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King
Kong Bundy found tremendous success as a monster heel during
the 1980's. He began wrestling in World Class
Championship Wrestling as "Big Daddy" Bundy until he turned
heel and became known as King Kong Bundy.
Bundy later wrestled in Georgia
Championship Wrestling (GCW) as a member of Paul Ellering's
"Legion of Doom" heel stable. However during an interview on
tv, Ellering insulted Bundy's weight, not realizing that Bundy
had heard him. Bundy turned babyface and teamed with the
Masked Superstar to defeat Ellering's Road Warriors for
the National Tag Team Titles.
Bundy joined Jimmy Hart's First
Family in Mid-Southern Wrestling where he teamed with "Ravishing" Rick Rude to win the
Southern Tag Team Titles. Bundy had a wild series of
matches with Jerry "the King" Lawler
and Austin Idol.
While in New Japan Pro Wrestling,
Bundy reportedly met Hulk Hogan who
advised him to contact Vince McMahon about a job in the World
Wrestling Federation (WWF).
Bundy made an instant impact at
Wrestlemania I where he debuted in the WWF against Special Delivery Jones and set a
Madison Square Garden record for the quickest pinfall victory
ever. Not content to finish opponents with a three count
pinfall, Bundy demanded a five count from referees.
After his WWF debut, King Kong
Bundy formed an impressive tag team with "Big" John Studd and
the titantic twosome gave Andre
the Giant some of his most brutal matches ever as they
destroyed Andre's partner Hillbilly Jim and even delivered
a beating to Andre and Hulk Hogan. With the managerial
services of Bobby "The Brain"
Heenan, Bundy seemed headed for championship
success.
With his immense size and
impressive speed, Bundy squashed all of his competition in the
WWF before setting up WWF Champion Hulk
Hogan for a brutal attack on Saturday Night's Main Event
during Hogan's match with "The Magnificent" Muraco.
Bundy delivered several of his avalanche body splashes to
Hogan, injuring Hogan's ribs. Bundy then challenged the
injured Hogan to a championship match at Wrestlemania II and
as if wrestling injured wasn't enough, Hogan would have to
face Bundy in a steel cage! Despite Hogan's injured condition,
Bundy was unable to defeat the Hulkster.
Despite his loss to Hogan, Bundy
remained competitive in the WWF. He continued his tag
team with "Big" John Studd, billed
as the tag team that "can't be slammed, can't be
pinned". Bundy and Studd battled Hulk Hogan and Paul
"Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff during the fateful match when "Mr.
Wonderful" turned heel on Hogan.
One of Bundy's most infamous acts
was at Wrestlemania III when he delivered his Atlantic City
Avalanche to midget wrestler Little Beaver. Bundy was
participating in a special match, teaming with midget
wrestlers Little Tokyo and Lord Littlebrook against Hillbilly
Jim and midget wrestlers Little Beaver and the Haiti
Kid. The rules were that no midget could wrestle against
their large size opponent and vice versa. However when
Little Beaver interfered while Bundy and Hillbilly Jim
wrestled, Bundy bodyslammed him then laid him out with his
patented splash. Even Bundy's teammates were shocked at
his action and they teamed up to chase Bundy out of the
ring.
Bundy left the WWF for several
years before resurfacing in the mid 1990's as a member of Ted
DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. Bundy was one of
the many Wrestlemania victims of the Undertaker, losing to the
Dead Man at Wrestlemania
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