We’ve done a few of these remembering posts, and it’s been a mix of pleasure and pain. It sucks that so many of our favorites from our childhood are dying off, but it’s also great to go back and look at their matches and promos. So many times, we see things we forgot and it’s like being a kid again. With that said, on This Day in Wrestling History, March 4, 2019, we lost one of the great talents of the 1980s and 90s —King Kong Bundy.
One of the toughest
Out of all the giants in the WWE during the ‘80s, Bundy was one of the toughest. He was one of the few that could have a believable match with Andre the Giant because of his size, and he never backed down from anyone.
He’s one we wanted to se against the biggest and toughest, and it’s a shame he never faced Vader or some of the other wrestlers that were as bid and imposing as he was, but he helped give birth to dream matches we’ve played out on video games or in our minds.
After signing with the WWE following his time in Japan, Bundy began feuding with the man that helped bring him to Vince McMahon’s promotion — Hulk Hogan.
They eventually met for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in a steel cage at WrestleMania 2. It became one of the better matches of both their careers also happened to be Bundy’s favorite.
He became larger than life by staring in the Richard Pryor movie Moving, and in a couple of episodes of Fox’s hit comedy series, Married… With Children. The creators of the show were wrestling fans and named the Bundy family after him.
He continued feuding with Hogan, Andre, and others through the years until he had a falling out after McMahon allegedly buried him after he returned to the WWE. He left the WWE for good in 1995.
The Five Count
(Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the transcript)
“Hulk got me my job in the WWF. I was set to go work for Verne Gagne up in Minneapolis (AWA) when it was still a viable territory, but it was going downhill fast like all those territories and I was set to go up there and then I met Hulk in Japan and he talked to me about coming. He called Vince McMahon for me. Greased the skid there for me to go in there because I’d much rather do that than go to Verne, but I always thought you wait until they called you, but meeting Hulk in Japan, he thought we could have some good matches together. He helped me with my deal over there (Japan) and he got me in the door over here (WWF). Hulk was very good to me. I mean people say Hulk Hogan’s changed. I don’t know, but all he ever did was help me. That’s all I can say. And these idiots like The Honky Tonk Man that run him down and you know he saved the Honky Tonk Man’s life when he was up in Calgary and Hulk got Vince to bring him in. These guys, a lot of ingrates in the wrestling business.” – King Kong Bundy Two Man Powertrip podcast interview May 24, 2018
Always brutally honest in his interviews and in person, he was also a gentleman that treated people with respect and gentleness that belied his character.
He’s one of many that died too soon, but it’s good to know he’s still getting five counts.
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