell in love with the place. I wound up moving here and getting it going. I've yet to see what the winter will be like, but ...

You'll love it.

That's just it. I'm a winter person. Winters are more fun for me than summers.

What would you call your place? Deli? Ice cream shop?

I like to call it a deli, but what it is ... it's a place that I would go eat at. Everything in there is what I would eat. The cheese steaks are real. I don't like frozen foods. Everything is fresh. And of course, I like to eat big. Our bread comes from Brooklyn. It's fresh every day. Our ice cream comes from Brooklyn. The Italian Ice is real. We shave it off. It's good stuff. Chopped meat is 90 percent lean.

Wow. That's better than Subway.

(he sticks his middle finger at the tape recorder) Subway. That's ... they're our competition but they really aren't. We've only been open a few weeks and it gets crazier every day. The respect people have shown me has been phenomenal. I never realized that Scranton was so big into wrestling.

It's huge. The Wild Samoans are in Hazleton.

It is. Gigantic. I'm trying to keep the Samoans away (laughs). When Afa comes up, he brings like 30 people with him. They'll eat all my mayonnaise (laughs). But no, Afa is a good friend of mine, and all those guys ... Sam and Fatu, Davie Tua. All those guys, Yokozuna, who passed away, have been very good to me.

You mentioned helping people earlier ...

I give the number of the store out to everybody. It's 689-7717. Anybody that needs help with children's charities or fire and paramedics ... I'll do anything. Golf, dinners, anything to raise money. Whatever my schedule will permit me to do. It's for free, and I'd be happy to help. If the community is giving me their support, than I'll give my support. I just want to become part of Pennsylvania. I like kids and I like doing things for kids. Not all of us are as fortunate. There are children out there who just need a smile on their face. It goes a long way. I feel good about it, and there's a spot in heaven for me, and I don't ask anything for it.

Tell me about saving those kids.

I was coming home from Japan on an ECW trip. It was about 3:30 a.m. and I was turning onto my block and I realized there was a fire. I heard kids crying and I went through the door and the whole upstairs was on fire. I had to run through a wall in the house. I ran through a built wall ... two-by-fours and everything, so I could get to the back way to get up the stairs. I landed right in a ball of fire. It was the best move I made. When I finally made it upstairs, I grabbed the three kids and came back through the same fire and now I was on fire. By the time I came down, the front stairs were down, so we would have died if we went that way. The mom had been out drinking and left the kids alone. She was a single mother. The kids were five, eight, and nine. They started a fire somehow. I did what anybody would have tried to do. I burned 40 percent of my body with second-degree burns and spent almost two months in the hospital.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12530023&BRD=2228&PAG=461&dept_id=447976&rfi=6

Not according to Bam Bam

[G-Prime]

Just gotta say, that main event the last two RAWs have delivered. Really really good.. Too bad the rest of the show sucked

[lovetoaster]

This just in...ECW is awful. Being an old ECW fan, I was hoping that it would be something worth watching, but after a couple of months, I have realized that it is not the case. There is nothing to differentiate it from the other brands, other than the occasional "extreme rules" match, which usually sucks anyways.

That is what made ECW special the first time around, they were different. The personalities were different, the matches were different. Now it is just a repackaged version of "Sunday Night Heat" with an ECW logo slapped on it.

[skinsfan1992]

This just in...ECW is awful. Being an old ECW fan, I was hoping that it would be something worth watching, but after a couple of months, I have realized that it is not the case. There is nothing to differentiate it from the other brands, other than the occasional "extreme rules" match, which usually sucks anyways.

That is what made ECW special the first time around, they were different. The personalities were different, the matches were different. Now it is just a repackaged version of "Sunday Night Heat" with an ECW logo slapped on it.

could not have said it better myself

[canethang 305]

Did any one catch Wrestling Society X on MTV last night? There roster includes Sean Waltman, New Jack, Vampiro, Justin Credible and Teddy Hart to name a few, it kinda reminds me of those ICP hardcore wrestling videos from like 10 years ago. Anyway they had a battle royal with contracts above the ring for 2 people to win a match for the vacant title, Waltman who's going by 6-Pac and Vampiro won. They had several spots where Hart and New Jack came off a very high structure (kinda like the ECW balcony spots) Hart did a Swanton Bomb off the thing and they had like a box spring from a bed and when you fell on it it exploded. I know it's just a bunch of stuntman type spots to try and revive the hardcore thing but it was funny to watch at least, odd thing is the shows only a half hour, but that's probably good. Next episode Maonday at 10pm or 10:30pm I can't remember exactly.

BTW These shows were taped months ago so you may be able to find the spoilers on the net if you look hard enough, I haven't found any except from the show last night.

[skinsfan1992]

I have been hearing about this thing for a year now but never knew when it came on

thanks for the info

[Olky]

Here are a couple of web pages for WSX

http://www.myspace.com/wrestlingsocietyx

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/wsx/series.jhtml?source=TLD_wsx.mtv.com

[KingGibbs]

I'm not much of a wrestling fan, but I saw the WSX lastnight and I have to say it was quite entertaining. How these guys walk the next day is beyond me. This is definitely hardcore and there are no mats outside the ring just concrete.

[Heidenreich]

Hey guys, I'm in the process of moving, and I found a TON of old tapes of WWF & ECW pay per views from the mid to late 90's.

They're not making the move with me, so if anyone is interested shoot me a PM. I'm not even trying to make a lot (or even a little) money off of this, so any offer will be considered, and most likely accepted.

I'll put a list up if anyone is interested, there's a couple of decent shows in there.

And if I'm spamming, I'll delete this post, but I think this is ok......

[Gary Clark Fan]

Heinderich:

Old ecw ppv sound awesome.....let me try and convince my wife to spend a little on some and i would be very interested....BTW, are they dvd or vhs?

WSX was awesome for the wrestling, thats all. I can live with the hoky exploding electric wires and piranah tanks as long as I get to see high spots and not your typical wwe style match with plenty of rest holds...Good so far but man the ring announcer must be on drugs.

[skinsfan1992]

I went to the Blast Area last night to see the Royal Rumble.....and as usal you have an all brand ppv and you get jipped {thank god I was at a blast area}

anyway the rumble came down to Rated Rko HBK and Taker with Taker coming out on top

all titles remained the same and the Hardys won the only non title match on the card

Umaga versus Cena had some big bump spots but other than that this PPV Sucked big time I hope wrestlemania is just 20% better than this and I will be happy

[Heidenreich]

Tapes are sold. Thanks for all the interest!

We didn't buy the rumble last night (first rumble i missed since 1996).

From what i read, it didn't sound like i missed much.

It stinks that UT won at #30. 30 never wins!