Weight: 364 lbs.

Finishing Maneuver(s): Reverse Bear Hug

One of the most imposing figures in wrestling history belonged to "Big" John Studd. The California native made a career out of claiming to be the biggest and the best, and challenged all that opposed him. But before he was "Big" John Studd, he took on several different identities. He was one of the Executioners, and along with his trainer "Killer" Kowalski he captured the WWF tag team titles in 1976. John was also known as the Masked Superstar II at one point in the Mid-Atlantic, among other aliases.

Next up for John was the WWF, where he took on "Classy" Freddie Blassie as his manager. Blassie guided Studd to WWF title shots at then-champion Bob Backlund, but Studd was unable to wrestle the title away from "The Golden Boy." Then to prove that Studd was the biggest man in the WWF, Blassie began holding weekly bodyslam challenges on WWF television to see if anyone could slam the big man. To the winner would go $10,000 in cash. No wrestler was able to accomplish the feat until one week, when Studd's next bodyslam challenger was scheduled to be "Chief" Jay Strongbow. However at the last minute, Strongbow was replaced. The replacement? None other than 7'5", 500 pounds of Andre the Giant. Studd and Blassie were furious when Andre walked down the aisle for the challenge. As Andre was set to scoop Studd up, Blassie grabbed onto Studd's waist to prevent the Giant from slamming him. Andre tried to hoist Studd up twice, and noticed Blassie's interference the second time. Andre charged at Blassie, took the money, and threw it out to the crowd before Studd sneaked up and grabbed it back before taking off for the locker room with Blassie. This incident led to a bitter feud between Studd and Andre. The feud took the two into a series of cage matches in the summer of 1983 that saw the Giant not only win, but bodyslam Studd in the process.

After Hulk Hogan won the WWF title in early 1984, Studd set his sights once again on the title. Bobby Heenan made his way into the WWF in mid-1984, prompting John to leave Blassie's camp to join Heenan's along with former partner Patera. Studd defeated Hogan by countout on September 22, 1984 in Madison Square Garden. However, John was unable to pin the champ in his series of title matches, and had more personal things to attend to, so with his new back-up, Studd rekindled his feud with the Giant. The three developed a plan, which they accomplished during a tag team match that saw Patera and Studd take on Andre and S.D. "Special Delivery" Jones. The Giant and Jones were in control of the match until S.D. missed Patera with a shot and sailed from the ring, rendering him unconscious. Heenan's troops pounced on the out-numbered Giant. They beat Andre unconscious, and then in one of the most memorable acts in WWF history, they cut off Andre's long black hair and kept it with them as a reminder of the event.

It didn't take Andre long to come back from the humiliation he suffered in that match. The Giant first disposed of Ken Patera, easily beating him in a Madison Square Garden match. Then came the big one, Studd vs. Andre. The match took place at Wrestlemania at the Garden on March 31, 1985. It was billed a "$15,000 Body Slam Challenge". If Andre won, he'd get the money. But if Studd won, the Giant would have to retire from wrestling. The match would end up being mostly dominated by Andre, who ended the battle by lifting Studd into the air and planting him with a slam in the middle of the ring.

Following Studd's loss, his role in the WWF began to diminish. He appeared at Wrestlemania 2, during which he participated in a battle royal and was embarassed by football great William "The Refrigerator" Perry. Perry was eliminated by Studd, but tricked "Big John" into reaching down to shake hands, at which time the Fridge pulled Studd out, eliminating him from the match. Studd also teamed up with fellow Heenan Family member King Kong Bundy to make a formidable team. The two challenged the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid) for the tag team titles on several occasions, and although they came very close, they were unable to win the belts. Tension formed between the two partners following a loss in a big tag team battle royal, and by the end of 1986, Studd was gone from the WWF.

After two years away from the WWF, John returned in late-1988. He shocked former manager Bobby Heenan when he chose to rekindle his feud with The Giant yet again (Andre was with Heenan at this time). However, Studd made his first order of business the 1989 Royal Rumble. John lucked out and drew a high number in the Rumble, and went on to win the event. With the win under his belt, Studd turned his sites onto Andre. Studd was named as the special guest referee for a match between Andre and Jake "the Snake" Roberts at Wrestlemania V. The tension between the two was obvious during the match, as they stared down one another many times. At the end of the match, Andre took advantage of a preoccupied Studd and choked him down before Roberts made the save. By the summer of 1989, Studd was gone from the WWF for good.

On the heels of his final WWF stint, Studd retired from wrestling with the exception of matches now and again on the indy circuit. He came out with his own line of workout and vitamin supplements, and started wrestling training, with Ron Reese (former "Big" Ron Studd) being his most well-known pupil.

In the early 1990s, Studd was diagnosed with cancer. He fought the disease for several years and lost a considerable amount of weight over that time. Then in 1995, "Big" John lost his battle, and died at the age of 45. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest men ever in wrestling, not only for his size but for his ability to win matches with actual wrestling and not just brute force.

Title Summary:

WWF Tag Team Championship