One look at Bam Bam Bigelow would suggest he is a tough guy. After all, wimps do not get their entire head tattooed. But, as the age-old saying goes, you cannot judge a book by its cover. It just so happens that Bigelow's exterior is a fine look at the man underneath. Not only was he a hellacious wrestler for a man of his size, an incredibly athletic performer with agility not typically reserved for men of his size, he was a workhorse. For the entirety of his second run with WWE, he worked almost non-stop, appearing on all of the shows as one the higher-profile talents on the roster. His series of matches with Bret "Hitman" Hart are among the former WWE champion's favorite, as he mentioned in his autobiography. Bigelow does not make this list, though, because he could take chair shots from Rob Van Dam in ECW or endure a suplex through a table courtesy of Taz. No, he winds up this far on the list due to an act that is as heroic as it is gutsy. In 2000, he entered a burning building and rescued three neighborhood children. It was an incredible act of bravery that saw him suffer significant burns over nearly half of his body. He through caution to the wind, put his own body at risk and endured so that he would ensure the safety of the kids. Moreover, he returned to the squared circle for one last run with WCW, feuding with Shawn Stasiak and Stacy Keibler. As tough as Bigelow was, and he was certainly double-tough, his body could not take the suffering that he was putting on himself. A drug addiction and heart condition made for a volatile mix and at age 45, Bigelow was found dead at his home in Hudson, Florida. And the wrestling business lost one of its toughest and bravest, if flawed, competitors.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
