11 Legendarily BAD Wrestling Runs (With One ICONIC Moment)
6. Giant Gonzalez Gets His “Andre Moment”
This is the first and last time anyone will compare Giant Gonzalez to the legendary Andre The Giant, for the record. Both were...well...giants, but Andre had far more star appeal and could actually work a bit in his younger days before movement turned into a painful chore. Sadly, Gonzalez couldn't work a lick from minute one. He was rotten in WCW and in the WWF.
Vince McMahon's latest monster heel debuted at the 1993 Royal Rumble then worked back to back PPV stinkers vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania IX and SummerSlam. Indeed, the latter show's 'Rest In Peace' match must be seen to be believed. There's a good reason why 'Taker held this period against company higher ups for years afterwards.
Post-loss, Giant's manager Harvey Wippleman chewed him out similarly to Bobby Heenan going after Andre at ‘Mania VI, then Gonzalez turned babyface. This was the only thing of value from his entire run. It's really as simple as that. Gonzalez even received some applause from fans who wondered if he might be able to salvage a baby stint out of things and reinvent himself slightly.
He couldn't, but hopes were high in Auburn Hills.
Reportedly, Gonzalez knocked Wippleman out with his chokeslam. The surprising thing here is that it didn't even look that good. If anything, it looked like the big man was trying everything in his power to be gentle with Harv. Wippleman later revealed that he knocked back the chance to take another slam from Gonzalez on TV. He didn't fancy a second KO.