9. From Manchester To Atlanta And Back (Via Scotland)
Martin Giant Haystacks Ruane was a legend of British wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s, a legit monster of a man billed at 611 and (at this time of his life) nearly 700lbs. Sadly, the man who would arrive in WCW in early 1996 under the underwhelming name of Loch Ness (Ruane was a Mancunian, and Loch Ness is a giant lake, not the mythical monster itself) was a barely mobile botchfest at the tail end of his fantastic career in the business. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzG8MlXShPg This is painful to watch, and for all the wrong reasons. Given the reputation of Giant Haystacks for the previous two decades, its terribly sad that this was his swansong: a grand total of seven matches totaling around ten minutes of wrestling, most of which he messed up due to ill health. Barely a month into his WCW run, such as it was, Ruane would discover that he had cancer and abruptly return home to England. Two years later, one of the great legends of British professional wrestling and one of the best heels of all time would pass away at home in Manchester, where he belonged.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
