10 Greats From The Golden Age Of British Wrestling
2. Giant Haystacks.
At 6 ft 11in and 685 lbs, Martin Ruane towered over his opponents and looms large over the wrestling scene of the '70s and '80s. His Giant Haystacks persona first teamed with Big Daddy when the latter was also a heel, then feuded with him for many years. Their matches always drew huge audiences on TV.
At odds with his thuggish image, Ruane is remembered by fellow wrestlers as a thoughtful and deeply religious man with a keen interest in philosophy and politics. He kept his family life private but liked to speak of his friendship with Paul McCartney, who often came to see him wrestle and cast him in the film Give My Regards to Broad Street.
After Big Daddy's retirement, Ruane wrestled for Stu Hart in Canada as the Loch Ness Monster before shortening the name to Loch Ness and entering the WCW. Here, he embarked on a feud with Hulk Hogan which could have seen a revival of his career if it hadn't been cut tragically short by his death from cancer in 1998.