Giant Gonzalez. 1966-2010

Most famous for his feud with The Undertaker but the fact is Giant Gonzalez is the tallest man to ever wrestle professionally. From his stint in WCW as 'El Giante' to his time in the WWF in 1993, most hardcore wrestling fans will claim he was one of the worst giants and wrestlers of all-time however I can only disagree with such claims as despite his awful costume he was one of the better big men in the industry who wasn't booked or pushed right.


Standing at eight feet tall the Giant took the larger than life term to a whole other level. Despite failing to achieve a large amount of success in either promotion (WCW or WWF), he is still fondly remembered by many whether they liked or disliked his ability.

With a great size comes a greater risk regarding health. Like many big men Giant Gonzalez was no different and had kidney issues from a young age which  would ultimately kill him aged just 44. Wrestling however was not the first love of Jorge Gonzalez who represented his native Argentina in the 1988 Olympic games at Seoul, South Korea. He then joined Atlanta Hawks basketball team shortly afterwards but he was unable to keep up with the pace in the NBA.

Seeing dollar signs in-front of his eyes, Atlanta Hawks owner Ted Turner was also the owner of WCW and seen great potential in Jorge. Turner brought in Gonzalez in 1989 and he was labelled 'El Giante' and was loved by fans of all ages who were intrigued by his sheer size and height.

During his time in WCW he famously feuded with Ric Flair but he predominately remained a mid-card wrestler before his contract ran out in 1992. Now a free agent he began negotiating a contract with WWF representatives in late 1992 and ultimately signed a deal to debut at Royal Rumble 1993.

Immediately he commenced a feud with The Undertaker in a contest that would led up to Wrestlemania IX. The match was the mini main event at Cesar's Palace and remains a contest many hate however he is still the only man to lose to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and not be pinned. The crowd were hot during the contest and being honest it's personally one of my favourite matches at Wrestlemania ever.  He was originally meant to beat Taker in the ring however rumour has it Vince changed his mind last minute. What would have been had Vince kept the originally story-line?

After his feud with 'Taker, Vince McMahon had plans for Gonzalez to main event a huge feud with Hulk Hogan at Summerslam. Due to Hogan unwilling to drop the belt to Bret, he would then be forced to drop it to Yokozuna at King Of The Ring 1993. Had Hogan originally dropped the belt then a super match with Gonzalez was expected to take place.

Hogan left the company shortly afterwards so the two could not have their super-heavyweight match at the company's biggest event of the summer. Instead, 'Taker was due to feud with Gonzalez once again at Summerslam and it would be the dead man that would come out on top this time in a clean win. Gonzalez became a babyface as he turned on manager and close friend, Harvey Wippleman, with the fans hoping for him to push on for a title challenge.

Sadly October 4th 1993 would be the last time Gonzalez wrestled in the WWF as he was released from his contract due to health issues aged just 27. He returned to the ring once more and wrestled in Japan before retiring full-time in 1995 after a severe deterioration of his health.

Giant Gonzalez returned to his home country of Argentina shortly after to obtain advise on his medical problems which would plague him during the final years of his life. Due to his lack of financial status from wrestling the mid-card for the majority of his short career, he was unable to afford much of the medical bills and financial problems soon struck. The Argentina Basketball Federation ran fund-raisers to cloth and feed Jorge but it still meant he was unable to get the appropriate care required.

After retiring in 1995, 15 years of his retirement were hell for Jorge. Severe heart problems, diabetes, and kidney issues meant he was unable to walk at all forcing him into a wheelchair for the remaining years of his life. Regular dialysis meant he was constantly forced into hospital to treat on-going kidney problems.

On September 22nd 2010, Gonzalez was admitted to hospital in San Martin. He would never be released as he passed away on the same day aged just 44.