On this day in wrestling history, March 20, 1995, we lost WWE great Big John Studd passed away from liver cancer and Hodgkin’s disease. Studd’s longtime friend and confidant in his dying days, Superstar Billy Graham, said doctors had informed Studd his excessive use of human growth hormone (which also reshaped his skeleton and muscles) may have triggered his various tumors.
It was the end of a great run where Studd wrestled in several promotions, but is remembered most for his WWE days.
Career
After making his debut in the WWF in 1972 as Chuck O’Connor, he worked his way up to the WWF Tag Team Championship with Killer Kowalski, but mentor.
His feud with Andre the Giant was the stuff of legends as according to the Andre HBO documentary, he infuriated Andre by entering by stepping over the top rope, which happened to be Andre’s thing.
This led to several matches between the two, with Studd as a heel and member of the Heenan family. It came to a somewhat culmination in the first WrestleMania where he lost to Andre the Giant in a $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge. After the match, much to his and Bobby Heenan’s chagrin, not only had Andre bodyslammed him, but Andre then tossed the $15,000 to the fans after he won.
Returning following a two year retirement, he was approached by Bobby Heenan on the Brother Love Show. Heenan tried to welcome him back into the Heenan family, but because his chief rival, Andre, had turned heel and joined the family, he refused and chased Heenan off the set.
While feuding with the Heenan Family, Studd achieved what many consider the crown jewel of his career by winning the 1989 Royal Rumble. He then was the special guest refer in WrestleMania 5’s matc between Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Andre. As was usual between the two, Andre and Studd exchanged words throughout the match, with Studd disqualifying Andre after he was attacked from behind.
Sickness and death
Studd’s health started noticeable deteriorating in 1993 when he felt extremely tired after filling in for Jimmy Snuka for a match. After the match, he noticed a lump in his armpit and went to see a doctor.
It was a large tumor in his chest. It remitted after chemotherapy, but it returned in 1994. Without a bone marrow donor, he was given a month to live, so he underwent an autotransplantation procedure with a 7% chance of success.
In 1995, Studd was sure he would beat cancer once more, but the tumor had spread throughout his body.
His Legacy
John Minton (Big John Studd) was posthumously inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame in 1995 and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
His wife Donna and his three children Jannelle, Sean and John Minton Jr. accepted his HOF plaques. John Minton Jr. worked to become a professional wrestler, too, and participated in the fourth season of WWE Tough Enough.
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