10 ECW Stars Who Died Too Young

5. Bam Bam Bigelow

Unlike many of the names on this list, Bam Bam Bigelow was a big star before he came to ECW. The 390lb man with the flame tattoo on his his skull had notable stints in the WWF (1987-88 and 92-95) and in Japan, where he was a huge draw and earned big money wrestling the likes of Antonio Inoki in main events matches.

His most famous match was the WrestleMania XI main event, where he clashed one-on-one with NFL player Laurence Taylor. Bigelow felt he should have been a top dog in the WWF at the time but, like many in the company, he believed he was being held down by the infamous Kliq.

Fed up with his lot, Bigelow left the WWF in late '95 and headed back to Japan and for ECW. His ECW runs were broken up by a shootfighting venture in Japan - Bigelow lost to Kimo Leopoldo on a U-Japan card in November 96, but he claimed the whole thing was a work and that he was paid a substantial amount of money for it - but when he returned in 1997 he was a featured performer as a member of the Triple Threat (with Shane Douglas and Chris Candido).

Bigelow captured the Tag Team, TV and ECW World Titles during his stay with the promotion, but money was always an issue and, with the company in dire financial straits, he headed for WCW in late 1998 which is where he stayed until the company was bought by Vince McMahon in March 2001.

His final years consisted of independent show appearances and trying to medicate the debilitating injuries he'd suffered over the years. His back, in particular, was said to have been giving him a lot of trouble, and he retired in 2004.

Bigelow, who was one of the most agile and physically impressive big men, well, ever, died on January 19, 2007 as a result of high levels of multiple drugs being in his system, including cocaine and an anti-anxiety drug. He also had underlying heart problems.

He was 45-years-old.